Hidden Assassin 204

In the clear night, in front of the tightly shut gates of Sacred Heart Academy, a throng of police cars with their sirens blaring gathered together. The officer in charge was holding a megaphone and shouting at the school, while extra police officers quickly surrounded the academy. One by one, cars converged from all directions, carrying the rich businessmen whose children were studying there, and they had brought a large number of bodyguards. Not long after, dozens of trucks packed with people arrived, led by Liu Zheng. Hundreds, even thousands of people, members of the Shaxiu Gang, began to gather. They held newspapers wrapped around their machetes, some even carrying hunting rifles. The entire square was filled with people, making the police situation quite difficult.

“Please, Boss Liu, I know how you feel, but this situation is very hard for us to manage.” The city’s police commissioner, who had arrived, pulled Liu Zheng aside and frowned as he tried to persuade him to send some of his men back and tone things down a bit. In fact, he didn’t really need to be so accommodating, but since Ye Lian and the others had resolved the conflict between the Sanqing Gang and the Shazhu Gang, everyone thought the Shazhu Gang had a connection to the national security forces. It was better to be cautious. “Sacred Heart is one of the most important places in our Jiang Hai City. It’s been occupied by terrorists now, and everyone’s watching. Look at those reporters, if they film the entire square full of people holding machetes… that’s…”

“Who the hell dares take a picture? I’ll cut him to death! I’ll see which newspaper dares publish anything!” Liu Zheng shouted angrily at the reporters in the distance. “My daughter is still in the school and we haven’t heard from her. All I want to know is what’s going on inside!”

“We were planning to charge in immediately, but they were too fast. There are bombs set up inside the gate, but it’s not a big problem. The problem is they’ve taken control of the main teaching buildings and administration building in the center of the school. They’ve also said that if they see any police go in, they’ll start a massacre, so we can’t act rashly. Some students have escaped from the perimeter, but not many. There are snipers among the mercenaries and they’ve already got most of the escape routes covered. Fewer and fewer people can get out.”

“You’re saying the police can’t go in? Fine, I’ll have my men charge in and see how many snipers they have to cover those places!”

“Boss Liu, you know this is a stupid thing to do.”

“I need to save my daughter!” Liu Zheng roared, then the police commissioner also growled: “Be rational, Liu Zheng, you understand. You help me, and I’ll help you. Rushing in won’t solve anything.”

These words made Liu Zheng a little more sober. No matter what, this side was the underworld and the other side was the police. The commissioner had already given him enough face. After staring blankly for a moment, he turned back and said: “Alright, I won’t just have my men stay here. Just say the word, and they’ll be ready. I’ll leave the inside situation to you.”

“Don’t worry.” The commissioner nodded and sighed in relief as he watched Liu Zheng turn away. He then went towards the group of rich businessmen. As he walked, he said to one of the police officers: “Get those reporters out of here. Tell them not to say anything they shouldn’t.”

On the other side, Liu Zheng walked towards his people and instructed one of the leaders: “Tell the brothers to spread out. Everyone… surround the school, don’t stay together. Also, has Little Meng got any news?”

“Little Meng still hasn’t. By the way, our people went to his rental apartment, but they didn’t find Gu Jia Ming, we don’t know where he’s gone.”

Liu Zheng hesitated for a moment: “Tell the brothers to keep an eye out, that kid has his own plans, he must have gone to find help. It’s good that he’s not inside.”

…

…

Meanwhile, inside the school.

“What? She escaped?” Zhu Shen Wunian, standing on the edge of the upper level of the brightly lit auditorium, widened his eyes. In the center of the auditorium, dozens of students were huddled together on the ground, some girls were sobbing. Zhu Shen Wunian didn’t stop them, he liked that sound. “Yue Chi Xun, I was prepared for you not to be able to catch her, which is why I told you to send more people. The little girl named Ye Lingjing can run with her own two feet, she escaped in the chaos, I’ll accept it. After all, this kind of thing isn’t the first time. That Zhang Yahán… didn’t you say she was sick? How did she escape?”

“We’re not sure, our people are on Yue Chi Xun’s trail, and she’s injured, she can’t escape. As for Zhang Yahán… we confirmed that she was seriously ill, she’s been sleeping in the school infirmary all afternoon, but when our people started moving, she and the female doctor were both gone.”

“The female doctor?” Zhu Shen Wunian frowned. “Speaking of which, I heard Chen Gu Xia was the first one to react to the alarm?”

“That’s right, he saw our people when the alarm went off, so he was able to escape. The area around the administration building is a bit large, and they’ve also managed to get their hands on some guns, we can only slowly force them out, but I can guarantee that they won’t escape.”

