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墨書 Inktalez
"Is it just a matter of life or death?" Yuan Jun said nonchalantly.
At that moment, Old Shao reassured everyone, "Everyone has an inner purpose for whatever they do. Sometimes we can infer their mindset from their actions. Their goal isn't to blow us up; if they wanted to kill us, they wouldn't have fixed a USB drive to the bomb."
"He really wants us to see this USB drive, and the bomb is merely a 'greeting gift' from him. So, this bomb definitely won't be complicated enough for us to be unable to disarm it." Old Shao had already grasped a detonator. "Guan Deng, I, Xu Yiman, and Yuan Jun will handle the detonator removal, while Jiang He will cut the wires."
"What about me?" Shui Xinlan noticed that neither Jiang He nor Old Shao included her in their plans, which left her feeling somewhat disappointed.
Old Shao replied, "You go downstairs and dial 10. Even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance. We are detectives; you are a civilian. We are here to protect you. Detectives do not disregard their own lives, but I believe all detectives must understand that once they become one, they must be prepared for the possibility of sacrifice at any moment. Hurry, we can't delay."
"Understood." Shui Xinlan nodded.
With Shui Xinlan's departure, only the members of the task force remained in the room. Jiang He looked at each person holding a detonator and felt an unusual sensation stirring within him—one he hadn't experienced in over twenty years. The last time he felt this way was when he was six years old.
That year, his parents tragically perished just as he stepped out of the building. He watched countless firefighters rush into his floor while listening to messages on the radio about his parents being trapped. He saw their bodies being taken away by an ambulance.
He felt helpless; he wanted to cry but couldn't. Until a pair of strong hands lifted him up, and when he turned around, he first saw an imposing police cap followed by a resolute face. This officer stayed with Jiang He through the most helpless and terrifying night of his life.
After that night, Jiang He found himself unable to forget anything; since then, he could no longer comprehend even slightly complex emotions. It was also after that moment that he decided he would become a police officer—like the one he had seen when he was six years old. And now, that very officer was holding a detonator.
Now, Jiang He felt something shifting within him. He began to recall that feeling from when he was six—the feeling known as companionship.
"I will count to three and then shout 'cut.' At that moment, you all will pull out the detonators while I cut the wires," Jiang He said.
"Okay." The others nodded.
Jiang He opened the scissors and gathered the wires together so he could cut them instantly.
"Three."
"Two."
"One."
Everyone instinctively tightened their grip on the detonators, waiting for Jiang He to shout the final word. It felt like a century had passed before Jiang He finally uttered that last word.
"Cut!"
In an instant, the four of them pulled out the four detonators simultaneously, while Jiang He quickly cut all the wires. This action happened almost in a blink of an eye, and it was clear that they were all still alive. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed that Jiang He and Old Shao had made the right gamble.
The four carefully set the detonators aside. Without them as ignition devices, the explosives were now quite stable; even if placed over a fire, they wouldn't explode, so there was no need to worry anymore.
"Is everything alright?" Yuan Jun asked.
"Yeah," Jiang He nodded.
Yuan Jun casually reached for the USB drive. "Let's see what's on this USB."
But just as Yuan Jun was about to pull out the USB drive, Jiang He tightly grabbed Yuan Jun's arm. However, Jiang He was no match for Yuan Jun, who had been consistently working out and had well-developed muscles. Even with one hand, Yuan Jun could easily lift Jiang He off the ground; Jiang He's grip couldn't stop him.
The USB drive was already pulled out.
There was no time left; in a moment of desperation, Jiang He kicked the table. The force of his kick sent the table crashing to the ground, along with the bomb that fell from it. At that moment, there was a loud "bang," signaling the explosion of the bomb.
In an instant, Jiang He shielded Xu Yiman and Old Shao beside him, while Yuan Jun tackled Guan Deng to the ground.
The deafening explosion startled the neighbors awake and shattered nearby windows. Dust filled Jiang He's home as the wooden table exploded into splinters, scattering like ancient hidden weapons. A fireball shot up, blackening the ceiling. The distant lights flickered under the blast wave, alternating between bright and dim, seemingly unable to last much longer.
Jiang He held onto Old Shao and Xu Yiman for a long time before regaining his senses. The close-range explosion left everyone's ears ringing, their minds blank.
Jiang He rubbed his head vigorously and shouted at everyone, "What’s going on with you all?"
His voice sounded like a faint buzz in their ears; they shook their heads in response, indicating they were fine.
