Chapter 104

Yun Xiaoxu opened his eyes.

He couldn’t see his surroundings clearly; the light was simply too dim.

A greasy, sticky, and fishy smell constantly drifted to his nose, and the sound of a blower came from outside the window.

His head still hurt, an aftereffect of the knockout drug he’d been given. The pain throbbed relentlessly from his temples. Only after being awake for a moment was Yun Xiaoxu gradually able to think.

What happened?

He had just been at the Pick U offline fan meeting when a car suddenly rushed into the venue. A man covered his mouth and nose with a towel, and he immediately lost consciousness.

Therefore, there was no other possibility—

He had been kidnapped!

Who was it? Why would they kidnap him?

As his eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, Yun Xiaoxu could finally make out the room’s furnishings.

It was an extremely dark room. All sides were covered with heavy curtains, sealed so tightly that not a sliver of light could get in.

The floor was a chaotic mess. There wasn’t much furniture, not even a bed. Clothes, takeout boxes, and trash were piled everywhere.

In such a gloomy environment, Yun Xiaoxu’s heart began to race involuntarily. He swallowed hard, and his breathing started to tremble.

—He was afraid.

In his childhood memories, he had been locked in a dark room just like this, where a man would strip him naked and take his picture over and over.

He was kept in the room like a dog, never seeing anyone, with only one or two meals a day that were never enough to fill his stomach.

And yet, he had actually thought the man was good to him.

He called that man Dad. He was completely obedient to that man.

Yun Xiaoxu was unwilling to recall the past.

He didn’t want to remember those days when he didn’t know right from wrong, when he couldn’t distinguish between good and evil.

He was deeply terrified of every memory from before he was eight years old that remained in his mind!

Yun Xiaoxu glanced around again and began to take deep breaths.

This was too terrifying.

It was the same. This place was just like back then!

In the cramped, narrow room, the floor was covered in rubbish and broken wine bottles. Outside the window was a blower, its noise often keeping him from sleeping. A greasy, foul smell always wafted toward the window, and the glass that should have been transparent was stained black from years of accumulated grime.

He finally remembered the man he saw before he passed out.

It was an extremely ugly face, with a hideous scar on it!

It was Dai Hongtian!

Why was it him?

He had been released?!

What was he going to do? What did he want to do?!

Several questions flashed through his mind, and then, only one thought remained—

He had to run. He had to run!

There was no one else in the room. Yun Xiaoxu began to struggle frantically, but he was tied too tightly. The ropes were even digging deep into his flesh, and every movement brought the pain of his skin being chafed.

“Awake?”

As if a pause button had been pressed, his movements stopped abruptly. A hoarse voice exploded in front of him.

The tightly shut door was opened.

Light from outside spilled in through the crack of the door. The man was carrying a bag of beer, his hand on the doorknob, and he gave Yun Xiaoxu an extremely terrifying smile.

The man looked much older than he had ten years ago. Life in prison didn’t seem to have been easy; he was thinner, and his face was covered in wrinkles.

Yun Xiaoxu’s breathing grew faster and heavier. Then, in an instant, he began to back away frantically, wanting to escape him, to get far away from him.

But Yun Xiaoxu couldn’t. He was tied to a chair and couldn’t move back at all. He only managed to fall to the ground, chair and all.

Dai Hongtian closed the door, and the light vanished again. He put down the beer and slowly walked toward Yun Xiaoxu. He helped him up and held his trembling hand. “Don’t be afraid of me, Dai Xiaoxu.”

Yun Xiaoxu’s heart clenched and began to pound wildly. He was so scared he wanted to faint on the spot. He forced himself to stay conscious. “Afraid of you, my ass! You kidnapped me and locked me in a dark room! How could I not be afraid!”

“Hahaha.” Dai Hongtian let out a laugh. His ‘son’ was still so cute.

Since he couldn’t run away anyway, Yun Xiaoxu asked again, “What… what on earth do you want?”

Dai Hongtian kicked the trash aside with his foot, clearing a space. He sat down on the floor and took the beers out of the plastic bag one by one, placing them beside him. The last thing he took out was a dagger.

He used the dagger to open a beer, took a huge gulp, and then slammed it down. Foam slowly rose in the bottle.

