CHAPTER 212: CHAPTER 212: FARCE TAKES THE STAGE, AN UNFORESEEN SCENE!

Everything proceeded as expected.

Jiang Feng’s fried chicken quickly became popular. By the third day of his stall’s operation, a crowd had already gathered outside the small shop. Jiang Feng was busy frying chicken and didn’t have time to pay attention to anything else.

At the same time, the police had secretly taken bar owner Wang Youcai in for interrogation. This, in itself, was a minor incident. Wang Youcai was mentally resilient, and the police couldn’t get much out of him; they were bound to release him sooner or later. But Wang Youcai had forgotten another crucial matter: he was responsible for delivering meals to the two fugitives.

「At this moment, inside the secret chamber, the two fugitives were frantic with hunger.」

Hunger is an intensely uncomfortable sensation. Once it sets in, the whole body feels out of sorts. One feels lethargic, unable to muster the energy for anything, scratching their head and preoccupied only with filling their stomach as soon as possible.

"I’m so hungry. Why hasn’t Old Wang come yet?" one of them said.

"I sent him the signal, but he didn’t reply. Something must be up," the other responded.

"He’s so cautious just arranging for someone to deliver food. Couldn’t he just find someone to take charge? He always has to do it himself."

"That’s just how he is, isn’t it? Always very careful. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have this secret chamber."

The two chatted idly, their thoughts drifting to the fried chicken they had eaten the day before. They had seen videos related to Jiang Feng’s shop on their cellphones, and the more they watched, the more their cravings intensified.

"I’m craving fried chicken. Let’s order some takeout; it tastes so good," one of the fugitives said.

The other hesitated before asking, "How would we get it? Where would it be delivered?"

"Deliver it to the entrance. I’ll go out and get it."

"Okay."

Having made up their minds, they decided to order fried chicken for delivery. They were too hungry to endure it any longer, and the fried chicken was so delicious that it seemed worth the risk. However, their hopes were quickly dashed. After finding Jiang Feng’s shop online, they saw there was no delivery option. Moreover, a notice on the shop’s page read: "Due to the busy brick-and-mortar business, we are no longer offering delivery."

"Damn, we can’t order takeout now. What do we do?"

"Go out and buy it."

"Should be okay, right?"

"It should be fine. We’ve been hiding for ten days; the police can’t have that much patience. Plus, the fried chicken shop is just across the street. It’s only a 10-minute trip."

"Alright, I’ll go."

"Be careful."

After discussing their plan, one of the fugitives opened the secret chamber’s door and stealthily slipped out from the back of the bar.

It was around eight o’clock in the evening. A few cars were parked outside the bar. Jiang Feng’s fried chicken shop, however, was swarming with people, customers coming and going nonstop.

"This is the shop opened by that chef, right?"

"Yes, that’s him!"

"Let’s try it quickly! I hear everything he makes is delicious!"

"This fried chicken needs no words!"

Customers were queuing up.

Ma Jiang and the other plainclothes officer were no longer delivering takeout but were instead helping run the shop. They had no choice; it was overwhelmingly busy, and they desperately needed more hands. Jiang Feng used to hire two or three older women to help, but now, with young and strong labor available, efficiency had greatly increased.

Facing the crowd of onlookers, Jiang Feng remained composed as he fried chicken in the hot oil. He selected only the finest chicken, carefully marinated, and fried it to perfection. It would be hard for it not to taste good.

One customer, having bought his fried chicken, stood by the roadside, put on disposable gloves, and began to eat. The fried chicken came in five parts: Drumstick, Wings, Breast, Keel, and Ribs. He had chosen the non-spicy flavor. He first picked up the ribs, which were part of the chicken frame. Oddly enough, among all the parts of fried chicken, the ribs have the least meat but are often considered the tastiest. Gripping the bony part, he bit into the meat and gently tore at it. Instantly, the crispy batter coating the chicken was pulled away, revealing succulent meat from which rich, flavorful juices oozed and steam immediately rose.

The customer began to chew heartily. With the first bite, he tasted not only the batter but also the tender chicken. The rich flavor made him feel completely relaxed; it was so delicious, his tongue tingled.

MMM!

MMM!!

MMM!!!

While eating, the customer made these appreciative sounds, varying in pitch and volume.

Those waiting in line were already impatient, and seeing him eat so appetizingly, they couldn’t help but stare. Hearing his sounds, however, they quickly became irritated.

"Damn, eating fried chicken is one thing, but smacking your lips like that too?"

"Are you moaning or something over there?!"

"He must be doing it on purpose! He’s asking for a beating!"

"I really want to snatch his fried chicken!"

Everyone began to grumble.

The fried chicken shop was as bustling as ever. Perhaps it was due to the viral hype, perhaps the fried chicken’s reputation was just that good, or perhaps it was both.

At this moment, the three plainclothes officers were inwardly troubled but couldn’t voice their thoughts. Weren’t we supposed to be watching the bar across the street? How did we end up just being errand boys? And we can’t even stop. If those thugs across the street notice something’s off, it’ll be bad. They had no choice but to keep working. Indeed, Jiang Feng treated them just like regular employees. It wasn’t a big deal to him.

The crowd was bustling.

「Meanwhile, the fugitive Zhou Laohu, wearing a duckbill cap and a mask, appeared in the queue.」

He looked around vigilantly; everything seemed as usual. He then glanced around Jiang Feng’s fried chicken shop; the constant flow of people made it exceptionally lively. He also saw a guy on the side munching on fried chicken, deliberately making "mmm" noises.

