Chapter 62: Chapter 61: The Six Knife-Wielders
Honestly, from Wang Hu’s point of view, the killer’s targets deserved to die.
But if their existence threatened public safety and order, then the killer shouldn’t be the one to end their lives. That task should fall to someone else.
"Two teams are deploying! Head to the Tai Su and Zhang Jiacheng locations simultaneously!"
"Team One, under my command. Team Two, led by Advisor Xu and Captain Qian!"
On the evening of the fifth, the police had finalized their plan of action.
To go to just one destination would be a gamble—a fifty-fifty chance.
That was unacceptable. While it might be excusable if they were short-staffed, they had ample manpower. There was no reason to bet everything on a coin toss.
It was better to split into two main teams, four squads in total.
The groups would head to the factories and homes of the two targets.
Wang Hu was in charge of the team assigned to Tai Su. He led the second group of Team One to Tai Su’s residence.
His residence was in a luxury complex in the urban center of Linlan City.
The real estate here was exorbitant. When the average salary in the countryside was less than one thousand, the price per square meter here had soared to fourteen thousand.
’Even in my past life, this was a price no ordinary person could afford!’
But Tai Su was different.
He was a boss.
’Nine o’clock. Judging by the timing from yesterday, the killer is most likely to strike within this window...’
Wang Hu glanced at his watch, his heart tight with anxiety.
At the first bombing, the killer had chosen to strike between eight and nine.
They didn’t waste time on the killing itself, so the operation was swift—under twenty minutes, not including travel time.
And they were right in that window now...
Wang Hu took a deep breath. He looked up at the high-rise complex in the distance.
SCREEECH~
They had arrived. The police car’s tires screeched to a halt.
Before the car had even come to a complete stop, Wang Hu threw the door open and strode toward the target building without a second’s hesitation.
Countless officers poured out of the surrounding vehicles, forming a tight pack behind Wang Hu.
CLICK!
The crisp sound of a chambered round echoed.
Gun in hand, Wang Hu advanced cautiously. He hadn’t gone far when his nose twitched. His heart sank. He looked up, staring silently at the luxurious building.
’This is...’
’The scent of rust!’
As criminal investigators, veteran ones at that, they knew this smell all too well...
Instantly, Wang Hu cast aside all hesitation. With no thought for his own safety, he strode forward and kicked the door.
BANG!
The door flew open, and as a gap appeared...
A thick, metallic stench of blood billowed out, washing over all the officers.
Wang Hu’s expression changed. He pushed the door wide open and stepped inside.
Tai Su only lived with his wife and daughter.
But now, his wife and daughter were gone. In their place were two cold bodies.
One body was sprawled on the sofa—Tai Su’s wife. Her abdomen had been stabbed multiple times with a sharp object, leaving several gaping wounds. Her intestines had spilled out, cascading over the side of the sofa and onto the floor.
The other lay prone on the floor. It was Tai Su’s daughter. There were strangle marks on her neck and stab wounds in her back.
They...
Were dead!
"We’re one step too late."
Wang Hu showed no trace of regret or remorse. He calmly assessed the scene, squatting to examine the bodies and the freshness of the blood.
"There are no unaccounted-for footprints at the scene. I deduce this was their first strike of the night."
"The blood hasn’t dried, there’s no significant change in body temperature, and the wounds are fresh. I’d estimate the time of death is half an hour ago, at most."
As he spoke, Wang Hu paused and snapped his head up to look at the junior Police Officer behind him.
"Notify the second team, led by Advisor Xu. Tell them..."
Hearing this, the officer’s lips moved for a moment before he simply held up the phone in his hand.
The phone’s screen showed it was already connecting a call.
"Captain Wang, the second team..."
"Zhang Jiacheng’s family are all dead. Time of death, no more than ten minutes ago."
Xu Huo’s voice crackled through the phone’s speaker.
...
In Zhang Jiacheng’s home, Xu Huo looked at the tragic scene before him and lowered his phone.
He was at the second murder scene, Zhang Jiacheng’s home.
