Chapter 50

The road outside the hot spring town was being widened and renovated, with potholes and dust flying everywhere. The compact Coolplay car's small size offered no advantage, and its 1.6-liter engine was no match for the powerful 4.6-liter, 310-horsepower engine of the Land Cruiser. Pengpeng stepped on the gas pedal desperately, speeding forward, but couldn't pull away.

Song Shuang was still calling her father's phone, terrified, her hands shaking. Ling Zijie was calmer than the two girls and took out his phone to call 110: "Hello, police? We're being chased, in... where?"

"I don't know!" Song Shuang screamed.

"On a road outside the hot spring town!" Pengpeng answered, flustered and unsure of the exact location.

Ling Zijie, a newcomer, was even more confused. Just as he was trying to spot any obvious landmarks, the Land Cruiser caught up. The large SUV forced the Coolplay to the side of the road, sparks flying as the two vehicles scraped against each other. A man with sunglasses poked his head out of the passenger window, holding a sawed-off shotgun.

Zhu Pengpeng screamed and covered her face. The out-of-control Coolplay hit a dirt mound and flipped over, sliding for several meters before stopping. The three of them were trapped inside, Pengpeng's face covered in blood. Song Shuang, sitting in the back, dropped her phone and tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. Looking back, she saw the SUV had stopped, and four men with knives, guns, and axes were walking over.

Ling Zijie was trying to unfasten his seatbelt, but it was stuck. His phone had fallen beside him, and the 110 operator's voice came through the speaker: "Hello, what's going on? Are you still there?"

A loud bang echoed as the man with sunglasses swung an iron rod, shattering the Coolplay's window. Glass shards flew everywhere. Song Shuang screamed and gasped for breath, which only seemed to excite the men. They smashed the window and opened the door, about to drag the occupants out, when a white Fukan sped by, too fast for anyone to react. One of the men was thrown several meters away by the impact.

The Fukan skidded to a stop, and Liu Hando jumped out with a steel pipe, rushing forward. The leader of the men raised his shotgun, but before he could pull the trigger, a sharp sound rang out, and his wrist was broken, the shotgun falling to the ground.

The man, despite the pain, lunged at Liu Hando, knocking him back several steps. Another man took the opportunity to stab Liu Hando with a dagger, which pierced his shoulder muscle.

Liu Hando reached back, pulled out the bloody dagger, and stabbed the man behind him in the abdomen. As he turned, a club hit him on the head, causing him to stagger, but he didn't fall. Blood streamed down his face, and he glared, brandishing the steel pipe and shouting, "Come on! Come on!"

The attackers, intimidated by his fearless demeanor, retreated, dragging their injured comrade and fleeing in the Land Cruiser, even forgetting to pick up the dropped gun.

Liu Hando touched his head, relieved that it was hard enough, but a large gash was bleeding profusely. He walked to the Coolplay, forced open the door, and rescued Pengpeng, who, though covered in blood, was not seriously injured.

Ling Zijie also climbed out, having recorded the entire scene on his phone, still holding it up to capture more footage. This was invaluable first-hand material.

Song Shuang, lying in the car, looked pale, sweating profusely, and convulsing.

"Does Song Shuang have epilepsy?" Ling Zijie asked urgently.

"I don't know!" Pengpeng was terrified.

"This isn't epilepsy. Do you have a plastic bag?" Liu Hando asked, scanning the car. He found a large Carrefour shopping bag, emptied it, and placed it over Song Shuang's head.

"What are you doing! Do you want to suffocate her?" Pengpeng demanded.

"She's hyperventilating," Liu Hando explained, seeing Pengpeng's confusion. "It's caused by rapid breathing due to nervousness, leading to low CO2 levels and respiratory alkalosis."

With the plastic bag on her head, Song Shuang breathed in some of her exhaled CO2, gradually returning to normal, and her convulsions stopped.

Liu Hando removed the bag and, seeing Ling Zijie still filming, said, "Don't film me, I was just passing by." He got into the Fukan and drove away.

"Hey, you're still bleeding, go to the hospital and get treated," Pengpeng shouted.

The Fukan sped off.

Ling Zijie helped Song Shuang sit up. It had been a terrifying ordeal, and if not for the timely help, they might have all died.

Pengpeng picked up her phone and called Zhu Huabiao. When the call connected, she burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably, which alarmed Captain Zhu, who lost his composure in the traffic police command center: "Pengpeng, what happened! Where are you!"

The meeting had just ended, and Song Jianfeng returned to his office, hearing the missed call notifications in his drawer. He found eight missed calls, all from his daughter.

He immediately called back. Someone answered, but the voice on the other end was sobbing, not his daughter's.

"Shuang'er, are you there?" Song Jianfeng realized something was wrong.

"Dad, I'm still alive," Song Shuang's voice came, seemingly calm but quickly breaking, "Dad, save me, someone is trying to kill me!"

