Chapter 44: Chapter 43: Arrest
"Get him!"
Xu Huo shouted into his radio as he ran.
The sound, like the tolling of a great bell, snapped his team out of their daze.
The police dog, no longer caring how a human could possibly run faster than it, became a black streak weaving between people’s legs, hurtling straight for the fleeing shadow.
The commotion caught the attention of the reporters. The ones who had been in the middle of interviews or spiels turned their heads, confused, and scanned the area.
’This is...’
"The police!?"
Someone paused, their eyes lighting up. They immediately recognized the distinct bearing of these individuals and, putting two and two together, began to understand the situation.
A few reporters, seeing they couldn’t get close to Li Jianye, steeled themselves and rushed toward the spot where the figure had disappeared.
...
SCRAPE!
Xu Huo scaled the courtyard wall, using his momentum to vault onto the top and run along its length.
His shadow fell over someone brushing their teeth in the courtyard below. The person looked up, their completely bewildered gaze meeting Xu Huo’s.
Xu Huo paid him no mind.
THUD!
He leaped down in a single motion, rolling on the ground to absorb the impact before quickly getting to his feet and blocking the man’s path.
The man in front of him slowed to a stop. He watched Xu Huo warily as he approached, then turned to flee without a moment’s hesitation.
But it was too late.
"Run?"
"Go on and run, you son of a bitch!"
Zhao Guang and the others came to a halt in the street behind the man, panting heavily with their hands on their knees, gasping for air.
But his eyes were locked onto the man, never leaving him for an instant.
The man stopped short and tried to run to the right.
"WOOF WOOF WOOF!!!"
The police dog and several officers blocked him on the right, its fangs bared and its fierce eyes fixed on him.
The man turned his head; a few more officers were closing in from the left.
But the officers on all four sides, with a shared understanding, didn’t advance. They didn’t move in for a quick and decisive arrest.
Instead, they held their positions like stone statues, remaining perfectly still to apply psychological pressure.
This was intentional, but their objective failed.
"Get back!"
The masked man suddenly pulled a knife from his waistband. He lunged, leaping toward the surrounding crowd!
The onlookers, who had been slowly backing away with curious faces, were suddenly stricken with panic.
The expressions on Xu Huo, Zhao Shui, and the others changed drastically.
"Protect the civilians!"
Zhao Shui roared and charged forward, not even bothering to see if he had time to draw his baton.
The main reason the officers on all sides had held their ground was the presence of bystanders!
As long as it was a standoff, the onlookers would eventually leave, but if the suspect realized...
He had already realized!
"Don’t move! Nobody move!"
In the blink of an eye, the man snatched up a bewildered-looking child from the roadside as if grabbing a chick. His face was contorted, his eyes like those of a wild beast.
The cold blade was pressed against the girl’s neck!
His agitation grew, and he instinctively pressed the blade down. A shallow cut appeared, and thin trickles of bright red blood began to flow.
The girl was terrified. Her young worldview had been violently shattered, and she was frozen in shock—not crying, not struggling, just staring blankly.
"Put the knife down! We can talk about this!"
Zhao Shui said in a low voice, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
The police were armed, but the suspect had a hostage, and there were still bystanders around. A stray or misplaced bullet would almost certainly lead to a major incident!
"Talk?"
"Get lost! All of you, get the hell away from me!"
The man’s face suddenly became savage. He seemed to have lost all reason, roaring in fury with the blade still at the girl’s neck.
"You high-and-mighty public servants don’t know anything!"
"Shut up! One more word out of any of you and I’ll gut this little brat!"
Veins bulged on the man’s forehead, his eyes were bloodshot, and his body trembled with agitation. Adrenaline surged through him, flooding every corner of his body.
"Okay, calm down, calm down. We’re backing off..."
Zhao Shui held up his hands. He held his ground for a moment, then began to slowly back away. The anger in his eyes had vanished, replaced by pure calm.
"What do we do?"
A Police Officer quietly moved closer to Zhao Shui, his brow furrowed.
"When can we get a sniper here?" Zhao Shui asked in a low voice.
"Soon," the Police Officer replied. "But we’ll have to hold this stalemate for a while longer."
"Alright. Prioritize the hostage’s safety, but try to take him alive," Zhao Shui said.
The police do have snipers. They’re a special unit, known as Special Police, or SWAT for short.
"Evacuate the crowd. Take the shot the moment you have a clear opportunity."
An incongruous calm filled Xu Huo’s eyes as he scanned the suspect from head to toe.
"The hostage is small. The perpetrator has a large exposed area. Prioritize a shot to his left shoulder, the one holding the knife!"
With that, Xu Huo vanished into the crowd.
No one knew when he had left. By the time they noticed, he was already long gone.