Releasing his grip, Jiang He carefully looked at the others and found that they were not in any life-threatening danger.
"Are you okay?" Xu Yiman finally reacted. She stood up from Jiang He's embrace and noticed that his back was already stained red with blood. But then her professional knowledge told her that Jiang He only had some superficial wounds—likely wood splinters embedded in his back.
"Put out the fire," Jiang He said.
Yuan Jun stood up at that moment, took off his coat, and rushed towards the areas engulfed in flames. A few others quickly joined him in the firefighting effort, successfully extinguishing all the flames.
"Is everyone alright?" After putting out the fire, Old Shao finally had a chance to speak.
The group exchanged glances, and fortunately, no one seemed seriously hurt. Yuan Jun had pushed Guan Deng down behind the sofa, so he was unharmed. Jiang He had shielded Old Shao and Xu Yiman, ensuring their safety as well. However, Jiang He had blood dripping down his back.
"Let's take a look," Xu Yiman said, noticing that the blood on Jiang He's back was flowing slowly. It seemed he hadn't hit an artery, which was a good sign. She then thought about how Jiang He would have acted in the past; he would have likely hidden behind Old Shao for protection, but he hadn't done that this time.
Jiang He removed his shirt, revealing a back stained with blood. Xu Yiman examined it closely and saw that the wounds were caused by splintered wood, leaving him looking like a porcupine. Thankfully, although he was bleeding and had multiple wounds, they were all superficial.
"What happened here?" Yuan Jun asked as he surveyed the chaotic scene.
Yuan Jun understood that if it weren't for Jiang He, and if the bomb hadn't been weakened by the wooden table, they might not have been standing there talking at all. Especially for himself; even if he hadn't died on the spot, he would have surely lost an arm.
"Copper Wire," Jiang He explained. "When you pulled out the USB drive, a copper wire came loose. Inside the explosives was a detonator triggered by pulling it, and that USB drive was the detonator. The other four detonators were just decoys; only the one inside the explosives was real."
"When I saw the copper wire, you had already pulled it out. I had no choice but to kick over the table," Jiang He continued, looking at Yuan Jun's USB drive. "However, because there was still a detonator hidden in the explosives, its yield was reduced somewhat; that's why it wasn't more powerful. Otherwise, this room would have been reduced to rubble."
Old Shao looked at the wreckage on the floor and said, "The perpetrator really doesn't play by the rules. They wanted us to see this USB drive but tampered with it at the same time. What are they trying to achieve with such contradictory behavior? If they had antisocial tendencies, they could have easily made a more powerful explosive to blow up the whole building. Yet they managed the amount of explosives perfectly. It seems we've encountered a formidable opponent this time."
As they spoke, loud noises could be heard outside the building. "Yuan Jun and I will go calm down the residents," Old Shao instructed. "Xu Yiman, help Jiang He with his wounds. Jiang He, notify Captain Liu to handle the aftermath."
"Understood."
Before long, an ambulance arrived with its siren blaring; Old Shao's preparations were not wasted. The group headed to the hospital with Jiang He receiving treatment for his painful injuries while their curiosity about the USB drive grew stronger.
In the hospital room, Xu Yiman treated Jiang He's wounds while watching Guan Deng examine the USB drive intently. She admired Jiang He; although his injuries weren't life-threatening, the treatment process was excruciating—especially during disinfection—but Jiang He didn't even flinch as if he felt no pain at all.
For Jiang He, this pain was trivial.
After inspecting the USB drive, Guan Deng discovered that it didn't contain any viruses left by the perpetrator before opening it up. Inside were a picture and a video. Guan Deng first opened the picture and found it to be a dark card with four words written on it—Criminal Consultant.
"That's the person we've been looking for," Xu Yiman couldn't help but speak up.
"It is him," Old Shao nodded in agreement.
Guan Deng closed the image and opened the video segment.
This video was titled—Death.
In a pitch-black room, the camera shook erratically, making it dizzying to watch. The entire environment was shrouded in darkness, with only a window barred by railings in the distance, allowing slanted rays of sunlight to filter in. No one could be seen in the video, but clear sobs could be heard, intermittent and haunting. The camera continued to sway for three minutes, and the crying persisted for the same duration.
Then, a disheveled woman appeared before the camera, her sobs emanating from her lips.
She cried for several minutes, her face obscured. Suddenly, her face was almost pressed against the lens.
"I will not let you go."
The woman.
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