“What else could I want? Retaliation, of course,” Dai Hongtian said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “I had a bad time inside. When I thought about how it was because of you all, I figured I wouldn’t let you have a good time after I got out.”

This was completely unreasonable! Yun Xiaoxu retorted, “You went to prison because of your own actions, and you’re blaming us?”

“What are you talking about? It was Yun Zhou, that good son your parents raised. You’re not as useful as him.” Dai Hongtian hadn’t spoken to anyone in a long time, and he was eager to share the details of what happened back then. “I was originally planning to snatch him and make another score, but who knew that little bastard would deliberately stay by my side and even secretly hide evidence.”

As Dai Hongtian spoke, he seemed to grow angry. He violently smashed the beer bottle, and glass shards and the remaining beer splattered across the floor.

Dai Hongtian said viciously, “And your parents, too. They had it all prepared, didn’t they? Pulled all the right strings? They were so decisive. It all went too smoothly for them.”

“Bullshit!” Yun Xiaoxu roared. “If it had gone that smoothly, you should have been locked up for life! You ruined our family! You ruined Yun Zhou! No one knows where he is or what kind of life he’s living! And you have the nerve to bring him up now? You have the nerve to talk about retaliation?!”

Dai Hongtian didn’t argue with Yun Xiaoxu. Instead, he opened another bottle of beer. He didn’t answer Yun Xiaoxu’s question, continuing to mutter to himself, “Things are different now than they were a decade ago. Even though I just pulled a stunt, I’ll probably be found soon.”

“Mhm… in about half an hour, I guess? Which means, you, Dai Xiaoxu, are in my hands for the next half hour.”

“You can guess what I’m going to do to you.”

Dai Hongtian picked up the dagger, tossed it in his hand, and caught it steadily, the tip pointing at Yun Xiaoxu.

Yun Xiaoxu’s pupils constricted.

Dai Hongtian was a lunatic. If he dared to kidnap him during a live broadcast, he was capable of doing anything, no matter how extreme!

Dai Hongtian chuckled and took out his phone. “It really is different now. Back then, I could still use a public phone booth to make contact. Now, if I send a single message, my location can be traced immediately. If it had been ten years later, I really wouldn’t have gotten that one million from your parents.”

As he spoke, he made a video call. The other side picked up immediately, and Yun Xiaoxu heard his parents’ voices.

“Xiaoxu!”

“Dai Hongtian! Let Xiaoxu go, and we can talk properly!”

Just as Yun Xiaoxu was about to speak, Dai Hongtian moved behind him and brandished the dagger. “No talking.”

“Half an hour. I can stab him at least a hundred times.” Dai Hongtian pressed the dagger against the side of Yun Xiaoxu’s face and threatened the camera, “Transfer the money. To the account I just sent you. Fifty thousand yuan less for every stab.”

Yun Xiaoxu shouted, “Are you insane? It’s useless even if you get it! The police have definitely found you! Your account has been frozen! You can’t use it even if I give it to you!”

“Doesn’t matter,” Dai Hongtian said. “I just think this is a lot of fun.”

The dagger was sharp. As he spoke, it had already broken the skin, and blood trickled down the blade.

The next second, Dai Hongtian raised his hand, lifting the dagger high.

“I’ll transfer it! I’ll transfer it!” Yun Xiaoxu’s mother screamed, her voice trembling with sobs, almost pleading. “Don’t you touch Xiaoxu! Dai Hongtian!”

Dai Hongtian sneered and hung up the video call directly. His descending hand didn’t stop. Yun Xiaoxu was tied up and couldn’t move; there was no way to dodge.

He could only watch as the sharp dagger, glinting with a cold light, drew closer and closer!

Just as it was about to pierce Yun Xiaoxu, the rickety window was kicked open. The curtain flew up high, and the light from outside poured into the room unhindered. Without the glass to muffle it, the blower’s sound roared, thundering in his ears.

Someone jumped in through the window, crashed into Dai Hongtian, and clamped a hand around his wrist. Forcing the base of his thumb down, he made Dai Hongtian’s body sink, and the dagger fell. The person then quickly raised his right hand and jabbed him hard in the back with a taser.

