Chapter 88

Because he was not familiar with anyone in the special task force, Xu Yan did not chat with them. He and Zhu Youxiang found a secluded corner and sat down. As soon as they sat down, he saw Wen Xiuzhi and two civil aviation officials in white uniforms enter the waiting room. They were walking quickly and arguing about something, their voices occasionally reaching over.

"Comrade Leader, according to the regulations of the Civil Aviation Administration, only air marshals are allowed to carry weapons on the plane. Even military and police personnel on official business cannot carry weapons on civil aviation flights; the weapons must be handed over to our air marshals for safekeeping. This regulation is also for aviation safety, to prevent accidents caused by accidental discharge of weapons."

"Director Zhang, you haven't understood the situation yet! Since the General Staff notified the Civil Aviation Administration, that East Airlines flight is no longer a civil aviation flight. It has been requisitioned by us from the General Staff and is now a military aircraft. Therefore, my people can certainly carry weapons on board!"

Wen Xiuzhi waved his hand forcefully. "After we arrive in Xiangcheng, we might have to engage in combat immediately. We don't have time to wait for you to return our weapons, so we must carry them with us."

Seeing that the airport officials were about to say more, Wen Xiuzhi waved them off impatiently. "This is my decision. If anything goes wrong, I will take responsibility. You don't need to say any more—has the East Airlines flight we requisitioned been prepared?"

"Report to the leader, the plane is being refueled, and the ground technicians are checking it..."

"Then let's board the plane first. We can refuel while boarding, saving time. Later, remember to notify the control tower to give us priority for the runway and takeoff! We must take off before ten o'clock! This is a political task, and if anyone delays us, we will hold them accountable!"

Wen Xiuzhi sternly reprimanded, and the two airport leaders nodded like chickens pecking at rice. "Comrade Leader, rest assured. The Civil Aviation Administration has given us instructions to fully cooperate with your mission. We have already made the necessary arrangements. Your flight today has the highest priority!"

When Xu Yan was a child, he had also traveled by plane with his parents. What left the deepest impression on him was the long waiting time at the airport. He remembered that the first time he flew, the flight was delayed, and they had to wait for seven hours at the airport. Afterwards, Xu Yan's mother complained that taking the plane was not as good as driving.

But today, Xu Yan's flight experience was completely different. He had been in the waiting room for less than five minutes when someone arranged a special VIP passage for them to board the plane. Once on the plane, he had barely settled in when the announcement came that they would be taking off immediately, and everyone was asked to fasten their seatbelts. Xu Yan checked his watch; from the time he arrived at the airport until the plane took off, it was only about twenty minutes.

Comparing the past and the present, Xu Yan felt a mix of emotions—this was the taste of privilege, and it felt pretty good. No wonder everyone despised so-called privileges, but when they could enjoy them, no one would give them up voluntarily.

The plane took off, and after the turbulence of the ascent, Xu Yan was dozing off in his seat when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked up to see Wen Xiuzhi, who gestured to him. "Go to the first-class cabin. We need to have a meeting."

Xu Yan said, "Oh," and turned to Zhu Youxiang, reminding her not to unfasten her seatbelt and not to move around to avoid any accidents. Zhu Youxiang nodded obediently. "Young Master, don't worry. I know my limits." She was engrossed in watching the clouds outside the window, looking very interested, and Xu Yan felt reassured. He unfastened his seatbelt and walked to the first-class cabin.

In the first-class cabin, a few people were already seated. Besides Wen Xiuzhi, there were two military officers, one a lieutenant colonel and the other a colonel, and two police officers in uniform. There were also two men in civilian clothes who seemed to be intellectuals. They were seated in a circle around Wen Xiuzhi.

Seeing Xu Yan enter, Wen Xiuzhi waved him over. "Xu Yan, come and sit next to me." Xu Yan saw an empty seat next to Wen Xiuzhi and sat down. Wen Xiuzhi introduced him to the others. "Everyone, meet our new team member, Captain Xu Yan."

Looking at Xu Yan's youthful face, his messy hair, and his lack of military demeanor, everyone frowned. A robust lieutenant colonel asked in a rough voice, "Leader, Captain Xu looks unfamiliar. I've never seen him before. Which unit is he from?"

