Chapter 117: Rescuing Hostages

Chapter 117 Rescuing the Hostage

The burly man opened his mouth as if to curse, but before the sound could escape, life left him first.

Zhang Yuanqing checked a few times to confirm he was dead, then turned to look at his aunt.

Jiang Yuer was stunned, her mouth open wide enough to hold an egg, staring at her nephew in disbelief.

I like that expression... Zhang Yuanqing's gaze moved down, glanced at the middle-aged female doctor cowering under the desk, and chopped her unconscious with a knife-hand strike.

The female doctor groaned and slumped to the floor.

Zhang Yuanqing withdrew his hand, instinctively feeling that it was too violent and impolite, but also thinking it was fine, so he didn't dwell on it and turned to his aunt.

“Yuan, Yuanzi...”

His aunt stammered, her watery beautiful eyes full of shock and confusion, as if she couldn't accept that her nephew had suddenly appeared here.

But at the same time, within the shock and confusion, there was also the joy of the most trusted person descending from the heavens at the moment she needed saving most.

“Aunt, are you okay?”

Jiang Yuer cried out with a “wa,” and like a young swallow returning to the forest, hugged her nephew, sobbing softly.

Zhang Yuanqing gently patted his aunt’s back and said in a low voice, “Now is not the time for explanations. Stay here. I’ll deal with the criminals. If you have any questions, come to my room tonight, and we’ll talk then.”

The criminals had stirred up such a big incident; the survivors would all have to sign confidentiality agreements later. And his aunt had witnessed the Fire Master's operation earlier and his own appearance, so the existence of “superpowers” could no longer be hidden from her.

Moreover, he had come in a hurry without disguising himself, and since the Spirit Realm had no elimination mechanism, he simply chose to “reveal” his identity.

Zhang Yuanqing believed that there was no need to hide when saving family, and not actively revealing was to avoid disrupting the peaceful life of his family. Now that she was involved in the Spirit Walker incident, he would let nature take its course.

“Don’t go...” Jiang Yuer hugged her nephew tightly around the waist, panicking, “They have guns.”

Zhang Yuanqing was not used to such close contact, so he gently pushed her away and whispered,

“There are bombs downstairs. If we don’t take care of them, everyone in the hospital will die. Trust me.”

He put on a serious expression, and then saw his aunt sniffle and nod obediently. Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself, it seems I now have the mature aura of a leader; even my aunt is subdued by my domineering presence.

He motioned for his aunt to sit on a chair, and thought about what to do next, quickly analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of both sides.

Li Xianzong's disadvantage was time; he would never dare to linger in the hospital too long. Once stewards from other districts, or even elders, arrived, Li Xianzong would be dead for sure.

So this Corrupting Demon's plan should be to force “Primordial Heavenly Lord” into the hospital in the shortest possible time, then detonate the bombs.

The bombs were the criminals' advantage. Once detonated, countless casualties would become headline news.

All official walkers in Kangyang District would bear disciplinary sanctions.

So the most important thing next was to deal with the bombs.

“The bomb remote definitely isn’t in Li Xianzong’s hands. He dared to launch this terrorist attack by exploiting the Weird Eye Judge's ‘servants’ willingness to die together—it was a suicide attack. But Li Xianzong wouldn’t sacrifice himself. In the mind of someone like him, how could the lives of ordinary people compare to his own...”

“There are still five criminals. I can’t possibly defeat that many Spirit Walkers in a short time. Finding the remote is key.”

Zhang Yuanqing’s thoughts were very clear. He quickly devised a plan: first take out the criminal holding the bomb controller, neutralize the bomb, and then handle the rest step by step.

But how to locate the bomb remote? Zhang Yuanqing planned to use spirit interrogation to find clues from the Fire Master.

As soon as he thought of it, he acted. Darkness surged in Zhang Yuanqing’s eyes, he communicated with the spirit remaining in the corpse, summoned it out, and swallowed it in one gulp.

Jiang Yuer's eyes widened, her eye sockets slightly red, looking dazed, like a little girl who didn’t understand the situation but didn’t dare to ask further.

After a dozen seconds, Zhang Yuanqing opened his eyes, his expression extremely grim.

There were two bombs—one on the first floor and one on the second. The remote for the first-floor bomb was in the hands of a criminal on the second floor, while the controller for the second-floor bomb was held by a criminal on the first floor.

That meant he had to kill both criminals holding the controllers simultaneously.

“I can’t kill both the criminal on the second floor and the one on the first floor alone. Should I ask Teng Yuan for help? No, once he enters the hospital lobby, the bomb will explode immediately...”

Zhang Yuanqing pulled out his phone, quickly typed a message, and sent it to Li Dongze.

Then he looked at his aunt and said in a low voice, “Hide here. Don’t go out. If a bomb goes off, don’t panic.”

His aunt nodded obediently, then asked worriedly, “What about you?”