His back went numb. For five or six seconds, Dai Hongtian couldn’t move. The person took the opportunity to kick the dagger far away, then stood protectively in front of Yun Xiaoxu.

Yun Xiaoxu stared blankly at the person before him.

—Isn’t this the genius guy he met at the library?!

“Holy shit, it’s you!” Yun Xiaoxu exclaimed. “You’re a cop, too?!”

“Don’t talk.” Jiang Zhihuo had no time to answer Yun Xiaoxu’s question. He had broken in through the window, and fine shards of glass had cut his hand. It was a superficial wound and didn’t hurt, but beads of blood dripped down, looking particularly gruesome.

Dai Hongtian looked at Jiang Zhihuo and threw his head back with a laugh. “Yun Zhou? Is that you?”

That look in his eyes—he was so familiar with it!

Loathing, disgust, indifference.

Yun Xiaoxu froze for a moment.

Yun Zhou?

Dai Hongtian laughed happily. “My son! It’s quite a pity, I could never find you. How did you do it? Why were you able to disappear? Why couldn’t I find you? How did you get yourself removed from my household register?”

An expression of extreme disgust appeared on Jiang Zhihuo’s face. “Who the fuck is your son?”

Dai Hongtian shook his head, lamenting, “I was actually quite sad back then. I raised you for so long, and you went and reported me to the police. I had no idea you could keep so much evidence. You’re really something, Xiao Zhou.”

He no longer had the dagger in his hand, so he could only crouch down and smash a beer bottle.

Pale yellow beer flowed all over the floor. He smashed another one, then, with a crazed look in his eyes, he raised his hand and pointed the sharp end of the broken bottle at Jiang Zhihuo.

Jiang Zhihuo activated the taser. “The fact that I could get here means the police have already arrived.”

“Oh.” Dai Hongtian sounded rather regretful. “So soon? I haven’t even done anything yet.”

Jiang Zhihuo sneered. “And what did you want to do? Explosives?”

Dai Hongtian’s eyes widened slightly. He didn’t deny it. “How did you know?”

“I investigated your movements. In the fourteen days since your release, you gathered enough materials to make them. I remember you’re capable of doing it. A crude bomb isn’t difficult, and the materials can be obtained for legitimate reasons.”

“You also specifically chose this building. There are many residents here, the population is mixed, and security is lacking. You could move around as you pleased.”

“The one you wanted revenge on wasn’t Yun Xiaoxu, nor was it Professor Yun. You just wanted to take revenge on society. You’ve already hidden the bombs you made in various corners of this tenement building, haven’t you?”

He was right about everything. Dai Hongtian was slightly taken aback, but his surprise didn’t last long.

He smashed another bottle of beer; he liked the act of smashing beer bottles.

Jiang Zhihuo inconspicuously moved closer to the dagger and continued, “You don’t care about the live broadcast camera, which means you don’t care about the outcome. Even if the conclusion is extreme, I believe it’s a decision you would make, you’ll choose to commit suicide.”

“You can’t accept it. Ten years have stripped you of your ability to survive in modern society. You can’t keep up. You can’t even commit crimes properly because there are cameras everywhere, and you can be tracked the moment you go on any website. You can’t stand it. The feeling is too unbearable.”

“So, of the crude bombs you made, you would place one in this room. You would hide it in the corner to the right of the entrance, which is now at a 45-degree angle to your left. You also have a lighter in your pocket. You plan to set this room on fire directly.”

Jiang Zhihuo looked at Dai Hongtian coldly. His expression went from calm to gradually distorted.

He was right about everything.

His thoughts, his actions, had all been laid bare!

It was an awful feeling, as if he were being watched, with nowhere to hide.

So, whatever.

Dai Hongtian flicked on the lighter and casually tossed it to the ground.

The floor was already wet; he had sprinkled alcohol all over it before leaving. The moment the flame touched the ground, a raging fire erupted. The trash bags were filled with flammable materials, and the fire spread outward relentlessly.

“Hahaha.” Dai Hongtian let out a great laugh.

Outside the tenement building, the police had set up a yellow cordon, and all passersby were kept behind it.