Wen Xiuzhi replied calmly, "Captain Zhong, Captain Xu was specially recruited into our intelligence department. He wasn't a soldier before; he was a sophomore at Shudu University."

The lieutenant colonel "Oh"ed, nodded, and turned to look out the window at the clouds, saying no more.

At this moment, no one spoke, and an awkward silence fell. Everyone looked at Xu Yan with strange expressions, and he felt at a loss, not knowing where to put his hands.

Wen Xiuzhi understood what everyone was thinking: a sophomore from Shudu University, how could he be specially recruited into a special unit like the intelligence department, and even be a captain? Most people probably guessed that Xu Yan was the son of a high official or a powerful person, someone who had used connections to join the task force to gain some credit. However, such thoughts were impolite, and no one wanted to say them out loud.

Wen Xiuzhi didn't reveal the truth and introduced the others to Xu Yan casually. "This is Lieutenant Colonel Zhongshan, the captain of the Wolf Tooth Special Forces in our intelligence department. Our arrest operation will rely on Captain Zhong's Wolf Tooth team. This is Colonel Gao Min, the director of the Domestic Intelligence Division of the Fourth Bureau of our intelligence department. Xu Yan, your unit will be under the Domestic Intelligence Division, and Director Gao will be your direct superior."

Xu Yan bowed his head and greeted, "Director Gao, hello. I'm new and don't know much. Please give me your guidance."

Director Gao smiled, adjusted his glasses, and looked very scholarly. "Hello, Comrade Xu Yan. Don't be too formal. Once you join the task force, we're all one family. We can learn from each other." Director Gao had fair skin, a gentle demeanor, and a soft voice, looking very scholarly. If it weren't for his military uniform, Xu Yan would have mistaken him for a university professor.

Next, Wen Xiuzhi introduced the two men in civilian clothes, both of whom were professors. One was surnamed Chen, and the other was surnamed Lu. The two police officers were Director Yu from the 18th Bureau of the National Security Department and Director Zhang from the Anti-Terrorism Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security.

Before Xu Yan could finish greeting everyone, Wen Xiuzhi's expression turned serious. "Alright, everyone is here. Let's have a brief meeting to update the situation. Everyone knows that Xiangcheng has reported another case of F-virus-induced madness, but this time it's different. The patient is still alive. According to the Xiangcheng Public Security Bureau, they have cornered the madman in an abandoned warehouse..."

"Warehouse?" Several people asked in unison, surprised.

Wen Xiuzhi smiled. "This time, we're lucky."

He looked at his notebook and read, "According to the Xiangcheng Public Security Bureau, the madman is a factory worker at the Xiangcheng Yima Town Second Textile Factory, a collective enterprise. This morning at around six, according to the factory's schedule, over a dozen workers, including the patient, were clearing out an abandoned warehouse to prepare it for storage. Suddenly, one of the workers went mad, attacking and biting the other workers, causing two deaths and six injuries. Fortunately, the other workers were quick to lock the warehouse door and call the police. Since we had already notified them, the Xiangcheng Public Security Bureau, upon receiving the alarm, not only sent personnel to the scene but also reported to our task force—this was at 8:10 AM.

"I immediately ordered them to secure the scene and wait for us. They were not to open the warehouse door and were to use the armed police to surround the area, keeping the madman inside but not harming him.

"At 9:00 AM, Xiangcheng reported that the area was secured and they were waiting for us to handle the situation."

Wen Xiuzhi closed his notebook and said solemnly, "That's the situation. We are flying to Xiangcheng, and the plane will arrive in about half an hour. Before we land, we need to come up with a complete plan. Everyone, share your thoughts—Professor Chen, do you have anything to say?"

Professor Chen put down his raised hand and asked, "Leader Wen, may I ask why you emphasized not harming the madman? You know how dangerous such a person can be."

"The reason is simple: I want to capture a live specimen."

The leaders present exchanged glances, and Director Gao of the Fourth Bureau of the intelligence department spoke for the group. "But, Leader Wen, last time we captured a dying madman. The blood samples we took from him were analyzed and tested, and no abnormalities were found. What's the point of capturing another one?

"You know how dangerous these madmen are, with their strong vitality. Even with lethal weapons, it's not easy to eliminate them. If we want to capture one alive, it will be very difficult and may result in significant casualties—of course, we all know that there will be sacrifices in battle, but at least let the sacrifices be meaningful.

