"Was it a terrorist attack? Or an act of protest? While the terrifying case of the headless corpse remained unresolved, two more explosions rocked the park..." On the night of the bombing, every self-media outlet was racing to publish news.
The self-media account "Hechuan Shige Qun" (River and Seine is a Group) was naturally not to be outdone. After a post a few days prior that implicated well-known journalist Ping An received an astonishing "100,000+" views, the boss of the self-media operating company was overjoyed. Just as he was about to personally step in and "creatively" write another new article, a group of people dressed in a motley fashion entered the shop.
"Is there anything you need?" the boss greeted them with a forced smile.
"You are 'Hechuan Shige Qun', right?" The leader was Ren Liu, the sworn brother of Chen Nairong.
"Yes, is there anything you need?" the boss asked.
"We want to place an advertisement! What are your charges?" Ren Liu said with a smile.
"Ah, high click-through rates bring business!" The boss, excited, brewed tea for the group and said with a smile, "Generally, for a post and an advertisement, our charge is five hundred. However, since I want to be friends with you and get your future patronage, I'll give you brothers a discount. An advertisement will only cost one hundred yuan."
"No need. Five hundred is fine. Also, can you print materials here? What are the charges for that?" Ren Liu asked.
"It's free, it's free." Seeing the customer's generosity, the boss was ecstatic.
"How much? Do I look like someone who lacks money?" Ren Liu said domineeringly.
"Printing is one yuan, and photocopying is fifty cents." The boss, finally feeling something was amiss, said cautiously.
"Here, the advertisement is on this USB drive. Post ten pieces first. This is 5000." Ren Liu nimbly took out a stack of money and threw it to the boss.
"Brother, this is ten thousand! Didn't you say 5000?" The boss counted and found the money was double what was agreed upon.
"Don't I have other business I need done?" Ren Liu said arrogantly. "Print 5000 copies of one document from the USB drive. Hurry, I need it now!"
"Oh my, we have a big client! He's a bit rough, but he's paying! As long as they pay, I'm not afraid." Thinking this, the boss called his subordinates, instructing them to serve the guests carefully, while he himself went to look at the contents of the USB drive.
"Letter of Apology—We, 'Hechuan Shige Qun' public account, have spoken nonsense, fabricated stories, made baseless claims, padded our content, conjured things out of thin air, and used the name of a famous journalist as a cover..." After opening the USB drive and reading the content, the boss's face contorted, his chubby cheeks twisting like a bundle of fried dough. This! How could this be published?
"Brother, what is this?" the boss asked Ren Liu, suppressing his anger.
"Yes, we're here to cause trouble! Are you going to serve us or not?" Ren Liu said provocatively.
"Our small company cannot handle your business. Please leave!" The boss, his hands trembling, placed the ten thousand yuan back in front of Ren Liu.
"You, go to the bank and withdraw ninety thousand yuan! You, call up a hundred brothers! You, contact other WeChat public accounts in the vicinity. We'll take our business elsewhere." Ren Liu did not cause a scene. He took out a bank card and slowly gave instructions.
"Brother, you and I have no enmity..." Hearing Ren Liu's words, the boss became anxious.
"Bullshit! If I had enmity, I would have thrown you down a well long ago." Ren Liu threatened. "Boss, if you do business with us, it'll be ten thousand yuan worth. You'll still make some money. This is the first place to self-criticize. Alas! Maybe the click-through rate will increase. It won't be a total loss!"
"Fine, I admit defeat! I can't afford to offend a big journalist like you!" After careful consideration, the boss found Ren Liu's words to have some logic.
"Alas, you're mistaken. We weren't sent by Ping An." Ren Liu waved his hand at the boss.
"Then who have I offended?" the boss said through gritted teeth.
"Sister Lin worked here for many days, and I heard you withheld her salary?" Ren Liu said slowly.
"It's her?" The boss was on the verge of tears.
In the parking lot outside the Second Hospital of Hechuan City, a luxurious Mercedes-Benz was parked in the most secluded spot. Chen Nairong, sitting in the back seat, was on the phone.
