"Ding..."
The woman's phone suddenly rang.
"Hello? Boss? Yes, yes, are you sure? Alright." The woman hung up and then took out a long, sharp dagger from behind her back.
"I'm sorry, Teacher Ping An, our boss heard you're quite petty and feared you might investigate us for revenge later, so we can only send you to the west..." The woman, seemingly a professional assassin, walked up to Ping An with the dagger, choosing where to stab.
"You old bastard, you're just toying with me, right?" The situation turned abruptly. For the first time, Ping An felt he was going to be killed.
"I'm sorry, don't worry, it'll be over soon, it won't hurt at all." The woman even patted Ping An's head, as if to soothe or tease him.
"You two better think clearly. The hospital is probably already surrounded by police outside. If you really kill me, you won't be able to get out of this small morgue, let alone the hospital." Ping An began to save himself, his mind racing.
"Hey, how do you know you're still in the hospital?" the man asked curiously.
"Although my back is to you, the cabinets behind me must be for storing corpses, right?" Ping An looked at the woman who had already raised her dagger, its sharp tip pointed at his chest.
"Wait, tell us, how did you guess?" the man asked.
"Although there are two of you, it would be too difficult to transport me out of the hospital and bypass doctors, nurses, and the police guarding it, right?" Ping An said calmly. "I don't know how you got me out of the ward guarded by the police, but I know this is still the hospital."
"How do you know?" the man asked curiously.
"The wheel marks on the ground are clearly from a hospital bed, aren't they? And this room has just been tidied up, there are still marks from a mop on the floor," Ping An said. "After you two pushed me out of the ward, you could only use the elevator, and dared not go out the front door. But if you went out the back door, the stairs were being repaired right at the entrance. The wheels would definitely have left clay marks, but look at the wheel marks on the ground, there's nothing."
"Impressive, but how did you know it was the morgue?" the man continued to ask.
"Disinfectant smell, no windows. Only the morgue in the hospital, built on the basement level, would fit the current scene. I just thought about it and figured it out," Ping An said. "So, if you're going to kill me, I'll shout with all my might before I die. I bet there's someone on duty in the office next door."
"Hahaha, who are you trying to scare?" the woman didn't believe him and prepared to continue her attack.
"Stay away from me. Don't think about controlling my mouth. If you dare to move now, I'll shout. I dare you to bet, do you?" Ping An said, putting all his chips on the table. "Also, haven't you noticed? My hands have already broken free from the ropes. Like this, are you really willing to bet with me?"
As he spoke, Ping An suddenly stood up and extended his hands, using a move called "Disarming Hand." While they were distracted, he snatched the dagger and used the chair to block himself from the woman. It should have been effortless for a man and a woman to take down a wounded person. But now, Ping An had not only broken free from the ropes but also snatched their dagger, making things difficult.
Ping An was right. This was indeed the morgue. If they fought him now, although they might win, as soon as Ping An shouted, it would likely cause chaos. Then, as Ping An said, there would be no way out for them.
"You don't seem afraid at all?" the man said with an appreciative tone.
"By taking risks and finding me in such an unreliable place, aren't you also desperate?" Ping An held the dagger horizontally in front of him.
"Indeed, we are desperate. We intended to visit you after you were discharged, but some trouble came up, so we had to come early," the man said.
"If it's about trouble, then let's talk properly. People like you don't seem like you're here to talk!" Ping An's nerves were taut, not daring to relax for a moment.
"Mainly, we really don't want to get involved with the police," the man said, seemingly in no hurry. "Reporter Ping An, please put the knife down. I'll tell you the truth. Our boss sent us here today to talk about cooperation with you."
"Cooperation? What cooperation?" Ping An asked in confusion.
"Why don't you put down the knife and take a look at that money?" the man said with a chuckle. "That's actually the deposit from our boss asking you to come out of retirement."
"What do you mean?" Ping An really wanted to see what was in the package, but his reason restrained his curiosity.
"We'd like you to investigate for our boss who is using that lunatic Chen Fei to cause trouble with explosives everywhere," the man said.
"Then you'll likely be disappointed. I haven't been a detective for a long time." Ping An suddenly noticed the woman beside him subtly inching towards the corner.
"That's truly regrettable. You've probably already guessed who our boss is, haven't you?" the man said maliciously.
"Ma Delu? Could Chen Fei's daughter's death really have something to do with him?" Ping An retorted.
"That, you'll have to ask the King of Hell when you get to the underworld!" the man's voice fell, and he suddenly lifted the table with both hands, preparing to smash it at Ping An when he wasn't paying attention.
However, Ping An, having anticipated this when the woman moved towards the corner, was already prepared. Seeing the man lift the table, he actually lifted the table too.
"Don't move!" Ping An supported the table with one hand, brandishing the dagger in the other, and used his body to push against the table as he quickly moved towards the door.
