At the cool touch of the blade on his neck, w.a.n.g Yuanchao twisted his neck and bent over, landing a solid punch in Song Xingchen’s abdomen.
Song Xingchen didn"t expect w.a.n.g Yuanchao to strike back, but his reaction time remained unparalleled, deftly shoving w.a.n.g Yuanchao and simultaneously stepping back. Their limbs entangled with each other in a fierce fight, dazzling my eyes with the afterimage of their rapid fists.
Suddenly there was a glint of cold light that expeditiously travelled towards w.a.n.g Yuanchao"s neck. They remained still in their positions, just like two j.a.panese samurai in a duel.
I was worried that he might kill w.a.n.g Yuanchao, but a closer look revealed that a mere piece of cloth had been cut off from the neckline of w.a.n.g Yuanchao’s s.h.i.+rt. Song Xingchen sliced his sword through the air and placed it back into the scabbard, his moves every bit as handsome as his appearance. It seemed they were engaged in a contest of skill.
"Yuanchao, stop fighting,” I urged. “He’s my secret guard."
w.a.n.g Yuanchao swept an inquiring gaze over Song Xingchen, looking him up and down, unable to conceal the hostility in his eyes.
"I don"t care how you plan to arrest the criminal but you can’t put yourself in danger!" said Song Xingchen.
"But we have no way to catch Pork Rong!" I protested.
"Who said you don’t have any other ways?” Song Xingchen retorted. “You can choose to retreat!"
All of Song Xingchen"s actions took my safety as the primary goal. Whether we could catch the criminal or not was of secondary importance. "You were sent by the Song family to protect me,” I said. “But you have no right to interfere in my personal freedom. If I’m willing to take on the risk, then what I say goes."
Song Xingchen shook his head. "If you insist on doing this, I will sever your hand so you won’t have the chance to put your life in unnecessary danger!"
His eyes were as cold as ice when he uttered these words, leaving me without a sliver of a doubt that he would put it into practice.
"Who the h.e.l.l do you think you are?” w.a.n.g Yuanchao fumed. “How dare you behave like this before the police!"
"Not everyone follows your rules," Song Xingchen sneered and turned to me, "From now on, I’ll be watching your every action. If you dare do something stupid, I’ll be sure to give the criminal a heads up so your plan fails before you can even start."
"You’re f.u.c.king crazy!" I yelled.
Song Xingchen pointed the hilt of his sword at my chest, his tone solemn as he said, "Young Master, remember that your life is the most valuable thing to the Song family so you must live well!"
With that, he leapt and disappeared into a tree. His behavior left me at a loss for words.
For a long time, w.a.n.g Yuanchao stared in the direction Song Xingchen disappeared as if he were contemplating something. "We’ll cancel the plan and continue to wear him down. When his body finally gives way, I’ll go up and grab the detonator."
"You must be careful!" I said uneasily.
Suddenly, Xiaotao radioed us to report a change in the situation and urged us to return at once.
We rushed back to the shopping mall, only to see an angry Pork Rong on the phone, his voice harsh and hostile as if he were in the middle of a heated argument.
When I asked Xiaotao what had happened, she replied, "The other suspect called."
As soon as the words left her lips, Pork Rong turned and shouted, "My buddy has something to say to you!" Then, he placed his cell phone on the counter and put it on speaker, from which a digitally altered voice sounded.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am Storm Punisher. First of all, I’d like to apologize for my partner. He acted without authorization,..."
"Don"t you f.u.c.king act all high and mighty in front of others!” cursed Pork Rong. “Stop trying to destroy my dreams. Can"t you see how well I’ve done?"
"Shut up, you piece of s.h.i.+t!" Storm Punisher retaliated.
Then, he added, "It’s no good for both of us to continue this deadlock. After some thought, I’ve found the perfect solution to our problem, and that is to exchange hostages. Right now, I have four hostages in my hands. Release my partner and I will tell you where I’ve imprisoned them!"
"You can lose the smart act!” shot Xiaotao. “The police will not negotiate with you."