"Is it handled?" Chen Nairong asked.
"Don't worry, everything is in order," came the reply from the other end of the line, which was Liu Zi.
"Alright, wrap it up when it's done." Chen Nairong said.
After hanging up, Chen Nairong lit a cigarette in annoyance and said in a low voice, "Do the job cleanly. Give my brother a quick end."
"Boss, if you want to deal with him, why did you send someone to vent his anger?" a deep voice came from the front passenger seat. A man wearing a mask, with fierce eyes, said to Chen Nairong.
"It's normal to vent his anger for him. It would be abnormal not to." Chen Nairong took a puff of his cigarette and said, "Besides, even if I want to kill my brother, I won't allow others to mistreat him. If I had no other choice, why would I do this?"
"To speak of murder so elegantly, the boss is a kind person." The masked man flattered him.
Just then, the driver's door suddenly opened, and a man in black with sunglasses slid into the car.
"Boss, I've found out. Ping An is being housed on the 16th floor of the hospital building. This week the hospital is undergoing renovations. Floors 12 to 15, and 17 to 20 are being worked on during the day and empty at night. The stairwells in the emergency exits are also unusable due to construction today and tomorrow. Getting up and down relies entirely on the elevators." The black-clothed man said cautiously. "The reason the 16th floor is not being renovated is that there is a skybridge connecting it to another building. There are two electronic doors on each side of the bridge. The police have placed Ping An on this special floor for convenient protection and for quiet. It is said that the soundproofing on this floor is excellent, so explosions outside would not be heard inside. From my observation, this floor is entirely composed of high-end private rooms, over twenty rooms, with only Ping An as the patient. The police probably put him here for ease of protection. There's likely only one nurse at the nursing station, and the duty doctor's office is in another building. Floor security guards are stationed every five floors. Floors 15 and 20 are under renovation, so there are no guards there."
"Do you know how the police are deployed?" the masked man asked.
"There are at most three inside the building, and likely eight plainclothes officers outside, but I haven't spotted any." The black-clothed man said, taking a plastic bag from his suit pocket. Inside was an automatic pistol and three magazines loaded with bullets.
"As per your request, this is a Colt pistol obtained from Myanmar, widely recognized as the best pistol in the Western world. The gun and bullets are untraceable. You can discard them after use. The gun has seven bullets in the chamber, and there are three extra magazines." After handing the plastic bag to the masked man, the black-clothed man took out a military dagger from another pocket and said excitedly, "This is the dagger you wanted. As you instructed, the blood groove has been deepened by three millimeters. With this one thrust, you can drain a basin of blood."
"Excellent. You handled this efficiently. These are my personal belongings, please keep them safe." The masked man handed his personal items to the black-clothed man. The black-clothed man looked and saw a mobile phone among the items, exclaiming in surprise, "You're not even bringing a phone?"
"Heh!" The masked man gave the black-clothed man a look as if he were an idiot, opened the car door, and walked towards the hospital. In a short while, he disappeared into the empty parking lot.
"You idiot!" Chen Nairong was furious when he saw his subordinate's incompetence. He was sent to spy, and he was discovered. He was sent to break in, and he was discovered. He was sent to follow Wu An, and he was discovered...
"Boss!" the black-clothed man said aggrievedly.
"I wish you had been blown up! Sigh! Let's go back!" Chen Nairong said, casting a final glance at the hospital, his brow furrowed.
In the hospital room, Ping An was still fast asleep. In a vase on the bedside cabinet, a large bunch of small daisies was placed. For the past few days, he had been under extreme stress. An explosion had brought him close to death again. Only after discovering the whereabouts of Niu Jian's head did he finally heave a sigh of relief. However, this had also induced bleeding in his chest, and he had narrowly escaped death.
Beside the hospital bed, Anjing sat quietly in a chair, tightly holding her brother's hand. Mei Qian stood on the other side, watching the liquid drip by drip into Ping An's body. On the sofa, Gao Xiaofei yawned while looking at his phone. Outside the room, Lai Xiang and Liu Ke Dou sat on chairs on either side, acting as "door gods."