“I’ll be fine...” Zhang Yuanqing waved his hand, and then felt his phone vibrate. Li Dongze sent a message:

“Captain Yuan will arrive in two minutes.”

...

Meanwhile, outside the outpatient building, Teng Yuan, wearing a cap and mask, pressed the button on his walkie-talkie:

“Li Xianzong, you should be able to see me.”

A lazy laugh came from the walkie-talkie: “How do I know if you’re really Primordial Heavenly Lord? Take off the mask and cap, let me see.”

Teng Yuan said flatly, “If I take off the mask and cap, can you be sure it’s me?”

“Fair point!” Li Xianzong’s laugh came through:

“Then I’ll take you for Primordial Heavenly Lord. I’ll give you a hint: there’s a bomb under the information desk on the first floor. In a few minutes, it will detonate automatically. The controller is on the guy in the black jacket. If you want to save the ordinary people in the hospital, get moving.

“Primordial Heavenly Lord, let me see what you’ve got.”

Teng Yuan raised his hand to his ear and said in a low voice, “Did you hear that?”

Li Dongze’s voice came through the wireless microphone:

“He’s lying to you. There are bombs on both floors. But the controller for the first-floor bomb is with a criminal on the second floor. If you barge in, the criminal on the second floor will detonate the first-floor bomb.”

Teng Yuan: “How do you know?”

Li Dongze: “Yuan has already infiltrated the hospital. He assassinated one of the criminals and obtained the information through spirit interrogation.”

Teng Yuan: “That kid is really reassuring. I’ll give him a raise later.”

Li Dongze: “...”

I’m the squad leader!!

Li Dongze: “Don’t go in yet. Pretend to hesitate, stall as long as you can. Li Xianzong is watching you.”

Teng Yuan: “Consider the time, the steward and other teams are about to arrive. Have you thought about why Li Xianzong still dares to stay in the hospital? What is his confidence and assurance?”

Li Dongze: “You mean he’s confident he can escape...”

He paused mid-sentence, then changed the subject: “Yuan Ting is here. Prepare to act. Teng Yuan, support as needed.”

Teng Yuan: “Understood.”

...

“Yuan Ting has infiltrated the hospital. He’s responsible for taking out the criminal on the first floor, and you take the second floor. In three seconds, I’ll have Wang Tai cut the hospital’s surveillance system.”

His phone vibrated slightly. Zhang Yuanqing read the message and counted in his mind: one, two, three...

He entered his night roaming state and dashed out like a runaway horse.

Meanwhile, in the surveillance room, Li Xianzong moved his gaze away from Teng Yuan, first checked the time, then scanned the first, second, and fourth floors.

He was running out of time. This kind of game exploited a time difference; if he kept wasting time, he would be dead. He had to retreat in at most five minutes.

Thinking of this, Li Xianzong instinctively felt his pocket, confirming the item was still inside.

This item had no offensive capabilities, but its level was very high. Except for some special sealing methods, no one could trap him.

This was his confidence in taking risks, in playing the game of terrorist attacks. One must know, carrying out a terrorist attack in a metropolis—unless one was tired of living—even a Saint-stage master wouldn't dare such a stunt.

He suddenly frowned and picked up the walkie-talkie:

"Number Four, show yourself to me. Number Four, show yourself to me..."

The walkie-talkie remained silent, with no response.

Li Xianzong raised an eyebrow and then asked, "Number Five, what's going on?"

The lean man in the fourth-floor waiting hall grabbed his walkie-talkie and replied with a snicker, "Number Four's inside having fun with a woman—heard he found a real gem."

"Go check it out. I suspect Primordial Heavenly Venerate has already infiltrated."

"Isn't he at the entrance?"

Li Xianzong sneered, "Just because the officials say so, you believe it?"

The lean man immediately abandoned the hostages and headed toward the obstetrics and gynecology corridor. Meanwhile, Li Xianzong saw the rows of monitor screens flicker, all turning to static.

Here it comes! Li Xianzong barked orders into the walkie-talkie:

"Someone cut the surveillance. Detonate the bombs now."

...

Someone cut the surveillance, detonate the bombs now...

On the second floor, the thugs received the message from the walkie-talkie. One of them, a dark-skinned, taciturn man, didn't hesitate for a moment and reached into his pocket.

He had been waiting for this moment for a long time. From the moment he learned that Black Impermanence was killed and the Holy Grail fell into official hands, his life was left with only despair.

A life of despair should burst into a brilliant spark at the end.

"Bang, bang!"

Just as his fingers touched the detonator, two bullets burst at the back of his head. The impact and the explosive flash sent the man staggering sideways.

The imagined scene of brain matter splattering did not occur—this was an Earth Fiend.

Behind the two men, the attacker's figure materialized, youthful in appearance, with black and red scorch marks covering his face.

Facing the sudden assault, the two thugs were mentally prepared. One raised his gun to shoot, while the other resumed the interrupted "detonation process."

"Bang, bang, bang..."