“Hmm, I know… By the way, do you have a picture of the female doctor? I remember someone, and it’s highly likely she’s also a member of Yan Huang Jue Xing (Yan Huang Awakening). When Chen Gu Xia realized something was wrong, he used a special method to notify the Yan Huang Jue Xing members in the school. That was only about two or three minutes before we arrived. We had already secured the entrance to the building on the edge of the playground as soon as we arrived. Even if they can hide, they wouldn’t be able to easily escape with a sick companion. It’s very likely they’re still inside, we need to figure out a way to get them out.”

…

…

Pain, gasping… His shoulder was wrapped in thick bandages, Xiao Meng sat pale on a worn-out sofa. Beside him, a man and a woman were unconscious on the floor, blood dripping from their mouths. Their limbs, which should have been normal, were now twisted and limp, like cotton. Thinking back to what had just happened, even he, a ruthless man, felt like throwing up. Just now, in front of him, the man and woman’s limbs were broken, one inch at a time. Their bones were completely crushed to powder.

He didn’t know what method Jia Ming used, but he had inserted long needles into their temples. After that, they couldn’t scream, they couldn’t even faint. However, their willpower was incredible. They only managed to utter a few names under such torture, and they clearly didn’t reveal much information.

This was an old house not far from the rental apartment. Previously, the Yongsheng Gang had taken over this building, and the owner moved away. But soon after, the Li Yongsheng father and son disappeared, the Yongsheng Gang was dissolved, and the plan was abandoned. So, the house became an abandoned building. Now, sirens could be heard in the distance. Jia Ming was fiddling with an old television set in front of him, searching for information on the snow-filled screen. Though it was unclear, it was enough to know that Sacred Heart Academy was being held hostage.

“The signal is so bad, they must have blocked all electronic signals… Zhu Shen Wunian, he really did it…” Jia Ming turned his head expressionlessly and looked towards the outline of the brightly lit school. Although this side was also said to be near the school, it was about ten minutes from the main gate. The interrogation of the two mercenaries took some time, he really didn’t expect the other side to resort to directly taking over the entire school.

“Those two are finished, they can still be questioned later, but there’s no time…” Listening to his calm words, Xiao Meng raised his head, only to see Jia Ming casually pull a gun from his pocket, attach a silencer, and then shoot without hesitation, two shots, blood splattered, two bullet holes appeared accurately on the foreheads of the two people on the ground.

When he first started hanging out with the underworld, he had heard stories about those ruthless underworld bosses, about their crazy actions. Afterwards, he had seen many ruthless people, including himself, and he was constantly striving towards that ruthless direction. However, now, watching the young man’s casual manner, he realized for the first time what it truly meant to kill without blinking.

“From their conversation, there should be another woman named Bai Nana coming. I was going to wait for her here, but we’re running out of time. The situation in the school is urgent. Meng Ge, can you walk? I’ll take you to the police, Uncle Liu should be there soon. Then you go straight to the hospital.”

As he put the gun back in his pocket, Jia Ming spoke casually, his tone light. Looking at the soft smile on his face, Xiao Meng felt like the whole world was unreal for a moment. Jia Ming often went to see Liu Zheng with Sha Sha, and he had met these people quite a few times. In the eyes of these hardened underworld figures, the young man named Gu Jia Ming seemed very kind, though he looked weak, he was polite, calling everyone Meng Ge, Boss, showing respect to everyone. Therefore, they liked him. Once, they were chatting, saying that if Huai Sha were to marry him, they didn’t know how much he would be bullied. This speculation was often a source of amusement for the higher-ups in the Shaxiu Gang, even Liu Zheng sometimes joined in.

But just now, seeing him torture those two calmly, breaking their limbs one inch at a time, the twisted expressions on their faces made even Xiao Meng’s heart skip a beat. Yet Jia Ming still maintained that faint smile, calm, gentle, polite. As he watched the pain on their faces, continued to break their bones inch by inch, calmly asking questions while the bones cracked, followed by his final killing action, as nonchalant as crushing an ant, Xiao Meng realized how foolish that speculation was.

He struggled to get up from the sofa and tentatively smiled: “I’m really wondering if you’re the same Gu Jia Ming from before…”

“Heh, some things have to be disguised, or it’ll be very troublesome.” Jia Ming scratched his head, as if a little embarrassed. This image had completely merged with the Gu Jia Ming of the past. “Meng Ge, you remember to keep this a secret, thanks… uh, wait…”

Seeing Jia Ming roll up his sleeve and look at his watch screen, Xiao Meng leaned over: “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, Lingjing and Sha Sha both have signal transmitters, it’s convenient for me to find them at any time. It’s just that the signal in the campus has been interfered with, I can only receive it over short distances. This direction… Lingjing is already out. Thanks for…”

