Lu Huaizheng had one hand on his waist, holding the radio earpiece as he asked He Lang on the other end.

“Where is the location?”

Inside the hall, voices clamored loudly.

Outside the hall, the wind whistled ominously. Looking around, the mountains were covered in lush green, bathed in morning light, yet permeated with a deathly silence.

The earpiece emitted crackling electrical sounds, covered by the wind. He Lang was tracking the positioning system. After a moment of silence, Lu Huaizheng inadvertently glanced at Yu Hao beside him and noticed something unusual.

Yu Hao didn’t speak, standing in a daze with eyes full of struggle and hesitation.

Lu Huaizheng immediately pulled her toward him, facing him. “Did you think of something?”

When He Lang said the suspect hadn’t come down the mountain,

Yu Hao had thought of it. Her mind flashed, and at that moment, everything seemed to make sense.

But she had just hesitated for a moment, experiencing a sense of vengeful satisfaction, like in a movie finale when a villain escapes legal punishment but gets his head blown off by a passerby. A sense of righteous pleasure arose in her heart.

Lu Huaizheng immediately saw that something was wrong with her. She was too obvious; whether malicious or kind, her eyes were too transparent to hide any emotion. He gripped her shoulders, slightly increasing the pressure, his voice carrying an unprecedented chill: “Yu Hao!”

She seemed oblivious.

“Doctor Yu.” He deliberately reminded her.

Like a blow to the head!

It was as if the dark cloud that had been gradually congealing in her confused mind was instantly dispersed! Yu Hao awoke with a start, looking up at Lu Huaizheng, whose face was cold and serious. Her voice gradually regained its composure.

“He should be right outside this hall now.”

Lu Huaizheng also came to his senses—so, from beginning to end, it had all been a trap!

Yu Hao said: “It’s all fake. If I’m not mistaken, there are no bombs at all. His purpose is to take revenge on everyone in this town. If he relied solely on bombs he made himself, and given that people in this town all know each other, he would likely be discovered while planting them. So he adopted an extreme plan. He maintained a non-negotiable attitude, demanding a helicopter and hostages—all decoys, just to tell you this safe location in the end and lure everyone here!”

Simultaneously, He Lang’s voice came through the earpiece.

“Captain Lu, the car’s location is right at the entrance of Hushui Elementary School!”

Damn beautiful!

Lu Huaizheng pressed the line and replied, “Stand by where you are.”

“Yes, sir!”

After speaking, Lu Huaizheng looked around, finally understanding why he had chosen this grand hall. The hall was located behind Hushui Elementary School, an abandoned old hall. Years ago, due to some unclean occurrences, it had been abandoned by the school. The surrounding buildings had been mostly demolished, leaving it empty and exposed. Except for one mound, there was no high ground, almost no place to set up a sniper position.

Sun Kai’s voice came through the earpiece.

“What’s the situation?”

Lu Huaizheng, with his hand on his waist, squinted as he scanned the surroundings, absentmindedly replying: “We’ve been fooled.”

Sun Kai: “What do you mean?”

“It means all the other party needs to do now is take a gun, sweep it across the entrance of the grand hall, and it would be an unprecedented massacre.”

Sun Kai: “Damn, what do we do now!?”

There wasn’t enough time to evacuate people. If they let them run out aimlessly, the suspect would kill them one by one.

Lu Huaizheng fixed his gaze on a tree behind Yu Hao.

Yu Hao followed his line of sight and looked back.

Sun Kai cursed again on the other end: “I don’t believe he would dare do such a thing.”

Lu Huaizheng grabbed a sturdy branch nearby and, with swift movements, climbed up in seconds. From the height, he could see the roof of the grand hall. While judging the angle for sniping, he said to Sun Kai on the other end: “That guy is suffering from a serious illness, probably a desperate man. If I’m not mistaken, he never planned to leave alive.”

Those with nothing to lose are the most fearsome.

Yu Hao had already thought of this and was mentally prepared, but when she heard Lu Huaizheng say it, her heart still couldn’t help but race, rising to her throat, as fine sweat broke out on her forehead.

Lu Huaizheng came down from the tree, gently stroked the back of Yu Hao’s head, took off his helmet, and directly put it on her head. While securing it for her, he said quietly: “Now go inside and find Sun Kai, find a corner position—”

“Senior Zhao!”

Yu Hao suddenly covered her mouth, her eyes fixed in shock at something behind Lu Huaizheng.

Lu Huaizheng turned around.

Zhao Dailin had a black gun muzzle pressed against her head, standing rigidly as she was pushed forward step by step.

Lu Huaizheng firmly secured the helmet for Yu Hao, reached for the gun at his waist, and pushed Yu Hao behind him. He slightly turned his head and said softly to Sun Kai through the earpiece: “He’s coming in.”

Without waiting for a response, Lu Huaizheng added: “He has a hostage.”

Sun Kai asked: “Who?”

“Zhao Dailin.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end. “I’ll negotiate with him.”

Lu Huaizheng stared for a while, then said: “Wait, let’s see what he says.”

