Chapter 246 51

Chapter 246: 51

At the cliff edge, reinforcements finally arrived.

He Lin took the safety rope from a SWAT officer, quickly checked the knots, then bent down to scoop up the unconscious Li Shang. The man in his arms was deathly pale, his wounds still seeping blood. With the help of two SWAT officers, He Lin hoisted Li Shang onto his back, secured the harness, and then, with almost frantic speed, scrambled up the cliff face, using both hands and feet.

The rock face was sheer, and loose stones tumbled constantly, but He Lin’s gaze remained locked on the cliff top. His palms were raw and bleeding from scraping against the rock, yet he gritted his teeth, pushing with every ounce of his strength.

By the time he reached the summit at top speed, a helicopter had already landed nearby. He Lin personally carried Li Shang into the cabin, carefully laying him flat.

Besides Li Shang, several other injured individuals, wrapped in emergency bandages, were also brought aboard.

Medical staff swiftly connected Li Shang to a monitor. The fluctuating readings on the screen were alarming: "Blood pressure continues to drop. The situation is critical; immediate surgery is required."

"Contact Yuncheng Second Hospital and prepare an operating room."

The helicopter took off swiftly, its body shaking as the rotor blades churned the sea air, emitting a steady drone.

The island below gradually receded, becoming a mere speck on the vast ocean.

He Lin sat beside Li Shang, gazing at his unconscious lover, gently holding his cool hand.

.

In the provincial detention center, the interrogation was finally drawing to a close. Chen Yanchu, surprisingly, felt a greater sense of relief than Jin Tingrui. He found his own relief somewhat inexplicable, yet then deemed it entirely logical. After all, being interrogated by Jin Tingrui was a uniquely "tormenting" experience.

He mentally replayed the entire interrogation, confident that he had divulged no useful information.

His ambiguous answers and deliberately misleading suggestions would only heighten the police's apprehension towards the shadowy "mastermind," making them perceive him as unfathomable.

Those fools wouldn’t understand, anyway.

That was enough. His objective wasn't merely to conceal, but to clear himself of suspicion while instilling fear of Bai Zang in the police.

As they began to pack up, Chen Yanchu suddenly grew curious. Leaning slightly forward, he asked with a casually probing tone, "After all this effort, what measures will the police be taking?"

"Measures?" Jin Tingrui looked up at him. "A stupid but effective old method: locate each device one by one and dismantle them."

With the interrogation concluded, his earlier irritable demeanor vanished, replaced by a purely professional detachment.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yanchu smiled faintly, his expression showing no surprise. "As expected."

In his view, such a needle-in-a-haystack approach was inefficient, utterly incapable of keeping pace with "his" intricate plans, much less matching "his" grand designs.

Jin Tingrui, however, seemed oblivious to the sarcasm and continued, "My mentor, when I first joined the force, once told me that most violent offenders choose targets in places they’ve been to or seen before. While 'heinous' might be too strong a word for Bai Zang, 'deranged' is certainly appropriate."

Here, Jin Tingrui paused, his tone carrying a sense of finality. "So, the final target was the study tour group, wasn't it?"

At these words, a thunderbolt seemed to explode in Chen Yanchu’s mind. His pupils dilated sharply, and his hands clenched tightly.

If his previous hysterical outburst after facing Li Shang had been largely an act to confuse and mislead, the panic and shock surging within him now were entirely genuine.

How did the police discover his chosen final location?

Those locations were indeed not chosen at random.

They were like brands burned deep into his memory.

Back then, he had already had his falling-out with He Lin and was just a university student.

During the summer of his junior year, filled with foolhardy bravery and dreams for the future, he arrived in this bustling, unfamiliar city. He started internships, hoping to prove himself, to see if he could secure a job and establish himself there.

But reality dealt him a crushing blow. He found himself homeless, at his most desperate, sleeping on park benches. His resumes vanished into the void, and repeated rejections shattered his pride.

Eventually, he was hired by an organization as a part-time teaching assistant, helping organize a study tour camp.

For those few days, he meticulously maintained attendance records, took headcounts, and arranged schedules, all while smiling on the surface. But inside, he was consumed by envy and resentment as he watched the teenagers.

The children were of two types: some were genuinely outstanding students recommended by their schools, proud and confident about their futures; others came from wealthy families, sent to broaden their horizons, dressed in designer clothes he couldn’t even identify, barking orders with entitlement.