"Leader Wen, unless there's a special reason, I personally think... capturing him alive is unnecessary. We should just eliminate him directly."

Everyone murmured in agreement, mostly supporting Director Gao's opinion, thinking it unnecessary to risk the lives of the soldiers to capture the madman alive.

After a moment, Wen Xiuzhi said calmly, "I understand everyone's opinions, but I have a good reason for wanting to capture a live specimen—I need a living specimen for an experiment."

"Experiment?" Everyone was stunned. The two civilian experts exchanged glances, and Professor Chen asked, "Leader Wen, what kind of experiment do you want to conduct? We remember that in the last experiment, we conducted all the routine and special tests for pathology, epidemiology, and the virus. We didn't miss anything.

"If you want to conduct any special tests, you should have informed us in advance so we could prepare the equipment and reagents. Otherwise, we might not be able to find the necessary equipment and reagents in Xiangcheng, which could delay things."

Wen Xiuzhi said politely, "Professor Chen, don't worry. I have already prepared everything needed for this experiment."

Professor Chen looked relieved. "Oh, that's good. Leader Wen, what is the content of this experiment?"

"I want to test the effectiveness of a drug on F-virus-induced madness patients."

When Wen Xiuzhi said this, everyone's eyes lit up. Professor Chen exclaimed in surprise, "What? The drug has already been developed? That's impossible! We haven't even identified the virus. How could a drug be developed—ah, could it be that a foreign institution has developed it? Which company produced it?"

Wen Xiuzhi waved his hand. "This is not a Western drug; it's an ancient Chinese herbal medicine. The provider is not a foreign pharmaceutical company but Captain Xu Yan—Captain Xu, show the experts your medicine."

Everyone's surprised gazes turned to Xu Yan, who silently took out a small porcelain bottle containing four Evil-Dispelling Pills. They passed the bottle around, looking at the red pills inside with strange expressions.

Professor Chen took the bottle, opened the lid, and sniffed lightly before quickly closing it again. He frowned. "These pills have a strong fragrance, but I can't identify their components—Captain Xu, could you tell us the ingredients and effects of these pills?"

Explaining these magical pills was a real challenge for Xu Yan. He looked embarrassed and laughed dryly. "This... I'm not sure. I obtained these pills by chance. The formula and ingredients are lost, and I don't know how they were made."

"Then, Captain Xu, how do you know this medicine is effective against these madmen? Have you tested it before, or do you have any pharmacological basis?"

"I haven't tested it... but I think it should be effective!"

Xu Yan's irresponsible answer made the experts frown, and Captain Zhong even sneered, clearly skeptical of Xu Yan's claims.

At this moment, Wen Xiuzhi was also anxious—would these medicines work? If they didn't, this trip to Xiangcheng would be a laughingstock. However, unlike Xu Yan, he was the leader of the task force and knew that as a leader, he had to be confident and determined, or his subordinates would lose morale and the mission would fail before it even began.

If they continued to question the origin and effectiveness of Xu Yan's magical pills, it would only make the situation more absurd and meaningless. Even if Xu Yan brought up his "yin" or "possessed" theories, they would sound like jokes to these materialistic scientists and soldiers. Only after the pills cured the madmen might some believe Xu Yan's claims, but his words now had no credibility.

Therefore, Wen Xiuzhi said calmly, "We won't discuss the origin and effects of Captain Xu's pills for now. What we need to discuss is how to get the patient to take the medicine. Let's brainstorm and come up with a plan!"

Wen Xiuzhi used his authority as the leader of the task force to set the tone of the meeting. The scientists and officers, though reluctant, had to comply and began discussing the issue.

Everyone understood that to get the madman to take the medicine, they first had to control him. The experts, police, and military officers present had all handled similar cases before and knew how difficult it was to capture a madman with superhuman strength and a violent nature.

Wen Xiuzhi looked at Lieutenant Colonel Zhong. "Captain Zhong, the patient is locked in the warehouse. Does the special forces team have the confidence to capture him alive?"

Captain Zhong pondered for a moment and then shook his head. "Leader Wen, our soldiers are elite special forces, but in close combat with the patient, they might not be able to handle it.