Song Jianfeng slammed his hand on the table and stood up, his eyes blazing with anger. Someone was trying to harm his daughter!

His secretary, Shen Hongyi, heard the commotion and entered, looking concerned.

"Shuang'er, stay calm. Give me your exact location, and I'll send help right away," Song Jianfeng said.

Shen Hongyi immediately grabbed a pen and paper to take notes.

Song Shuang said, "We're on a road outside the hot spring town, under construction with building materials. There's a bridge nearby called the Bayili Bridge."

Shen Hongyi quickly drew a map: "Bayili Bridge in Hot Spring Town, 52 kilometers along the provincial road near Jiang. The nearest police station is the Hot Spring Town Police Station, which can reach the scene in eight minutes."

"Notify them to respond immediately, prepare the car, and I'll go myself," Song Jianfeng said, still holding the phone. "Shuang'er, don't hang up, keep the line open. Are you injured?"

"I'm fine, but Pengpeng is covered in blood."

"Call an ambulance," Song Jianfeng said, turning to his secretary.

Shen Hongyi nodded and held the digital radio: "Command Center, coordinate with the nearest hospital to send an ambulance."

Outside the provincial police headquarters, a black Audi was ready to go, with a black Mercedes leading the way, bearing the license plate of the Provincial Party Committee's security bureau. The red and blue police lights flashed, and the siren wailed as Song Jianfeng got into the car. Traffic control was in place at the entrance, and all vehicles were stopped by traffic police, who only allowed the convoy to pass.

Meanwhile, the traffic police headquarters was also mobilizing. Zhu Huabiao hurried downstairs, followed by a dozen traffic police officers with rank insignia on their shoulders. They got into their vehicles, and several police motorcycles with flashing lights and sirens led the way, followed by eight police cars.

The first to arrive at the scene were the police officers from the Hot Spring Town Police Station. Two officers and two auxiliary police officers, who had just met the three young people at the station, knew they were investigating something at the Shuidu Grand Hotel. It was no surprise that they had run into trouble, given the hotel's background.

The police officers, though somewhat gleeful, still did their duty, using a first-aid kit to bandage Pengpeng's wounds. Soon, an ambulance from the town hospital arrived, but the three refused to leave.

"We need to protect the scene; nothing can be moved," Song Shuang said.

The police officers scoffed, thinking it was just a traffic accident and a fight, with no fatalities, and no need to protect the scene.

"We'll protect the scene. Come to the station to give your statements," the police said.

Suddenly, Pengpeng shouted, "No! You're in league with the bad guys!"

The police officer's face darkened. "How dare you speak to me like that?"

Song Shuang held out her phone. "Let your boss talk to you."

The police officer took the phone and asked casually, "Who is this?"

"I'm Song Jianfeng!"

"Which Song Jianfeng?" The police officer didn't realize the gravity of the situation.

In the speeding Audi, Song Jianfeng, his face pale, handed the phone to Shen Hongyi. "You talk to him."

Shen Hongyi took the phone. "Hello, I'm Secretary Shen Hongyi from the Provincial Public Security Department. You're the responding officer from the Hot Spring Town Police Station, right? Has the ambulance arrived? Protect the scene, and don't let anyone touch anything. This is a serious criminal case, and we're on our way."

The police officer broke into a sweat, hearing the distinctive siren of the lead car. This wasn't a joke; no one would dare impersonate a provincial department leader. It was likely true.

"Give the phone to the daughter of Director Song," Shen Hongyi said.

The police officer realized the girl was the director's daughter, and he nervously handed back the phone, ordering the auxiliary police to protect the scene and maintain order, preventing any bystanders from approaching.

Within three minutes, the chief and the political instructor of the Hot Spring Town Police Station arrived. They had been informed that the director's daughter was in trouble in their jurisdiction. Seeing the scene, the chief was mortified. The three people who had been in a car accident and attacked were the same ones who had requested to review the surveillance footage of the Shuidu Grand Hotel at the station earlier.

This incident was likely related to the Shuidu Grand Hotel, and he would be held responsible. His career as a police officer was over.

Fifteen minutes later, the traffic police convoy arrived, taking over the scene without hesitation. The chief of the police station didn't dare to argue, as Zhu Huabiao, in a white shirt with two-star rank insignia, was a division-level leader, much higher in rank.

Soon after, the provincial police leadership arrived. The Audi door opened, and Song Jianfeng got out, his face grim. Zhu Huabiao approached, "Director Song, thank goodness everyone is safe."

Song Jianfeng nodded and had the three accident victims taken to the ambulance without greeting his daughter. At that moment, he was a police officer, not a father.

The scene was gruesome. The Coolplay was overturned, its windows shattered, and the windshield cracked. Blood was everywhere, and a shotgun and two steel pipes were on the ground.

"Director Song, should we handle this as a terrorist incident?" Shen Hongyi asked softly.

Song Jianfeng's expression was cold. "No, hand it over to the Second Bureau. This is a personal attack on me!"