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墨書 Inktalez
The door swung open, revealing the man inside.
He was a middle-aged man, likely in his forties or fifties, sitting on a bed. I took a quick glance around the cell, and it struck me as odd that in these rooms of such notorious criminals, there always seemed to be a large bookshelf filled with books.
It was peculiar; ordinary murderers typically had no interest in reading. Yet, among the murderers I had encountered, each one seemed to have a passion for books. The amount of reading one did clearly wasn't a criterion for distinguishing murderers. Just like the previous Wei Demian and the current Shi Huacheng.
Shi Huacheng sported a thick beard, but it was evident he took good care of it. If this were indeed a prison cell, it resembled more of a stylish apartment. Aside from the inability to cook, it was quite well-equipped. It appeared that Shi Huacheng was living quite comfortably here.
Despite his seemingly relaxed demeanor, it was clear that Shi Huacheng's right foot was shackled, the other end of the shackle embedded in the floor. Wu Zui stepped forward to examine the structure of the shackle. From what he could see, it was sturdy yet simple in design. However, sometimes simplicity could be deceivingly complex.
It was like an electronic door that was intricately designed but could still be opened; without a key, though, this shackle would be nearly impossible to remove.
Wu Zui tugged at it with all his might, but no matter how hard he pulled, it wouldn't budge.
"Where's the key?" Wu Zui turned to Li Ai and asked.
Li Ai looked at Wu Zui with an innocent expression. "I don’t have the key. I only knew that after you saw him through two doors, I fulfilled my promise to you. Now that you've met him, you need to do as we agreed."
It seemed Wu Zui hadn't anticipated things would unfold this way.
After pondering for a moment, Wu Zui spoke up again. "Do we have any tools?"
Shi Huacheng's expression shifted slightly as he replied, "What? You didn’t bring any tools?"
At that moment, Li Ai interjected, "We didn’t think of that. Besides, once Yinzi is cleared away by careful listening, that electronic door will drop down. When it does, even if you're Old Wang's son, you won't be able to get out. I think... maybe..."
Though Li Ai didn't finish her sentence, we all understood her implication: she was suggesting abandoning Shi Huacheng.
Upon hearing Li Ai's words, Wu Zui nodded and said, "I know what you're thinking; you're looking out for us. But do you really not have any way to unlock this shackle?"
Li Ai spoke up, "What time is it now? Why would I lie to you? The hacker you're looking for might be skilled, but there's no way a single person can take on the national machinery. That door could come down at any moment, and once it does, there will be no way to open it from the inside. I think we should..."
With that, Li Ai made a motion as if to flee.
This was understandable. From the conversation between Li Ai and Wu Zui, it was clear that Li Ai had been here for several months for this plan. For a prisoner who yearned for freedom, the pressure of possibly never getting out was unbearable.
Shi Huacheng's face darkened as he looked at those around him. Anyone in his position would likely have a grim expression. However, Shi Huacheng remained silent, even as they discussed abandoning him. If this attempt failed, rescuing Shi Huacheng in the future might become impossible.
"So, given the current situation," Wu Zui said calmly, "if we can't rescue my father within five minutes, then we will all be trapped behind that door, which cannot be opened from the inside?"
Li Ai nodded. "That's right. Once that door closes, unless someone outside opens it, there's absolutely no way for us to get out."
"How much time has passed now?" Wu Zui asked as he looked at Li Ai.
Li Ai replied, "It’s probably been a few minutes already. If we don't hurry..."
Before Li Ai could finish his sentence, a gunshot rang out.
The bullet struck Li Ai in the head, leaving a small wound the size of a soybean on his forehead, but a large scar had already formed at the back of his head. Li Ai's eyes widened in shock, his mouth slightly agape as if he still had many things to say. But just like that, he died before me.
After spending so long in prison, Li Ai's heart had long flown outside the cell; yet he had never seen the scenery beyond those walls. He could collaborate with Wu Zui, but he didn't understand that once he lost any value to Wu Zui, he would be ruthlessly eliminated.
Wu Zui glanced at Shi Huacheng and said, "There's only one way out now—Jasmine."
