Chapter 63

Just as Ferren was startled by the airbag, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a faint reflection from a window a few hundred meters away on the side.

"Fuck!"

Ferren cursed under his breath and, without a second thought, dove to the side of the car.

"Bang!!"

The spot where Ferren had been standing was now a mess of flying dirt and rocks, with a clear bullet hole in the ground. The force of the impact clearly indicated it was from a sniper rifle.

There are more of them!?

Ferren instantly came to this conclusion. He wanted to take out his sniper rifle from the hidden ring and return fire, but the time and place in broad daylight did not allow it. Moreover, although many Hong Kong police officers carry guns, few actually use them. For most officers, the deterrent effect of a gun is much greater than its practical use. Some officers might never have fired a gun in their entire careers, and if they did, they would have to write a detailed report explaining why they fired or drew their gun, the surrounding environment, the shooting process, and more, and even cooperate with the investigation department for a statement, and possibly receive psychological counseling.

Most importantly, if Ferren were to pull out an unissued sniper rifle and engage in a firefight with the criminals, the aftermath would likely be more than just writing a report and seeing a psychologist.

Sigh, being a police officer is so troublesome, with too many rules!

Just as Ferren was lamenting, a Mazda drove up from the side, and two AK-47s poked out of the window, spraying a barrage of bullets at the car where Ferren was hiding. The firepower was so intense that Ferren wished he could crawl under the car.

The Mazda was driven by Ceson and his gang, who had just arrived after hearing the continuous gunfire. Each of them had a stocking over their head. One AK-47 was held by the Japanese man, Takehiko, and the other by the Cebuano, Ninyo. The sniper on the side of the building was the German, von Röller.

Seeing Ferren pinned down, Ceson, the driver, took advantage of the situation and turned the car to approach the rear of Ferren's hiding spot. The two AK-47s continued to fire relentlessly. The citizens on the street had never seen such a scene before; some were frozen in shock, while others screamed and fled in all directions.

Ferren was not the type to sit and wait for death. Before the Mazda could get close, he seized a momentary break and fired two quick shots. The first shot hit Ninyo's fingers precisely, jamming the trigger of the AK-47, and the second shot injured Takehiko's wrist.

Although Ceson did not see Ferren's quick shots, he noticed Takehiko and Ninyo's injuries out of the corner of his eye. Realizing the situation was dire, he swerved the Mazda to park next to a taxi, temporarily blocking most of the angles from which Ferren could shoot.

However, this also temporarily blocked the AK-47s' firing angles. Ferren seized this opportunity and, without hesitation, rolled and began to retreat. He knew that, as a mere mortal, he could not withstand bullets. If he were caught in the crossfire of the two AK-47s at close range, he would have no chance of survival.

Von Röller on the building had been waiting for Ferren to appear. When he saw Ferren in the optical sight, he was stunned. Ferren's quick roll and agile forward leap allowed him to swiftly hide behind a truck, completing the entire process in one fluid motion. Von Röller did not even have time to aim, let alone shoot.

"Fuck!"

At the same time, the faint sound of sirens reached von Röller's ears. He cursed and quickly disassembled his sniper rifle, beginning his retreat. The Mazda's passenger door was directly opposite the taxi's rear seat. Seeing the dazed Qiangwo still in the back, Ceson was furious. He pulled out a Glock 18 from his waist and, with a quick burst, shot the airbag-strapped Monica, who was unconscious in the driver's seat.

"Bang bang bang bang bang..."

The white woman, Monica, was riddled with bullets, and the dazed Qiangwo was jolted awake, immediately rolling into the passenger seat. Ninyo, who had lost a finger, was not idle. He smashed the rear windshield with the butt of his gun, took the AK-47 that Takehiko had reloaded, and sprayed a barrage of bullets at the back of the car, pinning Ferren behind the truck.

"Screech—"

The Mazda's tires screeched against the ground, and it disappeared around the corner before the AK-47s ran out of ammunition. During this process, Ferren's instinctive shots all hit the Mazda's body, but did not cause any substantial harm to Ceson and his gang.

It's worth noting that from the moment Ferren stopped the taxi by shooting out its tires to the time Ceson and his gang arrived to rescue their comrades, the entire process took less than a minute. By the time the backup and PTU arrived, all they saw was a chaotic gunfight scene and the body of the white woman, still covered by the deflated airbag and bleeding profusely.

More miraculously, apart from a few innocent citizens who were lightly injured by stray bullets, almost all the bullet holes were concentrated in a small area, indicating how precise the firefight between Ferren and Ceson's gang had been.

The subsequent large-scale search of the nearby blocks yielded no useful clues, except for the closed restaurant that was under renovation.

In the briefing room of the Hong Kong Island District.

