Chapter 10

After Su Mei issued a series of instructions, she fell silent and turned her gaze to the close-up image on the display screen. Her eyes, brimming with emotion, flashed a hint of doubt.

At this moment, the special police captain and the head of the bomb disposal team, Yang, did not hesitate. Captain Liu hurriedly left the command center, while Team Leader Yang instructed the two plainclothes men who had entered with him, "Xiao Liu, Xiao Wang, I will go and check the surveillance footage with Team Leader Chen. You two put on your protective suits first, prepare the bomb disposal tools, and get ready to enter the scene at any time. Xiao Chen, Xiao Zhao, you two do the same and be ready for emergency backup."

After speaking, the bomb disposal team members responded loudly and began to act.

Outside the square, more than ten special police officers, wearing bulletproof vests and earpieces, stood in formation. There were two teams of special police officers, each with a sniper armed with a Type 97 sniper rifle, a shield bearer, an assault breacher, and the rest were assault team members!

At this moment, all the special police assault team members had pulled down their black masks, slung black Type 95 assault rifles diagonally across their chests, and hung flashbangs and tear gas grenades on their right chests. They also had Type 92 pistols in holsters on their legs, and a dagger on the side of the holster, fully armed to the teeth.

"Attention!"

As Captain Liu's voice fell, the special police officers in formation snapped to attention, standing tall and adding a touch of majesty.

"At ease!"

"Team One, go around to the front hall from the back of the mall, and upon reaching the designated position, the assault team will stand by. The sniper will find a hiding spot and lock onto the target!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Team Two, leave No. 3 and No. 5 here. The rest of you enter the hall from the front door and stand by at the designated position! The sniper will go to the second floor of the mall and lock onto the target!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Remember, no firing without my order!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Alright, move out!"

"Yes, sir!" The two teams of special police officers responded loudly, then dispersed and quickly moved toward the designated targets.

As the special police began to act, the crowd outside the square, who had been watching from a distance, suddenly burst into excitement.

"Look! The special police are moving!"

"Wow, they actually sent in the special police! So cool!"

"Tsk tsk, the criminals inside are in trouble. With the special police out, will there be any survivors?"

"Criminals? Didn't they say there's just a timed bomb in the mall? The criminals shouldn't be inside."

"I heard there's a bomb, and the criminal who planted it might be inside. Otherwise, why would they send in the special police?"

"Such a big commotion, it must be terrorists."

"Bro, do we have terrorists in our country? It's not that serious, right? At most, it's some social troublemakers, maybe just a worker demanding wages, using such extreme methods."

"Are you uninformed? Who said we don't have terrorists? What about the East Turkestan terrorists..."

"Right, I heard the hostage controlled by the bomb is Tang Chuyi."

"Right, right, I heard that too, it's Tang Chuyi..."

"Tang Chuyi? No way! She's my idol, is it true?"

"Probably true, didn't you see all the journalists, mostly entertainment reporters?"

As the crowd was discussing, a young voice suddenly rang out, "Dad, look, what are those two people doing? They're dressed so strangely, like monsters..."

The speaker was a young child, currently riding on the shoulders of a middle-aged man, speaking loudly and pointing toward the south side of the square.

The crowd nearby heard and looked toward the south side of the square. Some who were blocked by the people in front tiptoed, and some who were particularly short kept jumping, hoping to see the "monsters."

At this moment, two bomb disposal officers, wearing round, sealed helmets and heavy protective suits, carrying metal boxes, emerged from the temporary command center in the south area of the square.

The two bomb disposal officers slowly walked toward the front door of the mall, their steps somewhat unsteady due to the heavy protective suits.

In front of the two bomb disposal officers were three special police officers, one of whom was Captain Liu, leading the team...

Outside the mall, the sun was glaring, and the crowd was noisy and bustling, but inside the mall, it was still quiet.

On the T-shaped stage in the front hall, Tang Chuyi sat quietly on the chair, still restrained by the steel bars. Occasionally, there would be a rustling sound from under the chair. However, her expression was now more relaxed, not as panicked, not as frightened, not as pitiful as before.

"Are you done yet?"

Tang Chuyi asked in a soft voice, almost every ten seconds. Not only that, but her feet, which were resting on Ning Xiaofan's chest, would also rub against him. Fortunately, she didn't use much force, so Ning Xiaofan didn't feel much discomfort.

