Chapter 4

Su Mei was well aware of the danger of the bomb and did not intend to blame anyone. She pondered for a moment and said, "The bomb disposal experts are on their way, but the situation is urgent, and we can't just stand here waiting. You need to find a way to know what's happening inside!"

The head of the Major Case Team seemed a bit intimidated by this beautiful bureau chief and did not dare to be negligent. He quickly replied, "Director Su, we are already working on it. We just contacted the general manager of the American Plaza, Mr. Wang. Mr. Wang said that the hostages are in the front hall of the plaza. The front hall has been temporarily converted into an independent exhibition hall for a jewelry display, with three sides enclosed and five passages leading to the front door. There are also several surveillance cameras installed in the hall. We plan to connect the cameras first, so we can know what's happening in the hall..."

The head of the Major Case Team was still quite clear-headed and reported the situation clearly and logically.

"Oh, surveillance cameras in the front hall?" Su Mei's eyes lit up. "Get it done quickly! I'll give you five minutes. Within five minutes, I must know what's happening in the hall!"

The head of the Major Case Team loudly acknowledged, saluted, and hurriedly left.

"Captain Chen." Su Mei turned to look at the criminal investigation team captain who was still with her.

"Director, please give your instructions." The remaining criminal investigation team captain looked younger, around his early thirties, with a somewhat fawning expression. His response was a bit casual, but not annoying.

"Stop being so casual. Have you arranged the personnel for the search?" Su Mei gave him a glance, which, though a glare, had a unique charm.

"Director, it's already arranged. Any suspicious targets will not escape our attention."

"Good. Go and organize more people to search the back of the mall. Make sure no one lingers around the mall! Of course, if there are any suspicious targets, detain them immediately!"

"Got it!"

Just as Captain Chen was about to leave, a powerful engine roar was heard, and a black van police car rushed in through the square passage.

The black van police car screeched to a halt in the square. "Swish," the side door opened, and over ten masked armed police officers jumped out one after another. The black van police car had two prominent white characters on its side: Special Police!

...

Outside the plaza, more and more police officers were quickly arriving. Inside the mall hall, Tang Chuyi was eagerly watching the entrance. The arrival of the police meant hope for survival! She was full of hope that the police would quickly appear before her. To her, only the police could rescue her from this deadly chair.

Ning Xiaofan was about to speak but, seeing her eager look, his lips moved but no sound came out.

Neither of them spoke, and for a moment, the mall hall fell into an unbearable silence.

Time passed quickly, perhaps a minute, perhaps less than a minute, but Tang Chuyi felt like sitting on pins and needles.

"Why haven't the police come in yet..." Tang Chuyi, full of hope, felt increasingly anxious and muttered.

Tang Chuyi's voice was very low, but Ning Xiaofan heard it clearly and couldn't help but say, "Miss Tang, ordinary police won't be of much help."

"Not useful? Why?" Tang Chuyi was taken aback.

"To defuse the explosive device hidden in the chair, a bomb disposal expert is needed."

"Bomb disposal expert? Oh, right, right, a bomb disposal expert is needed..." Tang Chuyi's eyes showed a hint of realization, and she lightly exhaled, "I wonder when the bomb disposal expert will arrive."

Tang Chuyi muttered to herself, and Ning Xiaofan glanced at the phone on the ground and said, "If there's no traffic, it will take at least forty minutes for the bomb disposal expert to get here, and closer ones will take about twenty minutes..."

"How do you know?" Tang Chuyi blinked her beautiful eyes and stared at Ning Xiaofan in a daze.

"From what I know, civilian explosive demolition is managed by the Safety Supervision Bureau, and explosive hazardous materials are managed by the Public Security Bureau's Public Order Team. Both departments have bomb disposal experts. Another option is the Engineering Battalion of the Jiangnan Military District, which can also defuse bombs. Among these three departments, the Public Security Bureau's Public Order Team is the closest..."

"So, I have to wait here for twenty minutes?"

Tang Chuyi's eyes showed a hint of tension and unease. She didn't know why Ning Xiaofan was so clear about which department managed bomb disposal experts and even knew the time it would take for them to arrive. She only knew that she had to endure for another twenty minutes.

"Actually... I'm afraid it won't be twenty minutes." Ning Xiaofan, seeing her tense and frightened look, felt a bit heartache.

"What do you mean by that?" Tang Chuyi looked at him with a tense expression.

Ning Xiaofan sighed and said, "Your phone is almost out of battery, and mine has only one bar left. If the phones stay on, they won't last more than ten minutes..."