Zhou Laohu tutted. That guy is really asking for a beating.

But now, he had to keep a low profile and didn’t speak, even amidst the crowd. When someone in front moved back and accidentally bumped into him, they apologized, and he would just smile and indicate it was no problem. Fugitives like him often didn’t look fierce or suspicious; instead, they would deliberately appear very ordinary.

The line moved forward bit by bit. Customers discussed Jiang Feng’s exploits while holding up their phones to film him, their anticipation for the fried chicken palpable.

"Is that fried chicken really that good?"

"Super good! I just had it yesterday."

"You can trust his stuff. It’s not just hype; it’s genuinely good food."

A few people chatted away. These sounds reached Zhou Laohu’s ears, and, unusually for him, a sense of peace settled in his heart.

Meanwhile, Ma Jiang and Zheng Chuanlin were busy inside the shop. One handled the cash register, while the other took care of cleaning. The shop was small and couldn’t seat many people, so many stood to the side eating. It was so crowded that it seemed a bit chaotic. Sun Zhuangfei was now in charge of marinating the chicken in the back, essentially Jiang Feng’s dedicated prep cook for the chicken. The main cooking, however, was still done by Jiang Feng himself. Only chicken fried by him could taste so good. Box after box of chicken was handed out to customers.

Although Zheng Chuanlin was physically busy, his mind was still on capturing the fugitives. He’d heard from his team that they’d taken the bar owner, Wang Youcai, in for questioning today. He wondered if they’d get anything out of him. The next step would probably be a manhunt. Hopefully, they could catch those two. Those two fugitives were truly cunning; not only could they disguise themselves, but they also had counter-surveillance awareness. They always escaped so quickly. Where were they hiding now? And where could they possibly hide?

As Zheng Chuanlin was lost in thought, Zhou Laohu reached the counter. Keeping his head down, Zhou Laohu ordered, "Four servings of fried chicken, all spicy."

"Sorry, each person is limited to three servings," Zheng Chuanlin replied politely.

He looked up at Zhou Laohu, and with just one glance, Zheng Chuanlin felt as if he’d been struck by lightning!

This person... He is... Holy crap! Am I dreaming?

Police officers in China often memorize the faces of wanted criminals. Sometimes, they could be out for a late-night snack and casually apprehend a fugitive. They were that familiar with their appearances. He wasn’t like Guilin Zai from "Zhou Chu Eliminates the Three Evils," the third most wanted criminal who could walk into a police station to surrender without anyone recognizing him.

Then, in the fried chicken shop, something utterly unexpected happened. Even Jiang Feng, in his wildest dreams, wouldn’t have imagined someone could leap so high.

Zheng Chuanlin jumped straight up from where he stood. Yes, you read that right—straight up. He leaped onto a table. Then, he pounced, his hands instantly clamping down on Zhou Laohu’s shoulders, pinning him to the floor.

The surrounding customers were stunned. Wait, what was happening? Had the mother of all zombies appeared?

Only when Zheng Chuanlin shouted, "Don’t move, police!" did everyone finally realize what was happening.

Holy crap, this "zombie" is a cop!

Ma Jiang, who was cleaning, was a bit slow on the uptake but then immediately rushed out, helping to pin Zhou Laohu to the ground. Zhou Laohu tried to struggle, but two more officers quickly arrived and secured him tightly. His face turned ashen; he knew he couldn’t escape today.

Then, Zhou Laohu used all the strength he had to shout, "Officer, I surrender, I surrender! Give me a serving of fried chicken! Just let me eat a serving of fried chicken!"

The officers paid no heed to his words and immediately handcuffed him. With one caught, interrogating him to find the second would be much easier. The officers’ faces lit up with excitement. They had finally caught him.

Zhou Laohu, still undeterred, kept shouting, "Let me eat a serving of fried chicken!"

With the crowd already large and everyone filming, people immediately captured this scene on video.

Ma Jiang looked at Zhou Laohu, a wave of relief washing over him. So many officers had toiled for over half a month to catch these two; it had been incredibly hard. But today, they had finally succeeded.

"Behave and confess quickly! Where is Li Yan’er?" Ma Jiang demanded.

"Let me eat a serving of fried chicken, and I’ll tell you."

Zhou Laohu wasn’t the loyal type. At a time like this, he certainly wasn’t going to prison alone while his accomplice roamed free. They both had to be brought down.

Hearing this, Ma Jiang immediately got a serving of fried chicken from Jiang Feng. After Zhou Laohu got the fried chicken, he actually ratted out the other fugitive.

And so, the capture operation ended with a rather dramatic conclusion.

Sun Zhuangfei, inside the shop, was completely dumbfounded.

"Boss, they’re cops?" Sun Zhuangfei said, catching on late.

"Yeah, undercover, the incognito kind," Jiang Feng replied calmly.

Holy crap! Undercover cops? Right beside me?! Sun Zhuangfei was suddenly buzzing with excitement. He’d never experienced anything like it.

Then, looking at Jiang Feng, who appeared calm and collected, he asked again, "Boss, how can you be so calm?"

Jiang Feng replied calmly, "Nothing much. I’ve been running stalls for a while, so I’ve seen a lot.

"I used to sell Zhajiang noodles in a mall and saw something like this happen before."

Hearing this, Sun Zhuangfei’s admiration for Jiang Feng grew even stronger. He really is the boss! His experiences are truly beyond what ordinary people could compare to.