Smoke filled the air inside the Criminal Investigation Detachment office.
Walker, a young police officer, stared at the ordinary, square-jawed face projected on the screen, his knuckles popping as he clenched his fists. POP.
"Captain! I suggest we take immediate action!
"It’s only past six in the morning. There definitely won’t be many tourists at the film studios right now.
"We can organize a strike team, storm in, and arrest him while the crew hasn’t started working and the crowds are at their thinnest!
"We’ll catch him completely off guard!"
This proposal was quickly echoed by quite a few young officers. For five years, this guy named Keegan Lowell had seemed to vanish off the face of the earth. Now that they finally had a lead, everyone wanted to bring him to justice as soon as possible.
"Nonsense!"
Isaac Adler’s hoarse voice wasn’t loud, but it instantly silenced the entire office. He snuffed out his cigarette butt. Though his own blood was pumping just as hard, he remained far calmer than his subordinates. Waving a hand to settle them down, he walked over to the massive tourist map of Aethel City hanging on the wall and jabbed his finger heavily onto the location of Legends Film Studios.
"Storm in? And then what?" Isaac asked. "Keegan Lowell is a desperate outlaw, not some petty street thug.
"Do you think he’ll just surrender without a fight?
"Obviously not!"
He pointed to the large green area on the map behind the studios. "This is Mount Aeridor! I don’t need to tell you how complex the terrain is.
"It’s got forests, karst caves, and underground rivers!
"The moment he senses something is wrong and darts into the mountain, where are we supposed to find him?
"It’d be like looking for a needle in a haystack!
"Not to mention, at this hour, there are definitely early-bird tourists and production staff already in the scenic area. If we charge in with guns blazing and back him into a corner, what happens if he grabs a hostage? Who takes the responsibility for that?"
Isaac’s barrage of questions served as a bucket of cold water to the fired-up young officers, causing cold sweat to bead on their foreheads. Catching Keegan Lowell was a monumental achievement, but in critical moments like this, they couldn’t afford any mistakes.
The office fell into a tense silence as a heavy pressure settled over everyone. Isaac’s gaze darted back and forth between the map and the face on the projector, his mind working in overdrive.
If a direct assault wouldn’t work, they had to outsmart him. Keegan Lowell’s most brilliant move was using the identity of a background extra as cover, hiding himself in the liveliest, most unexpected place.
Since he liked to act so much...
SLAM!
Isaac slapped his hand flat against the desk, startling everyone. "Doesn’t he love playing an extra? Doesn’t he love hiding in plain sight? Then we’ll put on a show for him!" A gleam of excitement flickered in his eyes. "We won’t storm the place, we won’t clear the area, and we won’t alert him!
"We’ll proactively contact the production crew and cooperate with them. Right within today’s shooting schedule, we will tailor-make a scene just for him!
"As long as we separate him from the other actors and slip our own people in, we can catch him like a rat in a trap!"
"A play within a play?"
"Arrest him while they’re filming?"
The officers were stunned for a moment before dawning realization washed over their faces.
The plan was absolutely brilliant.
Isaac quickly obtained the director’s phone number from the person in charge of Legends Film Studios. On the other end of the line, Director Zhang, who was in the middle of a shoot, was utterly dumbfounded by what Isaac told him.
"What? Officer... Officer Adler? You aren’t joking, are you?
"An A-level wanted criminal? Working as an extra in our crew?!
"How is that possible? Are you sleepwalking, Officer Adler, or am I just drunk?"
Director Zhang had been shooting TV dramas for over a decade. He had filmed historical epics, urban romances, ridiculous anti-Japanese war serials, and even a few web shorts that required viewers to check their brains at the door to enjoy. He used to think the scripts he worked with were far too absurd; if it weren’t for the paycheck, he would never have shot such garbage.
However, listening to Isaac’s solemn confirmation, he realized those old scripts were practically mundane. Reality was far more ridiculous than any trashy screenplay.
Director Zhang took several deep breaths to compose himself. "So... you want to arrest him while I’m filming?" His hand trembled around his phone, though whether from fear or excitement, it was hard to say.
"Exactly. This requires your full cooperation, and not a single word can be leaked." Captain Adler’s tone brokered no argument.
There was a solid dozen seconds of silence on the other end, followed by a burst of irrepressible laughter.
"Don’t you worry, Captain Adler! I’ll definitely cooperate!
"Tell me! What do you need me to do?"
Director Zhang wasn’t worried about the arrest itself. If the criminal investigation team dared to propose such a plan, it meant they were highly confident. Even if something went wrong during the operation, it wouldn’t be him, the director, shouldering the blame.
On the contrary, an A-level wanted fugitive acting in their crew was an absolute blockbuster of a scandal. Once the news broke, their third-rate little production would inevitably attract a massive, unimaginable wave of traffic. And he, an obscure third-rate director, could finally catch a break and skyrocket to fame.
Isaac felt a wave of relief; the most critical link was secured. "I need a relatively isolated, easily controllable scene where we can logically separate him from the others under the guise of filming."
Director Zhang felt a surge of inspiration and thought of a solution in seconds. "I’ve got one! I’ve absolutely got one!
"There’s a city gate over here. I can arrange a scene about defending the wall.
"We’ll need a few soldiers standing as background extras on the isolated beacon tower to the south.
"That beacon tower is a full six meters high and only has one long, narrow stone staircase leading up to it.
"As long as that staircase is guarded, whoever is up there basically can’t come down!"
"Perfect! We’ll do exactly that!"
A sharp glint flashed in Isaac’s eyes. The two discussed the details for a while longer, and only after the plan was completely finalized did he hang up the phone.
Immediately after, he began issuing orders.
"Old Carter, go pick the five best close-combat fighters from the SWAT team immediately!
"Have them change into plainclothes and assemble at the studio gates within the hour. They need to be ready to blend in with the extras!
"The rest of you, split into three teams.
"Team one will monitor the overall situation from the command vehicle.
"Team two will go plainclothes and blend in with the tourists to control the perimeter.
"Team three will set up an ambush in the woods around the beacon tower, ready to provide support at a moment’s notice!
"The codename for this operation is ’Rat in a Trap’!"
"Yes, sir!"
The entire Criminal Investigation Detachment sprang into high-speed action like a well-oiled war machine.
That afternoon, inside Legends Film Studios.
Tourists were bustling about as usual, and the various production crews were proceeding with their shoots in an orderly manner. Everything looked exactly the same as any other ordinary day.