“Let’s go check out the mall. It’s getting hotter and hotter, so I need to buy a few short-sleeved shirts.”
Wang Tian glanced at the temperature displayed on his phone. July in SY was scorching hot, and he hadn’t gone out in two days. It was just too hot.
But today, he was planning to go out. Mainly, he needed to buy some clothes. Last year, he’d ordered his clothes online, but the quality had been so awful it left him speechless. He’d better go in person this time.
When the thought came, he acted on it. That was the mercenaries’ code. Hesitating and overthinking could lead to trouble, so acting decisively was their style.
Wang Tian went downstairs with only his phone. Since returning to Huaxia, he’d found mobile payments the most convenient thing of all. He didn’t need to carry anything else; his phone was all he needed.
When he reached the entrance to the residential community, he didn’t hesitate. He headed straight for a car, opened the door, and got in.
“Oh, it’s you two today.”
Wang Tian greeted the two dispirited State Security Bureau personnel in the front seats with a smile.
“Wang Tian, you’re really making things difficult for us,” said the woman in the passenger seat, displeased.
“Don’t be so formal, Tiantian. We’re all on the same side.”
Wang Tian teased the young woman, who had only recently started keeping an eye on him.
“Shut up. You think you can call her Tiantian?”
Yang Tian was even more displeased. Why wasn’t this guy acting like someone who knew he was under surveillance?
“Hey, where are you going?” Qi Zhi asked from the driver’s seat. He was one of the first people assigned to keep watch on Wang Tian.
“To the outlet mall out in the suburbs. I’m going to buy a few pieces of clothing,” Wang Tian said casually.
Qi Zhi said nothing. They had to follow him anyway, and driving him straight there wasn’t a big deal.
“By the way, how come I haven’t seen Old Zhang or Old Zhao lately?”
Wang Tian asked curiously. He hadn’t seen Zhang Yang or Zhao Tong in days, and he kind of missed them.
“They’re taking a few days off. They’ve been running around with you every day. Can’t they take a few days to rest?” Qi Zhi glanced at him.
Their superiors already knew they’d been exposed, but hadn’t said anything. So those of them on the ground guessed Wang Tian probably wasn’t a serious threat, and would chat with him now and then.
“Hang in there. Another year or so and you’ll be done. I have no idea how many years I’ll be bugged for,” Wang Tian said with a shrug.
“But what exactly did you do to make the higher-ups put you under surveillance?” Yang Tian couldn’t help asking.
“Yang Tian, mind your discipline,” Qi Zhi said with a frown and a low voice.
“Oh.”
Yang Tian realized her mistake. She’d only just transferred over from logistics and still lacked experience.
“Heh, it’s fine. But you’re better off knowing less,” Wang Tian said tactfully.
He wasn’t exactly a household name over there, but he did have a certain reputation, especially a few years ago, when he’d personally led quite a few operations that had caused a stir in their circles.
So it was better for Qi Zhi and the others to know less. Otherwise, some desperate enemy might come here to assassinate him and end up dragging them into it.
They soon arrived. After Qi Zhi parked, all three of them—or, more accurately, Wang Tian on his own—started browsing.
“This one’s nice. Hmm, this one works too.”
Wang Tian picked out two short-sleeved shirts he liked one after the other. He tried them on, then paid right away.
“I might as well buy a pair of shoes too, since I’m already out.”
Standing outside a drink shop, Wang Tian ordered three cold drinks, then glanced upstairs, planning to go take a look in a bit.
He took the drinks the employee had packed and headed straight for Qi Zhi and Yang Tian, who were leaning nearby, handing each of them one.
Neither of them refused. It was scorching hot, and even with the mall’s Air Conditioner, the air still felt stifling.
“Wait for me a little longer. I’ll buy a pair of shoes, then we can head back.”
Just as Wang Tian finished speaking, he noticed a commotion downstairs. Qi Zhi and Yang Tian warily looked down.
“Why is the entrance gate coming down?” Yang Tian said, puzzled.
They were on the second floor, so they could hear what was happening below quite clearly.
