Chapter 618 - 617: Swords Combined (Part 2)

The child who had been pushed forward was trembling uncontrollably. The pleading in her eyes made Captain Zhang’s heart ache.

He had children of his own, and seeing a child suffer like this was like a knife to the heart.

Captain Zhang and his men faced Song Shengfu. The air grew tense and stagnant.

CLICK. The lighter in Song Shengfu’s hand sparked to life. With his other hand, he hoisted the little girl up and pulled her in front of him.

"I said get out! All of you, get out!"

"If you don’t get out, I’ll burn her alive! I’ve got plenty of other students, anyway. I don’t care if she lives or dies!"

Song Shengfu’s face was full of ruthless determination as he backed away a few steps.

In the space of those two steps, he seemed to regain his composure.

He looked up at Captain Zhang and his men. In the flickering light of the lighter, the ruthless look on his face appeared even more twisted and grotesque.

"You all think I’m a pushover, don’t you? I’m going to show you, I’m going to show everyone, that I’m not someone to be messed with!"

"If I don’t teach you a lesson, you’ll never learn how dangerous I am!"

A cruel smile spread across his face. He moved his hand, and just as he was about to set the girl on fire, Captain Zhang finally spoke.

"We’re leaving, we’re leaving! Don’t do anything rash."

Song Shengfu was emboldened and acting completely unhinged, utterly inhuman. Captain Zhang couldn’t just stand by and watch the child burn in front of him. His only choice was to retreat and wait for another opportunity to act.

They didn’t know if Song Shengfu had accomplices, either. If they took the risk of taking him down, it might put the other children in danger.

Weighing his options, Captain Zhang slowly backed away step by step, exiting Song Shengfu’s home.

Watching the men retreat, a strange, peculiar expression appeared on Song Shengfu’s face.

"Hahaha, they actually left! Hahaha..."

’It really pays to be ruthless,’ he thought, laughing. He tilted his head back and commanded, "Shut the door! Get back, and don’t surround my house, or I’ll burn this place down! Burn everyone!"

Outside the door, Captain Zhang gritted his teeth, but he could only ask, "What about the others? Where are they?"

The sky was growing darker. Soon it would be completely black. Darkness could be an advantage, but it could also be a hindrance.

"In my hands, of course. They’re all my bargaining chips."

Song Shengfu laughed and limped forward two steps, not forgetting to drag the little girl along. "I just got married, I don’t have any kids yet. I have to leave an heir for the Old Song Family in this lifetime, so you’ve come too early."

Through the door, he saw Su Li and Ling Zhen standing not far from the entrance. He also saw the camera.

Song Shengfu suddenly smiled. "A guy like me... I never thought I’d see the day I’d be on TV. And I even get to see those high-and-mighty reporters from television. This is all worth it."

He raised the hand holding the rope and crooked his finger. "Come closer. If I’m going to be on TV, you’ll need to get a clearer shot."

Song Shengfu brought the lighter a little closer to his face, illuminating it more clearly.

"Get a good shot and listen up. I’m just borrowing these kids for a bit. If they’re obedient and cooperate, they’ll go back home alive and well."

"As long as you don’t disturb my life and don’t try to arrest me, I’ll release them one by one when I’m in a good mood. But if you try to force my hand, I’ll burn them or poison them, one by one."

Song Shengfu started to laugh, and his smile held a hint of shyness, of innocence.

That kind of smile, in this atmosphere, combined with the words he was speaking, was suddenly terrifying.

For some reason, goosebumps broke out all over Captain Zhang’s skin.

"Song Shengfu! Leniency to those who confess, severity to those who resist! You’re surrounded, there’s no escape! If you want to live, stop resisting, put down the lighter, and turn back from the brink!"

Police Zhang shouted with righteous authority. This was the usual way to deal with criminals.

No one thought anything of it, but Su Li’s heart skipped a beat. ’This is bad,’ she thought.

Sure enough, the next second, Song Shengfu’s expression hardened, and a frightening sneer appeared on his face.

"Heh, how impressive!" Song Shengfu sneered. "Very good. Very good."

He suddenly turned and shouted back into the house, "All of you, get out here!"

"Who are you telling to come out?" Police Zhang’s hand tightened and retightened on his gun.

But Song Shengfu just smiled without answering, changing the subject instead. "You all forced me to this point!"

"Let me tell you, this entire house, inside and out, is drenched in kerosene. All I have to do is drop this lighter, and the whole place will go up in flames."

He chuckled. "You refused to do this the easy way, so we’ll do it the hard way. When I die, taking so many people down with me won’t be so bad."

As Song Shengfu’s voice fell, a trembling woman suddenly appeared from the back of the house. It was none other than the class teacher.

When Song Shengfu saw the teacher, a smile appeared on his face. "Xiao Hong."

The teacher, Xiao Hong, flinched and forced a smile that was uglier than tears.

"What are you doing? Hurry up and bring them out."

The sky had grown dark, and Xiao Hong couldn’t see Police Zhang and the others outside, but she had heard the commotion from before.

"I’ll bring them out now. Just... Shengfu, please don’t be angry."

As she spoke, she turned back and said gently, "Come on, students, let’s go outside."

After Xiao Hong spoke, a line of children emerged from behind her, their faces filled with terror. They all huddled behind their teacher, their eyes fixed on Song Shengfu in fear.

Including the out-of-place Alice, a total of forty children were now in the yard.

Their clothes, along with Xiao Hong’s, were all damp to some degree. It was undoubtedly kerosene.

Song Shengfu’s lighter went out, plunging the yard into darkness for a moment. But a second later, it was bright again.

It was Song Shengfu, who had turned on a flashlight. He aimed the beam directly at Police Zhang by the door, the light so blinding he couldn’t open his eyes.

"You’ve seen everyone. Satisfied? Now shut the door and back off. I’ll give you half an hour. If you’re not gone by then, if you’re still here, I’ll kill one of them just to show you."

He chuckled lightly. "I don’t have much here, but I’ve got plenty of kerosene, methamidophos, and dichlorvos. Didn’t I say earlier today that I was going to kill those fleas?"

"You..." Captain Zhang listened, his eyes wide with fury. "You’re insane!"

He was actually going to use methamidophos and dichlorvos. Both are highly toxic pesticides used to kill insects.

They were common pesticides. Many people who couldn’t think straight and decided to commit suicide by poison would drink either rat poison or something like dichlorvos. It wasn’t hard to buy, just like kerosene for lamps.

The kerosene was already a thorny enough problem. Adding methamidophos and dichlorvos to the mix was a catastrophe.

Forget about ingesting it—even skin contact or inhaling the fumes was enough to cause poisoning. It was flammable, and if it caught fire, the resulting toxic gas would be released. Inhaling that would be a major disaster.

It wouldn’t just be this house; even people in the surrounding area could be poisoned.

A chill ran down Captain Zhang’s spine. "Song Shengfu, do you believe I’ll shoot you dead right now?!"

"Go ahead, shoot! If you’ve got the guts, do it! You think I’m afraid of you?"

At some point, a bottle of methamidophos had appeared in Song Shengfu’s hand. "Keep talking nonsense, and I’ll poison one of them and throw the body out to you!"

Captain Zhang’s eyes were red with fury. He was about to say something, but someone spoke up before he could.

"We believe you. Please, don’t get agitated."

Su Li couldn’t hold back any longer. She stepped forward, answering him while grabbing Captain Zhang’s arm and urging him in a low voice, "Captain Zhang, stop talking. Don’t provoke him."