Less than ten minutes? Tang Chuyi was initially stunned, but then a thought flashed in her mind, reminding her of the electromagnetic interference he mentioned earlier.

"You mean, if the phone runs out of battery, it won't interfere with the remote detonation?" Although Tang Chuyi was in a state of tension and fear, it didn't affect her intelligence. She immediately realized the terrifying consequences of the phone running out of battery.

"Yes, that's what I mean. However, I'm not sure if this bomb has a remote detonation device. It might not."

"What if it does?" This guy always spoke in ambiguous terms, making Tang Chuyi feel a bit annoyed.

"What if?" Ning Xiaofan thought for a moment and said, "How about... I check it now? If you trust me, I'll try to defuse it."

Ning Xiaofan had just finished speaking when Tang Chuyi remembered that he had mentioned earlier that he could defuse the bomb in the chair, but the police sirens had distracted her.

The bomb disposal expert would take at least twenty minutes to arrive, and the phone would run out of battery in ten minutes. If the bomb in the chair had a remote detonation device, without the electromagnetic interference from the phone, the bomb might be detonated, and she wouldn't be able to wait for the bomb disposal expert.

What should she do? Wait? Or...

Right, he was able to stop the countdown earlier, so he must be able to defuse the bomb!

Thinking of this, Tang Chuyi bit her soft lip, her eyes showing a hint of determination. She decided to take a gamble, risking her life to bet on his ability to defuse the bomb.

As soon as this thought popped up, she suddenly felt it was inappropriate. She seemed selfish, risking her life and asking him to take the risk for her.

Feeling guilty, Tang Chuyi said hesitantly, "Mr. Ning, it's too dangerous here. Why don't you leave and wait for the bomb disposal expert to defuse it..."

"You don't trust me?" Ning Xiaofan was taken aback, a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

"No, no, that's not what I mean." Tang Chuyi noticed the disappointment in his eyes and her heart skipped a beat. She quickly explained, "I'm worried that... if you can't defuse it, the bomb might explode. I'll be the one to suffer, but I don't want to drag you down..."

She didn't want to drag him down.

Ning Xiaofan felt a warmth in his heart, and the disappointment in his eyes disappeared. She was so kind, willing to face a deadly situation rather than involve him. How could he leave her!

Ning Xiaofan took a deep breath and said, "Miss Tang, don't worry. I can defuse this bomb. I promise, I promise to keep you safe."

Ning Xiaofan's voice was not loud, still a bit shy, but no longer ambiguous.

He promised to keep her safe? Was he making a promise to her?

Her bodyguards and agents had left her, but this young man, whom she didn't know, was still with her, and he was willing to risk his life to defuse the bomb for her!

Tang Chuyi stared at him, her eyes showing determination, and her nose tingled. She felt like crying.

Ning Xiaofan didn't know her feelings at that moment, but being stared at by the idol he liked and even admired made him a bit uneasy. Her beautiful eyes were misty, and the tears seemed ready to spill out. Their eyes met, and her sad look made him heartache.

Time passed, and Ning Xiaofan, seeing her lost in thought, couldn't help but say, "Miss Tang, time is limited. Please trust me..."

Tang Chuyi snapped back to reality, her eyes meeting his, and she steadied herself, nodding lightly. "Thank you, Mr. Ning. I trust you. Please go ahead..."

She agreed, and Ning Xiaofan breathed a sigh of relief. His eyes scanned the chair, and he rubbed his hands together, then relaxed his hands and moved his fingers.

Tang Chuyi noticed that the young man's hands were very beautiful, not too big or too small, with smooth skin and long, even fingers, as white and tender as onion segments. When he moved his fingers, they danced up and down, like playing the piano, giving a sense of fluidity and grace, pleasing to the eye.

Tang Chuyi was captivated by his beautiful hands and felt a bit jealous. How could his hands be so white and tender, even more than a woman's?

Ning Xiaofan's eyes didn't linger on the chair for long. He had already observed it when he defused the timer earlier. Now, he was just reinforcing his memory.

His memory was reinforced, but the task of defusing the bomb in the chair was still a headache.

From his earlier observation, the voice-activated mechanism was located at the front of the right armrest of the chair. The steel bars that restrained Tang Chuyi's body were triggered by the voice-activated button.

In other words, the voice-activated button was connected to both the steel bar mechanism and the timer. The principle was simple: just connect two power lines to trigger the steel bar mechanism and the timer...