Chapter 115: Terrorist Attack

Chapter 115: Terrorist Attack

“Terrorist attack?”

Doctor Zhao’s face paled, a look of disbelief lingering.

Songhai, a metropolis of over twenty million people, integrating industry, finance, transportation, and shipping, held a pivotal position in the country.

For the past several decades, let alone terrorist attacks, even ordinary crimes rarely occurred.

“Call the police, quickly call the police…”

Doctor Zhao fumbled for his phone, trying to call the police station.

But no one answered.

“By now, everyone who could call the police has already called; the police station has limited operators, they won’t get to your call.” Jiang Yu’er quietly closed the door and said in a low voice:

“Let’s stay here and not run around.”

Doctor Zhao’s eyes were fearful, his expression frantic: “I, we can’t stay here. The kidnappers are inhuman; they’ll kill the hostages. Xiao Jiang, let’s escape through the back door.”

Jiang Yu’er frowned, interrupting sharply: “Stay here!”

Doctor Zhao was stunned, staring incredulously at his familiar colleague—this young woman with a round face, sweet and lively appearance, always looking like a good girl—had suddenly displayed an awe-inspiring, fearsome severity.

This severity was something Doctor Zhao had never seen before.

Jiang Yu’er’s expression softened, and she said in a low voice:

“Listen, the noise outside has died down, which means most people have been controlled. Since the terrorists have taken the hospital, they must have people guarding the front and back doors, and even someone watching the monitors; staying here is the safest.”

Doctor Zhao nodded dazedly.

In the monitoring room, Li Xianzong stood before the console, arms crossed, holding a walkie-talkie in his left hand and twirling a butterfly knife in his right, the fluorescent blue screen light illuminating his sharp, cold eyes.

On the monitor screen, in the lobby of the outpatient building, two armed individuals had taken control, driving the medical staff from the pharmacy, registration office, and various offices into the first-floor hall.

Those who did not cooperate were shot dead instantly, cruel and vicious, seemingly indifferent to their own moral score.

After killing a few, the medical staff and patients no longer had any will to resist, obediently crouching with their hands on their heads.

For Spirit Realm Walkers, using abilities to kill is far more efficient and accurate than bullets, but for intimidating ordinary people, firearms still work best.

To coerce a large crowd, violence alone won’t do; you need guns.

“First floor personnel cleared, all gathered in the hall.”

“Second floor personnel cleared, all gathered in the hall.”

Voices of comrades reporting came through the walkie-talkie.

Li Xianzong pressed the walkie-talkie, brought it to his mouth, and said: “Go check the obstetrics and gynecology department, bring the medical staff down, and if there are pregnant women, don’t harm them.”

“Hey! A beguiling demon like you, playing at mercy here?” a comrade sneered.

“I don’t sympathize with the weak, but when my father was alive, he often told me that children are the flowers of the motherland, and they deserve some pity and care.” Li Xianzong grinned.

…

Fu Family Bay Villa.

Fu Qingyang lounged lazily in a massage chair, resting with his eyes closed, his skin an eerie red, the muscles of his limbs twitching slightly.

Two bunny girls knelt on either side of the massage chair, their small hands tapping, kneading, and pressing to soothe his muscle soreness.

On another single sofa, Ling Jun crouched, grabbing a piece of melon and stuffing it into his mouth, sighing:

“You’re still so hardworking. I remember you started practicing slashing at the age of ten, all the way until you became a Spirit Realm Walker—over ten years now. What level have you reached?”

Fu Qingyang still had his eyes closed: “I’ve practiced to the point where I can cut off your dog head with one strike.”

“Nonsense!” Ling Jun retorted: “I’m the Beast King, I have two lives; you’d need two strikes to kill me.”

Suddenly, the two bunny girls stiffened, then collapsed to the floor.

Fu Qingyang’s eyes snapped open, his gaze sharp as a sword.

