[12/01, 07:10, Jiade Office Building, 165 Zhaoxun Road, Haijing City]
Xu Shang wore a dark gray jacket and black pants. The clothes were new but oversized, completely ill-fitting. At 1.7 meters tall, the jacket was at least for size 180 cm, making him look comically baggy. Coupled with a brown beret, his nervous and hesitant steps made him stand out among the professionals rushing to work.
Sure enough, a security guard patrolling the first floor noticed him immediately and approached to stop him. “Which company are you going to?”
Xu Shang took off his hat, revealing a pale, gaunt face. “Kangquan Biotechnology Company.”
The guard scrutinized him. His sickly appearance seemed genuine. However, the health product company on the 20th floor was notorious for selling fake medicine, with frequent complaints. Out of goodwill, the guard advised, “If you’re sick, you should see a doctor. Health products won’t cure you, and you’ll just lose money and suffer.”
Xu Shang followed his lead, “Yes, their products made me worse. I’m here to demand compensation.”
“Ah, coming alone won’t help. Even journalists couldn’t do anything last time. The company is still open.”
“Oh… I’ll go up and take a look. If it doesn’t work, I’ll call the media.” Xu Shang scratched his head and smiled sheepishly. “Thanks.”
Their conversation was observed by Li Changsheng and Ding Ju’s small team, disguised in janitor uniforms with half their faces covered by masks. Ding Ju, pretending to look for a cloth, squatted behind a tool cart, comparing the man with the hostage photo on his phone. He was shocked. “It’s him! It’s really Xu Shang!”
Li Changsheng took out a large garbage bag, fitted it over a trash can, and turned sideways to speak into his earpiece. “Captain Yu, the hostage is here. It’s Xu Shang.”
“Yes, I see him.” Yu Xue, standing by the elevator, had changed into a tailored silver-gray suit, with his hair slicked back and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, looking every bit the successful professional.
Xu Shang walked towards the elevator. Yu Xue checked his watch and pretended to make a phone call. “Changsheng, you and Ding Ju go outside and contact the fire department to prepare the air cushions. Song Ping, keep an eye on any incoming alarm calls and pinpoint the signal if there are any.”
Two acknowledgments came through the earpiece. Yu Xue pocketed his phone as the elevator doors opened. Xu Shang joined a group of office workers carrying briefcases. Yu Xue stepped in last, standing by the elevator buttons.
Some floors had already been selected, and those at the back asked Yu Xue to press their floor numbers. Yu Xue complied politely and finally asked Xu Shang, “Which floor are you going to?”
“Ah?” Xu Shang seemed surprised to be addressed and stammered nervously, “Fif-fifteenth… no, twentieth floor. Thank you.”
Yu Xue pressed the floor button, and the elevator ascended. Xu Shang stood against the wall, his hand constantly in his pocket, his fingers twitching whenever they brushed against a cylindrical object.
He had a detonator strapped to his waist.
The cylinder was filled with enough explosives and surrounded by a complex network of colorful wires. The oversized jacket was meant to hide these terrifying devices, allowing him to blend into the building.
Xu Shang pressed his lips tightly together. They were dry and cracked from dehydration, and his nervous movements caused them to bleed slightly. He didn’t notice, his mind buzzing, unsure whether to feel fear or anticipation.
He was originally a regular technician at Nanyi Machinery Factory. A month ago, after an explosion at the factory, he was kidnapped by Pang Daozi and plunged into a living hell. There were four criminals: Pang Daozi, the leader, his right-hand man Zhao Chenghu, and two lackeys who did the dirty work and had little say. Xu Shang, the hostage, was weak, timid, and helpless, constantly dragged around by the criminals, barely fed or clothed, often beaten, and unable to resist.
Previously, there were eight hostages. The first hostage was the workshop director at the factory, who tried to escape. Pang Daozi chopped off his head with a machete and left it on the road. The second hostage was a young girl who was raped by them and cursed the criminals’ families. They strangled her and stuffed her into a suitcase, which they abandoned in a busy area. The third was a teenage boy with asthma. He had an attack on the road, but they coldly watched him suffocate rather than send someone to get medicine. The fourth was a middle-aged woman who did nothing wrong but ate a lot and cried incessantly. Annoyed by her, Pang Daozi killed her to avoid further trouble.
They started their escape from Nanyi, traveling through mountains and rivers, enduring harsh conditions worse than ancient exiles. The physical torment was less severe than the psychological terror. Seeing one hostage killed after another, the remaining four hostages lived in constant fear, unsure if they would see the next sunrise.
