Director Tian: “…”
He had never heard such an outrageous request before.
He was who he was—how exactly was he supposed to prove it?
“Have you lost your mind? Open the door already!”
Director Tian was so exasperated that he actually laughed.
Meanwhile, Xu Hui had been scared out of her wits.
Clutching a broom tightly with both hands, she sat huddled in the corner of the office.
No matter how hard Director Tian knocked, she refused to answer.
Just as Director Tian was about to give up knocking and instead question them through the closed door about what had happened in the guesthouse, the senior police officer came downstairs.
“Hello. Who are you?”
The veteran officer looked at Tian warily.
Director Tian hurriedly introduced himself when he saw the police uniform.
“I’m the director of Hongxing Guesthouse.”
“My name is Tian Bing.”
“Hello, Director Tian.”
“We’ll need your cooperation with our investigation.”
Looking completely confused, Director Tian pushed on the tightly shut office door before turning back toward the officer apologetically.
“I honestly don’t know what’s happened.”
“How am I supposed to cooperate?”
“Who was on duty tonight?” the senior officer asked.
Director Tian pointed toward the locked office.
“The young lady inside is frightened and won’t open the door.”
“I don’t know what’s going on either.”
He knocked again.
“Xu Hui!”
“What happened?”
“The police are here.”
“Come out and cooperate with the investigation.”
“I-I’m scared…”
“I don’t dare…”
“Director, just wait until Lailai comes back.”
Xu Hui was on the verge of tears.
She had no way of knowing who was actually outside.
Even hearing Director Tian’s voice wasn’t enough to reassure her.
Jiang Lai’s warning kept echoing in her mind.
When people were frightened, their imagination tended to run wild.
Scenes of robbers tricking people into opening doors before barging in to rob and kill replayed endlessly in her head.
She couldn’t stop herself from sobbing.
Hearing the crying from inside, the senior officer was about to offer some reassurance when hurried footsteps echoed in from outside.
Turning toward the entrance, he recognized the young woman he’d met moments earlier.
His guard relaxed slightly.
Seeing the senior officer downstairs, Jiang Lai herself became nervous.
She hurriedly asked,
“Did those two take the others and leave?”
The officer shook his head.
“I haven’t heard any movement.”
“The room is still locked from the inside.”
“Then… is there anything you need us to do?”
“We need you to help us get them to open the door without becoming suspicious.”
Those two men were obviously extremely cautious.
The task wouldn’t be easy.
But they couldn’t simply stand by while potential victims remained in danger.
Director Tian listened in complete bewilderment.
Unable to make sense of anything, he kept asking,
“Do what?”
“What exactly happened?”
Jiang Lai lowered her head guiltily.
“I let two men, one woman, and a child check in…”
“…without an introduction letter.”
“What?!”
Director Tian exploded instantly.
“How could you violate such a fundamental rule?!”
His voice echoed throughout the lobby.
“Which room are they in?”
“Get them out immediately!”
“No introduction letter means no accommodation!”
With a dark expression, Director Tian strode upstairs, lecturing Jiang Lai the entire way.
The younger police officer remained hidden beside the entrance to the upstairs corridor.
Hearing the commotion below, he instinctively glanced toward the suspects’ room.
Seeing no movement, he turned his attention back to the others.
Under the corridor lights, his youthful features seemed even more striking.
Jiang Lai couldn’t help stealing another glance.
The younger officer reported quietly,
“They’re very alert.”
“They already opened the door once to look this way.”
The senior officer frowned deeply.
“There isn’t another choice.”
“We’ll take it one step at a time.”
Jiang Lai pointed toward the room.
“That’s the one.”
“Should someone stand beside the door?”
The two officers exchanged glances.
The younger officer started forward.
The senior officer immediately grabbed him.
“You’re still young.”
“I’ll do it.”
Having made his decision, the veteran officer quickly pressed himself flat against the wall beside the doorway.
Holding his flashlight tightly in both hands, he nodded toward Jiang Lai.
Taking a deep breath, Jiang Lai knocked on the door.
“Comrades?”
“What is it?”
The door remained shut.
The cautious reply came almost instantly.
The voice was so clear it sounded as though someone had been standing with an ear pressed against the door the entire time.
