Chapter 258: They’ve Come Inside

Zeyu heard Jingwei’s warning while he was putting the remaining food away.

He left the container on the counter and crossed to the controls beside the kitchen door. The east shutters began lowering as he pressed the switch, covering the dark windows one after another.

A sharp impact struck the sitting-room glass before the last shutter reached the sill.

Zeyu ducked behind the wall and a cushion slipped from the sofa where he had been sitting earlier.

The bulletproof glass didn’t shatter, but the vibration was enough to knock a few things off to the floor. He waited for the shutter to close before stepping far enough around the corner to check.

"The sitting-room window took a hit," Zeyu said into his radio. "The glass held. All the east shutters are down."

Jingwei answered from the security room, his voice steady beneath the sound of rain from an open camera feed.

"Stay off that side. Shichen, check the other approaches. I want to know if this is covering someone coming upstairs," he replied after double checking the situation.

Zeyu went to join him while Hanchuan was already there, watching a small boat drift beside the partly submerged building across the street.

A man crouched near its bow with a rifle braced against the side. Another sat at the engine, keeping them from turning with the current.

On the second screen, the longer boat waited farther back.

"They’re using the corner for cover," Jingwei said as Zeyu approached. "He fired when the shutters started moving."

Zeyu looked at the darkened row of windows above the boats. They had been eating and reading behind those windows all evening. The men below had watched long enough to choose where to aim.

"Can we see them from the service room?" Zeyu asked, pointing toward the nearer boat. "They’re clear of that corner."

Hanchuan studied the image, then picked up his rifle.

"Come with me," Hanchuan told him. "Jingwei, keep the longer boat where we can see it."

Zeyu took his weapon from the rack and followed. There was no need to fetch anyone else or discuss whether the men intended to hurt them. The damaged window had answered that.

They reached the service room as another shot struck somewhere outside.

Zeyu felt the sound through the wall and kept moving. Hanchuan opened the cover over the protected firing position while Zeyu brought up the exterior view on the small monitor beside it.

Rainwater ran from the ledge beyond the opening. Across the street, the rifleman had lowered his weapon and was speaking to the driver, who glanced repeatedly toward the larger boat.

Hanchuan settled into position. Zeyu stood beside the monitor, watching the spaces the rifle could not show him.

"The passengers from earlier aren’t with them," Jingwei reported through the radio. "Two men in the small boat. Three in the other one."

Zeyu found the man with the radio beneath the larger boat’s sheet. He was pointing toward the tower, his arm extended as he spoke to someone beside him.

Then the rifleman raised his weapon again.

Hanchuan fired before Zeyu finished drawing breath to warn him.

The man at the bow fell sideways, dropping below the boat’s edge. His rifle remained across the seat for a moment before sliding after him.

The driver bent over the engine controls. The boat lurched forward, struck floating debris, and swung broadside to the current.

"He’s trying to leave," Zeyu said, keeping his attention on the driver’s hands. "The gun’s still down."

Hanchuan held his position without firing again.

On the farther screen, one of the men in the larger boat stood. He lifted a weapon toward the service-room opening, and Zeyu moved to the adjoining firing position.

The man’s first shot struck the outer wall. Zeyu returned fire, seeing him collapse against the sheet as the sound filled the little room. The canopy sagged beneath his weight, pulling loose at one corner.

Zeyu stayed behind his rifle. He could hear his own breathing, louder now than the rain.

The larger boat reversed hard enough to throw its remaining occupants against the seats. The man with the radio crawled toward the stern while the driver turned them away from the tower.

"Both boats are moving off," Jingwei said. "Keep watching the side street. They can circle around the next building."

Zeyu watched until the nearer boat disappeared behind the concrete corner. Hanchuan remained beside him, following the second boat through the rain.

Neither man moved away until Shichen confirmed that the stairwells were empty.

Only then did Zeyu close his firing cover. His ears rang despite the protection he had pulled on before taking his place, and he worked his jaw as Hanchuan secured the other opening.

"Are you hurt?" Hanchuan asked, looking him over.

Zeyu shook his head and checked his hands. "No. I want to see where their shots landed before we open any shutters."

"We’ll check from inside," Hanchuan replied, picking up the radio. "Nothing opens tonight."

Back in the security room, Qinghe stood beside Jingwei while Zhiyi watched the rear camera feeds. She turned as Zeyu entered, her gaze moving from his face to the rifle in his hands.

He put it down before reaching for her.

Zhiyi stepped into his arms, and he held her for a moment with his cheek against her hair. He had been coldly certain while the man outside aimed at them.

Now he could feel how fast his heart was beating, and he was glad she stayed close without asking him to explain it.

"You missed dinner," Zeyu murmured, looking over her head at Qinghe. "I told you to use the tray."

"The tray is fine," Qinghe assured him. He brought a chair over with his foot and waited until Zeyu sat. "Let me look at your ear. You keep touching it."

Zhiyi remained beside Zeyu while Qinghe checked him. Her fingers rested at the back of his neck, warm beneath the edge of his collar.

Across the room, Jingwei replayed the boat’s departure. The man with the radio had uncovered his face long enough to shout at the driver, giving them a clear image to save.

"They won’t mistake us for an easy stop again," Zeyu said. He watched the frozen face without wishing he had waited longer to fire.

Hanchuan leaned over the desk and looked at the wider view.

"Where did the smaller boat go?" Hanchuan asked. "It should have passed that camera by now."

Jingwei changed feeds. For several seconds, they saw only rain and debris drifting between buildings. Then he brought up the camera overlooking the rear of the tower.

The smaller boat was pressed against an open window several floors below them.

Its driver stood on a seat, passing the fallen man’s rifle inside. Someone reached out to take it, then caught the driver’s wrist and helped him climb through.

Zeyu stood, leaving the chair beside Qinghe.

"They haven’t left," he said, reaching for his weapon again. "They’ve come inside."