As he spoke, he left the room through the back door and headed towards the direction of the signal. Xiao Meng followed close behind. As they left the deserted alley, a police car sped past with its siren blaring. Jia Ming took out his headset and plugged it into his watch: “Hello… Lingjing, are you out? How’s Sha Sha? Don’t cry, I’ll be there soon, it’s okay, it’s okay, I’m here, look behind you…”

As he spoke, he turned around the corner. At the bottom of a phone booth across the street, Dongfang Lu and Lingjing were also looking in this direction. As soon as they saw him, Lingjing immediately dropped the phone and rushed over, hugging Jia Ming tightly, then burst into tears: “Waaaah, Jia Ming… I don’t know what they are… they have guns, they started killing people as soon as they came in. Now the whole school is occupied by them… it was so chaotic, I couldn’t find Sha Sha, the phones in the school are dead… we escaped all the way here, Dongfang Wan and the others didn’t make it, someone shot… waah, where’s Sha Sha, where’s Sha Sha, Jia Ming. How could this happen…”

Patting Lingjing’s shoulder softly as he comforted her, Jia Ming nodded at Dongfang Lu who was approaching: “Thank you for saving Lingjing.”

Looking at the two hugging, Dongfang Lu’s expression was surprisingly calm. He sighed and nodded at Jia Ming: “I want to go in and save Xiao Wan, can I go with you?”

“Uh?”

“Lingjing didn’t tell me anything, but I know you’re Yujinxiang (Flower-Picking Great Thief Yujinxia), Jian Suyan. Heh, it seems Lingjing doesn’t know your identity either…”

Lingjing tried to hold back her tears, she looked up: “Jia Ming, what is Yujinxiang, Jian Suyan?”

Jia Ming smiled: “I don’t understand why you’re saying that.”

“Not long ago, Xu Yiting told me something. You were with Xiao Wan and the others that time, and you scared away two Twisting Polyhedrons just with your aura. You can learn how to fight, but you can’t learn aura. Last time you helped me because of Xiao Ruo’s matter, you said Jian Suyan wasn’t a natural evolutionist, but her experience is extraordinary. Heh… And Jian Suyan looks taller than you, but that’s because she’s a woman, people’s impressions are different. I asked someone, without preconceived notions, it’s more objective. Your heights are actually similar…” He paused. “Don’t worry, I’m the only one who knows this. I haven’t told anyone.”

“It sounds like I can kill you to silence you.”

“Then take me to the school.” Dongfang Lu took a deep breath. “At least do it for saving Ye Lingjing.”

The atmosphere on both sides became a little silent. After a moment, Jia Ming nodded: “Just so you know, I don’t guarantee you’ll make it out alive… The people in the school now are led by a Japanese man named Zhu Shen Wunian. If you understand what that name means, you still have time to regret it. You’d better call the other members of Yan Huang Jue Xing about this information right now, I need to go back and change clothes… Lingjing, you go with Meng Ge and find Uncle Liu, don’t go home…”

After he finished speaking, he turned and left with Lingjing and Xiao Meng. Dongfang Lu’s face changed, thinking about the weight of the name Zhu Shen Wunian, he ran towards the phone booth on the side.

A few minutes later, Jia Ming, wearing a gray jacket, reappeared on the other side of the road. As he walked over, he casually threw another dark gray jacket to Dongfang Lu: “Bought it from a street stall, cheap, but the color is good. There’s a gun in the pocket. I hope you know how to use it. Why are you looking at me like that? You think I won’t come back?”

“Uh, I know how to use a gun… I thought you’d come dressed as Jian Suyan. You know… that identity is almost legendary in Yan Huang Jue Xing, my sister has seen you several times, but I’ve never seen you. Hehe…”

“You think I’m a Pretty Cure? I can transform just like that. The situation in the school is changing every minute, we can think about where to enter…” Without paying attention to the sarcasm in Dongfang Lu’s words, Jia Ming frowned and looked towards the mountain range in front of him, then walked towards the school. “If you want to go in, I hope you can keep up.”

Under the night sky, the gaze lifted towards the sky, the brightly lit campus outline was particularly bright and clear. Around it, various vehicles formed a bright cordon around the perimeter of the giant campus. Several helicopters hovered in the air. Inside the campus, the students and teachers being held hostage gathered in the teaching buildings and gymnasiums. Some cried, some whispered, some were anxious, and some, using their familiarity with the campus terrain, tried to escape, though their hopes were slim. Further out, some searched, some hunted, some fled, some hid, some launched counterattacks. Gunshots occasionally rang out in the night, tugging at the hearts of those who heard them. Police, gangsters, businessmen, officials, teachers, students… for many people in Jiang Hai City, this would be a sleepless night filled with blood and chaos.

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