Ling Jun, crouching on the sofa, struggled to keep his eyelids open, his body swaying:

“So, so sleepy… Damn, it’s, it’s the Dream Master…”

His head lolled to the side, falling into sleep.

“Yichuan Mei?” Fu Qingyang snorted coldly, then closed his eyes and voluntarily entered sleep.

…

Kangyang District Police Station.

Zhang Yuanqing had just stepped out of the restroom when he saw a clerk rushing up the steel stairs to the second floor.

Her face was anxious as she looked at Guan Ya, who was lounging lazily, and called out:

“The police station received a report that terrorists attacked Pingtai Hospital; all the medical staff and patients in the outpatient building are inside.”

“What?” Guan Ya shot up, striding toward the squad leader’s office.

Even Wang Tai, who never cared about the troubles outside, looked up in shock, his expression turning grave.

Pingtai Hospital?! Zhang Yuanqing felt as if someone had struck his head with a club, a ringing in his ears.

His aunt worked at Pingtai Hospital.

Zhang Yuanqing’s face turned ashen as he pulled out his phone and asked urgently:

“How is the situation in the hospital? Casualties? How many kidnappers?”

The clerk shook her head: “No, not that detailed. The police station has gathered personnel to head to the hospital; the specific situation needs further investigation.”

At least it showed the incident just happened… Zhang Yuanqing stepped aside, pulled out his phone, and dialed his aunt’s number.

“Sorry, the number you have dialed is turned off. Please try again later!”

Turned off? Zhang Yuanqing cursed angrily, “Fuck.”

At that moment, Guan Ya, along with Li Dongze, Jiang Jingwei, and Teng Yuan, rushed out of the office.

Li Dongze walked quickly, his expression calm, his speech rapid:

“Leave immediately!”

The group quickly prepared; Guan Ya dragged two holsters from her desk drawer, not having time to strap them to her thighs; Wang Tai picked up his beloved notebook and stood to leave.

They walked out of the glass building and boarded Li Dongze’s business van parked at the entrance. The driver stepped on the gas and headed toward the police station gate.

Pingtai Hospital was not far from the police station; running red lights all the way, they arrived at the hospital in about ten minutes.

By then, the hospital gate was filled with police cars flashing their warning lights.

A dozen armed police officers were confronting a middle-aged man in a hospital gown, who stood blocking the hospital gate with a walkie-talkie hanging around his neck and a scalpel pressed to his own throat, screaming neurotically:

“Don’t come closer, don’t come closer, let Primordial Celestial come see me…”

The van pulled up, the doors opened, and Zhang Yuanqing immediately saw his cousin leading the team.

He silently put on a cap and mask.

Li Dongze, carrying his cane, strode toward Chen Yuanjun and said in a deep voice:

"What's the situation now?"

Chen Yuanjun clearly knew Li Dongze; his gaze swept over the van behind and said in a low voice:

"Hostages are sick and hospital staff inside. Casualties unconfirmed. They refuse to talk and threaten to set off bombs if we barge in."

He paused, looking slightly bewildered. "The demand seems to be a talk with the Primordial Heavenly Venerate. I suspect the hostage-taker may be mentally unstable…"

Li Dongze nodded slightly, scrutinized Chen Yuanjun, and frowned:

"Captain Chen, calmness is essential for a Security Officer. You're too nervous and eager. What's going on?"

He could see clearly the anxiety and unease beneath the Security Captain's composed exterior.

Chen Yuanjun gave a bitter smile: "My aunt is a doctor at Pingtai Hospital…"

Li Dongze's expression stiffened. He patted Chen Yuanjun's shoulder, said nothing, and turned back to the van.

"Jingwei!" He looked at the red-haired girl, then pointed to the patient at the door, saying:

"Get his walkie-talkie. Go easy—don't kill him."

Jiang Jingwei nodded excitedly. She got out of the car, crouching low and using the police cars and officers as cover, stole across the semicircle until she was at the patient's flank.