"This isn’t a negotiation, it’s a deal,” said Storm Punisher. “Even if my partner is arrested or dies with you, it bears no effect on me. You’ve been investigating me for so long, but have you managed to stop me once? If you don"t accept my conditions, I"ll get him to blow himself up and then I"ll torture the four hostages to death by the cruelest means!"
Pork Rong raised the detonator and echoed, "Take a good look! This is me getting serious!"
Our anger rose like an impossible build-up of steam that threatened to spill forth, but we gritted our teeth and swallowed the indignation in silence. Xiaotao cast a probing look at me, to which I nodded. "Promise him then!"
"But if Pork Rong escapes, he will continue to kill more innocent people," argued Xiaotao.
"At present, this is the only choice we have,” I sighed. “We’ll find some other way to catch them again.”
While Xiaotao still hesitated, I a.s.sured, "I’ll make the decision and take responsibility for it. You don"t have to worry!"
"I’m not afraid of taking responsibility,” explained Xiaotao. “I can’t help but wonder. Did those officers sacrifice their lives for nothing?"
This was a question I couldn’t answer either, but I knew that if the four hostages were killed due to our refusal to yield, there would only be insurmountable guilt in my heart once I saw their bodies afterwards.
"Have you decided?" asked Pork Rong.
"Fine, we agree to exchange your partner for the hostages,” confirmed Xiaotao. “But first, you have to tell us where the hostages are hidden!"
"I"ll tell you the location of the first two hostages,” said Storm Punisher. “As for the other two, you’ll know where they are when you release my partner."
"No, we must save all the hostages!” Xiaotao objected. “Otherwise, we won’t release him!"
"This is already a concession on my part. When I count to three, my partner will release the detonator and that’ll be the end of our talk. One, two..."
"It’s a deal!" shouted Xiaotao.
"That"s right, you’re a smart woman," snickered Storm Punisher.
As soon as he revealed where he had hidden the two hostages, Xiaotao immediately sent officers to rescue them. I was still bowled over by the fact that Storm Punisher would call the police for a negotiation. This man was courageous, resourceful and deserved to be called a genius.
Half an hour later, we stood around staring blankly. Although the call was connected, Storm Punisher refused to answer any of our questions—even my attempts were ineffective.
Another half hour pa.s.sed before an officer called and to report that the hostages had been successfully rescued. Only then did Storm Punisher begin, "Now it"s your turn to honor your promise..."
"What if you don’t hold up your end of the bargain?" asked Xiaotao.
"Even if I do that, you’ve already saved two hostages,” came Strom Punisher’s languid reply. “I have the upper hand so you don’t have any room for bargaining."
"Storm Punisher, this will be the last time you use this against us!” exploded Xiaotao. “You won’t be able to do this much longer. It won"t be long before we meet again."
Storm Punisher burst out laughing. "You’re like insects in my eyes!” he mocked. “The Strongest Mantis Shrimp, turn on the video chat function and aim your camera at them. Leave the mall and walk to the nearest road. If anyone else dares to leave, I’ll abandon our agreement!"
Xiaotao motioned with her hands and the officers opened up a path for Pork Rong to pa.s.s. As soon as he left the store, he bolted and soon disappeared from our sight.
"Very well then, I will now fulfill my promise to tell you where the other two hostages are hidden," said Storm Punisher.
He leisurely enunciated each word, purposely taking his own sweet time so Pork Rong had enough time to escape. Just as his last word fell, Xiaotao stuffed her phone into her pocket and quickly ordered, "w.a.n.g Yuanchao, catch up with the suspect at once! Shoot him on sight. Everyone else will follow me to rescue the hostages."
"Come with me if you have a gun!" w.a.n.g Yuanchao shouted at the top of his voice.
A large bunch of strong, young officers charged out with w.a.n.g Yuanchao. I had long expected Xiaotao’s defiance. In truth, the deal was really a gamble since both sides didn’t trust each other. What other plans did Storm Punisher have?
Hoping to add a guarantee to this search and arrest, I marched outside and shouted in the direction of the clearing, "Song Xingchen, I know you can hear me! I command you to chase after and arrest the criminal!"