From the beginning, this matter had been passive. Even when he left the interrogation room that day, Lu Huaizheng felt he was on the defensive. It seemed like he was taking the initiative, but the control was actually in the other party’s hands.

The sunlight was piercing, shooting through the sparse tree gaps.

Yu Hao had never felt the sun so blinding before, like hundreds of needles stabbing her back, making it painful to open her eyes.

The man smiled as he slowly came down the slope.

He had changed out of his ghillie suit, somehow finding a black trench coat. The collar flapped in the wind, revealing bundles of something at his waist as he slowly walked toward them.

After confirming, Lu Huaizheng spoke into the radio: “Sun Kai, both he and Zhao Dailin are covered with detonators. Tell the people inside not to fire randomly; Zhao Dailin will be in danger.”

Sun Kai cursed something indistinct.

The man stopped five meters away from Lu Huaizheng, pointing the black gun muzzle at him and Yu Hao.

“Put down your gun, then both of you go inside.”

Lu Huaizheng remained expressionless, his eyes fixed on the man like a hawk, not moving. Seeing Lu Huaizheng’s immobility, the man grew impatient and mercilessly fired a shot in their direction with a “bang”!

At the sound of the gunshot, Lu Huaizheng raised his arm, turned, and held Yu Hao tightly in his embrace, his hand resting on her head. Yu Hao felt the cold gun handle pressing against her forehead. Without looking up, she knew that even if Lu Huaizheng pointed a gun at her, he would never aim at her.

The bullet hit the tree, causing it to shake violently, the ground trembling.

Yu Hao’s heart was about to explode.

She bit her lip hard, not letting herself make any sound.

Lu Huaizheng’s gun hand pressed on top of her head, his other hand covering the back of her neck as he whispered in her ear: “I’m here, don’t be afraid.”

Yu Hao nodded, watching several leaves slowly fall behind him, drifting and pausing.

Miraculously, because of his words, her heart, like those few leaves, settled down.

Lu Huaizheng turned back, his eyes showing no emotion as he slowly raised his hand, quickly removing the magazine with one hand, then slowly placing the gun on the ground.

…

The grand hall was as quiet as a tomb. The townspeople who had been shouting and roaring, demanding resources from the government, were now sitting obediently with their hands on their heads, each fearfully watching the man enter from outside.

As he walked, he smiled, seeming like a madman.

Yu Hao moved to step forward and negotiate with him.

Lu Huaizheng pulled her back, shaking his head to indicate she shouldn’t speak.

The iron door of the grand hall, long in disrepair, had peeled from years of exposure to wind and sun, showing uneven spots.

The iron door slowly closed.

The brightness gradually weakened, narrowing to a thin line of light along the door crack, until it completely disappeared as the iron door slammed shut with a “clang.”

The hall was dim, with only a few fragments of light coming through the window bars on the side.

The man smiled and said to Lu Huaizheng: “Actually, this has nothing to do with you, but you insisted on protecting them!” Then, suddenly glaring at the people on the ground, he looked at each one, abruptly raising his voice: “They are scum!!!! The scum of society!!!!”

Lu Huaizheng unexpectedly spoke: “But you’re doing the same thing they did.”

The man, as if his tail had been stepped on, suddenly screeched: “It’s different!!!! I’m not like them!!!!”

“Ma Zhiming.”

Yu Hao suddenly called him by name.

The man acted as if he had gone mad, waving his gun around. “Who! Come out!”

A small shadow suddenly crossed over from the side. The man focused his gaze and snorted, “It’s you.”

Yu Hao looked at him calmly. She recalled a patient she had encountered before, also with antisocial personality disorder. At that time, she and Professor Han had specifically opened a special topic on how to communicate with and treat such criminals.

She tried to calm herself.

But she couldn’t suppress the chill down her back. She had seen many vicious criminals, most with psychological distortions caused by unfortunate childhood experiences. Moreover, when you delve deeper, you discover that their inner hearts are still like children’s, acting without considering consequences because all their memories are stuck in that most painful period.

“We’ve already contacted your mother. She’s on her way here. Do you really want your mother to see you like this?”

The man seemed lost in thought, his eyes momentarily absent, then suddenly alert as he looked at Yu Hao: “What’s she coming for!”

“To seek justice, to seek justice for you.”

The man looked at Yu Hao, puzzled: “Seek justice for me?”

“You’re seeking justice for her, and she’s coming to seek justice for you. Isn’t that right?”

After Yu Hao finished speaking, the man fell into silence.

Lu Huaizheng and Sun Kai exchanged a glance. Chen Rui and others also slightly raised their vigilance. Director Tang’s voice came through the earpiece, “Have you confirmed whether those are detonators or something else on him?”

Lu Huaizheng gently squeezed Yu Hao’s hand, signaling her to continue.

The two were in perfect sync, understanding his meaning intuitively. She even raised her voice: “Your mother is not well. She said she needs some time to get here. She wants you to wait a bit before making a decision.”

