SFTD -Chapter 418 White Spots Reappeared (Part 59)

With just five tightly forced words, Xu Biao had already exhausted all his strength. Zhou Hai leaned close to the phone, listening carefully, but there was no more sound. The fingers gripping the phone had already turned pale.

Xu Biao’s voice had become distorted. Even at a moment like this, his first reaction had actually been to tell Zhou Hai to leave. Zhou Hai’s eyes stung slightly.

“What? Yang Duxiu, are you afraid, or simply unwilling? Haven’t you been trying every possible way to kill me? From the fifth target until today—now I’m standing right downstairs. Are you backing down?”

Yang Duxiu laughed. Walking to Xu Biao’s side, he grabbed his hair. Xu Biao tried to struggle free, but he had no strength left and could only glare at Yang Duxiu.

“That kind of provocation won’t work on me. Though I really do want to meet you.”

Zhou Hai immediately replied, “Fine! Let Xu Biao go, and we can have a proper talk. Let me be your hostage instead.”

The corners of Yang Duxiu’s lips lifted.

“You’re overthinking things. If you want to talk, then come in. I can’t even move this fatty anyway. Right now he can’t move at all.”

That single sentence instantly made Zhou Hai and Huang Zhongsheng tense up. Zhou Hai steadied himself and pressed a hand against Huang Zhongsheng’s shoulder. Seeing him shake his head, Zhou Hai raised a finger in a quieting gesture.

“What happened to Xu Biao? Too tired? This is between you and me. Let’s settle it ourselves.”

Yang Duxiu abruptly hung up without the slightest warning. But that decisive attitude already made everything clear—if Zhou Hai wanted to see him, he had to come upstairs. Exchanging hostages was out of the question.

Holding the phone, Zhou Hai glanced at it before instantly crouching down and opening the forensic case. Inside were two surgical blades, which he swiftly pulled out.

He tore off pieces of double-sided adhesive tape no bigger than half a fingernail and stuck one blade behind his ear, the other beneath his bicep near the elbow. Then he casually rolled his sleeves up slightly.

His movements were so quick that even Huang Zhongsheng failed to notice exactly what he had hidden on himself. Taking advantage of Zhou Hai crouching down, Huang Zhongsheng quickly called Liu Yong.

The contents of the call had already partially reached Director Liu through the transmitter. Liu Yong understood that no one could stop Zhou Hai now, and in truth, he was the most suitable person to go—after all, Zhou Hai understood Yang Duxiu better than anyone.

After a brief silence, Liu Yong said:

“No matter what, ensure Zhou Hai’s safety. The sniper team and assault team are already in position. The moment Yang Duxiu and Xu Biao are separated, we move.”

Huang Zhongsheng had the phone on speaker, so Zhou Hai heard everything clearly. Huang Zhongsheng glanced at Zhou Hai.

Seeing Zhou Hai nod, he answered:

“Understood.”

After hanging up, Huang Zhongsheng patted Zhou Hai on the shoulder.

“Hai-zi, take care of yourself. If you get hurt trying to save Xu Biao, the one who’ll suffer the most will be him.”

Zhou Hai smiled faintly. “Alright.”

“The space in there isn’t open enough, and Yang Duxiu definitely won’t let us enter the room.

So even if he closes the door, it won’t matter. We’ll stay right outside. Those outer locks can be blasted open with a single shot—but don’t let him close the second door. That way we can get inside within four or five seconds.

I looked at the bomb he used before. There wasn’t any ultra-fast detonation device, so even if he tries something, he’ll still need reaction time. Besides, the assault team will distract him.

Once you’re inside, try to create distance between him and Xu Biao. Use checking his condition or any excuse you want. Once the timing looks right, I’ll charge in immediately.”

Zhou Hai thought for a moment.

“Alright. If it’s unsuitable to shoot or storm in, I’ll cough twice. If conditions are favorable, I’ll sniff once.

