Jiang Yuan's team reacted swiftly, and after quickly gaining control of the hotpot restaurant, three policewomen stepped forward to articulate the consequences to the staff and collected everyone's cellphones.
Jiang Yuan left a few people behind and allowed the hotpot restaurant to continue its business, mainly to prevent any surprises and to avoid startling the snake by hitting the grass.
Meanwhile, all the police officers from the Ningtai County Criminal Investigation Brigade were called to assemble in the police compound, ready to mobilize at any moment.
Huang Qiangmin even unlocked the armory, taking out all four available Type 92 handguns and equipping Wu Junhao's squadron with them. The remaining Type 64s and Type 05s were allocated as well, but nobody held much hope for them.
More detectives donned bulletproof vests and stab-resistant clothing, armed with shields, batons, and stun guns.