Chapter 699: Chapter 656: Grand Finale_7
Such an abrupt decision made Xu Dayuan pause briefly, as he glanced at Liu Yufei, Fang Mu, and Fang Dongsheng, who were standing at the edge of the main building. The three of them slowly retreated and instantly entered the main building.
Zhou Ning looked at Mr. Zhao with a pleading look in her eyes. Hearing that the hunter was in the main building threw Zhou Ning into turmoil. Xia Momo and Zhu Xingxing were in the meeting room, and they had just sent WeChat messages reporting their location. If the hunter were to randomly take someone hostage, the two of them were the most likely targets.
"Let’s talk, I can withdraw the armed police snipers, but I can’t let Bai Qishan go. How about you take someone else?"
The hunter laughed.
"No funny business, I’m watching you from upstairs. How long do you think you can delay? Are you hoping for the investigation team’s backup? Don’t worry, they won’t be here for a while, and I know all your plans. Of course, there has to be a countermeasure, right? Now there’s only 2:30 left, how can it be, Director Xu, that you’re not the least bit worried about the safety of Ganzhou’s people?"
Xu Dayuan stared at the main building, scanning window by window, but didn’t see any peeking figures. It was impossible for Liu Yufei and the others to search downward from the top floor in two and a half minutes.
Looking away, Xu Dayuan quickly responded:
"Don’t get agitated. If you want me to pull back the snipers, that’s fine, but it also takes time for these people to come downstairs, and two minutes without an elevator isn’t practical for running down."
"It’s okay, if it can’t be done, I’ll kill someone. When someone is killed, it’s done. As soon as the three minutes are up, I’ll kill one person every minute."
As he spoke, a scream came through the phone, a woman’s shriek.
Zhou Ning looked back at the laptop in front of Mr. Qu. It displayed the surveillance footage, but there were no findings, and they did not know where the hunter was.
Mr. Zhao leaned next to Zhou Ning, lifting his phone. It showed the conversation between him and Zhu Xingxing—they had already left the meeting room and were now beside the guard room on the first floor. At this news, Zhou Ning breathed a sigh of relief.
Xu Dayuan was still negotiating with the hunter when, with a puff, a local police officer responsible for security beside Tao Zhenshan at the courtyard gate slowly collapsed, blood spurting from both sides of his neck. People nearby threw themselves on him, pressing hands against his throat, but the blood could not be stopped. Within moments, the police officer struggled no more.
Tao Zhenshan pulled him behind a sentry box and looked towards the fourth floor. He quickly took out his phone, sent a message to Liu Yufei and whispered instructions to the people behind him.
"Keep an eye on the easternmost window of the fourth floor."
Xu Dayuan’s eyes reddened, and veins bulged on his neck.
"You killed a policeman. Do you think you can leave here alive today?"
"Hahaha, I never intended to leave alive! Release the person!"
Xu Dayuan knew that if he didn’t do anything, he would surely kill another person in a minute. He shouted toward Tao Zhenshan’s position:
"Everyone, stay concealed!"
"Hunter, listen carefully. You want Bai Qishan out; I’ll go and bring him to you personally. But you can’t kill anyone."
"Three minutes, I’m only giving you three minutes."
Zhou Ning looked at Xu Dayuan. It was a vicious cycle. The hunter was demanding the police to hand over Bai Qishan, or else he would kill people. But if they complied, with the hunter’s marksmanship, it would be a sure shot to death.
If Bai Qishan were to die, no matter how perfectly they solved the case and how substantial the evidence was, it would not stir much controversy in public opinion, because with the most convincing person dead, it would give various parties a chance to shirk responsibility. It is the reason why the hunter, and that hidden hyena, were desperate to silence their target at all costs.
Right, the hyena too.
The hunter had now shown his face. The hyena was likely the mastermind behind the explosion, and it was because of this explosion that the hunter was able to find a place to hide and carry out the standoff and negotiation.
The only hope now was to find the hunter and capture him within the three minutes given to Liu Yufei and his team.
At this moment, Xu Dayuan, holding his phone, walked towards the direction of the destroyed canteen. Zhou Ning did not know if that was the entrance to the detention room, but his heart was already in the air.
After all, the enemy was in the dark. It would be too easy to shoot Xu Dayuan, and his current move was just to buy time by stabilizing the hunter.
Zhou Ning involuntarily took two steps forward, but Mr. Liang, shivering, grabbed Zhou Ning’s sleeve.
"It’s dangerous, Director Zhou, don’t go!"
Mr. Zhao also rushed over, blocking Zhou Ning.
"Why are you joining this bustle? This isn’t something we can help with, you know. Trust Director Xu!"
Zhou Ning did not speak, nor did he move again. The three of them just stood below the main building’s entrance steps, while Xu Dayuan was already standing behind the guard room on the east side of the ruins, next to an iron gate. Xu Dayuan pulled the gate’s handle.
"I’m already here, so don’t count down on me. I also have to go down and open doors, all of which takes time. If you dare to kill again, I’ll throw caution to the wind. Go ahead and kill, since all these people are Ganzhou’s police force, not those I brought over. Their death or injury is no concern of mine?"
The hunter on the phone laughed, a desolate sound.
"You say you don’t care, but the moment the first policeman fell, it was as if you’d eaten my heart. I know you have dreams, and there are things you need to protect. But all these cannot outweigh my decades of perseverance. Stop dragging things out. You have two more minutes to bring the person up, then I won’t kill. If you don’t bring the person, I’ll embark on a killing spree..."
