The children on the bus formed into a ball of panic, some screaming, "Teacher, drive quickly!" and others crying and calling out, "Teacher Hu!" The knife-wielding thug's eyes filled with blood, and he stabbed Hu Lingling in the underbelly. Hu Lingling's life thus far had been smooth and peaceful, without calamity or illness; she had never known that this kind of pain existed in the world. Her limbs became powerless, and she instinctively curled up. She only looked towards the bus parked beside her, ardently hoping that during this time the bus door could close and it could safely decamp.
The keys were in the ignition, swaying without a breeze. The thug seemed to have forgotten to snatch them away. The driver's hand was on the gear shift. He had only to press a button to close the door. He had lengthy driving experience, and he was a highly skilled driver. In a second he could put the bus in gear and drive away along the wide open mountain road.
But he didn't.
The driver Han Jiang looked frightened, but he only sat without moving in the driver's cockpit, roaring towards the thug, "Stop it!"
Hu Lingling could no longer speak. She was so anxious the rims of her eyes were all red. She desperately shook her head towards Han Jiang, wanting to tell him not to mind her; then she heard this honest and kind-hearted man's next words: "Didn't we agree we only wanted money? What'll this come to if you kill someone!"
Hu Lingling finally realized something, and a bone-deep chill went up her spine.
No one noticed a curtain in the corner stirring. The girl wearing the floral-patterned dress had just taken advantage of the chaos to dodge behind the curtain. Under its cover, she climbed up onto the open window and silently slipped out, like a thin-limbed little cat, jumping onto the ground.
The thug's murder attempt had been interrupted by Han Jiang; rather unsatisfied, he tossed the knife to the driver, bent down and grabbed Hu Linging by the hair. As if venting his anger, he began to beat her.
Everyone's eyes were pulled in by this ruthless scene. The girl's footsteps were covered by the whistling wind and rain and the woman's shrieks. The starless and moonless black night became her friend; the girl avoided the bus's headlights and heedlessly rushed away.
The mountain district's roads were rugged. There were no road signs, no lights, no living creatures. The flickering boulders and bent-necked trees all looked like monsters hiding in the dark. The girl couldn't distinguish direction and didn't dare to turn her head. The sound of her footsteps made her quake with terror, thinking the knife-holding monster was chasing after her.
No one had taught her what to do when out in the wild open country. She could only ceaselessly run forward—
Suddenly, headlights flashed in front of her. She was panic-stricken; at this moment, humans and ghosts were equally frightening to her. Trying to flee by any means, the girl hit a rock with her foot and went sprawling, finally letting out an accidental cry.
The sound of a car braking came from one side. The girl's ears roared, and her muscles tensed into a ball.
Then she heard a very clear and tender voice say, "Dad, is it a small animal? Is it a sheep?"
This immature voice startled her awake from her grotesque nightmare. The runaway girl's heart, so panicked it was going numb, gave a fierce leap. She heard rustling footsteps, opened her eyes wide, and saw a man holding an umbrella arriving in front of her.
He was tidy and refined. He certainly didn't look like a bad guy.
"Uncle, help me!" the girl said tearfully.
Her dress, covered in a floral print, was mottled with mud stains. Her knees had been scraped open, and her little toenail had been pried up by the stone, leaking fresh blood. The man scrutinized her, then very gently picked her up.
The girl's firm sense of caution was broken in front of another child. In this extreme of terror, she irrationally trusted this stranger suddenly appearing in the middle of the wilderness.
"A bad guy hijacked our bus, he has a knife, and he stabbed our teacher, just up ahead, uncle…"
The man's steps were very gentle, as if he was afraid of disturbing something. He put up the index finger of the hand holding the umbrella.
"Hush," he said. "Be good. Don't be afraid. Let my daughter keep you company."
The girl followed his line of sight. The half-open car window revealed the face of a young girl, around twelve or thirteen years old. Her hair was done in two braids, her cheeks were plump, she had crafty and beautiful eyes, and her lips were sparkling cherry red, as if she'd been secretly using a grown-up's lipstick.
Her smiling face was like a flower.
In the brightly lit cross-country vehicle club, a big crowd of rich kids were on their phones, starting to pick up the gossip.
"I'm not familiar with the area." Fei Du stood in front of a map of West Ridge district and turned his head to the "courting death" club's owner. "Aside from this place, what inhabited villages or places for activities are there around here?"
"There was a plan back then for West Ridge to be Yan City's backyard, with all the leading up-scale leisure entertainment," said the owner. "All that's left are the projects that managed to take up space. Aside from us, there's a winery with a golf course nearby, and an equestrian club. The original natural villages were all moved into the county city so they could 'move up a step'—although with today's weather, there might not be any people at either of those places."