"Good afternoon, officers!" Lin Dang, carrying a food container, emerged from the elevator and encountered the two "door gods."
"Here to see your director? Aren't you still sick yourself?" Liu Ke Dou stood up to greet her.
"I'm fine. I made some noodle soup. I wonder if Teacher Ping An can eat something when he wakes up." Lin Dang said.
Throughout the day, Lin Dang appeared to be an outsider but had been concerned about Ping An's health. After finally latching onto a valuable connection and on the verge of realizing her dream of becoming a journalist, the connection was broken? How could Lin Dang accept this?
Moreover, after a brief few days of interaction, Lin Dang was filled with gratitude towards Ping An and his sister. Although she was still unwell, she had endured the discomfort to make some food, delivering it from afar as a gesture of her sincerity.
"What terrible signal in this crappy room!" Gao Xiaofei cursed at his phone from inside the room. Because the entire building was under renovation, the signal receiver on the roof had been temporarily removed. The hospital, which already had poor signal, became even worse. After calling Yan Qing four or five times, he could only intermittently convey the words "poor signal." Yan Qing, who wanted to inquire about Ping An's condition, could not stand the frustrating signal and hung up Gao Xiaofei's phone, instead calling the hospital's landline. After learning from the doctor that Ping An was out of danger, Yan Qing collapsed onto the sofa and fell fast asleep.
Seeing Lin Dang enter the room, Anjing stood up and took the food container.
"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be resting instead of risking being hospitalized?" Anjing chided her.
"It's alright, it's alright. I was worried about Teacher Ping An. I couldn't sleep without seeing him," Lin Dang said with a smile.
"Then you can lie down next to Ping An and sleep while looking at his face. We won't stop you," Gao Xiaofei said teasingly.
"Go to hell!" An Jing glanced at Lin Dang and saw that the girl's ears had turned red from the teasing. She quickly stopped Gao Xiaofei.
"You should go back soon. I'll stay with my brother tonight." An Jing looked at Lin Dang, liking her more and more. She took her hand and said softly, "If you feel better in the morning, could you make some breakfast?"
"Okay!" Lin Dang readily agreed.
"Alright, I'm heading back to the bureau. I have a mountain of things waiting for me. We agreed I'd be in charge of logistics. Fine, Su Xia was invited for tea and hasn't come back yet. I don't know how long she'll be. Mei Qian, you need to perform well. I won't bother you with your work; I'll do it." Gao Xiaofei stretched and said.
"It's alright. Why don't you go first, Mei Qian? You really don't need to stay here," An Jing said.
"Alright, let him stay. Your brother is a bit fussy. If he wakes up and doesn't see Mei Qian, his condition might worsen." Gao Xiaofei patted Mei Qian's shoulder and said, "I'll leave Ke Dou and Lai Xiang with you. There are a few more people, Kai Xuan and the others, downstairs. Here's the walkie-talkie. Call them if you need anything. Be vigilant tonight. I have a feeling that the second bomb in the park was meant for Ping An. Don't let your guard down."
Seeing Mei Qian nod, Gao Xiaofei turned to Lin Dang and said, "Do you want to go back? I can give you a ride."
"It's okay, I can go back by myself later," Lin Dang said with an awkward smile.
"They just arrived, and you're asking them to leave?" An Jing chimed in playfully. "It's fine, I'll have Mei Qian go back to work later and send Lin Dang back too. It's useless for all of you to be with my brother; it's more useful to catch the bad guys. Mei Qian, you can leave after a while too. You really don't need to stand guard."
"Then it's settled. I'll be waiting for you at the bureau. By the way, the doctor said your body was affected by the shockwave. Are you alright?" Gao Xiaofei asked.
"I'm fine. It's just my thigh that got twisted. Most of the damage was absorbed by Ping An at the time," Mei Qian said, pointing to his thigh.
"Then I'm relieved." Gao Xiaofei walked over to Mei Qian and whispered, "Did you bring your weapon? The two at the door aren't armed. There's still one in the car downstairs. Do you want to bring it up?"