A police car sped over. As soon as it stopped, a middle-aged couple rushed out, trying desperately to get inside, but the officers at the entrance stopped them.

“I have to go in! My son is in there!”

“Don’t cause trouble,” said a young man with a cold expression, looking somewhat displeased. “It’ll be over soon.”

Many people were watching the spectacle from behind the yellow line. A team in bomb disposal suits was searching floor by floor, guiding the residents of the tenement building to evacuate in an orderly manner.

—Crude bombs were simple to make and not difficult to disarm. One only needed to cut the fuse, but it required special tools, and there couldn’t be a single spark in the process.

Yan Mu gripped his phone tightly. The screen was still on, displaying a countdown.

After confirming Dai Hongtian’s location, Jiang Zhihuo had sent Yan Mu a message.

—I’ve found Dai Hongtian, 33 West Street. Please relay the following to He Miaomiao.

—Dai Hongtian has made crude bombs and planted them in the tenement building. They must be disarmed and the residents evacuated, but he must not be alerted. He will surely connect the fuse to a place he can ignite. But that’s fine, there’s an exhaust fan right outside his door. I hope you can turn it to maximum speed. Also, don’t arrange for any other officers in the room. Leave Yun Xiaoxu to me. Only I can go in. He will recognize me and won’t ignite the fuse immediately. I can stall him for 4 minutes and 18 seconds. But I cannot guarantee Dai Hongtian’s life.

—There is an 89% chance he has a bomb on himself as well, which I cannot disarm.

—Also, give me one more minute. I have a feeling I might need to jump from the building. Please prepare a safety cushion, thanks!

—Below are the possible locations of the bombs, deduced based on Dai Hongtian’s habits, personality, and the structure of the tenement building. Please check and disarm them in a timely manner.

Inside the room, Dai Hongtian was gradually sinking back into a state of agitation.

He and Jiang Zhihuo had gotten into a fight.

He was old and no match for Jiang Zhihuo, who had been professionally trained in combat. He was completely overpowered, and his right hand was still numb from the taser.

Yun Xiaoxu stared dumbly as the two fought in the fiery room. He could hear footsteps moving outside, but Dai Hongtian couldn’t. He was angry, extremely angry.

“You can’t get angry,” Jiang Zhihuo continued. “When you get angry, it’s easier for me to deduce your thoughts and actions.”

“For example, you want to light the bomb. For example, you’re thinking about stabbing me to death with the dagger, but you’re too far from it. For example, you want to take the opportunity to stab Yun Xiaoxu, because you don’t want all your actions today to be in vain.”

Jiang Zhihuo spelled out Dai Hongtian’s thoughts, word for word.

“You’re right.” Dai Hongtian gave up the fight. He pulled another lighter from his pocket, flicked a flame, and then, before anyone had time to react, he rushed to the side of the door and lit the fuse he had left behind the door—the one Jiang Zhihuo had predicted!

The fuse was connected to the other bombs he had hidden. If one went off, the others would surely detonate in a chain reaction from the sparks of the explosion!

Dai Hongtian laughed maniacally, waiting for the blast and the impending tremor.

But there was nothing. No explosion.

There was only one possibility: all the bombs hidden in the tenement building had been found.

Jiang Zhihuo let out a long sigh of relief. Four minutes and eighteen seconds. It seemed they made it. Facing Dai Hongtian’s furious expression, he shrugged. “I wasn’t the one who disarmed them. I’ve been stalling you this whole time, you know?”

With the bombs disarmed, Dai Hongtian had no means left to threaten the police.

He sneered and walked around the room, kicking over beer bottles. Wherever the beer flowed, the flames were gradually extinguished.

He laughed wildly in the room full of fire, then took off his jacket.

When Yun Xiaoxu saw what was around Dai Hongtian’s waist, he panicked. An explosion in this sea of fire would surely kill them both. “Ahhh, he really has one strapped to himself!”

Jiang Zhihuo: “I know! Didn’t I just say that?!”

Dai Hongtian lit the lighter again. “Yes, you did say that. That’s why I’m so impressed. You knew I had one on me, yet you still dared to come up and stall for time. My sons, let’s go together.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Zhihuo’s phone suddenly rang.