"Oh." Fei Du nodded. "If the police call in a while, let me take it."
The club owner's forehead filled with question marks. "Call? Why would the police call…"
He hadn't finished speaking when the phone at the front desk rang. A young lady playing the piano next to it freed up one hand, picked up the phone, and lazily put it to her ear. "Hello, West Mountain Cross-Country Club… Boss, this person says he's with the police!"
The police moved very quickly; at this time they had already drawn near to the kidnapper's location.
Seen from a satellite position, the location the kidnapper had chosen was very apt. There was empty ground all around; if the special police team approached, they would very quickly be detected. Meanwhile the bus had curtains on all its windows, and the hijacker had a crowd of children in his hands. He was entrenched on the bus. All he had to do was close the curtains and a sniper wouldn't be able to do anything.
Time passed minute by minute and second by second. The police tried dialing the number from before, but the phone had been turned off. The hijacker had a strong desire for control; they needed him to take the initiative and contact them.
After ten at night, the storm finally laid down its arms and calmed down. Tao Ran and the others had hurried through the night to the residence of one of the suspects, the driver Han Jiang; they turned his life upside-down investigating.
"Han Jiang used to be a truck driver, but he contracted a mahjong-playing habit and lost several thousand yuan in one year. Because he was wasting time at work, he was fired by the trucking team, and in the end his wife and child left him. Later he cleaned up his act for a while and found a job at a car rental company. He behaved for several years, then for some reason started playing mahjong again. A cheating ring got their eyes on him. He lost so much he wasn't only ruined, he also worked up a debt with a loan shark of over a million yuan."
"No wonder he'd do something so desperate." Lang Qiao held down her earbud. "What about the other one, any clues? Aside from being a gambling addict, Han Jiang doesn't even seem to have had a stay in the 'little dark room.' Even if he'd wanted to resort to dishonest means, he still wouldn't have dared to do something this thrilling right from the start. The mastermind who plotted this must have a record."
"There is one," said Tao Ran. "I've already sent you the photograph. This person is called Han Chengzheng, male, twenty-nine years old, a distant relative of Han Jiang's. He went to prison twice for armed robbery and deliberate bodily harm. He got out recently and came to Yan City to look for work. He frequently comes to Han Jiang's place to scrounge food and drink. He said he was looking for work, but actually after he came he was completely idle, got into some fights, and frequently went around waving a chopper. All the neighbors go in fear of him.—Yesterday evening, Han Chengzheng went to rent a sedan that was falling apart. He set off first thing this morning. They don't know where he was headed. In all likelihood, he's the kidnapper."
"This doesn't seem like any kindred spirits or birds of a fucking feather." Luo Wenzhou's voice came through the earbuds. "Han Jiang was married? Did he have a child? How old is the child, boy or girl?"
"A boy, nine years old. He went out of town with the ex-wife. Because of Han Jiang's gambling addiction, the ex-wife doesn't let the child contact him. The car rental company has a long-term agreement with the 16th Middle School, he goes over every time they have any activity. He's very familiar with the teachers who regularly organize events, and the teachers all take him as halfway to staff. He's normally honest and kind-hearted, his disposition gentle, and he likes children. No one expected he'd do something like this."
"Got it, negotiation group take note." After a pause, Luo Wenzhou quickly sorted out his arrangements. "When we got the first call from the kidnapper, judging from the chaperoning teacher's reactions, she must not have known that Han Jiang was colluding with the kidnapper. There's a certain level of trust between her and the driver. Therefore, except under certain conditions, Han Jiang perhaps doesn't want to reveal himself. He was likely forced by his usurious loan into doing this, and he must have a certain sympathy for the children. But the other kidnapper must be the leading planner behind this kidnapping and extortion. He has a record, he's an incorrigible habitual offender. There's nothing he wouldn't do. Their interests are currently aligned, but their relationship can't be very secure. We can split them up…"
"Boss," Lang Qiao suddenly interrupted him, "a phone call! The kidnapper's calling!"
"All departments be on the alert," said Luo Wenzhou.
At his words, everyone stood at the ready, all of them picking up their earbuds. The negotiation group was already in position.
The second phone call came an hour after the first. But when the negotiator answered the phone, the person speaking wasn't the female teacher from before; it was a very vicious male voice. "Is the money ready?"
Everyone's hearts sank.
The negotiator paused. "Where's the female teacher from before?"