"No need. Do you think criminals would storm a hospital with guns? You're overthinking it. This one I have is enough." Mei Qian said, "I estimate I'll leave in the latter half of the night. I'll have someone with a gun come up then."
"Okay, I'm leaving then. Be safe." Gao Xiaofei waved goodbye to everyone and left the room.
Walking down the hallway, Gao Xiaofei glanced at the electronic clock. It was already ten-thirty at night. At this hour, most people in the hospital would be on duty or resting. So, he lightened his footsteps.
He reached the elevator door and suddenly noticed a "Maintenance" sign hanging outside. Thinking about it,
The hospital was undergoing renovations, wasn't it? He let out a wry smile and walked towards the passage at the end of the corridor. Now, he could only walk through the passage connecting the two buildings and take the elevator down from the other building.
The passage connecting the two buildings was no more than five meters wide but nearly a hundred meters long. The entire passage was enclosed by glass walls, with potted plants lining both sides. In the center of the passage, there were benches for people to sit on. During the day, it was a good place for patients to stroll and relax. At night, it was deserted.
As Gao Xiaofei walked through the passage, the door at the other end of the passage was also opened. A man in a trench coat and mask, with his hands in his pockets, slowly walked towards Gao Xiaofei.
"Someone's coming this late? Aren't the rooms on this side only occupied by Ping An?" Gao Xiaofei watched the other person warily, thinking to himself.
"Big brother! Do you know where the duty doctor is? My father seems to be feeling a bit unwell, and the nurse asked me to look for him here." The masked man, seeing Gao Xiaofei approach, quickly walked a few steps and spoke in an urgent, non-local accent.
"You should go and see! I'm not too sure either!" Although suspicious, upon hearing the other's question, Gao Xiaofei, still a bit doubtful, pointed behind him.
The two passed each other, pushing open the doors almost simultaneously. With a bang, the empty passage was once again silent.
This masked man was none other than the assassin sent by Chen Nairong to kill Ping An. Upon entering the 16th-floor ward area, he did not rush to act but stood in front of the electronic door of the passage and studied it carefully.
"Ah! Found it!" He searched up and down along the electronic door and finally found a hidden electronic box. After fumbling with it for a while, he successfully opened the box. This box contained the electronic components that controlled the electronic doors on both sides of the passage. If damaged, the electronic doors on both sides would automatically lock. People inside the passage would not be able to open either door, but people outside could push them open to enter. This was a safety feature.
Having dealt with the electronic doors, the masked man put on an act of nonchalance, humming a tune, and slowly walked towards the ward. Upon entering the ward area, he saw Liu Ke Dou and Lai Xiang sitting in chairs.
"Someone fainted in the passage. I think they came with you. Why don't you go and check on them?" Seeing the two plainclothes police officers, the masked man's trick of preempting them was staged again.
"Oh no, it's Deputy Chief Gao!" Only a few minutes had passed since Gao Xiaofei left. Liu Ke Dou and Lai Xiang simultaneously thought that the person who fainted might be Gao Xiaofei.
Seeing the two stand up quickly, the masked man also hurried to lead the way as a guide. At the electronic door, he kindly pushed the door open, making it convenient for the two to go in and "save someone."
The electronic door was made of solid steel, and the window on the door was not large. Liu Ke Dou and Lai Xiang had no time to think. Seeing that the person kindly pushed the door open, they walked into the passage one after the other.
"Deputy Chief Gao? Hey, why is no one here?" Liu Ke Dou and Lai Xiang looked around after entering the passage and found no trace of Gao Xiaofei. The passage was now occupied only by him and Liu Ke Dou.
"Oh no, we've been tricked!" Lai Xiang was the first to react. He quickly turned around and ran back, but it was still half a step too late. He watched helplessly as the electronic door was closed. He quickly pressed the opening button by the door, but it did not respond. Looking through the small window, he saw the masked man who had led them, holding a piece of wire, triumphantly waving it at them.
