Chapter 30: Chapter 29: Unless a Miracle Occurs
The cries for help from Wang next door grew fainter and weaker, until they finally faded into nothing.
He had been carried on a kappa’s shoulder the entire time. He was probably dizzy and nauseous from the bumpy ride.
To be fair, while the little shorty was indeed short, its strength was no joke.
It could carry a middle-aged man weighing over two hundred pounds for such a long distance, all while maintaining a constant speed.
This just went to show how powerful it really was.
The only unfortunate thing for them was that the three kappas that broke into He Rulong’s home to snatch someone had the bad luck of running into him, this lucky bastard who had obtained a Golden Finger.
If this had been the day he had just gotten it, it would have been game over for him.
The two of them, one in front and one behind, ran at high speed.
Half an hour later, they were outside Z County, arriving at an abandoned factory by the river.
This factory had been abandoned back when he was in high school.
The reason?
It had been shut down by the relevant authorities for dumping sewage into the river.
The once-clear river water had become disgustingly murky back then.
It had only started to get better after several years of cleanup efforts.
But compared to its former clarity, it wasn’t even in the same league.
He Xiaotian watched from a distance. Ever since he started cultivating the Fire-refined Golden Body and later raised it to the state of perfection...
...his five senses were much sharper than an ordinary person’s, and his eyesight was naturally excellent.
Within an hour, thirty to forty kappas had returned one after another, each carrying a person.
All of them were adults, with only one woman among them.
He couldn’t figure it out. What on earth were these kappas planning to do with so many people?
Besides, the methods used in the previous disappearances had been, for all intents and purposes, seamless.
The police hadn’t had a single clue. So why, after just two days, had their methods become so crude?
Just as he was about to leave, planning to just observe from a distance for a while,
his ears twitched. He suddenly heard the sound of cars.
’At least thirty or so vehicles. Are they all from the same faction, or is this a second group of filthy creatures hiding in the shadows?’
For a moment, He Xiaotian’s mind was in turmoil.
He just didn’t understand how a remote place like Z County had managed to attract so many ghouls and monsters.
’This is bad. As soon as it’s light, I’m telling Dad and the others to move. We can’t stay here any longer. Two fists are no match for four hands. A few kappas are manageable, but I’m worried something will show up that even I can’t handle.’
What about the paper mill’s recent orders?
Come on!
What’s more important, money or your life?
If you’re dead, what good is being the richest person in the world?!
Police.
"!!"
How rare. It was actually people from the police department.
Then again, it made sense. If he could follow the kappa with its clumsy methods to this abandoned factory,
how could the police in charge of criminal investigations not know how to follow the clues?
Did that mean Zhao Lei and Zhou Yun from the special task force were here too?
But the two of them struggled to even face a single butcher. How could they deal with the forty-plus kappas inside the factory?!
Had the provincial capital sent someone more powerful?
He gripped his two iron hammers, squatting in place without leaving.
He Xiaotian wanted to see for himself just how capable these so-called "extraordinary individuals" really were.
Weren’t Zhao Lei and Zhou Yun such people?
They were.
But they were too weak.
In a real fight, He Xiaotian figured he could turn them into little cookies with two swings of his hammers in a single encounter.
If the people trained by the country’s special schools were all chumps like them, then there was no hope.
Might as well sit at home and wait for the world to end!
"Director Huang, this is an emergency. Your people will be responsible for securing the perimeter. Remember, if it’s not human, you have clearance to shoot to kill."
Zhao Lei got out of the police car, his expression stern, even resolute, as he spoke to Director Huang.
"Senior, why don’t we wait for more extraordinary individuals to be sent from above?" Zhou Yun stood to the side and asked in a low voice. She thought Zhao Lei had gone mad.
It was true that a powerful operative had arrived from the provincial capital yesterday, but even so, there were only three people in total who could enter the factory to fight.
How were they supposed to fight?
Wasn’t this just serving themselves up on a platter?!
"We could hold our ground and wait for the military to lock down Z County and for more extraordinary individuals to arrive from the provincial capital. But we can wait. The victims who were taken can’t!
"The country trained us to protect the people. The situation has to be resolved, but more importantly, the people have to be saved. If we can be so cruel as to disregard their lives, do you think we even have a reason to exist?
"Or let me put it another way. What if your family and friends were in there? What if it were you? Would you want me to just sit back at the station, ignore that your life is on the line, and take my sweet time waiting?"
He Xiaotian was a bit far from them, but his hearing was no joke.
He’d heard every single word Zhao Lei said.
He had to admit, the guy was a little on the weak side, but his level of conviction was something He Xiaotian couldn’t hope to match.
At least, He Xiaotian felt that sacrificing his own life for others was impossible!
Unless those others were his parents!!
"Brother Peng, it’s all on you."
After giving his instructions to Director Huang, Zhao Lei turned to look at a young man.
By the moonlight, He Xiaotian got a clear look at the man’s face.
He was a fair-skinned young man, about twenty-five or twenty-six, with a diamond-chip earring.
He wore a white suit with a red flower pinned to his chest.
He looked like a rich young master, extremely flamboyant.
He Xiaotian couldn’t help but roll his eyes. The guy didn’t look like he was here to solve a problem; he looked like he was on a field trip.
"I can confirm there are no fewer than fifty kappas inside the factory. There’s also an unknown number of White Evils, and a boss-level figure. Based on my assessment, its strength is at least at the Black Evil level.
"My ability can tie up their leader and the White Evils, but if there are more than twenty White Evils, I’ll be overwhelmed. As for you two, you need to hold off all the kappas. It doesn’t have to be for long. Five minutes will be enough.
"Now, I need to confirm one last time. Zhao Lei, Zhou Yun, are you two voluntarily entering the factory to save the hostages? Once you nod, you can’t go back. And according to my assessment, your probability of death is just shy of one hundred percent.
"As for that tiny sliver of a chance you’ll survive? That would be a miracle. But everyone knows a miracle is called a miracle because the probability is practically zero. If you back out, the academy won’t blame you.
"This whole affair is completely beyond your capabilities. Solving the Zhongcheng Slaughterhouse case is already a significant mark on your records."
"Brother Peng, say no more. ’We train for a thousand days to be used for a single moment.’ When the country recruited me, they told me this day would come. Since I, Zhao Lei, was the one who proposed we act immediately instead of waiting for reinforcements, I’ve already made my decision.
"Besides, the credit for the Zhongcheng Slaughterhouse case belongs to the mysterious X, not me."
Zhao Lei was a true man. If you ate the government’s grain, you had to bear the responsibility.
Letting the victims die because he was afraid of death—that was something he could never do!
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