After the explosion, national warrants were issued for Pang Daozi and his gang. However, these ruthless criminals had loyal allies helping them escape. They used stolen cars, fake IDs, and disguises. During one narrow escape in Dongxiang, police officers were standing right above the cellar where Xu Shang was hiding among pickling jars, his mouth taped shut, desperately hoping to be rescued.
Unfortunately, the cellar door was never opened. They eventually reached Haijing, where they were received by a man called “Tu Laogui.” Tu Laogui had several henchmen, one of whom was Lin Erde from Linjia Village, which was near Southern Cheng’an Mountain. Lin Erde, familiar with the terrain, quickly found a secluded hiding spot on the undeveloped border between Dengchang and Haijing.
This area, the watershed between Southern Cheng’an and Northern cheng’an, featured a treacherous valley rarely ventured into by even the locals due to the presence of wild animals. It was an ideal hideout. With weak phone signals and no entertainment, the group felt cut off from the world. Lin Erde would visit every other day to deliver food and news. After a few days in the cave, Zhao Chenghu decided to return to Nanyi but never came back.
“Ding—” The elevator doors opened and closed repeatedly as people entered and exited, leaving only Yu Xue and Xu Shang.
Yu Xue observed Xu Shang from the corner of his eye. Xu Shang, head lowered and silent, seemed lost in thought. When the elevator reached the 20th floor and the doors opened, he didn’t move.
“Not getting out?” Yu Xue asked.
Xu Shang snapped out of his trance, saw the 20th-floor indicator, and quickly exited. Yu Xue followed, asking, “Where are you headed?”
“Kang… Kangquan Biotechnology…” Xu Shang was visibly nervous.
“Oh, you’re here to demand compensation?”
Unsure how to respond, Xu Shang nodded. Yu Xue adjusted his glasses and smiled, “I’m a lawyer from the firm next door. If you need legal assistance, we can help.”
“Oh… okay.” Xu Shang’s expression was wooden. “What time is it now?”
“Quarter past seven.”
“Thank you.” Xu Shang walked slowly in the opposite direction of Kangquan Biotechnology. Yu Xue grabbed his arm and said, “Kangquan is this way.”
Xu Shang quickly pulled away, stepping back and making an excuse to go to the restroom first.
Yu Xue watched him head toward the stairwell leading to the rooftop, lightly touching his earpiece and whispering, “Xu Shang went up. He does have a bomb on him.” He then contacted Yuan Kang and said, “Captain Yuan, please discreetly evacuate the building’s occupants through the back door.”
Zhao Peiying, Jiang Dongliang, and Shao Shiqing were also on the rooftop. Shao Shiqing and Jiang Dongliang eere hidden in a storage room while Zhao Peiying observed from outside. From his vantage point, he saw a frail man cautiously close the rooftop door and slowly approach the railing.
Stopping two meters from the railing, Xu Shang stared at the opposite building, oblivious to Yu Xue quietly following him onto the rooftop. Yu Xue, after meeting up with Shao Shiqing, removed his suit jacket, placed it aside, and donned the bulletproof vest handed to him by Shao Shiqing.
Heavy bomb disposal suits hindered movement and offered limited protection against the explosive charge Xu Shang carried. Yu Xue estimated that Xu Shang’s device contained at least a kilogram of explosives, sufficient to cause lethal damage regardless of protective gear.
With the vest on, Yu Xue signaled for a pincer movement. Shao Shiqing nodded, preparing to approach from the other side.
Jiang Dongliang, watching Xu Shang through a small window in the storage room, reported, “Xu Shang is staring at the opposite building, likely waiting for a signal.”
“Yes, I figured that out.” Yi Shi, positioned downstairs, faced the same direction as Xu Shang. From their triangulated range, this route was the one police would take from Zhaoxun Station, with Licai Apartments offering the best vantage point.
Licai Apartments were two streets from Zhaoxun Station. The 20th floor was the highest in the area, and the 16th floor of Licai Apartments provided a clear view across the two-lane road and sidewalk, a distance of about 22 meters, creating an ideal line of sight.
Yi Shi glanced up, spotting a partial head on the 14th-floor corridor, and quickly headed towards Licai Apartments. Zhang Rui hurried after him, “Hey! Wait, what if you’re wrong?”
“I won’t be.”
Zhang Rui, not from Nanyi, wasn’t inclined to cater to Yi Shi’s temperament. “How can you be so sure?! Neither your Captain Yu nor our Captain Yuan have given orders yet!”
Yi Shi didn’t look back and left with a remark, “Then stay here.”
“…” Zhang Rui took a deep breath to calm himself and avoid arguing with this kind of person. Just then, Song Ping’s voice came through the earpiece, “A nearby emergency call just reported someone jumping off a building at the Jiade Office Building!”