The bullets struck the attacker, but they seemed to hit a reflection.

Hidden in a corner, Zhang Yuanqing took out the "Scarecrow." The scarecrow's face twisted and morphed, writhing as it grew eyes and a nose—it took on the exact appearance of the Earth Fiend.

Zhang Yuanqing pinched the scarecrow's head with two fingers and twisted hard.

The scarecrow wore an expression of "pain."

The next second, the Earth Fiend suddenly clutched his throat, letting out a strained "heh heh" sound, his face shrouded in a pallor of decay.

All sorts of negative emotions flashed through his mind—anger, pain, murderous intent, loathing, sorrow... The Earth Fiend's reason was lost in degeneration, turning him into a savage beast ruled by negative emotions.

He locked onto the only other threat, the other thug, and lunged at him.

"Fuck!"

His grim-faced comrade cursed, retreating while aiming his gun at the Earth Fiend and pulling the trigger.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

The bullets struck the Earth Fiend’s head one after another, like hitting steel armor, ricocheting in all directions, sending the nearby hostages into a panicked frenzy of screams and frantic escape.

The grim-faced man discarded his empty pistol, sidestepped the Earth Fiend’s clumsy punches, and reached for the other man’s pocket.

He had to get the detonator.

At that moment, the grim-faced man caught from the corner of his eye the reappearance of the attacker, now a few meters to his left. Unlike the previous phantom, the attacker’s face now bore a pair of black-rimmed glasses.

The attacker raised his gun and aimed at him.

Bang!

The large-caliber pistol spat smoke and flame, the fiery red bullet spinning at high speed, striking the thug and producing a splash of water, like a pebble thrown into a pond.

This was a Water Ghost!

He could temporarily ignore any physical attack.

The grim-faced man sneered at the attacker, having successfully thrust his hand into the Earth Fiend's trouser pocket.

But at that moment, the attacker discarded his pistol, his hands now clad in a pair of crimson half-finger gloves. He slammed his fists together against his chest.

"Boom!"

Fire and heat waves rolled forth, as if a high-explosive grenade had gone off in the waiting hall. The shockwave rattled the walls, and flames licked at flammable materials.

The Water Ghost and the Earth Fiend were both sent flying by the violent blast.

Fortunately, the earlier fight had scattered the nearby hostages; otherwise, most of them would have been dead from that move alone.

Of course, it was precisely because the hostages had fled that Zhang Yuanqing dared to use this tactic.

He picked up the explosive pistol from the ground and fired at the Water Ghost, forcing him to roll continuously.

Zhang Yuanqing fired his gun as he walked toward the dazed Earth Fiend, like a cold-blooded killer moving through a hail of bullets.

At that moment, the Earth Fiend shook his head and staggered to his feet.

Zhang Yuanqing leaped up and drove both knees down onto the back of his neck, sending the Earth Fiend crashing to the ground again.

He reached into the air with his gloved hand and pulled out a forty-centimeter-long silver broken blade, raising it high before plunging it with force into the gunshot wound at the back of the Earth Fiend's head.

"Thud!"

The armor-piercing effect of the Bloodthirst Blade shattered the Earth Fiend's vaunted defense, burying half the blade into his skull.

The Earth Fiend stopped struggling.

The Water Ghost seized the opportunity to flee deeper into the consultation area.

Zhang Yuanqing ignored the fleeing Water Ghost and retrieved the detonator from the Earth Fiend's pocket. Just as he tucked the device away, he heard a dull thud from the corridor outside the waiting hall.

He followed the sound and saw Yuan Ting.

This King of Rivers wore black trousers and a black shirt, with an indescribable nobility in his brow.

Beside him stood a pale-faced, stiff-looking burly man with pitch-black, sharp fingers and murky eyes.

This was a zombie.

"The two thugs downstairs are dealt with; the hostages have been evacuated. Did you get the detonator?" Yuan Ting said rapidly.

"I got it too," Zhang Yuanqing said, shifting his gaze from the zombie. "But one Water Ghost escaped, and there's still a thug on the fourth floor, and Li Xianzong."

The operation had gone more smoothly than he expected.

With the bombs neutralized, the hostages could escape. With the current number of thugs, it would be difficult for them to regain control of the hostages. And by now, Li Dongze and the others must have already launched their operation.

Yuan Ting nodded and said, "Well done. Your growth has been very rapid. Elder Sun was foolish. Don't waste time—head to the fourth floor."

As he finished speaking, a dense fog suddenly began to spread around them.

The white, misty fog enveloped everything, obscuring his view and blocking Zhang Yuanqing's sight of Yuan Ting.

"Careful, the bewitching demon of the Saint stage is called the Mist Lord. In dense fog, they are invincible. This should be Li Xianzong's artifact..." Yuan Ting's voice came to an abrupt halt.

All around was silent, Zhang Yuanqing lost all sense of direction, the entire world seemed to be left with only him.

...