The man's heavy breathing came over the phone. The negotiator added, "Some of us parents have gathered over three million yuan in cash already. My wife is just bringing the money over here. We'll definitely raise the rest as soon as possible. If we don't have it, we'll borrow it. But you can't go back on your word and harm someone!"
The man on the phone laughed. "Oh, you obediently raised the money? You didn't call the police?"
The officer from the negotiation group looked up, silently using his eyes to ask for instructions. Next to him, Lang Qiao held down her earbud and quickly relayed Luo Wenzhou's orders on a notepad: "Habitual offender; tell the truth."
"We… e called them," the negotiating officer said in a somewhat panicked voice. "We'd already called them before you contacted us… You…you didn't say we couldn't…"
"Oh, so where are the police?"
"West Ridge Country's Public Security Bureau said they had to ask for instruction from the City Bureau, and the City Bureau said they can't get here in under an hour. We truly can't wait, we raised the money to prepare on both fronts, you…you absolutely must not hurt the children."
Listening to this, the thug on the phone was rather complacent. "I told you before, you won't get any use out of those good-for-nothings."
Presumably because he'd heard the money was quickly on its way, the hijacker thought for a moment, and his tone relaxed. "All right, I'll let you say a few words to your little whelp. What's his name?"
Someone passed over a strip of paper, which the negotiator quickly scanned. "Chen Hao, I'm Chen Hao's dad, I beg you, let me speak to him."
There was a sneer on the phone, and after a moment, a boy's voice with a sobbing note in it came through. "Dad, dad!"
The policemen from the negotiating team exchanged hand gestures—the child was scared out of his wits, but it sounded as if for the moment he hadn't sustained any physical harm.
"Haohao, don't be scared. Are you with the other children?" The negotiator on the line was trying to determine the safety of the other hostages. "You have to be brave, set an example for the other children, isn't that right?"
The boy made an indistinct noise of agreement, but before he could answer, the kidnapper snatched the phone away. "No nonsense. You heard him all right, don't fucking do anything unnecessary. We don't need food or water. Don't expect the police will be able to use that opportunity to get over here. Hurry up and raise the money. If you have the money, you'll have your son's life."
The negotiator frowned and shook his head at his colleagues around him. Lang Qiao dismissed Plan 1, "think of a way to send people over there," and gestured "Plan 2" at him.
"Slow down, can…can you let me speak to a teacher on the bus? The child is too scared.—Any teacher will do!"
Hearing the words "any teacher will do," the person on the phone gave a peculiar cold laugh.
Then a low and somewhat flinching male voice came on. "Hello."
It was Han Jiang!
"Teacher, I…I'm Chen Hao's dad." The negotiator lowered his voice, making his words sound like an appeal dug up from the bottom of his heart. "Teacher, I know it's very selfish of me, but…do you have a child of your own? Can you understand?"
The other end was silent for a while. "…I do."
"Teacher, please, no matter what, take good care of the children. We'll do everything we can about the money, even if it means financial ruin for our families, just as long as the children are all right. We're all parents, you must know what our feelings are, being heads of households. I know your position is also very difficult… I suppose your child is around the same age as Haohao? Think about him. We can't be on the scene, we can only beg you to look after them in our place. It's all right if they're a little frightened, but they absolutely must not get hurt. I'm begging you!"
This time, Han Jiang was silent for a longer time, and his speech suddenly became unsteady. "I…I'll do my best…"
He had just spoken when from halfway up a far off hillside came an enormous sound of thunder. Like an explosion, heavy metal music spread unchecked through the tranquil night. Dazzling lights came on, followed closely by the sounds of whistling and screaming.
The kidnapper flared up at once. Raising his knife, he snatched the phone. "Who's that, is it the police? You cheats! Don't you want the little whelps' lives?"
The person on the phone explained in a panic, "No, we didn't…"
At the same time, a sickly sweet female voice came through a megaphone. "Darlings, don't be afraid, get in! We've just completed the 'Road of Death,' what else could happen to you, handsome men?"
The sound of a whistle passed through the megaphone, nearly raising the ground for ten kilometers around. Colorful lasers flashed over the whole mountain. Among the lights, several aggressive souped-up sports cars put in appearances on the mountain. The enormous shadows of the car doors, looking like they were about to take flight, were skillfully projected onto the nearby hillside.
Han Jiang grabbed the kidnapper's hand holding the knife. "There's a cross-country club nearby, didn't we look into it before we came? Settle down!"
The kidnapper was furious. "Let go! How could they just have happened to come here by coincidence?"
The negotiator on the phone loudly said, "We really don't know. You can change the place, the money will be here soon. Don't hurt the children, teacher! Teacher! Teacher!"
