When Xiang Ri arrived at the scene in a state of urgency, the area had already been cordoned off with yellow police tape. A crowd of onlookers had gathered outside the perimeter, but he ignored the murmurs of discontent as he forced his way through, pushing past the throng to get closer.
Inside the restricted zone stood an overturned vehicle, its original color obscured by soot and flames. Though the firefighters had extinguished the fire, smoke continued to billow from the wreckage. The front and rear of the car were severely damaged, but the driver's seat and rear passenger areas appeared relatively intact. This brought Xiang Ri a small measure of relief. Nonetheless, he grabbed a young officer by the arm and demanded sharply, "Were there any injuries? Where are the injured? Tell me now!"
The officer, startled and visibly shaken, shouted back nervously, "What are you doing? Assaulting an officer? Someone, help!" Nearby officers immediately began to close in, ready to intervene, when a commanding voice halted them in their tracks. "Stand down!" A middle-aged officer with a slightly stout frame stepped forward.
"It's you?" Xiang Ri recognized him immediately. He was the officer who had once inspected the bar newly opened by Houzi but had left promptly upon noticing Xiang Ri's presence.
"Mr. Xiang, this is a misunderstanding. Let's resolve this calmly," the officer, Wan Biao, said with a helpless expression. He knew all too well that this young man was not someone to antagonize.
"Answer me," Xiang Ri demanded as he released the young officer. "Were there people in the car? Are they hurt? How badly?"
"Mr. Xiang, Chief Tie was not in the vehicle," Wan Biao quickly reassured him, knowing full well whose safety Xiang Ri was most concerned about.
"Not in the car?" Xiang Ri exhaled deeply, his tense shoulders relaxing slightly. "Then whose car is it?"
"Follow me," Wan Biao instructed, leading Xiang Ri past the cordon to an ambulance. He gestured to two foreign women lying on stretchers. "They were the only occupants of the vehicle. Chief Tie is unaccounted for…"
"What?" Xiang Ri's unease returned in full force.
Noticing his grim expression, Wan Biao added, "These two might know something, but no one here can understand their language."
"Let me ask them."
The two women bore superficial injuries—some bloodstains on their faces made them appear more severely hurt than they were—but their inability to rise suggested internal trauma. As Xiang Ri approached, he suddenly recognized them. Though he didn't know their names, he vividly remembered the "Queen" who had once boldly ventured into the men's restroom.
"Tell me," he addressed them in French, knowing they could understand. "Where are the others who were in the car?"
One of the women's eyes lit up with surprise, which quickly turned to desperation. "Five kilometers north," she blurted out, her voice trembling. "There's an abandoned factory. Someone very important is there. They're in danger—armed men intend to kill her. Please, send help!"
Without waiting for her to finish, Xiang Ri left the ambulance abruptly. Eyeing the crowd around the patrol cars, he dismissed the idea of using a vehicle; the engine noise might alert the enemy. Instead, he bolted northward at full speed.
"Stop him!" a young officer shouted, but Wan Biao held him back. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Wan Biao quickly issued orders for reinforcements. If Chief Tie truly was in that direction, failing to act could lead to a catastrophic outcome.
Pushing his body to its limits, Xiang Ri covered the five-kilometer distance in mere minutes, his exceptional physical prowess propelling him forward.
The site was an abandoned construction area, surrounded by desolation. He recalled hearing about this location before—a grand project for an office building had been abandoned midway due to financial troubles, leaving the skeletal structure to decay over time.
As he drew closer, the faint sound of gunfire reached his ears. Relieved that the attackers hadn't yet succeeded, Xiang Ri slowed his pace to strategize. The factory's skeleton loomed in front of him, its crumbling walls a testament to years of neglect, a rare sight in this bustling metropolis.
The shots came from the left wing of the third floor. Judging by the pattern of fire, the assailants were equipped with advanced assault rifles. Charging through the main entrance would be suicidal; unarmed, Xiang Ri wasn't foolish enough to confront heavily armed criminals head-on. Instead, he decided to circle around to the rear, planning to scale the building using drainage pipes or lightning rods to stage a surprise attack.
