Inside the second-floor room.
Qin Yu shook his ringing head and hauled himself off the floor. His earpiece crackled with a frantic shout from Group Two outside: “Two suspects! They broke out of the flat shacks in the Slums and are heading toward Maple Forest Road! We’re too far back to cut them off!”
“Are you sure there’s only two?” Qin Yu demanded, his eyes bloodshot.
“Confirmed, only two!”
“All units, move toward Maple Forest Road!” Qin Yu gritted his teeth and bellowed, “We have casualties! We must take down the ringleader, or this was all for nothing!”
“Copy!”
“Copy!”
“…”
Urgent acknowledgments echoed through the walkie-talkie. Qin Yu drew his pistol and barked, “Anyone uninjured, down the stairs! Move!”
…
Less than a minute later, the squad burst out onto the ground level. Running at the head of the pack, Qin Yu yelled, “Group Two, do you have eyes on them? Report their location!”
“They’ve hit Maple Forest Road and they’re still pushing forward. They’re about to reach the Third Ring Road intersection,” the Group Two Leader reported in a low voice. “We’ve got eyes on them, but we’re still some way back. We’re pursuing!”
Qin Yu froze for a fraction of a second, instantly realizing that Qi Lin was stationed in that exact direction. He raised his walkie-talkie and shouted, “Car Two, Car Two, do you copy? Respond!”
“Car Two copies,” Qi Lin’s voice came through.
“The suspects are heading your way,” Qin Yu ordered rapidly. “Two men. Prioritize your own safety, but intercept them if you can. We have casualties! Stall them for even ten seconds and we’ll be right on them!”
Qi Lin went numb.
“Did you hear me?!” Qin Yu shouted.
“C-Copy that,” Qi Lin replied, his voice trembling.
“Keep your comms open. We’re right behind you.” Still speaking, Qin Yu sprinted out of the alley and piled into an approaching police cruiser with Lao Mao.
At the same time, Lao Hei and two officers from Lao Mao’s team jumped into another cruiser, racing at top speed toward the Third Ring Road intersection less than five hundred meters away.
Inside the car, Lao Mao shouted into his walkie-talkie, “Qi Lin, do you have eyes on anyone?”
…
At the Third Ring Road fork.
Qi Lin had already scrambled out of his car, so paralyzed with fear that he had forgotten to bring the vehicle’s walkie-talkie. His arm shook uncontrollably as he drew his service pistol from his belt. Huddled behind the engine block, he stared fixedly toward Maple Forest Road.
In his wildest nightmares, Qi Lin had never imagined that these reckless, desperate criminals would head straight for him. He was petrified. His mind kept flashing back to the explosion upstairs, to the colleagues who had been killed before they even knew what hit them. Terror pinned him in place. He had only been hiding behind the car for a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity. Unlike the other officers, no thoughts of duty or heroic sacrifice crossed his mind—only sheer cowardice…
A biting wind swept through the intersection. A Long charged forward with his partner, carrying a gleaming large-bore shotgun and a pistol between them.
Inside the cruiser, Lao Mao’s frantic voice crackled through the dashboard speaker: “Qi Lin, do you hear me? Did anyone pass you? Answer! Answer me…!”
Sweat dripped from Qi Lin’s brow. His eyes remained locked on A Long. After agonizing hesitation, he gritted his teeth, raised his gun, and opened his mouth, his voice shaking as he prepared to yell a challenge.
Under the dim streetlights, A Long glanced at his partner. “What’s the word from Xia Pa Zi?”
“He’s on his way,” the partner panted, pointing ahead. “Cut through the single-story houses ahead.”
“Hold on, police cruiser.” A Long turned and immediately spotted Car Two parked at the intersection.
Bang, bang, bang…!
His nerves strung tight, the partner spotted the cruiser and pulled the trigger without hesitation, yelling, “Go! I’ll cover you!”
Bullets ricocheted off the squad car, showering sparks. Qi Lin hunched down behind the front fender, too terrified to expose an inch of his head.
Inside the car, Lao Mao’s voice roared through the walkie-talkie: “Qi Lin, that’s gunfire! Are you engaged?!”
Qi Lin faintly heard the radio. Staying low, he crawled toward the passenger door and reached for the handle.
Out on the street, A Long exploited his partner’s suppressing fire and sprinted desperately. He charged across the corner, angling toward the single-story shacks. He was now less than thirty meters from Qi Lin.
Qi Lin’s fingers wrapped around the door handle. Just as he went to pull it open, he turned and saw A Long about to dart into the alley. Driven into a corner, he raised his gun, opening his mouth to yell.
At the corner, A Long had also been tracking the squad car while sprinting. As he turned his head, his eyes met Qi Lin’s squarely.
Both men froze.
Without a second thought, A Long leveled the shotgun and blasted the front of the car.
Crash!