Xu Shang hadn’t even approached the railing, and the rooftop of the Jiade Office Building wasn’t restricted. People often went up there to smoke or chat. He’d only been up there for less than three minutes when someone reported a jumper. Who else could it be but Pang Daozi’s gang?
Song Ping continued, “It’s a man, but his voiceprint doesn’t match Pang Daozi. Ask Yi Shi if we should take action.”
With Yi Shi nowhere in sight, where could Zhang Rui ask him? Despite being told to wait, he hadn’t listened. Zhang Rui anxiously asked, “Forget the voiceprint. Where’s the signal coming from?”
“From across the street! Licai Apartments!”
Zhang Rui was stunned, exclaiming inwardly, “Damn!” and immediately chased after Yi Shi, who had already vanished.
Xu Shang stood on the rooftop and saw a conspicuous red cloth fluttering from the youth apartment across the way. His heart trembled, realizing the time of death had arrived. Despite his prior mental preparation, faced with the fear of death, his legs shook uncontrollably, nearly too weak to move.
Don’t be afraid; that woman said… someone would come to save him…
“Ding—” As the elevator doors opened, Yi Shi saw a figure leaning over the hallway railing, throwing out the red cloth.
Hearing footsteps, Lin Erde turned and met Yi Shi’s cold eyes, then bolted. Yi Shi gave chase while Zhang Rui entered and asked over the earpiece, “What floor are you on?”
“Don’t come up, head to the left stairwell!” Yi Shi said as he ran, “Intercept him downstairs!”
Zhang Rui didn’t dare question him, immediately heading to the stairwell and instructing the apartment security to guard the entrance and temporarily prevent anyone from entering or leaving.
Xu Shang reached the edge of the rooftop, trembling hands gripping the railing. Shao Shiqing could barely hold back, whispering to Yu Xue, “Captain Yu, aren’t we going? He’s about to jump!”
Yu Xue frowned, quietly calling Yi Shi’s name twice over the earpiece, receiving no response. Zhang Rui reported that Yi Shi told him to stay downstairs and intercept, but there was still no sign of either Yi Shi or the suspect.
After three seconds of thought, Yu Xue said sternly, “Don’t act rashly. There’s no news from Yi Shi yet. Xu Shang might detonate at any moment.”
Shao Shiqing’s face turned pale. If the bomb exploded, they might all be caught in it. Li Changsheng urgently asked over the earpiece, “Captain Yu! Is Xu Shang about to jump?”
“Possibly. We haven’t caught the suspect yet.” Yu Xue checked his watch—it was precisely 7:25. The code indicated that the explosion could happen within the next five minutes. With no police sirens yet, they still had some time. “Inflate the cushion just in case. How many people are left in the office building?”
“It’s cleared. Only our people are on the first floor.”
“Good.” Yu Xue’s expression was serious. He quietly told Shao Shiqing, “You and the bomb disposal experts leave the rooftop. If there’s no news from Yi Shi, and Xu Shang is determined to jump, I’ll go to restrain him.”
“That’s too dangerous!” Shao Shiqing was anxious. “Captain Yu, it’s too risky!”
If Yi Shi failed to catch the suspect, and the suspect detonated the bomb when Yu Xue approached, the explosion on the rooftop would have dire consequences.
Yu Xue’s voice was exceptionally calm, “That’s why you all need to leave first. Once Xu Shang and I are safe, the bomb disposal experts can come in.”
“But what if it detonates?!”
Yu Xue’s lips pressed into a thin line, “Then contact the forensic doctor after the explosion.”
Fortunately, the amount of explosive was small. Even if it detonated, it wouldn’t cause severe damage to the building. The priority was to ensure that the explosion wouldn’t harm the colleagues and bomb disposal experts on the rooftop.
Shao Shiqing, worried sick, knew that once Yu Xue made up his mind, no one could change it. He bit his lip, determined not to let Yu Xue take such a risk. If something happened to Yu Xue, what would happen to their team in Nanyi?
Not to mention the fierce dog at his home, which would cause havoc if let loose.
Lin Erde ran frantically down the stairwell, knocking over garbage cans and scattering trash to hinder Yi Shi. Unexpectedly, Yi Shi, instead of following the usual route, slid down the banister, dodging the obstacles.
Lin Erde was still feeling triumphant when a black figure whizzed past him and landed on the floor below, kicking him in the chest.
“Ow!” Lin Erde screamed, crashing into the wall, clutching his chest, and struggling to breathe.
Yi Shi’s face, flushed from the exertion, showed a trace of red as he caught his breath.
“Run some more,” he coldly stared at Lin Erde, “Hand over the thing, or I’ll search you myself.”