The three successive cries of "teacher" were like a sharp needle, pricking at Han Jiang's nerves.
The children at the school sometimes couldn't clearly distinguish between the school's staff and contract workers, especially the little ones. If they met an adult at school, they would say "teacher." These children usually called him that, too.
Han Jiang held his accomplice down with both hands, rapidly speaking into his ear. "Did you hear that? The money will be here soon, there's only one step to go, do you have to go complicating things now? Look up, do those look like police cars? They're racing on the mountain road, they're not planning to come here at all. Some shadows and suddenly you're pissing yourself. What can they do!"
The kidnapper followed his gaze and looked over. He seemed to be convinced; the hand holding the knife relaxed slightly.
Han Jiang said, "A little whelp just ran off, it's not safe here anymore. I'll drive, change our location."
The demonic voices of the racing rich kids had a strong presence, following them like a shadow. The huge engines of the howling sports cars roared unceasingly as they went around the mountain road. Though the distance was great and they weren't getting any closer, they still seemed to have the bus nearly surrounded. The dance music's rhythm stamped beat by beat on the two kidnappers' chests. They had no choice but to move away from their original empty place, driving in the only direction that took them further from the noise.
Luo Wenzhou's voice came over Lang Qiao's earbud. "The target bus has been forced into sniper range. Think of a way to get them to stop."
On the bus, the phone in the kidnapper's hand, which he hadn't had time to turn off, suddenly rang. The parent from before babbled over the phone, "The money's here, cash, but it's only three million plus, we're still thinking of a way to raise the rest…"
The music was getting further and further away, but the tempo was speeding up, ruffling up the nerves bit by bit, making the listeners more and more panicked.
The knife-wielding hijacker roared, "No, it can't be a bit short!"
Han Jiang slammed his foot on the brakes. "It's close enough. We split it fifty-fifty and each of us takes over a million, that's plenty. Don't delay until the police come!"
"I want five million!"
The negotiator on the phone said, "We've really done all we can. Teacher, think of your own child. They're all children, teacher, I'm begging you!"
The veins at the corners of Han Jiang's forehead stood out.
"If I don't have five million, I'll kill off all these little whelps. I've been in jail, anyway, what's the big deal if I take another turn."
Han Jiang took up the chopper his accomplice had tossed to him earlier. "I'm not going to jail!"
The two men breathed heavily, like fighting bulls. The kidnapper glared, coldly fixing his eyes on Han Jiang. "Uncle, are you having regrets?"
Han Jiang stiffened his face and didn't answer; he really was regretting it.
The kidnapper suddenly gave a sinister laugh and passed him the phone. "Fine, whatever you say. If we see the money, we'll take it."
Han Jiang hesitated for a moment, then expressionlessly took the phone. "It's like this. Find someone to come over. It has to be one person, it's best if it's a woman. The location is…"
He hadn't finished when cold light suddenly flashed in front of his eyes and the shrieking of the children exploded by his ears. Han Jiang turned aside subconsciously, but he couldn't entirely dodge. His accomplice's blade was already stuck into his underbelly.
Han Jiang roared, instinctively resisting under the influence of the fierce pain. He swiftly leapt on the other, and the kidnapper backed up a step, his back hitting the bus's door. He struggled for the handle of the knife. In that instant, he was exposed in the uncurtained glass door, firmly pressed against it by Han Jiang's body.
A bullet broke through the window and entered the back of the kidnapper's head—
The hidden police and ambulance sirens reverberated throughout the night.
Half an hour later, Luo Wenzhou had cleaned up the scene and came to the hillside that had just shaken the sky with music. From far off, he saw Fei Du leaning against a car. His shirt was unbuttoned from his chest down to his lower abdomen, the black tattoo contrasting sharply with his white skin. The ends of his hair were still dripping behind him.
No need for props or scenery; just standing there on his own, he brought along an unwarranted feeling of lakes of wine and forests of meat.
Luo Wenzhou's original reason for coming had been open and aboveboard. Now, his gaze sweeping over Fei Du's half-bare chest, he suddenly felt awkward out of nowhere. His throat itched a little, and he gave a dry cough. "Thank you all for today."
Fei Du accepted half a glass of champagne from the hand of a girl next to him and raised the glass towards Luo Wenzhou. "No need for thanks, we were playing up our natural qualities."
Luo Wenzhou: "…"
Somehow he was once again displeasing to the eye.
"Captain Luo." Just then, Lang Qiao's call came through, interrupting the peculiar atmosphere. She breathlessly said, "There's a child missing!"