The surrounding civilians were gradually pushed back several dozen meters, but some rubberneckers remained.
The culprit and the police remained at a standoff, neither side daring to make a move.
After a long moment, Zhao Shui noticed the girl’s face turning pale. He frowned and shouted,
"Let the girl go! She’s innocent! I’ll trade places with her! Take me as your hostage!"
"Like hell you will!"
the man shrieked maniacally. He was like a madman, a wild expression spreading across his face as his whole body trembled.
No... he *was* a madman!
"The first half of my life was a waste!"
"It was meaningless! My life, half my existence, has been a wasteland, like the filth in a garbage can—disgusting and utterly insignificant!"
He was actually getting excited.
A savage smile appeared on his face. His eyes were bloodshot, his neck thick, and the veins bulged.
"But I’m different now!"
"Now, who dares call me a rat?"
"Who dares look down on me!? I’m way better than you! Who dares to look at me like that now!?"
As he spoke, spittle flew from his lips. He paid no mind to the girl in his arms, the muscles in his forearm knotting as he squeezed her tighter.
"You say it! Go on, say it!"
"Do you dare? Just try and say one word!!!"
He stared at Zhao Shui, the last shred of reason in his eyes dissolving. He was now a beast governed purely by instinct.
Zhao Shui didn’t speak, his expression grim.
"Say it! Why aren’t you saying anything!!!"
The man grew more and more agitated. His biological defense mechanisms were trying to protect him, but under the control of his extremist thoughts, they were pushing him to another extreme.
He pulled the knife away from the girl, forcing a vicious sneer as he pointed the tip at Zhao Shui.
"Is it because you don’t dare—"
He never finished the sentence.
BANG!
Suddenly, a deafening crack, like a clap of thunder, rang out in everyone’s ears.
In that instant, a bullet from a high vantage point slammed into the culprit’s left shoulder!
SPLAT!
A blossom of blood erupted. His arm, as if its support had been severed, dropped limply to his side. His hand opened involuntarily, and the bloodstained knife clattered to the ground.
CLANG~
He looked down, staring blankly.
Before he could react, a figure shot out from a corner.
WHAM!
Xu Huo delivered a vicious side kick to the man’s waist. The next second, he was sent flying sideways like a kite with a broken string.
Xu Huo used his momentum to scoop up the pale-faced girl.
"Get her to a hospital," he said in a low voice, handing the girl to a Police Officer. He then turned back and saw the man on the ground, picking up the knife with his right hand.
His face was savage, but his eyes were vacant as he waved the knife, slashing randomly at the air.
He wasn’t getting away.
He was surrounded by police and severely injured. Not even wings could help him escape now.
The police kept their distance, steadily draining his stamina.
Until...
at a certain moment, the man suddenly froze, then took off running like a madman in a specific direction!
’Where could he run?’
’He’s surrounded by police!’
’No, wait, there are a few other people...’
Zhao Shui’s pupils contracted. He saw the reporters who had followed them and deliberately moved to an empty area to film.
’There are officers with them, but...’
BANG!
Without the slightest hesitation, Zhao Shui raised his gun and fired.
The bullet struck the man’s thigh with pinpoint accuracy, and a spray of bright red blood blossomed.
The man stumbled and collapsed to the ground, the knife falling from his grasp.
But it was as if he felt nothing. He continued to crawl on the ground, struggling and squirming with all his might even as officers tried to restrain him.
"Drop the camera!" came Xu Huo’s voice.
’The camera?’
The cameraman was stunned for a moment, but he understood in the next instant.
’The camera!’
He gritted his teeth, not having the heart to just abandon it. Instead of throwing it down, he quickly but gently placed the camera on the ground and then took off running.
And the moment the camera left his hands...
the culprit stopped crawling forward. He stared at the camera lens pointing right at him, his eyes growing feverish. With all his strength, he pulled off his mask, and then...
a face twisted with greed, excitement, and agitation was revealed. Lying on the ground, he looked at the camera just inches away and roared maniacally:
"My name is Zhang Hai!"
"I’m the killer! I’m the killer... My name is Zhang Hai!!!"
Four or five police officers pinned him to the ground. Zhang Hai paid them no mind as they cuffed his hands, one of his arms now just a slab of ruined meat.
He was ecstatic, like a lunatic. A twisted smile spread across his face as he lay on the ground, staring intently at the camera.
"My name is Zhang Hai!!!"
THWACK!
The voice stopped abruptly.
Xu Huo’s face was grim. He threw a single punch, knocking the man unconscious with sheer force.
Zhang Hai collapsed like a dead dog, a slab of rotten meat, and was unceremoniously dragged away.
Xu Huo stood up. His face was expressionless as his eyes swept over the surroundings, and then he took a deep breath.
’This psychological battle, it seems... I’ve won.’
"Take him away!"