The kidnappers demanded that Xia Xian conduct the exchange tomorrow at seven o'clock, right at the gate of an elementary school. That time coincides with students arriving for class, clearly chosen to exploit the cover of the busy crowd. Even if the police broke their promise and lay in wait, the kidnappers could seize a child to secure their escape route; with children present, the police would be forced to hesitate, fearing for their safety.
If no students showed up to school tomorrow, it would be too obvious—a sign that the area was already surrounded by police and that the kidnappers had been tipped off, meaning they wouldn't show up at all.
Therefore, how to deliver the money and whether to have the police stake out the area remained a problem that required careful deliberation.
Chapter 223