He was divorced and had a son and a daughter. But now, his children were gone too. The killers hadn’t tortured them, just stabbed them to death quickly and decisively before taking Zhang Jiacheng and leaving.
This uncharacteristic behavior had to be due to a new development.
’Looks like someone in the Mutual Aid Association is feeding them information...’
Xu Huo glanced at the officers around him and kept the thought to himself.
"Where are they now?"
Qian Hua frowned, feeling a surge of powerlessness.
’So many people... dead!’
’He hadn’t seen this many deaths in the last forty-eight hours as he had in the past several years combined!’
"Follow me."
Xu Huo took a deep breath, his nostrils flaring sharply.
[Wang Die’s Scent!]
In the air, that familiar scent lingered at the tip of his nose, filling his lungs.
It was as if an invisible thread had appeared, pulling him forward.
’Less than ten minutes have passed...’
’We’re still in the city. Even if they floored it, they couldn’t have gotten far!’
Previously, the massive fire from the explosion had masked their scents, but there was no fire now!
Ignoring Qian Hua’s confused expression, Xu Huo jumped into the car and followed the path that had formed in his mind.
The car rushed out of the residential complex.
"What’s the name of the road if we turn right up ahead?" Xu Huo asked suddenly, looking at the road ahead.
"Shaohai Road," Qian Hua answered automatically.
"Tell the analysts to check traffic cameras on Shaohai Road. Look for the victim’s car."
"They probably haven’t changed the plates!"
Qian Hua immediately pulled out his phone to relay the orders to the analysts.
This being a major tourist province, the surveillance network was far more extensive than in other regions. Thanks to this, the analysts followed Xu Huo’s instructions and locked onto a vehicle in no time.
"Found it! License plate xC·Q0802... They’ve stopped!"
"Two minutes ago, they stopped at an intersection 2.1 kilometers away from Team Two..."
"Wait... they’re getting out. All six of them are out... They’re not running. They’re not running!"
’They stopped?’
’And got out?!’
’Most importantly, they’re not running!? Why aren’t they running?’
Xu Huo paused. In a flash of insight, he understood.
Without a second thought, he slammed his foot on the accelerator. The police car’s engine roared to life once more, and it shot forward, weaving through traffic.
The police cars behind him were left in the dust.
’Honestly, five of the people who’d wronged the killers were already dead. The last two survivors were now in their grasp...’
’In other words, they had nothing left to live for. Their extremist mindset was now set in stone. Under this kind of psychological pressure, if they decided to do something...’
’I wouldn’t put anything past them!’
The car went faster and faster, scenery and vehicles blurring past the windows. Qian Hua’s hand instinctively shot up to grip the overhead handle, his heart in his throat.
A streak of light weaved through the city streets.
Until...
SCREEE~!
Xu Huo slammed on the brakes, and the police car screeched to a halt on the side of the road.
This was a large intersection, but at this moment it was completely blocked. Not a single car could get through.
Xu Huo jumped out of the car, not even bothering to close the door as he sprinted forward.
Slowly, his steps slowed.
When he reached the front of the traffic jam, he finally understood why the road was blocked...
And why no one was honking their horns!
There, in the middle of the road, stood six people. They were emaciated, their ribs starkly visible and their cheeks hollow. They stood in a daze.
Their small-sized clothes hung on them like oversized rags.
Their hair was thin and patchy, their skin a sickly pale. Hunched over, they were wracked by deep coughs, as if trying to expel their very organs.
But no passerby dared to laugh.
The knives in their hands... looked sharp!
The six of them stood in the intersection, each clutching a fruit knife. Their clothes were soaked in fresh blood, which still dripped from the blades’ tips.
Behind them was a car.
The car behind them was unmodified. Its windows were rolled down, revealing two people inside. They were bound and trembling, their faces a mess of tears and snot, too terrified to even cry for help.
The frozen tableau held for a long moment. Then, as if waking from a trance...
The six figures paused. Their vacant eyes...
...looked toward Xu Huo.