Chapter 12: The Home Invasion Murder Case at Peaceful Community (6)

“Huh? Is that your wife?”
“Captain, you actually have a girlfriend!”
“This is big news! Captain, we all thought you wanted to be a monk!”
“Even a steel-hearted straight guy has someone—pity I’m still single!”
...
As soon as Wu Zui finished speaking, the radio channel erupted in chaos.
“Everyone shut up! That’s my apprentice, not any of that nonsense! The last civilians have been evacuated—move in! Two at each staircase, don’t let anyone escape!”
Wu Zui spoke into the receiver.
At that moment, a cordon was quickly set up nearby, and plainclothes detectives had already started isolating the civilians outside.
“Two at the entrance have been neutralized!”
“The cashier is down!”
“We’re entering the basement!”
...
Voices of elite detectives came through the radio, along with the sharp reports of gunfire.
On the second floor of the mall, people thought fireworks were going off below, while the crowd in the square, who had been reluctant to leave and wanted to watch the excitement, now scattered and vanished.
“Reporting, Captain! The gang leader has been captured!”
Wu Zui frowned slightly. That wasn’t what he’d told them to do.
“Count the suspects!”
Bang! Bang!
Suddenly, more gunshots rang out.
“Is anyone hurt?” Wu Zui immediately asked.
“No casualties! Another surviving suspect got into a white sedan and is escaping up from the A exit of the underground garage!”
Wu Zui breathed a sigh of relief. At least no one was hurt.
“Elite team, tally the suspects! There are roadblocks outside, others will take care of it!” Wu Zui said into the radio.
[Good thing! I blocked the road long ago!]
“Understood!”
“Lin Feng! Someone just drove a white sedan out from the A exit! He’s armed—shoot on sight!” Wu Zui switched radio channels and spoke to Lin Feng.
“Understood,” Lin Feng’s voice came through the radio.
At this moment, Wu Zui was sitting with Xiao Ke’ai in a dessert shop, eating something to comfort the eager rookie who wanted to be on the front line. From here, they had a clear view of the A exit of the underground passage. The area was crawling with detectives; if anything happened, there was nothing to fear.
Thunderously, a white sedan roared up from the underground passage.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
In the hail of gunfire, the driver of the white sedan was struck down—seemingly a cause for celebration. Suddenly, one of the car’s tires blew out. At high speed, the car flipped and rolled straight toward Wu Zui and Xiao Ke’ai.

Both instinctively tried to dodge in opposite directions, but the handcuffs linking them yanked them back together. The rolling white sedan was almost upon them, and they were plunged into mortal danger.
Wu Zui snatched Xiao Ke’ai’s riot shield with his left hand, ignored her cry of pain as her wrist twisted, and wrapped his right arm tightly around her waist, holding her close.
He then pivoted his body, bracing at a point on the car’s side, and with the riot shield and his left arm as leverage, drove forward in a judo-like shoulder check against the car’s side.
“Ha!”
With a shout, Wu Zui forced the flipping car’s trajectory to veer, and it grazed over their heads, crashing into the inner part of the shop behind them.
At that moment, the veins in Wu Zui’s left hand stood out, and beneath his skin, countless pinpricks of blood showed. For an ordinary person, that arm might well have been ruined.
Wu Zui clenched his teeth, refusing to cry out in pain, and glanced at Xiao Ke’ai, who was trembling and stiff with fear in his arms. Seeing her face still deathly pale, Wu Zui’s expression darkened.
He gripped the cracked riot shield in his left hand, shielding Xiao Ke’ai as he retreated.
Drip, drip—
The sound of water droplets reached Wu Zui’s ears. His face changed; he struggled to raise the shield with his left hand, dragged the now-unconscious Xiao Ke’ai with his right, and ran for the exit.
Boom!
Just as Wu Zui expected, the explosion rang out—the dripping sound had indeed been gasoline leaking from the tank.
The battered riot shield and Wu Zui’s own body formed a sturdy barrier in front of Xiao Ke’ai. The blast hurled both of them away, and the shield itself was destroyed.
Shards from the shattered shield, propelled by the blast, pierced Wu Zui’s chest, and blood instantly drenched his shirt.
Seeing the gas above Xiao Ke’ai’s head turn from deathly white to a golden-tinged white, Wu Zui smiled in relief.
[One life for another, perhaps? But if they stop the bleeding in time, I shouldn’t die from this.]
As these thoughts flickered through his mind, nearby detectives rushed over, and Wu Zui lost consciousness.
He drifted into a deep, endless dream filled with red flames. The dream was so vivid Wu Zui could feel the pain of the fire scorching him.
So he kept running, searching for a place where the fire was less intense, but even there, the burning agony threatened to tear him apart.
“Master… I won’t run off anymore… please wake up!”
Wu Zui seemed to hear Xiao Ke’ai’s voice, but how could that be? With her restless nature, expecting her to stay put was less likely than asking her to die outright.
[No more taking on apprentices!]
Dodging the searing flames as he ran, Wu Zui silently made this vow.
...
When Wu Zui woke again, he was lying in a hospital bed. Beside him, Xiao Ke’ai, her left arm in a cast, was asleep with her head on the bed.
The television in the room was quietly broadcasting the morning news.
“Last night, a meteorite fell into the South China Sea. Experts conducted an emergency salvage operation and discovered a new element within the meteorite, unknown on Earth...”
Though the volume was low, Wu Zui heard it clearly.
“You’re awake already? What a pity—I was hoping for another corpse to dissect!” a charming voice said, tinged with relief despite the morbid words.
“Ming Rourou? You’re here too? How long was I out?” Wu Zui glanced at the woman on the guest bed, dressed in a black pencil skirt, her left leg crossed over her right.
“Not long, just two days! The riot shield fragments pierced your pericardium—tough luck you didn’t die! I was looking forward to finally getting to study you!”
Her almond-shaped eyes held a glimmer of mischief as she looked at Wu Zui with apparent regret.
Faced with the alluring Ming Rourou, Wu Zui figured that even if he ignored the surgical knife twirling endlessly in her right hand, he’d feel nothing but wariness.
“Sorry to disappoint.”
Wu Zui met her gaze, his own tone just as provoking.