5 minutes and 18 seconds. The countdown was over!

At the same time, Dai Hongtian lit the fuse on his body.

The fuse burned, sparks racing downward.

Jiang Zhihuo swiftly picked up the dagger, cut the ropes binding Yun Xiaoxu, and pushed him toward the exit. “Don’t move, and whatever you do, don’t scream. You’ll deafen me!”

Yun Xiaoxu was a beat too slow to react. “Scream about what? Why would I scream?!”

He had just finished asking when the fuse burned out. With a BOOM, a wave of heat surged through the room, spreading outward through the sea of fire at an incredible speed. At the same time, Jiang Zhihuo grabbed Yun Xiaoxu and leaped from the fourth-floor corridor.

Yun Xiaoxu: “Ahhhhh!!!”

They landed steadily on the safety cushion. Seeing the hostage rescued, the firefighters beside them immediately began to extinguish the fire, and thick black smoke billowed upward.

“Holy shit.” Jiang Zhihuo let go and lay spread-eagled on the cushion. “That scared me to death.”

He had done plenty of investigations and been in plenty of fights, but he had never actually jumped off a building before.

Yun Xiaoxu was completely stunned by the shock of the free fall, his eyes wide open and unresponsive for a long time.

On the other side, the police chief who had driven Jiang Zhihuo here was also dumbfounded.

When he saw the plan Jiang Zhihuo had sent to He Miaomiao, the chief had scoffed.

Although Jiang Zhihuo had demonstrated the immense potential of psychological profiling in the car earlier, it was impossible that he could predict the bomb locations and the exact timing, right?!

Especially since he was just an ordinary student.

And yet, he was wrong. The time Jiang Zhihuo predicted was not off by a single second. Within 4 minutes and 18 seconds, all bombs were disarmed, and the residents were evacuated without a sound. One minute later, Dai Hongtian might self-detonate, so they prepared a safety cushion below the building in advance.

5 minutes and 18 seconds: explosion, fire extinguished.

The entire incident was over within thirty minutes. Zero injuries, one death. The deceased was the mastermind of the vicious kidnapping incident, Dai Hongtian.

Even after being helped up by the arriving paramedics, Yun Xiaoxu was still in a daze. He numbly allowed the paramedics to check him over. After confirming he had no major injuries, he was led to an ambulance to be taken to the hospital for a more thorough examination for any internal injuries.

Jiang Zhihuo was still lying on the safety cushion, his breathing not yet steady.

A paramedic pressed on his ribs and other areas that might have been fractured by the impact.

Just then, a shadow fell over him. Someone was walking over from not far away. The moment Jiang Zhihuo saw the person’s expression, he shivered.

Yan Mu was looking at him faintly. In his seemingly calm eyes, a fire of rage was burning.

It’s over… it’s over…

Yan-ge is furious…

Jiang Zhihuo licked his lips and subconsciously tried to shrink back. “Yan-ge, I was wrong!”

“Don’t move just yet,” a paramedic gently held him down. “There’s glass in the wound. I need to take it out for you first.”

“…” Trapped in the paramedic’s hands, Jiang Zhihuo couldn’t move an inch. Watching Yan Mu’s expression grow darker and darker, he could only weakly try to negotiate. “There are too many people here. Yan-ge, give me some face. Can we… can we talk when we get back?”

Sitting in the ambulance, it took Yun Xiaoxu a while to recover.

His parents were by his side. They hadn’t been allowed to enter the scene and could only anxiously ask the paramedics about the condition of Yun Xiaoxu and the officer who had saved him.

“They’re both fine,” the paramedic said. “A checkup at the hospital will be good.”

Professor Yun finally relaxed. They had no time to worry about anything else for now. He first said to Yun Xiaoxu, “After your checkup, we must express our gratitude to that officer.”

“Oh,” Yun Xiaoxu responded, then suddenly came to his senses. “Dad! Mom! Yun Zhou! It’s Yun Zhou!”

The two professors were stunned. “What?”

“It’s him! The genius guy who jumped down with me!” Yun Xiaoxu pointed at Jiang Zhihuo, who was being helped toward an ambulance by Yan Mu. “He’s Yun Zhou!”