"Almost, just a few more detonators to remove, and it will be fine," came Ning Xiaofan's muffled voice from under the chair.

"Tsk, you've said it will be fine many times, but I still can't move." Tang Chuyi pouted, her tone seemingly complaining, but her voice was incredibly sweet, like a spoiled child.

Ning Xiaofan couldn't help but mutter to himself: Miss, if you didn't keep asking, I wouldn't keep answering, would I?

"Ning Xiaofan, tell me, when can I get rid of these steel bars on me?" At some point, Tang Chuyi had changed the way she addressed Ning Xiaofan, no longer calling him "Mr. Ning" or "Hey," but "Ning Xiaofan," a term that showed a bit of intimacy.

Here we go again! Ning Xiaofan couldn't help but let out a bitter smile. "I've already told you, the mechanism holding you is connected to the detonators of the explosives. Once the detonators are separated from the explosives, the mechanism can be released. Please don't keep asking the same question, okay?"

"Did I ask the same question? Are you sure?"

"I'm sure, more than once."

"Oh, if I asked, I asked. Since you're not done yet, I'll just talk to you. I'm scared, so you have to keep me company, okay?"

"Okay."

"Don't just say 'okay.' You have to talk. By the way, how do you know how to defuse bombs? That's usually only for professionals, right?"

"I used to work in explosives."

"Explosives work? How is that related to defusing bombs?"

"In our line of work, we must understand the principles and components of various explosives. Demolition and bomb disposal are two sides of the same coin, both essential."

"I see, that's dangerous, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's very dangerous, which is why I quit."

"Good, you're so capable, you'll surely find a good job. Since you saved my life, how about I introduce you to a new job? It's easy and pays well..."

"Uh, thanks, but I already have a new job waiting for me..."

Tang Chuyi frowned, her delicate nose wrinkling, and her soft lips formed a silent pout: "Tsk, you have a new job waiting for you, so what? You're not appreciating my kindness."

Tang Chuyi's current demeanor was a bit sour, but it was also incredibly cute. However, as soon as this cute expression appeared, she suddenly felt a jolt in her heart. Why was she acting like this? She suddenly realized that her mindset seemed to be off.

As a superstar, Tang Chuyi always presented a ladylike image, elegant, graceful, and radiant. Logically, such a sour expression should never appear on her.

Noticing the subtle change in her mindset, she found it quite baffling, and her beautiful eyes revealed a hint of frustration.

"Hmph! It's all this guy's fault!" Tang Chuyi muttered to herself, subconsciously blaming the guy under the chair for her unbalanced state.

Pata, pata, pata...

Suddenly, a series of slow, heavy footsteps echoed from the entrance of the hall.

The footsteps were slow and heavy, giving a sense of weight. As the two bomb disposal officers, wearing sealed helmets and heavy protective suits, awkwardly emerged from behind the partition wall, their strange appearance added to the eerie atmosphere.

The sudden appearance of these two strange figures startled Tang Chuyi. Her beautiful eyes widened, and her angelic face turned pale.

Fortunately, this shock only lasted a few seconds. She quickly realized that the two men were wearing specialized bomb disposal suits and were likely bomb disposal experts.

"Hey, Ning Xiaofan, the bomb disposal experts you mentioned are here, two of them," Tang Chuyi whispered, her expression a bit mischievous, as if she and Ning Xiaofan were on the same side.

"Bomb disposal experts? Two of them? Perfect, tell them I've already defused the explosive device and removed all the plastic explosives. Ask them to help remove the plastic explosives so I can come out..."

Ning Xiaofan didn't lower his voice. The hall was quiet, and the two bomb disposal officers heard him clearly, exchanging puzzled glances.

Hearing Ning Xiaofan's words, Tang Chuyi's expression brightened. She quickly turned to the two bomb disposal officers and said, "Are you the bomb disposal experts? Mr. Ning... oh, Mr. Ning said the explosive device has been defused, and he wants you to help remove the plastic explosives..."

The two bomb disposal officers exchanged puzzled looks upon hearing Tang Chuyi's words. One of them quickly reported the situation to the command center via his earpiece.

At the same time, the two teams of special police officers, hidden around the area, also learned of this strange situation through their earpieces...