Chapter 92

Xu Yan held his phone, looking lost. He hesitated for a moment and said to Zhu Youxiang, "I think I should go and talk to Wen Xiuzhi in person. If he releases that monster, it will be troublesome."

Zhu Youxiang frowned slightly. "Young Master, there's no need to go."

"Ah, why not?"

Zhu Youxiang did not answer but gently unstrapped the sword behind her and placed it in front of Xu Yan. The sword, named Cicada Wing, was vibrating rhythmically, emitting a low hum.

Zhu Youxiang shook her head and sighed, "Young Master, it's too late. The monster has already broken out."

As if to illustrate her words, the sound of gunfire suddenly erupted.

~~~

It's a complete mess! A total mess!

Wen Xiuzhi never imagined things would come to this. In fact, when he ordered the warehouse door to be opened for a search, he was still very cautious. Although he had already believed the fire department expert's opinion that there was indeed no one in the warehouse and the murderer had escaped, he still ordered Captain Zhong to lead fifteen soldiers equipped with non-lethal weapons such as net guns, stun guns, electric batons, and tranquilizer guns. He also instructed them to call out loudly if they discovered the target, to request immediate backup from their comrades, and not to fight alone or be overly ambitious.

To prevent any mishaps, Wen Xiuzhi made a second arrangement at the warehouse entrance: a squad of armed special forces was stationed there to guard against the madman escaping from the warehouse. With the assault team and the support team in place, Wen Xiuzhi believed his plan was foolproof. He never imagined things would end up in such a mess.

After the large iron door of the warehouse was opened, people saw that the inside was pitch black, with piles of discarded fabric and chemical drums stacked everywhere. Everyone frowned at the sight of the dark and cluttered warehouse: in such a narrow space with poor lighting and numerous obstacles, even if the murderer was inside, it would not be easy to find him.

The warehouse manager was brought over to point out the location of the light switch by the door. However, for some reason, the lights did not turn on. The manager, sweating profusely, eventually told Wen Xiuzhi that the wiring might be faulty.

Wen Xiuzhi, impatient, shouted, "Then fix it quickly!"

"But, sir, the wiring for the lights is inside the warehouse. We need to go in to fix it; it can't be done from outside."

There were a few electricians in the task force who studied the situation and then reported to Wen Xiuzhi: it was likely that the wiring for the warehouse lights was damaged when the hole was made in the roof. The manager was right; to repair it, they would need to go inside the warehouse, as it couldn't be done from outside.

"Notify the power company. Can they fix it?"

"Even if the power company comes, they will still need to go inside to fix it."

Wen Xiuzhi tightly pursed his lips, his face turning ashen. At this point, he had a bad feeling about the operation: a few holes drilled in the roof had somehow damaged the wiring. His luck was really bad, and it seemed everything was going against him.

But Wen Xiuzhi was a man of deep calculation. He knew that even if he scolded the people who caused the problem, it wouldn't help solve the issue. At this moment, he had only one option: to push forward with determination.

The only solution he could think of was to bring in a batch of police flashlights and equip the soldiers with them, instructing them to be extra cautious and to support each other, and not to get separated.

Captain Zhong, the team leader, was very confident. He said cheerfully, "Please rest assured, Leader Wen. We are professionals!"

So, Captain Zhong led fifteen professional special forces soldiers into the warehouse, while the others waited outside. The warehouse was large, covering over a thousand square meters. Everyone estimated that it would take Captain Zhong and his team a long time to search such a vast, dark area.

To everyone's surprise, things happened quickly: shortly after the special forces entered, the sound of gunfire and shouting came from inside. Over the radio, a soldier yelled, "There's something moving in that shadow... What is it... Ah, it's a person, target found! He's in the second storage area—quick, use the net gun on him!"

"No, he's too fast... The net gun can't hit him... Ah... Damn, it missed again!"

"Stun gun... Where's the stun gun?! Fire it quickly!"

"Aiming the stun gun... What the hell, did it miss?"

"It hit, but it doesn't seem to have affected him... Second squad, move towards us! We're in the middle of the warehouse!"

"Anesthesia gun—bang, bang, bang, bang—Ah, damn you, Wen Xiuzhi! This thing is useless, it doesn't work even when it hits!"

"You idiots! Use the electric batons... Ah~"

"Captain Zhong is injured, someone, help get Captain Zhong out..."

"Report, the special forces have been attacked by the target, several are injured, all current weapons are ineffective, five are injured... Captain Zhong is also injured... Request permission to retreat..."

"What permission? Take the injured and get out quickly! Those with stun guns, cover the retreat, even a little delay is good—Ah—"

"Idiot, you hit Liu... Who has a real gun, shoot!"

"No one has a real gun, Leader Wen didn't allow it, and we can't fire without his permission..."

"Let that idiot Wen die—He's chasing us! Send reinforcements, bring the riot shotguns! These things are useless! Hurry!"

"No, he's too fast! Can't hit him—Ah, save me~~"

"He's catching up!"

"Fight to the death—Ah!!"

The last sound over the radio was a long, agonized scream. After that, no matter how the liaison outside called, there was no response.

"Report! Leader Wen, the assault team is in trouble, request reinforcements!"

The command center was silent, the officials' faces grave. Gradually, everyone's gaze focused on Wen Xiuzhi—everyone remembered that it was he who ordered the assault team not to carry lethal weapons.

Wen Xiuzhi's face was ashen, like he was wearing a metal mask. His facial muscles twitched, revealing a wolf-like ferocity. Listening to the report, he did not immediately respond but furrowed his brow, gritting his teeth in thought.