Then she bent her knees slightly, and the next moment, she sprang at him like a dog off its leash.

The officers on site only glimpsed a blur of black; by the time they reacted, the red-haired girl was already beside the patient.

He lifted a leg high, kicking the scalpel from his grip, then twisted her waist, spun into the air, and used the momentum to swing her other leg, slamming it into the back of the patient's neck.

"Slap!"

The middle-aged man, before he even understood what happened, was knocked unconscious.

Among the lawful professions of the Five Elements Alliance, when it came to speed, Fire Masters ranked first.

The officers swarmed and subdued the patient, while Jiang Jingwei grabbed the walkie-talkie and sprinted back to the van.

Li Dongze took the walkie-talkie, pressed the button, and said:

"I am the Squad Leader of Kangyang District's second squad. If you have any demands, you can speak with me."

He repeated it three times. From the speaker came a smug laugh: "I want to talk to the Primordial Heavenly Venerate."

Zhang Yuanqing was about to speak when Guan Ya held his shoulder. Li Dongze seamlessly cut in:

"The Primordial Heavenly Venerate isn't here. What do you want from him?"

The smug male voice laughed:

"Not here? Bad timing, I guess. I'll give you ten minutes. After ten minutes, I want to see the Primordial Heavenly Venerate. If I don't, I'll kill one person every minute.

"If you try to force your way into the hospital, I'll have someone set off the bombs and blow everyone up."

Li Dongze looked at Guan Ya and mouthed: "Contact Centurion Fu."

Then, in a firm tone, he said: "You can try setting off the bombs. We will never compromise. If you are willing to be buried with the people in the hospital, I will oblige you."

Laughter came from the walkie-talkie:

"Mr. Squad Leader, you overestimate me. I don't have the courage to die with these ordinary people. I said I would have someone set off the bombs. These people are all servants of the Sinister Eye Judge, already at the end of their rope. When they heard I wanted revenge against the authorities and society, they agreed immediately. Of course, I had to do some convincing."

Servants of the Sinister Eye Judge… Li Dongze's heart sank. "You are a Deceiving Demon?"

"You should have heard of me. My name is Li Xianzong."

At these words, everyone in the van changed expression.

With a large-scale killing instance about to begin, they had expected that Yuanqing would be targeted by evil practitioners, but they never imagined it would be Li Xianzong.

And this bloodthirsty Deceiving Demon had gone big right from the start. No stealth, no ambush—just a full-blown terror attack.

Utterly brazen.

"Already one and a half minutes have passed. Your time is limited. I await your good news."

The walkie-talkie went silent.

Li Dongze put down the walkie-talkie and looked at Guan Ya.

Guan Ya frowned slightly. "Fu Qingyang isn't answering the phone…"

Everyone's hearts sank again.

Li Dongze stroked his walking stick and thought:

"So they came prepared. If he doesn't see Yuanqing in ten minutes, Li Xianzong will withdraw, and not a single person in the hospital will survive. Heh, you heard him just now. The hostage-takers are servants of the Sinister Eye Judge. This terror attack is meant to be mutual destruction.

"Ten minutes is too short. The executive from other districts can't get here in time."

Teng Yuanda remarked: "This guy is shrewd. Even if Yuanqing doesn't come, he can retreat at his leisure and cause us big trouble while he's at it."

Zhang Yuanqing said in a heavy tone: "He's after me. He wants to hunt me. Squad Leader, let me go in."

He was anxious; he didn't know if his aunt was inside or if she had been hurt.

Li Dongze glared at him. "Going in would be suicide!"

"No way!" Guan Ya vetoed at once. She frowned. "You're not usually this rash…"

Only Jiang Jingwei supported him, rubbing her fists, her face brimming with fighting spirit. "Let's go in! I'll punch his dog head off!"

At that moment, the experienced Li Dongze displayed the calm and composure of an old hand and said slowly:

"Don't rush. There are always more solutions than difficulties. We need to come up with a strategy…"