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墨書 Inktalez
“Zhang Zijun, let me speak a word of justice to you.” I shouted through the megaphone, “The Yang Ting you have in your hands is very likely someone who has not abused your son. If he truly hasn’t harmed your son, isn’t this just a case of indiscriminate killing? He may have bullied other friends, but his crime does not warrant death. Can you really bear to let a child of around ten years old die at your hands?”
Upon hearing my words, Zhang Zijun burst into laughter, gasping for breath and shaking uncontrollably. As Zhang Zijun trembled, Yang Ting began to shake as well. At that moment, Yang Ting looked utterly terrified, shrinking back without uttering a word, as if he had forgotten that he could speak.
Zhang Zijun exclaimed, “Is that so? Does that mean my son deserves to die? Who did he provoke? He did nothing wrong! Why did it come to this? I tell you, don’t pretend to be righteous while criticizing me. You don’t understand; no one in this world can help you. You don’t know what it’s like to feel utterly helpless.”
Zhang Zijun shouted with a heart-wrenching cry: “You don’t understand! Resorting to the law is humanity’s last resort, the final step we can take. If those who abused my son could receive the punishment they deserve, would we be in this situation? No! But what can we do? If even the law cannot help me, then I am the only one who can help myself in this world!”
“So, are you picking up my wife on a bicycle?” Zhang Zijun yelled. “It only takes twenty minutes to drive from the police station to here, yet so much time has passed. Why hasn’t my wife arrived yet?”
There was some commotion around us. I waved my hand to signal everyone to be quiet and then spoke up: “You know that while it only takes twenty minutes on the road, there are procedures that take time. Why are you in such a hurry? Just let Yang Ting go, and I will meet any condition you set!”
“Enough with the nonsense! I want to see her in ten minutes,” Zhang Zijun said, falling silent afterward.
The police officer beside me spoke up: “She just arrived. I didn’t have a chance to tell you while you were speaking. What should we do now? Should I bring her in?”
I gently shook my head and said, “Stand next to me. When the time comes, I’ll have you call her in. Do you understand?”
“Got it,” the officer replied. “But what should we do next?”
“Wait,” I said softly while looking at Zhang Zijun on the rooftop.
Zhang Zijun remained silent, and I didn’t provoke him further. At this moment, Gu Chen should have already entered the teaching building. According to the School Leader, Zhang Zijun had sealed off all possible routes when he went up to the rooftop. Now we could only rely on Gu Chen. There were no elevators in the teaching building; one had to climb stairs to reach the seventh floor.
After about three minutes, I saw the window on the seventh floor gently open.
A face appeared at the window—it was Gu Chen. At that moment, Gu Chen was peering out; I noticed he was tied with a rope, though I couldn’t see where the other end was secured. Upon seeing me, Gu Chen gave me a thumbs-up.
I understood that Gu Chen meant he could move now. I made no move but quietly watched him. With his back turned toward us, Gu Chen crawled out of the window with great care. At such a height and so close to Zhang Zijun, any sudden movement could easily alert him.
Gu Chen had to be both cautious and gentle; despite having a safety rope, being over twenty meters high and lying flat up there made my legs feel weak just thinking about it—not to mention performing any other actions. Everyone looked up at Gu Chen, and no one spoke because they all understood this was the only way to save Yang Ting.
If Gu Chen failed, we would never get another chance to rescue Yang Ting. This was our only opportunity; if successful, Yang Ting would survive; if not, he would fall twenty-five meters and become a bloody corpse.
Everyone watched Gu Chen, but from such a distance, Zhang Zijun couldn’t discern whether we were looking at him or something else entirely. At that moment, Gu Chen slowly began to climb higher. It was still raining, making the wall incredibly slippery; just by observing him, one could tell how difficult that short two-meter distance was.
Zhang Zijun stood atop the high building, still holding onto Yang Ting.
Suddenly, the surroundings fell eerily silent, with only the sound of wind and rain pattering down, indicating a heavy downpour was imminent. Six or seven minutes had already passed, and Zhang Zijun seemed to be growing impatient. He shouted, "Where is my wife? Why haven't I seen her yet? Are you messing with me?"
With that, Zhang Zijun thrust his arm forward, causing Yang Ting to lean out at an angle, half of her body already hanging over the edge. From her position, Yang Ting clearly spotted Gu Chen pressed against the wall. Seeing Gu Chen eased some of the tension and fear that had gripped her heart.