As the children visited museums, research institutes, libraries, and prestigious universities, attending lectures by renowned scholars, his envy and hatred grew over those few days.

Back then, looking at them and then at his own faded T-shirt, forced to endure humiliation for the sake of an internship certificate, what festered within him wasn’t motivation to strive harder but twisted bitterness.

On the night they left, sitting at a neon-lit street corner outside Mingyue Station, watching well-heeled passersby come and go, he didn’t think about how to overcome his failures. Instead, he resolved to succeed by any means necessary.

If he ever made it, he would kill everyone who had wronged him.

It was this brief experience that cemented his resolve to leave for M country later.

It was also the final piece of the puzzle that made him Bai Zang.

So, when devising his final plan, those buried memories naturally resurfaced. Those locations, those scenes, became the focal points of his revenge.

He thought these secrets were his alone.

Now, suppressing the storm inside, he feigned calm and asked, "How did you find out?" Unnoticed by him, his voice was hoarse and shaking uncontrollably.

Jin Tingrui had already opened the door but turned back at the question. His expression was complex—a mix of pity, disdain, and regret. Still, he answered: "Bai Zang’s victim selection preferences have always been consistent. That was the starting point of his descent into darkness, so naturally, it would become the endpoint of his destruction."

"Jealousy and hatred toward young lives… such an unusual criminal motive, and we actually encountered it." Jin Tingrui paused, glanced back at Chen Yanchu, and added in a tone that was calm yet carried immense weight, "So, it turns out Li Shang truly understands you."

Li Shang…

Jiang Shangxue!

Chen Yanchu silently repeated the name, his teeth grinding audibly.

The name was like a dagger stabbing into his heart. Rage and resentment surged in his chest, threatening to overwhelm him. But what followed was an overwhelming sense of powerlessness.

All his struggles, all his schemes, all his self-perceived secrets—in front of that person, they were transparent.

He had been seen through after all.

The supporting force suddenly vanished, Chen Yanchu’s body went limp, collapsing into the chair.

He lowered his head, his hair hiding his eyes, concealing his expression. But the trembling of his shoulders betrayed his utter defeat.

Since their youth, he had never measured up. They came from similar backgrounds, both had been stuck in the mud, so why did Li Shang always manage to rise again? Why did he stand so high? Why did he command all of He Lin’s attention? That was his light!

Chen Yanchu was consumed by resentment. He wanted to see Li Shang, he was desperate to see him.

But the interrogation room door slammed shut with a final, heavy thud.

.

The study tour camp was located in a dedicated building on the outskirts of the city, the most carefully orchestrated and concealed site in Chen Yanchu’s entire scheme. In his plan, cut-off transportation routes would make it difficult for the police to send reinforcements outside the city.

Before the island operation began, Li Shang had already contacted the provincial department and pinpointed the exact location.

Now, several teams of officers were converging on the study tour camp by various means. Leading one team was Shi Ren, the Detachment Commander who had been specifically dispatched from Tianning Base.

On the way, the police had already contacted the organizers of the educational camp in advance, instructing them to gather the children ahead of time.

The camp teachers, following the police's directions, had already assembled the children in the main hall. The young students' faces were filled with confusion.

The teachers reassured the bewildered students, "Everyone, stay calm. This is just a police security check. Please cooperate."

"Line up properly and don’t bring anything with you. Head to the open area outside first."

Shi Ren strode in, his gaze sweeping over the children before settling on the head teacher. "Make sure everyone is accounted for. Not a single one can be missing." He then turned to the officers behind him, his tone suddenly sharp. "Conduct a thorough search. Quickly."

The officers quickly dispersed, and before long, reports began coming in over the radios.

"A bomb found in the storage room on the first floor, hidden behind sacks of flour."

"Another bomb discovered in the activity classroom, under the seats in the second row."

"A third one in a hidden compartment under the stairs. Is he a rat? So good at hiding things..."

Bomb disposal teams moved in swiftly and systematically. Shi Ren walked over to the side of the staircase and looked down at the pried-open compartment. The bombs were hidden in cunning and obscure spots, like deliberate provocations left by Bai Zang.

The placement of these bombs was near the building's load-bearing structures. If detonated, the intense heat and shockwaves would spread through the corridors, turning the entire building into a sealed firetrap within minutes.

In such a scenario, the children would have no chance of escape.