Putting on an apologetic tone, Jiang Lai called out,
“I’m terribly sorry.”
“Our supervisor refuses to let you stay.”
“We don’t want the money anymore.”
“Please leave immediately.”
“The child’s already asleep.”
“Can’t you let him rest for just another hour?”
“Get out!”
Director Tian barked at exactly the right moment.
“If you don’t leave, I’m calling the police!”
“You must not want your job anymore!”
“You actually let people stay without checking their introduction letter!”
“Director…”
Jiang Lai sniffled pitifully.
“They looked so miserable…”
“There are miserable people everywhere.”
Director Tian snapped.
“Even if you were the Goddess of Mercy, you couldn’t save them all!”
He stepped forward and pounded heavily on the door.
“Come out immediately!”
“Otherwise I’ll call the police right now!”
His anger was completely genuine.
Not even a hint of acting.
He glared fiercely at Jiang Lai.
“Tomorrow you’re writing a self-criticism!”
“If something had happened, who would’ve taken responsibility?!”
Jiang Lai pretended to cry.
“I… I was only trying to help.”
Turning toward the room again, she called,
“You heard him.”
“Our supervisor won’t allow it.”
“It’s already the middle of the night.”
“You’re disturbing the other guests.”
Silence.
About half a minute later…
…the doorknob slowly turned.
The moment she realized someone was opening the door, Jiang Lai quickly dragged Director Tian backward behind the senior officer.
Everything happened so quickly that Director Tian barely realized he’d been pulled away from his original position.
The door opened.
The man with the deformed thumbs cautiously leaned halfway out of the room.
He looked left.
Then right.
The moment he turned toward the western side of the corridor, his eyes met the senior officer’s.
The veteran policeman reacted instantly.
He grabbed the man by the front of his shirt and hurled him toward the eastern side of the hallway.
Caught completely off guard, the man crashed hard onto the floor.
His reaction was equally fast.
The instant he recognized the police officer, his left hand shot toward the small of his back, clearly trying to draw something.
Before he could pull it free, the younger officer burst from his hiding place.
He slammed the man to the floor, twisted both arms behind his back into handcuffs, yanked him upright by the collar, and forced him into a crouch facing the wall.
The entire arrest was completed in one smooth motion.
The younger officer then reached behind the suspect’s waistband…
…and pulled out a machete nearly as long as an arm.
Jiang Lai’s eyes widened.
How could someone hide such a long blade inside his waistband?
Suddenly…
A cry of pain came from inside the room.
It was the senior officer.
The younger policeman immediately rushed inside.
Seeing something had gone wrong, Director Tian hurried behind the restrained suspect, replacing the younger officer by pinning the man’s back so he couldn’t move.
Afraid the criminal inside might rush out and attack Jiang Lai, Director Tian shouted,
“Go to my office downstairs!”
“Call the factory security team!”
The moment Jiang Lai heard the senior officer cry out, she knew things had gone badly.
There were still hostages inside.
She worried the younger officer might not be able to handle everything alone.
In a crisis, even her normally quick mind became sluggish.
She lifted one foot to run…
Stopped…
Lifted it again…
Then finally decided to follow Director Tian’s instructions.
Just as she turned toward the stairs—
The second criminal burst out of the room.
A razor-sharp machete gleamed in his hand.
Instead of running downstairs…
He charged straight at Director Tian.
The blade flashed coldly beneath the lights.
“Director!”
“Run!”
“He’s coming for you!”
Director Tian had never faced anything like this in his life.
He froze.
At that critical moment, Jiang Lai remembered the stun flashlight she carried.
She flipped on the electric switch…
…and drove the tip straight into the man’s lower back.
The man’s thick clothing worried her, so she put her full strength behind the thrust.
The electric shock surged through his body—
From his waist…
Up to his scalp…
Down to the soles of his feet.
His entire body went numb.
“AAAH!”
He screamed.
His legs gave out as he collapsed face-first onto the floor.
To keep him from getting back up, Jiang Lai shocked him a second time in the same spot.
Just as she did…
The younger police officer rushed out of the room and threw himself on top of the fallen man.
Pinned helplessly to the ground, the criminal twisted his head as far as he could.
His vicious eyes locked onto Jiang Lai with murderous hatred.