This man is extremely skilled in chemistry. Even if he doesn’t have a rapid detonation device, it’s still possible he’s set up something else in the room.

The fact he could draw such precise diagrams means he has a solid understanding of mechanical design too.

Tell Xiao Hu and the others to hurry over. At the critical moment, cut off every wireless transmission device around this building. Even if communications are affected, shut them all down.”

Huang Zhongsheng checked the earpiece hidden in Zhou Hai’s ear once more and nodded firmly.

“Be careful.”

Without another word, Zhou Hai headed upstairs.

Huang Zhongsheng and the others followed several steps behind him. Upon reaching Room 401 on the fourth floor, Zhou Hai dialed Yang Duxiu’s number. The call connected on the third ring.

Zhou Hai said, “Open the door. I’m here.”

Yang Duxiu’s tired-sounding voice came through.

“Don’t rush. Tell the police behind you to go downstairs. Fall back to the second floor. Don’t think I can’t see them. One last reminder—Xu Biao is still in my hands.”

Without lowering his voice, Zhou Hai shouted downstairs: “Captain Huang, fall back to the second floor.”

Only after seeing them retreat did Zhou Hai continue: “Can you open the door now?”

Yang Duxiu stayed silent for a long moment. Then came a click as the inner wooden door opened.

Standing not far beyond the doorway in the living room, Yang Duxiu quietly watched Zhou Hai. He pressed a remote control in his hand, and another metallic click sounded as the outer metal security door—covered with bars and dense wire mesh—swung open.

Though the flashlight in Zhou Hai’s hand was dim, the elaborate design and material of the door still caught his attention. There were two recessed holes in the threshold beneath it, clearly part of a reinforced locking mechanism.

The wire mesh on the door was no ordinary screen. The weight alone was completely different, and it was equipped with springs and a remote-controlled mechanism.

Yang Duxiu could open and close the door remotely. Huang Zhongsheng’s earlier guess had been wrong. A metal door like this definitely couldn’t be breached with just two shots. Judging from its structure, all four sides had reinforced locks—otherwise Yang Duxiu wouldn’t have had the confidence to invite him inside.

Zhou Hai slowly approached the room. Yang Duxiu smiled at him and swept his gaze over Zhou Hai from head to toe.

Zhou Hai was seven or eight centimeters taller than him, though he actually looked lighter. His thin shirt sleeves were rolled up, and there was nothing visible around the waist of his trousers. Yang Duxiu seemed rather satisfied with such an appearance.

“Doctor Zhou truly has courage worthy of admiration. To save your colleague, you were willing to risk coming here personally. Alright then, pat yourself down so I can see whether you brought any weapons.”

Without hesitation, Zhou Hai shook out his collar and trouser pockets, even lifting his pant legs for inspection.

“Is this enough?”

Then he stared at Yang Duxiu for a moment. Right now, the man was almost unrecognizable. He looked even heavier than before, his hair completely dyed black.

Zhou Hai quickly scanned the room.

The place had clearly been remodeled and differed greatly from the apartment downstairs. The bathroom area had expanded to occupy more than ten square meters, including the original kitchen space. There was a window on the eastern wall of the living room, another in the southern room, and a northern room that seemed to contain only a bed, though it was too dark to see clearly.

Just from the doorway, Zhou Hai could already see that the southern room was packed with bottles and containers.

Without further explanation, Zhou Hai instantly understood why Yang Duxiu wasn’t worried about the sniper to the south. There was a wall in between, plus all those obstructions. The slightest sound would immediately alert him.

Finally, Zhou Hai’s gaze landed on Xu Biao beside Yang Duxiu.

Xu Biao’s right leg was awkwardly splayed outward. Thick tape bound him tightly to a chair. His entire body slumped forward, head hanging low, as though asleep or unconscious. Seeing the discarded box on the floor and a disposable syringe nearby, Zhou Hai’s heart tightened again.

He looked at Yang Duxiu and asked: “What happened to him? Did you inject him with something?”