He Yuan was responsible for defusing the bomb in the activity classroom. Kneeling on the floor, his protective suit was already soaked with sweat. His hands, usually steady, trembled slightly as he cut the final wire.

From receiving the order and rushing to the provincial headquarters, to arriving at the first scene, and finally defusing this bomb at the camp, hours had passed. His protective suit had become a sauna, and the clothes underneath were soaked through.

With the task finally completed, he placed the bomb into a blast container for disposal.

He Yuan removed his protective helmet and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

Seeing this, a young teammate beside him handed him a bottle of water.

He Yuan unscrewed the cap and took several large gulps, finally catching his breath.

Updates continued to come in over the radio. The tally gradually increased as bombs scattered across various corners of the city were being located and defused one by one.

Outside on the open ground, the camp teachers had organized an impromptu activity. The children sat on the grass, watching their classmates putting on shows, bursts of laughter and cheerful chatter occasionally filling the air.

Shi Ren stood at the end of the corridor, silently watching the scene.

As the last defused bomb was placed into the blast container, the crisis was finally over.

He Yuan walked over and asked, "Is it over?"

Shi Ren nodded. "Nearly done. Just wrapping up."

He Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks to Captain Rong..." Then he caught himself. "How is Li Shang?"

Shi Ren's expression turned grim. "The command has communicated with the hospital. They will do everything they can to save him."

.

A helicopter landed on the rooftop helipad of Yuncheng Second People's Hospital.

As soon as the cabin door opened, medical staff who had been waiting rushed forward with a stretcher. He Lin jumped down and carefully helped transfer Li Shang onto the bed. The white sheets were instantly stained with blood.

The medical team raced against time, almost sprinting as they wheeled Li Shang into the operating room. He Lin followed behind, watching as the "Operating" light lit up.

He stood outside the door, listening to the faint sounds of surgical tools and the steady beeping of monitors. After a long while, he finally sat down in a nearby chair.

The chairs outside the operating room were cold. He Lin sat there, and medical staff came by several times, urging him to get his own wounds treated. He Lin merely took some gauze and quickly bandaged himself. He remained tense, his gaze never leaving the closed door.

Hours later, Dr. Song hurried out. He Lin quickly stood up and approached him, his voice trembling uncontrollably. "How is he?"

"His condition is still unstable," Dr. Song said, removing his mask, his eyes showing fatigue and concern. "Come with me to the office."

He Lin's heart sank.

"The abdominal wound has been treated," Dr. Song said, rubbing his forehead. "However, previously embedded shrapnel pieces in his body have shifted. One piece near the chest is pressing against his heart and lungs, and another near his lower back is close to the spinal cord. The situation is not optimistic. He must undergo a second surgery today, or he won't last long."

He Lin urgently asked, "What are the chances of success?"

"Before, the shrapnel was too deep to operate on," Dr. Song sighed. "Now, because it has shifted, we can try. But operating near the heart carries significant risks—it could cause massive bleeding. If the injury near the lower back isn't handled properly, it could lead to respiratory or cardiac arrest, or even permanent paralysis."

Seeing He Lin's face turn pale, Dr. Song softened and added reassuringly, "Failure isn't inevitable. The purpose of the surgery isn't to fail. I will do everything I can, and you need to believe in him too."

Pausing for a moment, he handed over a document. "But I must inform you of the worst-case scenario. You need to be mentally prepared. According to the surgery consent form, as his proxy, you need to sign for him."

He Lin took the document from the nurse beside him and carefully read the text.

He recognized every word, but they seemed to dance before his eyes. He could hardly form a complete sentence.

He Lin remembered Jiang Shangxue's blood staining the snow, recalled stitching up Rong Qing's wounded side, and thought of Li Shang always reassuring him with "It's okay" after each injury. He had seen his partner injured in various ways, but never before had he felt so acutely the cold edge of fate hanging over them.

His heart felt as if gripped by an invisible hand, the pain spreading through his veins to every part of his body.

Yet, He Lin regained his composure. He took a deep breath, steadied his trembling fingers, and carefully signed his name on the signature line.

After signing, He Lin left the doctor's office and returned to his seat outside the operating room. His shoulders shook as he pressed his fingers to his furrowed brow, feeling the dampness on his fingertips.

Then he wiped his face, pushing all fear and panic deep down, and straightened his back once more.

The sunset outside painted the hospital corridor red. This long, exhausting day was finally giving way to the quiet of night.

He would wait—for his partner to return, for the dawn that would surely come.