Taking advantage of Yu Hao’s speech, Lu Huaizheng quietly replied: “I confirm they are detonators. Everyone be careful, avoid accidental discharge. Have snipers ready at the door.”

The man frowned, seemingly pondering.

The grand hall was so quiet that one could hear the low chirping of birds outside. Yu Hao forced herself to remain calm, feeling that time was passing too slowly. She never wanted to experience this feeling of having her fate in someone else’s hands again!

Lu Huaizheng gently stroked her hand. The man’s fingertips were warm, slowly sliding from the back of her hand to her fingertips, as if coating her with a layer of electricity, making her hair stand on end, but also calming her heart a bit more.

This time it was comfort.

It seemed that without many words, she could understand any of his physical gestures.

Yu Hao saw the man’s face gradually relax, and her heart eased slightly. But then, Zaza’s father, that bastard, still not understanding what was happening, thought he was just an ordinary criminal and was obsequiously begging him:

“Yes, big brother, please, spare us!”

Even Chen Rui couldn’t help but spit on him: “Coward! Only knows how to act tough with us!”

Ma Zhiming’s emotions, which Yu Hao had just managed to stabilize, completely collapsed like a breached dam the moment he saw Zaza’s father. It was as if a bolt of lightning had exploded in his brain. His eyes suddenly widened, as if all his emotions had found an outlet for release—

The gun barrel instantly moved over. Before anyone could react, he had already fired a shot at Zaza’s father’s feet.

The crowd suddenly erupted, screams spreading everywhere, resounding throughout the entire grand hall, rumbling like a helicopter passing overhead.

People around Zaza’s father quickly scattered, creating an empty space, leaving him isolated in the middle.

The bullet penetrated Zaza’s father’s ankle. He writhed on the ground in pain, grimacing. The man fired another shot at his thigh.

This shot missed, with the bullet scraping the ground and creating sparks. The hot flash made Zaza’s father roll around like a numb ball, his screams seeming to pierce the sky.

Ma Zhiming, however, had gone berserk, completely losing his rationality. Like a zombie with a twisted head, he kept his gun firmly aimed at Zaza’s father, firing shot after shot, muttering, “Kill you, kill you! Kill you!”

Yu Hao suddenly felt emptiness beside her hand, the man’s warmth disappearing.

Lu Huaizheng had left, taking advantage of Ma Zhiming’s distraction to slip away.

He moved along the wall.

At the entrance of the hall stood a stone lion that had been placed outside before. After the hall was abandoned, the stone lion had been moved inside. Lu Huaizheng, using the chaos as cover, hid behind the stone lion. Ma Zhiming was standing at the front of the stone lion. Lu Huaizheng nimbly moved to the side and signaled to Sun Kai.

The message: Sun Kai should go to retrieve Zhao Dailin.

Sun Kai nodded in understanding.

Lu Huaizheng chose the best position for attack, but at that moment, Ma Zhiming suddenly turned around. His hand instinctively pointed the gun at Lu Huaizheng, his finger on the trigger, but Lu Huaizheng knocked it to the ground with a roundhouse kick.

As Ma Zhiming reached for Zhao Dailin again, Lu Huaizheng was faster, twisting her shoulder and throwing her toward Sun Kai.

In a flash.

Lu Huaizheng directly grabbed Ma Zhiming’s shoulder and with a back-hand move pinned him against the stone lion.

Ma Zhiming used all his strength, his face pressed against the stone lion. Gritting his teeth, his other hand reached for the detonator button at his waist, but Lu Huaizheng intercepted it, twisting his hand outward.

Unexpectedly, Ma Zhiming mustered all his strength and bit Lu Huaizheng’s hand!

Like a dog, impossible to shake off.

Then Zhao Dailin shouted from the side: “Lu Huaizheng, he has AIDS! Let go quickly!”

“Bang!”

Simultaneously.

Ma Zhiming’s head was blown apart by Sun Kai’s gun, sliding to the ground like a deflated balloon, his eyes still open.

Finally, the dust settled.

After everyone was evacuated, Zaza’s father was carried out on a stretcher, still loudly complaining of pain. The remaining townspeople returned to their homes, leaving only Lu Huaizheng and his team in the grand hall.

Director Tang hurried in from outside, excitedly asking everyone:

“How is everyone? Is everyone safe?”

The atmosphere was strange, exceptionally quiet.

Sun Kai looked away.

Chen Rui and Wu Heping had red eyes.

Zhao Dailin rubbed her face, saying nothing.

“What’s wrong?!” Director Tang was confused.

Turning around, he saw Lu Huaizheng standing silently by the stone lion.

He looked down at the blood seeping from his hand, his mind buzzing incessantly, yet his brain was blank. Instinctively, he turned to look at Yu Hao.

The girl was staring at him in a daze.

Tears rolled down her face.

He quickly walked over to her, wrapping one arm tightly around her, his face nuzzling against the top of her head. Involuntarily, he bent down and gently kissed her hair, not forgetting to comfort her: “It’s alright.”