"We're trapped! We can't get out! Quick, make a call! Do you have the walkie-talkie?" Realizing they were trapped in the passage, Lai Xiang quickly took out his phone and found there was no signal. He patted his pocket and discovered he didn't have the walkie-talkie either. Looking at Liu Ke Dou, who was still in a daze, he let out a loud "Ay" and sat down in the passage.
Having easily dealt with two police officers, the masked man walked to the nursing station, where only one nurse was on duty.
"Nurse, you're bleeding from the nose." The moment the nurse saw him, he pointed to the desk in front of her.
"Excuse me, where?" The nurse quickly lowered her head to look. Taking advantage of her lowered head, the masked man took out his pistol and smashed the nurse heavily on the head with the butt of the gun. The poor nurse was knocked unconscious before she could even let out a cry.
At this moment, the vast floor had become a sealed space of terror. There was no need to search room by room. The position where the two police officers had been sitting was undoubtedly Ping An's ward. "The police nowadays are truly foolish," the killer sneered, slowly walking towards Room 1616.
This room was precisely Ping An's ward.
"Is Ping An in there?" The killer, acting familiar, pushed the ward door open with one hand and raised his pistol with the other. As soon as his foot stepped into the room, the pistol was accurately aimed at Ping An, who was in the room.
Mei Qian was the first to react to this sudden turn of events. Seeing the dark muzzle of the gun pointed at Ping An, he instinctively picked up the walkie-talkie that Gao Xiaofei had left on the table and hurled it violently towards the outside.
"Bang!" The gun fired! However, the killer did not shoot at Ping An but instinctively fired at the walkie-talkie flying towards him.
"Crash!" The shot hit the walkie-talkie, which flew against the wall and then fell to the ground.
Seizing the moment of the gunshot, Mei Qian stepped forward, shielding Ping An with one hand and drawing his pistol from his waist with the other, shouting, "Get down!"
"Bang!" The second shot rang out! This time, it was Mei Qian's counterattack, but the shot was fired hastily and missed the killer. The bullet grazed the killer's face and flew elsewhere.
Discovering a gun-wielding police officer in the room, the killer became angry but could only retreat from the room for now.
"Click!" The ward door closed automatically. Mei Qian quickly ran to the door, locked it, then retreated a few steps and propped the sofa in the room vertically against the door.
"Ah!" An Jing and Lin Dang, who had been in a state of panic, gasped for breath and finally reacted. Of course, a few screams were unavoidable.
"Be quiet, get down!" Mei Qian hid behind the sofa, pointing his gun at the door, and instructed An Jing and Lin Dang.
Seeing the two girls fall silent, Mei Qian began to quickly assess the current situation. He was using the 9mm police revolver newly issued by the Public Security Department. Because he encountered the bombing case today, he had brought full live ammunition. He had fired one shot and had 5 bullets left. However, there were still twelve spare rounds in the holster.
Liu Ke Dou and Lai Xiang were not ordinary men. Were they subdued?
The walkie-talkie was broken, the signal was poor, and he didn't know if the mobile phone could make a call.
The gunshots were loud; he wondered if they would attract the attention of the security guards.
Currently, he had too many people to protect. Defending the room was the only way to ensure safety.
Thinking of this, Mei Qian turned and quietly said to An Jing, "Try the phone!"
With Mei Qian's signal, An Jing quickly dialed, but there was no signal at all, not even 110 could be dialed.
"Emergency button!" Seeing An Jing holding the phone helplessly, Mei Qian pointed to the emergency button by the hospital bed.
An Jing quickly pressed it a few times, unsure if it would attract attention.
"Police officer inside, listen! You are surrounded! Lay down your weapons and surrender with your hands up. I only want Ping An's life!" The killer outside the door was startled by Mei Qian's shot. After finally stabilizing his emotions, he began to figure out how to break in.
As midnight approached, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse. In the police cars outside the hospital, Wang Kaixuan and others were dozing with their eyes half-closed. If any of them looked up at the sky at this moment, they would see, above the passage, two police officers battling an iron door with their bare bodies.