“It’s fine! With the way you court death, it’s only a matter of time. I’m confident I’ll outlive you!” Ming Rourou’s lips curled into a smile.
“...” Wu Zui said nothing.
“Little one, if you’re awake, stop pretending to sleep!”
Ming Rourou looked at Xiao Ke’ai, whose breathing had quickened, and spoke with a broad smile.
“I’m just so tired. I want to sleep a little longer,” Xiao Ke’ai replied in a clear voice, lying at Wu Zui’s bedside.
“Is that so? Well, he’s your responsibility now. If he dies, remember to let me know—I’m very interested in his body!” Ming Rourou stood up, walking toward Xiao Ke’ai as she spoke.
“Little one! Cuteness is no match for sex appeal, you know!” She leaned down and whispered in Xiao Ke’ai’s ear, so softly that even Wu Zui couldn’t catch the words.
Xiao Ke’ai’s cheeks flushed bright red.
“Hehe, goodbye, you two!”
Ming Rourou seemed amused by some private joke, let out a charming laugh, and left the room, closing the door with a thud.
“Master, that woman is so annoying! She’s like… like a fox!” Xiao Ke’ai lifted her head and complained indignantly.
“She’s with forensics. If you don’t like her, stay away from there! What happened to your hand?” Wu Zui asked, noting her sullen expression.
“You broke it… It just snapped—how can you be so strong, Master?” Xiao Ke’ai pouted, even more upset at his words.
“Uh… How’s the case? I remember the boss was caught, the others were all taken down, right?” Even Wu Zui, usually so stoic, felt embarrassed and quickly changed the subject.
“One minor leader escaped! The big fish were caught. Master, how did you know they’d be there?” Xiao Ke’ai’s eyes lit up with interest at the mention of the case.
“A minor leader? Was his surname Tian…?”
Wu Zui grew agitated; the sudden tension pulled at his wounds, drawing a sharp cry of pain.
“Master, you’re still injured! The doctor said you shouldn’t move—you mustn’t!” Xiao Ke’ai anxiously fussed over him.
“Alright, just tell me—was the one who got away named Tian?” Wu Zui forced himself to calm down, gently reassuring the flustered Xiao Ke’ai.
“I think so!”
Xiao Ke’ai tilted her head, considering, then nodded.
“My phone?”
Wu Zui, dressed in hospital garb, looked around the bedside but saw no sign of his phone, so he turned to Xiao Ke’ai.
“Um… here!”
Xiao Ke’ai fished his phone out of her pocket and handed it to him.
With his left hand in a cast, Wu Zui could only use his right to call Wang Zhengang.
“Wu Zui?” Wang Zhengang sounded surprised on the line—wasn’t Wu Zui supposed to still be unconscious in the hospital?
“It’s me. That guy Tian got away? Any news?” Wu Zui asked directly.
“No news. Tian disappeared the night Liao Yan was killed, along with his men. The boss had no idea what happened, which allowed us to take them down so easily.”
Wang Zhengang’s voice came through, tinged with disappointment.
“That whole family of three died because of him! And he just got away—haven’t you taken any action?” Wu Zui demanded, his voice tight with anger.