In addition to Chief Inspector Chen Zequan, even the Assistant Commissioner of the district, Li Jinping, was present. It's worth noting that Chen Zequan was responsible for coordinating and commanding frontline officers, while the promotion and transfer of officers were decided by Assistant Commissioner Li Jinping, who had the final say. In short, Chen Zequan was the second-in-command of the Hong Kong Island District, and Li Jinping was his direct superior, similar to the relationship between a vice-chief and a chief in mainland police departments.

"I have carefully reviewed the on-site investigation report," Li Jinping said with a stern face. "PI Ferren, I want to hear your explanation. Why did you stop the taxi under those circumstances? Weren't you afraid that the armed criminals would go crazy and fire at the surrounding innocent citizens?"

"Sir, first of all, I am a police officer, so I cannot ignore armed criminals, especially when three of them have killed two of our colleagues!" Ferren said with a sense of righteous indignation. "Secondly, I am confident that these criminals are professional soldiers or assassins. In life-threatening situations, their actions are highly purposeful. Unless we avoid engaging them, once we do, we must continuously force them to make the best decisions to save their lives, rather than waste bullets by shooting innocent citizens, which would be counterproductive."

Li Jinping was taken aback and laughed sarcastically, "Oh, so you're saying that the taxi driver who was killed and the citizens injured by stray bullets should thank you, PI Ferren?"

Ferren seemed to miss the sarcasm in Li Jinping's words and said earnestly, "Sir, I would like to correct your statement. The taxi driver was killed to facilitate their escape, and the citizens were injured by ricochets, not stray bullets. Most stray bullets miss their targets and injure others by accident, while ricochets hit the intended target first and then bounce to cause secondary injuries due to the rapid change in shooting angles."

"Wow, I've been a police officer for decades, and now I'm being educated by a rookie who graduated from the police academy less than a year ago," Li Jinping sneered. "Should the department award you a bravery medal or something?"

Ferren, aware of Li Jinping's sarcasm, replied seriously, "Sir, no need. Capturing criminals is my duty!"

Li Jinping was speechless, and Chen Zequan, though amused, scolded, "PI Ferren, you should know that our first priority as police officers is to protect the lives and property of citizens, and only then to prevent crime and capture criminals. This kind of fundamental mistake cannot be made. Go back and reflect on it."

"YES, SIR!" Ferren saluted in response.

Li Jinping was about to reprimand Ferren further when Ling Shu entered, nodded slightly to both Li and Chen, and said, "PI Ferren, come with me. I have some questions to ask."

The Assistant Commissioner is the Assistant Commissioner. Even Li Jinping did not dare to obstruct Ling Shu, the head of the Internal Affairs Department, and waved for Ferren to go.

However, as soon as Ferren left the briefing room, Li Jinping laughed, "Old Chen, I didn't expect our district to have such a brave officer. You were right to call him a brave detective!"

"But he's too brash!" Chen Zequan sighed. "If he had considered the safety of the surrounding crowd, it would have been better."

"Come on! The report says the criminals had two AK-47s and a Glock 18. Encountering such firepower, I believe no one in the entire police force could have handled it better than Ferren," Li Jinping waved his hand. "If you or I had been there, we would have been taken down in one shot!"

"Then what about recommending Ferren for the promotion exam?"

"Fine, I'll approve it!" Li Jinping waved his hand. "But Ferren is too brash. The armed criminals might come after him."

Chen Zequan nodded, "During this period, I will arrange a few capable officers to accompany him."

Ferren followed Ling Shu, his eyes fixed on her swaying hips. When she suddenly stopped, he nearly collided with her back.

Ling Shu turned around, saw Ferren standing too close, and frowned slightly before stepping back half a step. "PI Ferren, you need to write a detailed report about the shooting incident this afternoon and submit it to me by the end of tomorrow," she said and turned to leave.

Ferren was taken aback, "What? That's it?"

"What do you mean, 'that's it'?" Ling Shu wrinkled her nose.

"I mean, didn't you have something to ask me? Is it over?"

Ling Shu gave him a seductive look, "Didn't I just tell you to write a report and submit it to me?" She then ignored Ferren, swaying her hips as she walked away.

After Ling Shu's beautiful figure disappeared, Ferren muttered to himself, "Was she just helping me out of a tight spot, or is she feeling unwell?"

Back in the Major Crime Unit office, as soon as he entered, Xie Yixin approached, concerned, "Alan, how did it go? Did the Chief Inspector reprimand you?"

Ferren slumped into his chair and said calmly, "The Chief Inspector didn't reprimand me, but Sir Jinping did scold me a bit."

"..." Xie Yixin was speechless. This was worse than being reprimanded by Chen Zequan.

(Seeking recommendations, seeking collections, all kinds of requests!!)

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