The man, who was preparing to strike, didn't expect Ping An to be so prepared. Caught off guard, he was even spun halfway around by Ping An pushing the table, ending up cornered with the woman, while Ping An moved to the door.
"Let's cooperate when I have the chance!" The tables turned, Ping An said this sentence and then abruptly pushed down on the table.
The man, having been outsmarted, hadn't reacted yet. Seeing Ping An about to exert force, he thought he was going to push the table to smash him, and instinctively braced himself with both hands, pushing down. But unexpectedly, the cunning Ping An didn't lift the table at all; instead, he forcefully pushed it down. He had predicted the other's reaction and caught him off guard again. While the man was stunned by his misjudgment, Ping An quickly opened the door and ran out.
"Damn it, no one's in the duty room!" Ping An, outside the room, ran all the way. As he passed the morgue's duty room, he found no staff on duty.
"Bang!" The sound of the door opening came from behind him. Without a doubt, the male and female assassins must have chased out.
It was already midnight, and the morgue was located in the deepest part of the basement. If he ran out, with his injuries, he probably couldn't outrun them. No, he had to hide first.
From fainting to being tied up, from breaking free to confronting, from confronting to escaping death, only a short time had passed. At this moment, Ping An's survival instinct was fully engaged, and his mind was racing.
Where should he hide?
After running out of the morgue, Ping An found that the parking lot, usually full of cars, was empty. He glanced at the elevator; damn it! The elevator was on the top floor. If he waited for it to come down, he'd probably be dead.
"Clomp clomp..." The sound of footsteps behind him was getting closer. Ping An's hard-earned escape time was running out. And the most critical thing was that he couldn't find the fire escape, possibly due to excessive tension.
What to do? Run out into the empty parking lot? Could he outrun them? He couldn't wait for the elevator, couldn't find the stairs, and at the worst, his damn wound suddenly started to hurt terribly...
For the first time, Ping An, who had been walking on the edge of danger for many years, felt the fear of death.
At midnight, Hei Dou, who had been busy all day, returned to the district public security bureau with a weary body. Since becoming the captain of the criminal investigation team under Gao Xiaofei, his leisurely life following Ping An had ended. Gao Xiaofei, with his nurturing mindset, was always ruthless when it came to using people.
The explosion at the newspaper office occurred in the Hedao district. As the primary force for solving the case, the Hedao district public security bureau had to provide an explanation, whether it was due to territorial responsibility or the injury of one of their own. Hei Dou, as the primary investigative force, was pushed to the forefront of this case.
"Director Gao, you haven't gone back yet?" Hei Dou entered Gao Xiaofei's office as comfortably as he would his own home.
"The case isn't solved, I can't sleep if I go back," Gao Xiaofei yawned.
"How is Su Tang doing?" Hei Dou asked about personal matters before business.
"It's taken care of. Isn't it a coincidence? The doll Su Tang hit was an old acquaintance of Ping An's." Gao Xiaofei got up and poured Hei Dou a cup of tea. "Since it's a family matter, I didn't interfere much."
"That's good. We can't let her be fired. This girl is becoming more and more unmanageable," Hei Dou sighed.
"Alright, let's talk. Have you found the person who sold the explosives?" Gao Xiaofei asked, lighting a cigarette.
"Based on the information provided by Torch, we checked the surveillance cameras and identified the vehicle that placed the order. The vehicle that bought the explosives was registered to a coal mine in Fan County. I went there today and with the help of our local counterparts, we finally found the person who bought the explosives, the younger brother of the coal mine owner," Hei Dou said. "After preliminary interrogation, they claimed the mine wanted to exceed its production quota, so they came to Hechuan to get some explosives. However, they gave up midway because emergency departments were investigating strictly, and they didn't pick up the goods on time."
"That makes sense. The leaders from the Emergency Management Bureau also reported to me that a coal mine in Fan County suddenly organized workers to be on standby, and there were rumors of illegal mining. This matches the situation," Gao Xiaofei said. "So, who took the explosives away later?"
"We also checked the surveillance. Deputy Captain Wang Bing followed this lead and reported to me just now. He said that according to the surveillance footage, they also tracked it all the way to Fan County. The person who took the explosives was audacious enough to take a long-distance bus back. After arriving in the county town, they inexplicably rode a bicycle and then went to a place called Huzhuang in the western part of the county. Huzhuang is a township, and not all areas are covered by surveillance cameras. The last place they found him was there." Hei Dou said.
"Huzhuang? That sounds familiar?" Gao Xiaofei asked.
"Don't think about it. The moment I heard it, I remembered. Wasn't Chen Fei previously confined to a mental hospital? That mental hospital is in Huzhuang!" Hei Dou said.
