Chapter 149 124: The Sky... Has Fallen

Until...

"Alright."

Cheng Yang finally spoke. He then rose and followed behind Xu Huo.

Xu Huo smiled and led the men out.

CREAK~

The door opened, and the people outside immediately came forward.

A few lawyers started to speak but were cut off by Cheng Yang. "It's fine. It's just a trip to the police station. I trust the police will prove my innocence."

"You guys call Supervisor Zhang."

The lawyers understood immediately and stepped aside to make the call.

Li Jianye swallowed the words that were about to come out.

"What happened? How did you convince him!?"

"Let's go."

Xu Huo said nothing, just chuckled as he and Cheng Yang got into the elevator.

"Room for three more."

Li Jianye also wanted to get on, but Xu Huo stopped him.

The building had many elevators, but this one wasn't very large—it could only fit seven burly men.

After a few junior Police Officers got in, there was no room for Li Jianye.

A Police Officer was about to get off to let Li Jianye on, but Xu Huo closed the elevator door.

The trip from the 33rd floor to the first wasn't slow. No one opened the doors, and the descent took a little over a minute.

And just as the elevator doors opened and Cheng Yang stepped out...

SWISH!

A fist the size of a sandbag flew out. Caught off guard, the Police Officer in front of him staggered.

Several dark muzzles appeared, aimed right at their heads.

"They're just junior officers, they don't have guns. Don't kill a cop."

"Killing a cop will bring huge trouble!"

Cheng Yang's face was grim. He ignored the men who had suddenly appeared from both sides, and he didn't even look at the stunned Police Officers who were now being held captive.

He pulled Xu Huo out, forcing the remaining officers to stay inside the elevator as he watched the doors close.

The next second, the power failed, and the closing elevator doors jammed!

"President Cheng, what now?"

A man holding a firearm looked at Cheng Yang with a grave expression.

"Proceed with the backup plan. Take him with us. This kid's background isn't simple—he's our hostage!"

Cheng Yang said no more. With a dark expression, he glanced at Xu Huo and turned to leave.

'He hadn't expected this...'

'He had considered every possibility, but he truly never imagined that the person coming for him would have such a high status!'

'If his status had been just one level lower, things wouldn't have escalated to this point...'

'This was the absolute last resort!!!'

'But when facing someone like this, running was also the only viable option!'

'Money, if lost, can be stolen again.'

'A daughter, if lost, can be replaced.'

'But a life... you only get one!'

He'd come up from the criminal underworld; to him, this principle was the gospel truth!

Xu Huo chuckled, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. He narrowed his eyes, his cold gaze sweeping across the necks of the men around him.

Even when a large man appeared and put him in a chokehold, he said nothing.

"We're buying time. A power outage and no signal on the thirty-third floor will keep them busy for a while."

At that moment, Cheng Yang was forcing Xu Huo toward the underground garage.

After a moment, a spacious van appeared, and the group quickly boarded.

There weren't many of them—only six people including Xu Huo—so there was more than enough space inside.

"Go! To the docks!"

...

...

「Meanwhile, on the thirty-third floor.」

"The power's out?"

"What's going on!?"

Li Jianye frowned at the scene before him.

"Boss, looks like the power's out," a Police Officer beside him said.

"Son of a bitch!"

Li Jianye cursed, grabbed his walkie-talkie, held it to his lips, and yelled:

"Xiao Zhang? Xiao Zhang!?"

"Come in, do you copy! Come in, do you copy!"

Not a single sound came from the walkie-talkie.

Li Jianye's face instantly darkened. He realized Cheng Yang must have pulled a fast one.

"Take the stairs!"

He made a snap decision and, without the slightest hesitation, bolted for the stairwell and headed down.

The group ran quickly, the sound of their frantic footsteps echoing through the stairwell.

After running for a long time, Li Jianye reached the fifteenth floor.

"Hello? Hello? Hello?"

"Boss, can you hear me, Boss!?"

"Boss, can you hear me!?"

An anxious shout, crackling with static, burst from the walkie-talkie. Li Jianye slowed his pace slightly, a small bit of relief washing over him.

But at the same time, the sounds coming from the other end made him frown.

'It sounds like...'

'...they're constantly kicking something?'

"Report! What's Cheng Yang's status!?"

"Boss, we don't have guns! We're trapped in the elevator! Cheng Yang escaped! He has a gun, and Advisor Xu has been taken hostage!"

The voice on the walkie-talkie quickly summarized the situation.

'He has a gun?'

'Taken hostage!?'

In an instant, Li Jianye's mind went blank. A thick, suffocating feeling enveloped him, making it hard to breathe.

"Damn it, how many of them are there?"

"Including Cheng Yang, five in total. At least five guns, imitation police-issue Type 64 pistols. Ammo unknown, escape route unknown. The elevator is useless. Even if the power comes back, the other elevators are blocked by trash cans and their doors won't close. Boss, you guys need to run down here, fast!"

"Five goddamn guns!"

"I fucking said we should've done a surprise arrest! Just grab him and throw him in a holding cell! But no, we had to 'summon' him. Summon my ass! God damn it..."

Li Jianye's eyes were practically splitting with rage. Ignoring his own ragged breaths, he pushed his body past its limits.

He accelerated, running faster down the stairs.

'Five guns...'

'A hostage.'

'An advisor from the Special Fifth Bureau, wrapping up a case, ends up with a gun to his head...'

'It's over, it's over, it's over, it's over, it's over, it's over, it's over...'

"Tell the Capital Special Fifth Bureau their one and only advisor is in danger!"

"Notify the Zhaozhou City armed police! All units, search with weapons drawn! Check all locations where Cheng Yang might appear..."

"Tell them if anything happens to Xu Huo, the entire city of Zhaozhou will pay the price! With his goddamn status, nothing can happen to him!!!"

"The original arrest plan is canceled, effective immediately."

"It is now changed to: upon encountering the five targets, including Cheng Yang, while ensuring Xu Huo's safety..."

A voice, filled with boundless rage, echoed throughout the building.

He spat out three words...

"Shoot to kill!!!"