“w.a.n.g DaFa, please calm down. Don’t drag the reporter into this, she’s innocent!” Afl.u.s.tered Xie Fu said hurriedly.
Needlessto say, he didn’t expect things to turn out this way. He kicked himselfmentally for not listening to his deputy in the first place.
DeputyDirector Wong warned in a serious tone, “w.a.n.g Da Fa, taking hostage is acriminal offense, do you understand?”
No oneexpected w.a.n.g Da Fa to be so foolhardy to take a reporter as hostage andeveryone handled this unexpected turn of events in their own way.
“I don’t care as long as it forces Gao Songout! I know she’s innocent so the moment Gao Song crawls up here, admits hiswrongdoing and begs my dead wife and son for forgiveness, I’ll let her go. Orelse, we’ll both end up down there!”
w.a.n.g DaFa put actions behind his words and inched closer and closer to the edge. Inhis desperation to seek revenge against Gao Song, he seemed to have lost allsemblance of rationality.
Being forcefullyconstrained by w.a.n.g Da Fa, Lee Wei grimaced in both pain and fear. However, shetried to be as calm as possible when she said, “Brother w.a.n.g, I understandwhere you’re coming from but don’t throw your life and future away like this!”
Sheknew acting out wouldn’t help her situation, her only way out was to pacifyw.a.n.g Da Fa!
“I’msorry lady, I know all of you are innocent but don’t worry, when Gao Song showshimself I’ll let you go.”
Lee Wei’sempathy seemed to get through to w.a.n.g Da Fa. He loosened the grip around herneck to make her more comfortable. Realizing that, she pushed on, “Yes, youhave your heart set on revenge but what about the family that survives you? You’rea good man who accidentally found himself on the wrong side of the law, but it’sstill not too late. Do you think your wife and son will approve of what you’redoing?”
“I saidI’m sorry! I truly didn’t mean to drag all of you to h.e.l.l with me but as longas Gao Song is alive, I will not let this go…”
w.a.n.g Dasaid with contrition and frustration in his voice.
“Wait,you repeated all of you twice, do you mean to…”
Lee Weirealized with a start.
She wastruly a reporter that was worth her salt. She managed to keep a cold head todissect w.a.n.g Da Fa’s slip of the mouth while being held hostage.
However,before she could finish her thought, w.a.n.g Da Fa clamped his hand over her mouthand her words devolved into a series of incomprehensible mumbles.
“GaoSong, get Gao Song up here!”
CommissionerXie on the other hand, was the opposite of Lee Wei. He had lost his cool andonly hoped to close this case as soon as possible.
DeputyDirector Wong opened his mouth to object but ultimately he sighed and relayedhis superior’s orders through the walkie-talkie.
CommissionerXie was the highest ranking officer in the area. If he objected then and thingstook a turn for the worse, it would be him that’s on the chopping block duringperformance review.
“Bring Gao Song up now. Tell him totry his best to placate w.a.n.g Da Fa in any way possible for 2 to 3 minutes. Thefire department will handle the rest!”
“G.o.dd.a.m.n it, w.a.n.g Da Fa if you want to die, you can do it alone, why would you wantto blow up so many innocent peoples!”
Se Caicursed under his breath. It took all the might inside his body to stay put andnot rush out and warn the officers about w.a.n.g Da Fa’s plan.
He knewhis sudden appearance would only startle w.a.n.g Da Fa and made things worse foreveryone present.
Se Caifidgeted inside the air duct, trying to find a way to contact the police.
It wasimpossible. Any small movement would alert w.a.n.g Da Fa because the air ductentrance was too close to him. If not for the shade inside, he would have beendiscovered long ago.
Hecouldn’t even make a call because the battery was dead.
“GaoSong, Gao Song’s here!”
Aportly and balding man was escorted by the police up to the rooftop.
GaoSong’s reluctance to be there was plainly written on his face. He squirmed to aspot between Commissioner Xie and Deputy Director Wong. He offered awkwardly, “Mr.w.a.n.g, I’m sure this is all a huge misunderstanding… Why don’t you come on downand we’ll talk this out over tea.”
In allhonesty, Gao Song really didn’t want to meet w.a.n.g Da Fa but he had no choicebecause he knew his business would suffer if he dared cross police bureau’sCommissioner Xie!
WhenLee Wei saw Gao Song appear, she waved her hands frantically, signaling him torun but they misconstrued her actions as mere struggling.
“GaoSong, you’re finally here!”
w.a.n.g DaFa said with fire burning in his eyes.
“Die,you b.a.s.t.a.r.d!”
w.a.n.g DaFa shoved Lee Wei away and pulled a detonator out from his pocket.
Lee Weicaught herself mid-fall, turned around and bit down hard on w.a.n.g Da Fa’s handthat held the detonator.
w.a.n.g DaFa screamed out in pain and the detonator slipped out of his hand.
“It’sno use! You can’t stop me!”
w.a.n.g DaFa slapped Lee Wei away and swooped down to catch the detonator with his otherhand. He lifted the detonator up in the air and laughed maniacally.
“No! It’sa bomb! Quick, seek cover!”
DeputyDirector Wong yelled immediately.
Anashen-faced Commissioner Xie though stood transfixed. When Deputy Director Wongtackled him to the floor, he was still mumbling, “It’s over… My career, it’sall over… I’ve tried so hard to get a reporter from Province X Tv Station toreport on my new career move but now… it has come to bite me in the a.s.s.”
A casethis big was impossible to cover and when it came time for performance review,as the field commander, Xie Wu was fated to fall.
Therewould not only be civilian casualties, but also casualties among his men and aprovince reporter. Xie Wu could see his career blown into smithereens by w.a.n.gDa Fa’s bomb!
Whowould have thought w.a.n.g Da Fa could be so callous as to drag so many innocentsto their death just to revenge against Gao Song.
“He hasgone mad, completely fully mad!”
DeputyDirector Wong punched the floor regretfully, sorry that he didn’t stand firmagainst Commissioner Xie.
However,the blast that everyone was antic.i.p.ating didn’t come.
“Whatwent wrong? I swore I tested it before…”
Theperson that was most shocked was w.a.n.g Da Fa himself.
Beforehe could react, a loud crash sounded across the rooftop!
w.a.n.g DaFa followed the source and saw the rusted cover of the air duct beside himbeing knocked into the air.
Then, ashadow rushed towards him and tackled him down to the floor!
Thedetonator was knocked out of his hand and it slid noisily across the rooftop.