"Hey! Now we can connect them!" Gao Xiaofei said after thinking for a moment. "You'll have to work hard again tomorrow and go to Huzhuang to visit the mental hospital and see who Chen Fei has been in contact with!"
"Yes!" Hei Dou glanced at his watch and said, "Then Director Gao, I won't keep you. You should go back early, and I need to rest too."
"Okay, I'm leaving now." Gao Xiaofei stood up, looked around, and said strangely, "Wait, this is my office?"
"Yes, it's yours during the day and mine at night. Doesn't your office have a sofa? It's a private room, much more comfortable than sleeping in the dormitory!" Hei Dou said sheepishly.
"What the heck, I thought why my office always smelled of feet, was it you!" Gao Xiaofei was amused and said helplessly, pointing at Hei Dou.
"Ring ring ring!" Just then, Hei Dou's phone suddenly rang!
"It's me, what? Ping An is missing! How did you guard him!" Hei Dou's face turned pale instantly after answering the phone.
Ping An was gone!
Yes, the two police officers guarding the ward outside fell into a daze after drinking the milk tea. However, one of the police officers didn't like sweet drinks and only took a small sip, and didn't sleep for long.
When he woke up, he found his partner sleeping soundly and deeply. Feeling that something was wrong, he quickly pushed open the ward door and found that Ping An was long gone. He then looked at the milk tea cups left in the corridor and immediately understood what had happened. He kicked his partner awake and rushed to the duty room. But inside the duty room, another nurse was asleep with her head on the desk. After finally shaking the nurse awake, she knew nothing, not even when she had fallen asleep...
"Director Gao, Ping An was probably kidnapped. The brothers guarding inside and the duty nurse were drugged, but no one was seen leaving outside," Hei Dou reported nervously to Gao Xiaofei. "So, that means..."
"Ping An is still in the hospital, but it's not ruled out that he might have been transferred elsewhere!" Gao Xiaofei quickly assessed and made arrangements. "First, tell all the brothers guarding the hospital to cooperate with the security guards and conduct a thorough search of the hospital. Second, have the technical investigation department check the surveillance footage from 6 PM tonight onwards, centered around the hospital. Third, immediately contact the police stations and public security stations near the hospital, also centered around the hospital, and track them by scattering. Let's go, you and I are going to the hospital now."
Gao Xiaofei was not unfamiliar with the hospital where Ping An was staying. Three years ago, someone had attempted to assassinate Ping An in this hospital, but luckily Mei Qian was there at the time, and he narrowly escaped. But this time, Ping An was taken away without anyone noticing, with no external support. If it was an isolated incident, they could still believe Ping An could hold on until the police rescued him. But what if it was Mr. Ke, who had been missing for nearly two years? Then Ping An might be found dead anywhere.
When Gao Xiaofei and Hei Dou arrived at the hospital, all the floors in the hospital were lit up. The situation was serious, and even the hospital dean came to the scene. A vice president in charge of security personally led the police in searching floor by floor.
In the basement of the hospital, the "male and female assassins," after being outsmarted by Ping An, chased out in a rage. But when they reached the parking lot, they couldn't find Ping An.
"It's all your fault. The boss just asked us to test the waters, but you had to add drama and angered Ping An. You'll have to deal with the consequences when something happens," the man said angrily.
"Who knew that kid was so daring? It really lived up to what the boss said, don't provoke him!" the woman said with some regret. "Let's find the person first, and then explain things clearly, or it'll be hard to explain when we get back."
"Speaking of the boss, Ping An hasn't been involved in any cases for over two years. Many people say he's lost his touch, while others say he's tired of it. And now, we don't even know if he suspects himself, and he asked us to probe him." The man said, "How do we probe something like this?"
"Are you sure the boss asked us to probe and not talk?" the woman suddenly stopped, asking somewhat confusedly.
"Probably, right? Talk? How do we talk? The boss didn't do anything!" the man was also a bit baffled.
"Forget it, forget it. It's about time, let's withdraw! Without any evidence, Ping An probably can't do anything to us!" the woman seemed to give up and turned towards the elevator.
"Hey, wait for me." The man also chased after her.
In the empty parking lot, the lid of a trash can in the corner was suddenly flipped open. Ping An gritted his teeth, endured the pain, and slowly climbed out from inside.
He had heard everything the "male and female thieves" had said. He was now certain that they had left, and only then dared to come out.
Putting aside the content of their conversation for now, he just wanted to run.
Ping An's only thought now was to escape, but he couldn't run. The wound on his chest was getting more and more painful, almost forcing him into shock.
The hospital at midnight always exuded an eerie aura, let alone being next to the morgue. It was as gloomy as it could get.
Barefoot, Ping An leaned against the wall, trying to adjust his breathing. Feeling that the wound was no longer as painful, he began to cautiously follow the wall towards the elevator. After all, once he got upstairs, running out would be safer than staying here.
