Five minutes had passed since Lin Shi killed one of the Shen family's bodyguards on the 7th floor. The security guards in the monitoring room had already gathered and were rushing towards the building. They had also called the police, but it would take at least ten more minutes for them to arrive. Lin Shi quickly exited the ward, intending to use the emergency exit and leave via the stairs. However, at that moment, a hand grabbed his pant leg.
Li Hui Lan, who had somehow regained consciousness, was lying on the ground, clutching Lin Shi's pant leg. She had fainted out of fear, but the sound of gunshots from the ward forced her to wake up. Her eyes, red with tears, stared at Lin Shi, her voice filled with despair and hatred, "You killed my son, didn't you? You killed my son, didn't you?!"
Lin Shi tried to shake her off, but she held on tightly. He looked down at the desperate mother, feeling no pity, "Your son killed many people; you know that, right? He deserved to die! If you have to blame someone, blame yourself for not raising him properly."
Hui Lan screamed, "If he killed someone, he should have been punished by the law!! What gives you the right to kill him!! What right do you have?!!! And even if my son killed, they were just lowly commoners. My son was born noble, and killing a few peasants and giving their families money was an honor for them! You murderer, give me back my son!!!"
If it weren't for her venomous words, her grief-stricken appearance might have moved anyone. Lin Shi sneered, his eyes full of mockery, "If that's the case, then let the law punish me too." With that, he kicked the woman away and ran towards the emergency exit.
Hui Lan's face twisted with rage, her eyes filled with malice as she watched Lin Shi's retreating back, screaming, "You killed my son, I will make your parents, brothers, and all your relatives and friends pay with their lives!!! No matter where you run, I will make you suffer and die in agony!!!"
Lin Shi turned abruptly, his eyes instantly cold and filled with murderous intent. He should have known that Shen Jinbin's upbringing was a reflection of his family. Shen Fanren was not a good man, and Shen Jinbin's mother was no better, a wolf in human skin. Originally, he didn't want to kill more than necessary, but now, he saw that the roots of evil ran deep in this family.
Realizing what Lin Shi's sudden stop meant, Hui Lan backed away in terror, "No, no, no! I was just joking, I—"
Before she could finish, Lin Shi fired without hesitation. A gunshot echoed, and a bloody hole appeared in Hui Lan's forehead. Her eyes wide, she collapsed to the ground with a thud. Lin Shi didn't spare her another glance and quickly ran down the stairs.
Just as Lin Shi left, the elevator on the 8th floor opened. Five hospital security guards rushed out, only to be met with the gruesome scene outside the intensive care unit. Blood was everywhere.
"Oh my God! What happened here?!" one of them exclaimed.
"Someone said the richest man's son was inside, check if he's still alive?!"
"He's... dead!!"
"All of these were shot!"
"What should we do? Should we chase after the killer?"
The radio crackled, "The killer escaped through the emergency exit!"
"Chase him! Don't run too fast, just stall him."
...
As Lin Shi reached the second floor, he heard the sound of footsteps coming from below. "They're quick," he muttered, opening a window in the stairwell, glancing outside, and jumping down. He rolled to absorb the impact and got up, running into the registration hall.
"The killer jumped out the window and is heading towards the registration hall! Surround him, everyone downstairs!"
The registration hall was crowded, and a few security guards couldn't keep track of him. Lin Shi quickly evaded them and slipped into the restroom. When he came out, he was dressed casually, without the mask and cap. He walked out of the hospital without drawing attention.
If it weren't for the impending apocalypse, the security forces could have used the surveillance footage to identify and track Lin Shi. But now, there was no time. Lin Shi hailed a taxi and glanced at the countdown on the treasure basin: [The first wave of danger will arrive in 28 minutes. Please prepare.]
He looked out the window at the oblivious pedestrians, unaware of the impending danger. The apocalypse was about to begin, and this was likely the last moment of peace. It seemed his previous post had not been effective. The peaceful era was about to end.
Lin Shi kept a close eye on the countdown on the treasure basin. When he was about 4 kilometers away from his safe house, the taxi's radio crackled to life.
"Attention all vehicles, this is the National Security Bureau. At 10:05 AM local time, a solar storm will reach the planet. For safety, all vehicles must pull over and stop for ten minutes. During this period, parking violations will not be penalized. Attention all vehicles, this is the National Security Bureau..."
The announcement repeated. Lin Shi was stunned. His phone suddenly rang.
...
Fifteen minutes earlier, in the top floor of Tianqi New Energy's headquarters in Hai City, Chairman Shen Fanren stood by the window, listening gravely to his subordinate's report, "Mr. Shen, we've found that in the past two days, someone has intercepted all of Xia Country's export goods. Additionally, the number of external orders has increased several times. We've also learned that the military has received a level-one combat readiness order. The mayor received a call, and Hai City will experience a power outage starting at 10 AM tomorrow. We haven't found the specific reason yet."
"Really?" Shen Fanren frowned. He hadn't gone to see his critically injured son because of the recent, inexplicable large-scale actions by the higher-ups. In recent years, tensions between countries had been high. Was a war about to break out? But why would a war cause a power outage? Shen Fanren was anxious about the unclear actions of the government.
At that moment, his private phone rang. The caller ID, showing the security bureau's number, made his eyebrows twitch. He answered, and a serious voice spoke, "Mr. Shen, this is the Shashi Security Bureau. We regret to inform you that your son, Shen Jinbin, and your ex-wife, Li Huilan, along with three bodyguards, were killed about ten minutes ago."
Shen Fanren's body shook. "What did you say?!"
The voice continued, "Additionally, we found illegal weapons, including handguns and knives, on the three bodyguards. We have notified the Hai City Security Bureau. Please do not leave Hai City for the next two days and cooperate with our investigation..."