Without hesitation, Xiang Ri crept to the rear of the derelict building. Using a plastic drainage pipe for leverage, he deftly scaled the wall, reaching the third floor in just a few swift moves. As he prepared to leap through the window, he detected movement inside and instantly froze.
"Damn it, I've been hit in the leg! Those bitches... if I catch them, I'll make sure they never leave my bed alive!" a man grunted in fluent French, his voice heavy with both pain and anger.
"Hey, Buckley, can you even manage with a busted leg?" another man jeered in English, his tone filled with mockery.
"David, do you know what kind of people I despise the most? That's right—Englishmen. Their foul mouths are as unbearable as yours!" Buckley snarled back, his words venomous.
"Apologies, Buckley, but I have to point out you're an idiot. For the record, I'm Scottish, and it's the English I despise!" David retorted, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Scottish, English—it makes no difference! You're all foul-mouthed!"
"If we weren't on a mission right now, I'd happily plant a bullet in you, just to rid the world of your filthy French blood," David shot back coldly.
"Gentlemen," a third voice interjected, this one steadier and laced with authority, also speaking in French. "This isn't the time for such nonsense. If we don't deal with those women, we'll all end up in hell."
"Yes, boss," Buckley replied. "But they're holding the stairwell. It won't be easy to break through."
"In my opinion, one rocket should do the trick—"
"Shut your mouth, David!" the leader snapped, cutting him off. "I shouldn't need to remind you what a terrible idea that is. I don't want a swarm of cops here, and besides, the launcher isn't even with us. James took it when he went to flank them from the rear. Where the hell is he now?"
Crouching silently outside the window, Xiang Ri had already pieced together the situation. There were only three of them in the room, and based on the conversation, they weren't far from his position. If he struck with the element of surprise, he estimated an 80% chance of neutralizing them swiftly.
However, before making his move, he needed a weapon. Something small and throwable that could double as a distraction. His eyes landed on the bricks piled near the window. Testing their weight, he pried two loose and gripped them firmly. Solid and hefty, they'd do nicely.
With his makeshift weapons in hand, Xiang Ri didn't hesitate further. In one fluid motion, he sprang through the window.
The men inside hadn't anticipated an attack from this angle. Momentarily stunned, their reflexes faltered as they instinctively raised their guns. Xiang Ri capitalized on their hesitation, hurling the bricks with precision. Both projectiles found their marks, striking two of the men and sending them sprawling. He closed the distance with lightning speed.
Bang! Bang! Two bodies hit the floor. The last man, standing closest to Xiang Ri, scrambled for his weapon, but Xiang Ri was already upon him. The man raised his arms defensively, hoping to create some space to grab his rifle.
Unfortunately for him, hopes and reality rarely align. A sickening crack echoed through the room as Xiang Ri snapped both of the man's arms with a single, brutal strike. A howl of agony followed, but it was short-lived; Xiang Ri's kick launched the man across the room. He slammed into the wall with a force that expelled blood from his mouth like a fountain. By the time his body slumped to the ground, his fate was sealed.
Expressionless, Xiang Ri stepped toward the other two men. One lay lifeless, half his skull caved in from the brick's impact, with brain matter splattered across the floor. The other had been struck in the throat; the brick had embedded itself nearly two inches deep, killing him instantly.
He collected their weapons: a pristine M16 and another high-quality assault rifle. From the man he had kicked to death, Xiang Ri took an AK-74. Although it lacked the firepower of the AK-47, it was still a reliable addition to his arsenal—bloodstains notwithstanding.
Exiting the room, Xiang Ri recalled their earlier conversation. There were enemies stationed at the stairwell, and the female officer was likely on the upper floor. Given her earlier insistence on protecting an important woman, Xiang Ri deduced that the "Queen" who had once made such a vivid impression on him might also be upstairs.