The elevator was around the corner at the end of the wall. Ping An walked step by step. When he finally reached the end, he suddenly stopped.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, then looked back, slowly pushed a nearby garbage cart towards himself, took off his shirt, took out a broom from the garbage cart, and then used the broom handle from the inside out, threading it through a sleeve of his shirt.
After doing all this, Ping An held the garbage cart with one hand and extended the broom handle around the corner of the wall with the other.
"Clang!"
A large cleaver, the kind used for chopping melons, suddenly hacked down from above the corner of the wall, landing precisely on the broom handle made of wood. The force was so great that it split the wooden broom handle in two.
"Damn it, I knew you guys hadn't left!"
Ping An cursed inwardly. Before the other side could react, he stepped onto the garbage cart, propelled himself with his other foot like on a skateboard, and the garbage cart quickly moved towards the other side of the wall.
The man, who had been hidden behind the corner of the wall, preparing for a surprise attack on Ping An, found that the "arm" that extended out was fake after one chop. He quickly went around the wall to chase, but this time Ping An had learned his lesson. Sliding the garbage cart on the extremely smooth floor, he moved away rapidly.
Their scheme had been exposed. What should they do? Continue chasing! This pair of assassins had had terrible luck. They had been toyed with repeatedly by a disarmed and injured person, much to their annoyance. This time, this pair decided not to play dirty anymore, and gnashing their teeth, they gave chase.
Well, the situation was back to where it was before. Ping An still hadn't found the stairs, facing the inevitable outcome of being caught due to his lack of strength. And judging by the brutal chop just now, what "talk," to hell with "talk," they clearly wanted his life.
Damn it, seeing a large cleaver suddenly appear in front of him at close range and split a stick in two, Ping An was so scared he almost wet himself. It was too thrilling. This was the first time Ping An had encountered such a direct scene, and the thought of impending death was also the first time it had appeared.
Rounding the wall, Ping An returned to where he had hidden before.
Should he hide again?
Ping An naturally dared not.
If it was luck just now, or even a deliberate bait thrown by the other side, waiting for Ping An to fall into a trap, some might believe it. But now, they were after his life.
In just a few seconds, Ping An had thought of a countermeasure.
"Stop fighting, can't we talk calmly?"
Seeing the two of them appear before him after rounding the concrete wall, Ping An quickly waved his hands at them.
At this moment, the "male and female assassins," their eyes bloodshot, heard Ping An's suggestion. They looked around at the objects that were being used as obstacles and stopped. Then, they stared fiercely at Ping An.
"You're so cunning! How did you know we hadn't left?" the man asked.
"The elevator door never opened, did it!" Ping An looked at the man's bare feet and said, "You were afraid I'd hear you coming back, so you deliberately took off your shoes, right? But you should smell it, this foot odor..."
So that's how it was. They wanted to trap the "mule," but the "mule" kicked over the stall.
This pair of assassins wished they could chop Ping An into pieces right now, but he was too cunning. Even a cornered rabbit bites. This guy was... no wonder the boss was so wary of him.
"To tell you the truth, do you have to kill me today?" Ping An said.
"I'll tell you the truth too. The boss told us to handle it as we see fit." The man said, "Actually, the reward he gave us this time isn't enough to kill you."
"Stop with the hints. Have some integrity, will you? Tell me, how much money do you want to let me go?" Ping An asked.
The man turned to look at the woman, and she nodded.
"Three hundred thousand!" the man said.
"Three hundred and ten thousand!" Ping An said expansively.
"Scram!" Before the man could speak, the woman couldn't help but retort, "You're fucking playing us!"
Ping An shifted his posture and said through gritted teeth, "How many times have you tricked me? If I say I'll give you three hundred and ten thousand, it's three hundred and ten thousand. If you're not lying to me this time, then I won't call the police. Let's find a place to talk properly, then take the money and get out."
The woman was somewhat tempted and looked at the man.
"The boss did tell us to adapt as needed. He doesn't care about your life or death, he just hopes you won't get involved in this case. If you agree, the boss is willing to give you some information in exchange!" the man said. "We've been fighting all night, and we, two professional assassins, have been toyed with by you. To be honest, we've lost face and can't bring ourselves to act. If you're really willing to give us three hundred and ten thousand, oh no, even three hundred thousand, real money, then let's make the deal and be done with it, how about it."
To show his sincerity this time, the man threw away the large cleaver in his hand and took five steps back with the woman.
Ping An knew clearly that the assassins who had been tormented by him for half the night were now like startled birds. The pile of messy garbage carts and trash cans in front of them seemed more like a trap.
"What information, tell me!" Ping An had planned to stall for time from the beginning, thinking he might as well use this opportunity to delay a bit longer.
"Your Excellency, do you know of 'Mr. Ke'?" the man said.