Now, Wen Xiuzhi was in a difficult situation. From an outsider's perspective, the solution was to quickly send in a team with real guns to eliminate the madman and rescue the first assault team, saving as many as possible.

But this was just the average person's view. As the decision-maker, Wen Xiuzhi had a different perspective—eliminating the criminal was not difficult, but if the criminal was killed, the goal of capturing him alive would not be achieved, and his plan would be a complete failure.

Without a live criminal, he couldn't test Xu Yan's medicine, and his achievements would be null. His superiors would only remember his command failure and the loss of several special forces soldiers.

But if he could capture a live madman, and if Xu Yan's medicine had some effect—Wen Xiuzhi didn't expect Xu Yan to completely cure the madman, but even a little effect would be a significant breakthrough. Then he could report to his superiors that there had been a breakthrough in the investigation of the strange disease, the F virus, and that a curative drug had been discovered.

Hearing such good news, his superiors would be pleased. At the end of the report, he could add, "To capture the F virus for testing, the investigation team demonstrated a spirit of bravery and sacrifice. Captain Zhong and fifteen soldiers were unfortunately martyred. We request commendation and awards for the martyrs." Generally, in light of the achievements, the superiors would not be too concerned about the details, and the heavy casualties among the special forces would be glossed over.

In a flash, Wen Xiuzhi made up his mind: no matter how many casualties, he had to capture the madman alive this time.

But how could he capture the madman alive?

Captain Zhong, though often at odds with Wen Xiuzhi, was a capable leader. The special forces he led were the best of the best, selected from various military districts. Now, even they had been defeated, which proved that the non-lethal weapons—stun guns, net guns, and anesthesia guns—were ineffective against the madman. If the best failed, the local police and armed police would fare even worse. The reality was clear: without real guns, capturing the madman alive, or even killing him, would be nearly impossible.

Without guns, how could he capture the madman alive?

This was the key issue. Wen Xiuzhi thought hard, but before he could come up with a solution, another incident occurred: everyone heard a burst of gunfire from the direction of the warehouse!

Wen Xiuzhi was furious. He stood up and shouted, "Who fired the gun? Find out immediately!"

The situation was quickly clarified. The soldiers guarding the warehouse entrance, who were from the same unit as Captain Zhong's assault team, were deeply concerned about their comrades. When they heard that their comrades were in danger and the command center was not sending reinforcements, they could no longer bear it. Led by a special forces major, twelve soldiers, without waiting for Wen Xiuzhi's orders, entered the warehouse with their real guns.

The reinforcements were equipped with real guns, but their fate was no better than that of their predecessors. They were quickly attacked as soon as they entered the warehouse. Seeing a shadow moving in the darkness, they didn't know if it was a retreating comrade or the target. The leading officer didn't dare to order a shot but called out. In response, they were attacked by a pair of bloody hands.

It was a chaotic, bloody battle. The madman charged into the ranks of the armed soldiers, slaughtering them.

At first, the soldiers were hesitant to fire because of Wen Xiuzhi's orders, but later, they didn't have the chance to fire—because the target was already engaged in close combat with their comrades. In the darkness, they couldn't tell who was who.

In the pitch-black warehouse, the reinforcement team was also overwhelmed. The leading officer, who was at the front, was the first to be taken down. The cries of the injured soldiers, the curses, and the low growls of the monster continued. In the extreme panic, one soldier finally lost control. He shouted and fired into the darkness—no one knew if he hit the monster, but it was confirmed that he hit several of his own men.

This burst of gunfire led to the collapse of the reinforcement team. If they were only facing a fierce enemy, they might have continued to fight, but the random shots were the last straw. The thought of being killed by the monster or by friendly fire in the dark was too much for even the bravest soldiers. They turned and ran, firing randomly as they went, trying to stop the monster from pursuing them—no one cared about Wen Xiuzhi's orders anymore.

Hearing the intense gunfire and the panicked shouts over the radio, Wen Xiuzhi knew things were bad again. He realized that the situation was beyond his control. The assault team and the reinforcement team were both from the special forces, and now the task force's armed strength was severely damaged. He had no direct control over any soldiers and could only rely on the local armed police and public security.

Wen Xiuzhi was in a panic. The successive defeats of the assault team and the reinforcement team not only caused heavy casualties but also left the warehouse entrance unguarded. The main entrance was now wide open, and the armed forces guarding it were only a dozen police officers with only police pistols.

He shouted in frustration, "Director Lao, quickly call your armed police and have them bring assault rifles to secure the warehouse entrance! Absolutely do not let the monster escape! Hurry and call for reinforcements!"

Director Lao nodded and took out his phone to make the call. But just as he was about to dial, another burst of gunfire came from the warehouse—this time, the gunshots were clearly from single-shot pistols. Hearing this, Wen Xiuzhi and Director Lao's faces changed. "Those are clearly the sounds of police pistols!"

At that moment, a police officer rushed into the command center and shouted, "It's bad, the criminal has broken out! Our pistols can't stop him!"

~~~

"Xu Yun, it seems very chaotic over there." Hearing the gunfire, Xu Yan couldn't help but exclaim, "Wen Xiuzhi said no guns, so why are there so many gunshots now?"

Zhu Youxiang "hmm"ed and smiled, "