“Hey, what’s going on? Security! Why is the entrance closed?”
A male customer who had been about to leave asked the security guard beside him, who looked just as confused.
“Sir, please don’t panic. I’ll ask about it. There may be some kind of malfunction.”
The guard looked puzzled too as he picked up his walkie-talkie and started asking what was going on.
“That’s strange. No one’s answering.”
The guard muttered, then asked a colleague nearby to calm the customers while he went upstairs to check.
“Why has the back door’s roll-up shutter come down? What’s going on?” Just then, the back-door guard’s voice came through the walkie-talkie.
“The front entrance is down too. I’m going upstairs to ask. No one’s answering on the walkie-talkie.”
“Something’s not right. Yang Tian, take Wang Tian somewhere to hide.”
Qi Zhi, who had spent years working on the front lines, sensed something was wrong. Wang Tian furrowed his brow too.
But before either of them could move, a gunshot rang out.
“Take cover! Quick, fall back!”
Qi Zhi grabbed the stunned Yang Tian, then pulled Wang Tian along too. The three of them hurried into a nearby shop and hid behind the counter.
“Everyone, get down! Don’t move! We’re only here for money!” a loud shout suddenly came from upstairs.
“Fourth, lower the fire shutter and lock it. Seal off the third and fourth floors. Fifth, Binzi, we’re going down,” a middle-aged man’s voice called out.
“Nobody move! Get down! Get the hell down!” A clamor rose from the first floor too.
“Damn it, I just wanted to buy some clothes. What terrible luck,” Wang Tian grumbled.
“Did you bring your service weapons?” Wang Tian asked Qi Zhi.
“No. There are too many people in the mall.”
Qi Zhi shook his head. Their orders had always been to keep Wang Tian under surveillance, so they weren’t carrying service weapons at all times.
“Yang Tian, stay here and protect Wang Tian. I’ll go see what’s going on.”
Qi Zhi said this, then looked seriously at Wang Tian and warned him:
“Don’t cause trouble.”
Wang Tian nodded in understanding. He hadn’t wanted to cause trouble in the first place. All he wanted was to live a quiet life.
Qi Zhi gave him a serious look, then silently moved out. He reached the shop entrance, found a concealed spot, and began watching.
“There’s no signal on my phone either,” Yang Tian said with a frown as she looked at it.
“The people on the other side probably turned on a signal jammer,” Wang Tian said quietly.
“You know quite a bit.”
Yang Tian muttered. About five minutes later, Qi Zhi returned and crouched beside them, speaking in a low voice.
“I can see six robbers. There should be at least one more in the security room. Most of them are on the first floor. The fire shutters have sealed off the third and fourth floors. There are two on the second floor, herding people downstairs.”
“Brother Qi, what do we do?”
As a newcomer, Yang Tian could only look to Qi Zhi.
“I watched them for a while. Their target is probably the jewelry stores downstairs. They don’t seem to be planning to hurt the hostages for now, and the way those searching the second floor are going about it is pretty amateurish. They’re probably not professionals, just a bunch of desperate criminals.” Qi Zhi paused, then continued.
“But from what I saw, they have at least five guns. The crudely modified kind.”
“I thought gun control was strictest in Huaxia. How’d a bunch of small-time thugs get their hands on five guns?” Wang Tian asked, incredulous. This wasn’t some foreign country.
“I said they were crudely modified,” Qi Zhi said irritably, then turned to Yang Tian.
“Take Wang Tian to the changing room and hide there. Don’t make a sound.”
“What about you, Brother Qi?” Yang Tian hurriedly asked.
“Don’t worry. I won’t do anything reckless and risk provoking them into hurting the hostages. But I need a clear line of sight so I can keep an eye on what’s happening outside.”
Their assignment was to monitor Wang Tian and protect him if necessary, so Qi Zhi needed to go outside. If the robbers came in to search, he would have to make a noise somewhere to draw their attention.
“Wang Tian, take off your watch for three minutes. I need to let our colleagues outside know there’s trouble here,” Qi Zhi said, looking at Wang Tian.