As a child of around ten years old, Yang Ting could remain composed while inflicting pain on others, but when faced with danger herself, her emotions were laid bare. Initially shouting and screaming, she suddenly fell silent in that moment. This stark contrast raised suspicions in Zhang Zijun.
He wanted to lean forward to see what was happening, but I couldn't let him catch sight of Gu Chen clinging to the wall.
"Zhang Zijun!" I immediately called through the loudspeaker. "Ha Li Min is waiting outside right now. I'll bring her in immediately, but you mustn't act impulsively."
Upon hearing my words, Zhang Zijun halted his movement and looked down from his elevated position. "Bring my wife in right now! I want to see her!"
I leaned slightly to the side and spoke to the police officer nearby. "Bring Ha Li Min over."
Then I shouted again through the loudspeaker, "Zhang Zijun, your wife will be here shortly. But you need to understand that time is running out for you. Yang Ting's life is in your hands. I hope you won't act rashly; we can talk about this."
This message was directed at Zhang Zijun but was also meant for Gu Chen. Once Ha Li Min arrived on the scene and saw the situation, she would undoubtedly inform her husband Zhang Zijun. At that point, no matter how capable Gu Chen was, he wouldn't be able to save Yang Ting.
Ha Li Min wouldn't even need to get close to see Gu Chen's actions or those of Zhang Zijun. This meant that Gu Chen had at most three minutes to secure Yang Ting; after that time had passed, Zhang Zijun would inevitably discover Gu Chen's presence. Yang Ting's life now rested entirely in Gu Chen's hands; he could not afford to fail.
The rain continued to pour down heavily, cascading from the brim of my raincoat hood. Looking up, it felt as if a curtain of water had formed before my eyes, occasionally trickling down my forehead and into my clothes. But at that moment, I couldn't focus on anything else; everyone's gaze was fixed on Gu Chen.
The rain soaked the wall, making it incredibly difficult for Gu Chen to move. A single misstep could lead to a fall; even with a safety rope secured, being twenty-five meters above ground remained exceptionally perilous. Any sound from Gu Chen would make Yang Ting's death inevitable.
At that moment, Gu Chen clung tightly to the protruding decorations on the wall with both hands while bracing his feet against it. Suddenly, one of his hands reached out in an attempt to grab Yang Ting's ankle from below and pull her away from Zhang Zijun's grasp—a dangerously reckless move.
In that instant of reaching for Yang Ting, he would essentially be placing his life in Zhang Zijun's hands. Everyone could see that Zhang Zijun was determined to kill; it was merely a matter of time. If Gu Chen did not act, Yang Ting would undoubtedly die; but if he did act—could he really save her?
That safety rope wasn't particularly thick—could it bear the weight of two people? What if it snapped and they both fell?
Before Gu Chen made his move, no one could say for sure.
Gu Chen knew time was running out as well; I saw him crouch down, preparing to leap upward. In that jump, he intended to firmly grasp Yang Ting so that someone could pull them both back inside through the window. However, once airborne, every movement would be beyond his control. If they crashed against the glass or even the wall itself, Gu Chen might lose his grip due to pain or shock from the impact.
Everything was unknown.
Gu Chen had already released one hand, preparing to leap.
At that moment, a woman's voice erupted from not far away: "Zhang Zijun, are you blind? There's someone down there!"
That voice belonged to none other than Ha Li Min.
It turned out that Ha Li Min had unknowingly seen the situation on the wall.
At the same time, Gu Chen suddenly shot upward.
Zhang Zijun on the rooftop clearly heard the shout, and at that moment, he also sensed Gu Chen's movement. Zhang Zijun abruptly let go. The space outside the railing was barely enough for a person to stand, and with the rain-soaked ledge being slippery, Yang Ting fell forward.
Everyone held their breath as they watched. Gu Chen and Yang Ting clearly crossed paths in mid-air. I let out a sigh of relief; given Gu Chen's abilities, it wouldn't be difficult for him to catch Yang Ting at that moment of intersection. What Gu Chen needed to do next was to hold onto Yang Ting tightly. In just a few minutes, they would both be safe.
Gu Chen reached out his hand, aiming to grab Yang Ting.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
Only the rain continued to fall.
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