"To capture the madman alive, we need to engage in close combat and subdue him. However, the strength of an F-virus-induced madness patient is enormous. From the videos and photos we've seen, the madman's strength can reach over a thousand kilograms—about one ton.

"As the saying goes, brute strength can overcome skill. The strength difference is too great, and no technique can make up for it. Such strength can kill with a single blow and injure with a touch. It's not something that can be countered with grappling or combat techniques. To capture him alive, we would need special equipment. Without it, it's impossible to do so with human power alone."

"What kind of special equipment do you mean?"

Captain Zhong said, "Since the target is in the warehouse, I suggest using flashbangs, stun guns, tear gas, and tranquilizer guns. Even with these, we can't guarantee they will be effective. From past cases, the target can withstand dozens of bullets and still survive. Their physiological functions are clearly different from normal people. If lethal weapons are ineffective, we doubt that flashbangs, stun guns, and tranquilizer guns will work on them.

"However, it's worth a try. If it works, it would be a pleasant surprise."

"Captain Zhong, prepare the tranquilizer guns, stun guns, and flashbangs that might be needed. The special forces team should get ready."

"Yes, sir!"

Wen Xiuzhi then turned to Director Zhang from the Ministry of Public Security and smiled. "Director Zhang, when it comes to capturing people, your police force is the expert. Do you have any good suggestions? This is a critical moment, and we need your expertise."

Director Zhang waved his hands and laughed. "Leader Wen, you're too kind. In terms of professionalism, the military is the big brother. In terms of equipment and training, how can we compare to the military? I heard Captain Zhong's suggestions about using tranquilizer guns, stun guns, and flashbangs, which are all on point. If I have any suggestions..."

Director Zhang frowned and thought for a moment. "Perhaps we could consider using a net gun? Local police often use this to capture suspects, and it's quite useful for live captures. The Xiangcheng Public Security Bureau should have this equipment. We can notify them to prepare it."

Wen Xiuzhi asked, "What is the range of the net gun?"

"About five to ten meters—slightly farther is possible, but beyond fifteen meters, accuracy can't be guaranteed."

Wen Xiuzhi shook his head slightly. "That's too close. The madman can move very quickly, and a few meters is just a blink of an eye. At this distance, the person firing the net gun would be in great danger."

Director Zhang shook his head. "We're not afraid of danger, but we're not sure if the net gun will work against such a madman. Captain Zhong said the madman has the strength of a ton. I'm worried the net might not hold him. The nets are designed for ordinary criminals, but against such a powerful madman, I'm concerned they might break, and he could escape, which would be problematic.

"My suggestion is to use multiple net guns simultaneously to entangle him thoroughly. Even if he breaks a few nets, he won't be able to escape quickly. At that point, we can use tranquilizer guns, stun guns, and flashbangs to subdue him. The more, the better. Even if he's made of iron, we'll soften him up.

"Then we'll prepare ten or eight electric batons. As soon as he shows signs of weakening, we'll rush in and use all the batons at maximum power to paralyze him. We'll quickly handcuff and shackle him—using multiple pairs of handcuffs and leg irons to ensure he can't move, even if he's as strong as an elephant."

Wen Xiuzhi agreed. "Director Zhang's suggestion is good. Does anyone have any other opinions?"

The group discussed for a while. In the presence of these experienced veterans from various security departments, a young and inexperienced person like Xu Yan was largely ignored. They added a suggestion to Director Zhang's plan: when the capture begins, neither the military nor the police should enter the warehouse. Instead, they should create a hole in the roof and fire from above. This would ensure a safe retreat if the capture fails, and the madman wouldn't be able to follow them out.

After a few minutes of discussion, everyone agreed with Director Zhang's plan, but Captain Zhong added, "Leader Wen, I think, as a precaution, we should still prepare lethal weapons—automatic rifles are a must!

"If the capture measures fail, we need a fallback plan to prevent the monster from escaping. Leader Wen, the special forces team requests authorization to use lethal weapons to eliminate the monster if the live capture fails."

Wen Xiuzhi pursed his lips tightly. Even Xu Yan could see that he was determined to capture the target alive and was not pleased with Captain Zhong's suggestion, but the latter's reasoning was sound, and he couldn't refute it. He reluctantly nodded. "Yes, as a precaution, this idea is acceptable. Captain Zhong, you can prepare, but remember, our primary goal is to capture him alive. We can't give up