Wu Zui exchanged glances with Jasmine for a moment before she stepped forward. I still didn't know what plan Wu Zui had devised to break free from such sturdy chains. Jasmine approached and suddenly stomped down on Shi Huacheng's ankle. Even Shi Huacheng hadn't anticipated this move.
With a loud crack, I knew Shi Huacheng's bone had shattered. Yet he remained stoic, gritting his teeth tightly as beads of sweat formed on his forehead, revealing just how much pain he was in. These people were always harsh on themselves and even harsher on others.
At that moment, Shi Huacheng's leg went limp. Jasmine pulled hard on the iron chain and managed to drag his soft leg down forcefully. Throughout this ordeal, Shi Huacheng didn't utter a single word. After his bone broke, his foot was successfully pulled out without further incident.
Wu Zui stepped forward to support Shi Huacheng and said, "Let's go."
Jasmine pulled me ahead while Wu Zui held onto Shi Huacheng from behind.
I knew that Wu Zui wouldn't kill me now, and at this moment, he still had to take care of Shi Huacheng. If I could block these three people inside before the electronic door came down, then no matter what plans Wu Zui had, he would definitely not be able to escape. This was the best chance to capture Shi Huacheng and Wu Zui.
I also understood that in the end, the two might kill me in their attempt to flee. However, as long as these two were dead, Gu Chen would be safe, and Guan Zengbin would eventually recover through hypnosis therapy. This should be my destiny and the best ending for the story.
We had already delayed here for a while, and there wasn't much time left before the door fell.
As I pondered this in my mind, we continued walking out. The corridor wasn't long; it was merely a distance of a dozen meters. But for me, that distance felt like a light-year. Finally, we reached the middle of the corridor; everything was happening in just a few minutes.
Thinking of this, I suddenly exerted force with my legs and sprinted backward.
Jasmine didn't expect me to make such a move; she stumbled and almost fell over because of me. Although Jasmine was strong for a woman, I was determined to pull back, and she couldn't drag me forward. At that moment, Wu Zui and Shi Huacheng clearly noticed my actions.
Wu Zui leaned Shi Huacheng against the wall and walked over to me without saying a word.
Without hesitation, Wu Zui kicked me in the stomach. The impact felt like all my internal organs had been shattered; the pain was unbearable, and I couldn't even get up from the ground. Wu Zui and Jasmine dragged me forward while I could see Shi Huacheng bouncing out as well.
I knew this was my last chance to keep these people here. I gritted my teeth against the pain and tightly hugged Jasmine's leg, refusing to let go. Jasmine was pulled down to the ground by my grip, and at that moment, I heard a faint "click," followed by the lights going out.
We all knew that when they turned back on, the door would come down.
The electronic door didn't close quickly; it took about ten seconds from opening to closing completely.
I knew I just had to hold on for one more minute at most, but I didn't know if Wu Zui would abandon Jasmine as well. After all, Wu Zui was someone who could give up anyone.
In that instant, the lights came back on.
With a faint "pop" as the lights came on, I heard the sound of a bullet being chambered. I initially thought it was Jasmine who had loaded the gun, but to my surprise, when I finally understood the situation, it was Wu Zui who had done so.
At that moment, the electronic door began to descend.
Wu Zui even pulled down his mask and said, "Thinking you can trap us here is impossible. You are useful, but not that significant, do you understand? Don't think we're brothers; compared to Jasmine, you're just a pathetic little bug."
With that, Wu Zui pressed the gun against my head.
This was the first time I felt Wu Zui's anger and realized his control over the situation was not as strong as I had thought.
Wu Zui was right about many things; everyone has weaknesses, and Wu Zui's weakness was Jasmine. Although I didn't know the exact nature of their relationship, it was clear that Jasmine was Wu Zui's Achilles' heel.
The door was already descending, and at that moment, I couldn't think of anything else but to hold onto Jasmine tightly.
Wu Zui had already begun to pull the trigger, and the door had dropped halfway.
"Don't you want to know what happened to your parents?" Shi Huacheng suddenly spoke up. "What happened twenty years ago, what happened seven years ago—don't you want to know?"
Shi Huacheng's words struck a chord within me; this was the only mystery I had wanted to unravel throughout my life—about my parents and my origins. It was the one thing I truly wanted to know.
In the end, I let go.
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