Chapter Thirty-Two: Aftermath

A heavy silence hung in the air for only a moment before chaos erupted. Huang Jiafei moved swiftly, seizing the doctor by the throat and holding him hostage in his grasp. Wang Zixuan and his partner, tense and alert, picked up their weapons and aimed them at Huang Jiafei, ready to fire at any moment.

Huang Jiafei let out a strange, chilling sound. "Don't move," he warned. "If you make any sudden moves and scare me, I can't guarantee the hostage's safety. Back away, now!"

The doctor stammered, "Please, don't do anything rash. Calm down, stay calm—try to be reasonable."

Huang Jiafei roared, "I want a car to get out of here!"

Wang Zixuan spoke quietly into his Bluetooth earpiece, "Xiao Deng, there's a crowd of witnesses moving south. Keep control of the scene."

At that moment, the rolling shutter at the southern entrance inexplicably began to descend on its own.

Huang Jiafei shouted, "Let me leave, now, or I won't be so nice!"

Wang Zixuan responded, "Suspect has a hostage. There's a blind spot to the southeast—move in from that direction."

Huang Jiafei extended the index finger of his left hand and began to count, pressuring Wang Zixuan and the others to let him go.

Xiao Deng whispered, "Should I try to sneak up on him?"

Wang Zixuan snapped back, "What do you think? Do I have to teach you everything?"

Huang Jiafei, agitated, pointed at Wang Zixuan. "What are you muttering about? Move, now, or I'll hurt the hostage!"

The doctor pleaded, "Yes, yes, clear the way, please! I haven't lived enough yet—oh dear…"

Huang Jiafei continued, "Two."

Just then, the door of a freezer to Huang Jiafei's southeast swung open by itself, and a tuna shot out from inside.

Huang Jiafei shouted, "Three!"

As the third finger rose, the rock-solid frozen tuna struck him squarely on the head, sending him reeling and crashing to the ground in a daze. Wang Zixuan quickly switched weapons and fired a tranquilizer dart.

Wang Zixuan announced, "Suspect apprehended. Clean up the scene and prepare to wrap up."

Xiao Deng protested, "Hey, I deserve some credit for this capture too!"

Wang Zixuan pointed his gun at Xiao Deng, startling him so much he nearly jumped out of his skin.

Wang Zixuan said, "Handle the aftermath first. Wait till we're back—I'll show you what you deserve. You want credit for this mess?"

Meanwhile, at the entrance, a crowd was still pounding on the door, shouting, "Let us out!" Xiao Deng glanced at Wang Zixuan, then stepped forward, turned on some music, and began to dance. The noise from the crowd ceased as everyone turned to watch Xiao Deng, some pointing and whispering among themselves.

Xiao Deng struck a pose. "Okay, has my dazzling dancing won you over yet? Come on, join me!"

He gestured invitingly to the people around. Wang Zixuan, meanwhile, tightly bound Huang Jiafei and gave him two hard kicks for good measure—a display of brutality.

When the crowd had mostly gathered, Wang Zixuan switched channels and spoke, "Investigation Center, requesting memory erasure procedure. Time frame: Beijing time 18:15 to 18:27. Target: myself. Radius: thirty meters."

The duty officer at the Investigation Center was leaning back, taking a break, but responded immediately upon hearing the order. "Copy, commencing procedure."

He quickly turned to the computer, his hands flying over the keyboard.

Xiao Deng pulled out a megaphone. "Okay, everyone, you all did great. We're actually filming a reality TV show—Run, Brothers, Run!"

He then produced something resembling a video camera from behind his back.

Xiao Deng called out, "Here, this is the camera. Everyone, look this way—give us a reaction!"