Zhang Kui reacted instantly upon hearing the gunshot—the police must have set up an ambush long ago.
Even now, he swiftly picked up the dagger with his other hand, grabbed the hair of the woman who was trying to slip away, and yanked her back violently, pressing the dagger against her.
“You bitch! Don’t even think about running! If I die, I’m taking someone with me!”
Injured, he needed a hostage.
Though the two men were spineless, this frail woman was easier to control.
Su Tong struggled briefly, but her assailant was clearly trained—even with one arm, he held her firmly in place.
Su Tong’s current body had been starved for two days and later drugged. Whether the effects hadn’t worn off or there were side effects, she couldn’t even put up a fight; right now, she could barely walk steadily.
Fortunately, the police had set up an ambush here. Given how accurately the shot had hit the criminal’s arm in such dim light, she felt there was a high chance she’d be rescued.
Over a dozen flashlights flickered as they closed in from all sides. Zhang Kui, holding Su Tong hostage, retreated deeper into the Ba Mang Thicket.
The Ba Mang leaves were sharp as blades, slicing small cuts on their skin, but no one had time to care.
As the encirclement tightened, Zhang Kui grew desperate and shouted hoarsely:
“Stop chasing!”
“Stop! I have a hostage!”
“Come any closer and I’ll kill her!”
Someone outside the thicket yelled:
“Zhang Kui! Drop your weapon!”
“I repeat! Drop your weapon!”
“Release the hostage! You’re surrounded! There’s no escape!”
For a moment, it felt like flashlight beams were everywhere—there seemed to be no way out.
Zhang Kui shielded himself with Su Tong like a lifeline, panicking and turning in circles.
Just then, a sharp child’s cry suddenly erupted from deep within the Ba Mang Thicket.
Followed by a harsh male voice: “If you don’t want this kid dead, come any closer!”
Zhang Kui exclaimed in shock, “Sixth Master! Why are you out here?”
Amid rustling sounds, a man emerged from the depths of the thicket.
Su Tong glanced up—he was of medium height, lean build, his features hard to make out, but she could see glasses on his face, the lenses faintly glinting.
He was panting, half-carrying, half-dragging a child.
The child looked about five or six but seemed ill, head drooping, not as if he’d just cried.
A moment of silence fell outside before the voice called out again: “Ma Liu! Zhang Kui! You can’t escape today! Drop your weapons! Drop your weapons…”
Before he could finish, Ma Liu cut him off: “Stop that useless shouting!”
“I want a car, five hundred yuan, and supplies with water! Get them here in twenty minutes, or I’ll slaughter this brat!”
He viciously pinched the child’s buttocks several times. The child seemed dazed, only letting out a delayed, miserable wail after a moment.
The one shouting outside was Zhang Changhai, captain of the county police’s criminal investigation unit.
While he drew Ma Liu’s attention, Qin Yi had already positioned snipers for the best shot, preparing for a takedown.
Capturing them alive was important, but the hostages’ safety was paramount—he had to be fully prepared.
Unexpectedly, Ma Liu made demands. Zhang Changhai glanced at Qin Yi, who nodded, signaling him to keep negotiating.
Zhang Changhai continued shouting:
“Ma Liu! Zhang Kui!”
“Take the hostages and withdraw first! We can agree to your terms, but we need to see the hostages are safe first!”
“Ma Liu! Zhang Kui! Twenty minutes is too short – that’s an unreasonable demand!
Withdraw from the thicket first! Withdraw from the thicket first! Once we confirm the hostages’ safety, we can continue negotiations!”
The shouting from outside continued, but Ma Liu’s body began to sway unsteadily. Zhang Kui quickly reached out to support Ma Liu and help him sit down, asking:
“Sixth Master, your condition…”
Ma Liu swiftly glanced at Su Tong, and Zhang Kui immediately swallowed the rest of his sentence, saying:
“She’s just a local girl. I grabbed her as temporary cover. If needed, we can eliminate her later.”
As he spoke, he made a chopping gesture with his hand.
Ma Liu nodded, gasping for breath, “Tonight’s opponents are tough. We can’t make it to the mountains. Our priority is to escape.”
Then he pointed at the child lying beside him, eyes tightly shut and silent. “This kid’s fading fast! We need to make plans quickly!”
He pulled a handgun from his waist and pointed it at Su Tong, his face darkening. “Stay put and don’t try anything funny! Or I’ll feed you a gun pellet!”
Su Tong glanced at the gun – an American Colt, uncommon domestically. Whoever could get their hands on such weapons wasn’t just an ordinary fugitive.
“Alright! Let’s move out! They won’t dare try anything!”
Ma Liu grabbed the child and stood up, pressing the gun against the child’s head as he walked ahead.
Zhang Kui held a dagger in one hand, pressing it against Su Tong’s neck as he pushed her forward.
Shuanzi and Wang Lao Er had already been dragged out by Ma Daming, disappearing without a trace.
As the group stumbled out of the Ba Mang Thicket, over a dozen flashlights immediately focused on them.
Everyone was shocked by what they saw.
In the earlier darkness, they couldn’t see clearly, but now they could see the girl held by Zhang Kui was covered in blood from head to toe, making her completely unrecognizable. Whether Ma Liu had done this or not, it was truly brutal.
The child in Ma Liu’s arms hung his head limply, completely silent – clearly not in a normal state of sleep.
“Dongdong… Dongdong!!”
A trembling voice called out, “Dongdong, look at your dad! Dad’s here to save you! Dongdong!”
Su Tong looked up and was startled to see the speaker was a police officer.
Her heart sank – these criminals were truly audacious, having kidnapped a police officer’s child.
The officer had maintained discipline earlier, restraining himself from responding to his child’s cries. But now, seeing his child, he could no longer control his emotions.
“Ma Liu, you beast! How could you hurt a child! If anything happens to Dongdong, I’ll skin you alive…”
“Enough!”
Ma Liu coldly cut him off, “The child’s fine, just a little sick.”
“Since I dared to come out, I’m not afraid of your tricks…”
“Got snipers, huh? Think you have the numbers advantage?”
“Hmph! Don’t want any survivors?”
Ma Liu sneered and shifted the child slightly. Everyone gasped – his chest was covered with a row of homemade bombs.
“Be careful with those guns! No accidental discharges!”
He raised his thumb, showing a ring attached to it. “One pull of this ring, and not just the child – everything within several miles will be leveled.”
Qin Yi silently cursed the old fox!
The roar of car engines echoed in the darkness as two military-green jeeps quickly approached one after another. A public security officer jumped out of a vehicle and handed the keys to Zhang Changhai.
Zhang Changhai waved the keys at Ma Liu. “Release the child! The keys are yours! Money and provisions are all in the vehicle!”
Ma Liu snorted coldly. “Insert the keys and start the engine! No more stalling!
I can wait! But I’m afraid this kid might not last much longer!”