Chapter 619 - 618: Swords Combined (Part 3)

It was obvious this wasn’t the way to negotiate with a man like Song Shengfu.

In a situation like this, it was best to bring in a professional negotiator.

Su Li pulled Captain Zhang back. "Captain Zhang, do you have any negotiators? We need to get a specialist to come and talk this through properly."

Captain Zhang frowned. "A negotiator?"

"You know, police officers who specialize in negotiating in situations like this. You must have some, right?"

Only then did Captain Zhang nod. "Yes, yes. I’ll send someone to get one."

Away from Song Shengfu and the sight of those children, Captain Zhang wiped the sweat from his face and finally managed to calm down.

He glanced back and saw that at some point, a crowd had gathered outside. They appeared to be local residents, likely drawn over by the commotion to see what was wrong.

About ten people were gathered around, their faces a mixture of terror and curiosity. Among them were a few children with runny noses.

Captain Zhang looked at them, then at the surrounding houses where lights were now on, and the pressure on him skyrocketed.

Even though this was far from the Imperial City, just a suburban county town, Song Shengfu’s house was surrounded by other homes.

If a fire broke out at Song Shengfu’s place, and you added that poisonous gas into the mix, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Not to mention the female teacher and forty children inside...

As Captain Zhang was thinking, he heard Su Li say, "Captain Zhang, you need to request backup. The nearby residents must be evacuated to a safe location immediately."

Even without Su Li saying it, Captain Zhang knew what he had to do.

Gritting his teeth, Captain Zhang sprang into action. To prevent Song Shengfu from actually harming the children, he clenched his jaw and waved for the officers in plain sight to pull back.

Over the next twenty minutes, various departments across the Imperial City were mobilized.

The police department sent reinforcements, but with so much at stake, the higher-ups ultimately decided to deploy a military special forces team.

Although the police were very capable and skilled, they were no match for a special forces team in terms of combat prowess.

An operation was set in motion, covering a one-thousand-meter radius with Song Shengfu’s house at its center.

Inside Song Shengfu’s house, however, it was silent and pitch-black. No one knew what was happening inside. The sky was completely dark, there was no moon, and without any source of light, it was so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. You couldn’t see a thing.

The children, along with their teacher Xiao Hong, were no longer in the courtyard. It seemed they had gone into the main house and closed the door, leaving the situation inside completely unclear.

Ten minutes later, there was finally a sign of movement from Song Shengfu.

It was not good news.

"I told you to back off! Why are you still here? You even dared to sneak in? Do you think I’m joking? I’ll show you what happens when you don’t listen!"

Police Zhang’s men had tried to sneak in from behind, and it seemed Song Shengfu had discovered them.

Along with Song Shengfu’s furious roar, a light appeared in his house once more.

Song Shengfu was holding a lighter. Amid the muffled, agonized cries of the teacher, Xiao Hong, and a sudden commotion, a child was thrown out of the house.

The child was tossed out like a dirty rag. A thick stench followed—a pungent mix of kerosene and methamidophos.

Police Zhang lunged forward and caught the child, only to find the little one had already passed out.

No one knew if the child had been forced to ingest the methamidophos.

"Quick! The hospital! Get them to the hospital!"

Police Zhang roared, clutching the child.

The sight of that child was like pouring water on a grease fire; the entire scene erupted into chaos.

The child was rushed away at top speed, but the atmosphere at the scene had already reached a breaking point.

Captain Zhang waved his arms, his voice hoarse from shouting, "Everyone pull back! All of you, pull back! Don’t make another move! Just pull back!"

Once all the officers, both in plain sight and in concealed positions, had retreated, Captain Zhang shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Song Shengfu, we’ve all pulled back! Don’t hurt anyone else!"

There was no response from inside.

Captain Zhang grabbed his hair in anguish. "We’re the ones who hurt that child... If only... if only..."

"This isn’t the time for self-blame, Captain Zhang. When will the negotiator get here?"

The longer this dragged on, the worse it would be. Song Shengfu was far too unstable; the slightest provocation could cause him to act rashly.

"We still have to wait. It’ll be at least half an hour, no matter what."

Su Li frowned. Half an hour was too long. There was no telling what could happen in that time.

She glanced back. The nearby residents were being evacuated, but it was a slow process. Moving the elderly and children was difficult, and many people were reluctant to be moved.

There was no telling if the evacuation could even be completed within half an hour...

As Su Li was lost in thought, a strange noise suddenly came from not far away. She took a couple of steps to look, and in the dim light, she saw a familiar figure.

’This feeling... it’s so familiar.’

A second later, her feeling was confirmed.

Even though the light was dim and they were still some distance away, she recognized him at a glance.

The newcomer was Wu Sheng. The man at the very front was Wu Sheng.

Wu Sheng seemed to have seen her, too. He waved to those behind him, said a few words, and then strode in her direction with several others.

"Wu Sheng?" Su Li ran a few steps forward and called out, her tone questioning.

"Are you okay?" Wu Sheng strode forward, taking Su Li’s arm and looking her over carefully.

"I’m fine." Su Li shook her head quickly.

"Get back. When it’s dangerous, don’t stand at the front." Wu Sheng pushed Su Li behind him, then explained, "I heard about what was happening here and rushed over."

Su Li nodded after hearing his words. A thousand things welled up in her heart, but in the end, only three words came out: "It’s very dangerous."

For some reason, the moment she saw Wu Sheng, Su Li’s heart calmed, and she was instantly filled with a sense of security.

"Mm." Wu Sheng nodded and patted Su Li’s shoulder. "I’ll protect you."

He wanted to tell Su Li to leave this dangerous place, but he knew she wouldn’t go, so he didn’t say it.

Wu Sheng’s sharp gaze scanned Song Shengfu’s house. After speaking with Mr. Zhang, he agreed to let them help.

Wu Sheng and Wa Wa Lian, who had arrived with him, exchanged a nod. Wa Wa Lian and a few others then dispersed, quickly vanishing into the darkness.

Wu Sheng was about to move forward but stopped and turned back. Just as he was about to speak to Su Li, he saw a group of people rushing toward them.

The newcomers were Su Li’s colleagues from the TV station. Li Anna was surprisingly among them, along with their chief editor, and next to the editor was Mr. Cook.

Su Li frowned the moment she saw them. ’Why is Cook here, too? He shouldn’t be here!’

’With the children in such a state, any parent who arrived would surely break down and lose control.’

Su Li had barely finished frowning when, a second later, Cook did indeed lunge forward.

"My Alice! Is my Alice in there? Is she all right?"

The chief editor followed behind him with a pained expression. He couldn’t understand Cook’s words, and his face was grim.

Su Li immediately understood the situation. She smoothed back her hair and did her best to soothe Cook.

Meanwhile, just as expected, Song Shengfu began to grow agitated when the negotiator didn’t arrive.

"I told you to get lost! Why are you still here!"