The hood caved in on the spot. Qi Lin stood petrified, not daring to fire back.
Vroom!
Just then, Lao Hei’s cruiser roared into view. He barked into his walkie-talkie, “Qi Lin, fire! Intercept him! Don’t let him get away!”
Qi Lin remained frozen behind his cruiser, his face chalk-white, his eyes wide with horror.
“Motherfucker!” Seeing no response, Lao Hei shouted, “Punch it! There’s only two of them!”
The car surged forward, rocketing past Qi Lin’s position in an instant.
Bang, bang!
Lao Hei leaned out the window and fired twice at A Long’s partner, who was reloading. Blood sprayed from the man’s body, and he fell backward onto the ground.
“Fuck your mother, you think you can chase me?!” A Long cursed through bloodshot eyes. He spun around, raised his shotgun, and pulled the trigger.
Bang! Bang!
The large-bore shotgun roared. The cruiser’s tires burst instantly, sending the electric vehicle veering into the exterior wall of a corner storefront. The front end crumpled halfway in, giving off white smoke.
Lao Hei shook his ringing head, pushed his door open, and bellowed, “He’s alone! Move in and pin him down!”
The other officers spilled out, weapons raised, charging toward A Long’s position.
Screeech!
Tires squealed on the snow-packed street. A car slammed to a halt, and four burly men piled out. Two of them carried assault rifles and immediately unleashed full-auto bursts toward Lao Hei’s position.
Reaching Third Ring Road, Qin Yu spotted the reinforcements converging on A Long. He raised his walkie-talkie and screamed, “Lao Hei, fall back! They’ve got backup!”
It was already too late for Lao Hei to retreat. He had left the vehicle and pushed forward. As the bullets swept toward him, his only option was to take cover in the recessed doorway of the shop.
Seeing his partner dead, A Long had gone completely mad. Brandishing his shotgun, he charged into the alcove, roaring, “Fuck your mother! Chasing me?! You still want to chase me?!”
Bang!
Lao Hei pressed flat against the shop’s glass door, blind-firing around the frame. But A Long, ruthless and fearless, hugged the wall and jammed the shotgun barrel directly against Lao Hei’s head.
Silence. A brief silence.
“Don’t move!”
The two officers behind Lao Hei raised their guns, trying to provide covering fire.
Da-da-da-da!
Xia Pa Zi opened up with his assault rifle, pinning both officers behind cover.
Cold sweat soaked Lao Hei’s brow. His thick lips trembled. “…D-Don’t… don’t kill me… I…”
“You think you can drop my brother for nothing?! Huh?! For nothing?!” A Long screamed.
Bang!
The gun roared. Lao Hei dropped to the ground.
“Chase me! Keep fucking chasing me, and I’ll deliver a bomb to your Police Department every single day!” A Long lowered his barrel and pumped three more rounds into Lao Hei’s body. Xia Pa Zi grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back as they hurled two grenades onto the asphalt to delay pursuit, vanishing into the darkness of the night.
Behind the cruiser at the intersection, Qi Lin stood like a stone statue. He had watched Lao Hei die. He had watched the grenades blast two massive craters into the street. He could not move a single muscle.
Qin Yu’s car skidded to a halt. Qin Yu burst out, eyes wide with horror, and lunged toward Lao Hei. “Brother, brother… hang in there…”
“Dead… if I die, so be it… Living was just suffering anyway…” Lao Hei reached out, his hand clutching Qin Yu’s wrist, his voice raspy and broken. “I… I have no family… It was a lonely life… In New District One… I was raising two kids from back home… You… make sure my death benefit gets to them.”
Qin Yu clenched his hand and nodded firmly. “I will. I promise.”
Out in the street.
Lao Mao stormed out of his cruiser, eyes blazing with fury. He strode straight up to Qi Lin and held out a hand, barking, “Give me your gun.”
Qi Lin looked up, his gaze completely hollow.
“I said give me your fucking gun!” Lao Mao bellowed, ripping the service weapon from Qi Lin’s grip. He smoothly ejected the magazine—and froze.
“I… I’m… I’m sorry…” Qi Lin stammered.
Lao Mao’s arm shook with violent rage. Pointing at the full magazine, he roared, “You… you didn’t fire a single shot?! Not one fucking round?! Huh?! If you had fired just once, would Lao Hei be dead?! Would that criminal have gotten away?! Fuck your mother, you useless piece of shit!”
The three officers who had just died on the second floor were all members of Lao Mao’s squad. They might not have been his closest friends, but they were colleagues who stood shoulder to shoulder with him day in and day out.
Driven past his limit, Lao Mao leaped forward and kicked Qi Lin in the head. “Why didn’t you shoot?! Afraid to die?! If you’re afraid to die, why the hell are you taking up space in uniform?! Fuck you! I’ll beat you to death, you worthless trash…!”