Chapter 41: Rescuing the Hostages
"WEE-WOO... WEE-WOO... WEE-WOO!" "WEE-WOO!"
"WEE-WOO!" "WEE-WOO WEE-WOO!"
Red and blue lights flashed erratically. Amidst the piercing sirens, a stream of police cars sped into Bilin Village.
「Three minutes later.」
"SCREECH!" With the sound of braking tires, Ye Xing’s Porsche 911 also pulled into Bilin Village.
Bilin Village was eerily quiet. Almost no one was around; the silence was unsettling. Usually at this hour, the villagers would be out for a stroll after dinner, or sitting in the general stores in the alleys, watching TV and chatting. Now, however, many shops had their doors shut tight, having closed early. Only one or two old men could be seen in the village’s narrow lanes.
"Elder Zhao, what’s going on? Where did everyone in the village go?" Ye Xing asked hurriedly.
"Sigh... about fifteen minutes ago, three thugs rushed into the village. They kidnapped two children and headed for the abandoned factory on the eastern outskirts. They’re in a standoff with the police, negotiating. A lot of villagers have gone over there to watch. It’s terrible... those two kids are probably in real danger. The thugs all have guns and are extremely vicious. I heard they’re the bank robbers from the news." Elder Zhao shook his head and sighed.
"I see." A flicker of something passed through Ye Xing’s eyes.
"Axing, should we go have a look?" his Second Aunt, Ye Xiuying, asked as she came up from behind him.
"No, I have things to do tonight." Ye Xing shook his head. "Second Aunt, let’s not go join the crowd. The thugs have guns. If they go crazy, it’ll be extremely dangerous." Ye Xing’s current cultivation had just reached the Martial Arts First Realm. Although his strength was far beyond an ordinary person’s, he still wasn’t faster than a bullet that had already left the barrel. ’Of course, preventing the bullet from being fired in the first place wouldn’t be too difficult. But this is a job for the police. There’s no need for me to take the risk.’
"Huh? Xiuying, what are you still doing here?" Elder Zhao asked, looking at the approaching Ye Xiuying with sudden confusion.
"Elder Zhao, I just got back from Luoxian County. What is it?" Second Aunt Ye Xiuying was even more bewildered. "Why shouldn’t I be here?"
"What are you still standing here dazed for? Your kid has been kidnapped, aren’t you going to go?!" Elder Zhao shouted.
"What?" Ye Xiuying froze, then cried out anxiously, "Are you saying that one of the two boys who were kidnapped... is my Little Hai?"
"Yes, your Little Hai and the Liu Family’s child were playing at the village entrance when the thugs burst in..."
"Little Hai... Nothing will happen to Little Hai, nothing will happen to him!" Second Aunt Ye Xiuying’s face went white with panic. Incredibly anxious, her eyes turning red, she was clearly worried sick. She broke into a desperate sprint toward the abandoned factory on the outskirts of the village.
’My cousin Little Hai was kidnapped?’ Ye Xing was stunned for a moment, a wry smile touching his lips.
Ye Xing’s younger cousin was named Cheng Xiaohai, and he had just started the seventh grade. He had been Ye Xing’s little shadow since they were kids, always trailing after him and chirping, "Cousin Ye Xing, Cousin Ye Xing!" He was a very lively boy. His cousin Cheng Xiaohai was his aunt’s only child; if anything were to happen to him, his aunt and uncle would be absolutely devastated.
Ye Xing immediately went to his car to grab a few things, then he too headed for the abandoned factory on the eastern outskirts.
The abandoned factory was only a mile or so from the village. At his current speed, running at full tilt, Ye Xing reached the factory on the outskirts in no time at all.
The factory consisted of two six-story buildings with red brick exteriors. The walls were covered in moss. It had been abandoned for eight or nine years, and rumor had it that it might be demolished for redevelopment in another two. Normally, no one ever came here. The place was completely desolate.
Now, however, the area around the abandoned factory was swarming with people.
More than thirty police officers, their faces tense and alert, had completely surrounded all exits of one of the factory buildings, their handguns aimed forward. One of them, a middle-aged man who appeared to be an officer, was shouting into the building through a megaphone.
Outside the police cordon, circles of villagers had gathered—men, women, young, and old—all pointing and whispering amongst themselves. The murmur of the crowd was punctuated by choked sobs and cries from Ye Xiuying and another village woman. A young female police officer was attempting to console them.
"Please, ladies, rest assured. We will do everything we can to ensure the hostages’ safety and bring your children out of there."
"Officer, excuse me," Ye Xing said, walking over. "Can you tell me what the current situation is inside?"
"Who are you? Why are you asking?" The young female officer’s brows furrowed as she looked at Ye Xing with a wary gaze.
"Second Aunt, try to stay calm. Little Hai will be okay. There are so many officers here and only three kidnappers. They’ll definitely get him out safely." After saying a few words to comfort his aunt, Ye Xing turned to the young officer and said in a grave tone, "One of the hostages is my cousin. I’d like to know the situation inside, if you’d please tell me."
"There are three of them. Two are guarding the hostages inside on the second floor, and their leader is the one negotiating with us," the young officer explained, gesturing ahead.
Sure enough, at the exit of the building’s stairwell ahead, a gun-wielding thug with a vicious look on his face was shouting at the assembled police, his expression brazen and fearless.
More than a dozen police handguns were aimed at the thug, yet no one dared to fire. It was obvious that if they shot him, the two boys upstairs would be killed. The two sides were still locked in heated negotiations, but the kidnappers’ demands were apparently steep, and the police had yet to agree.
It was now past seven o’clock and the sky had long since grown dark, but the two sides were still at a stalemate.
’If this keeps up and the negotiations fall through, Little Hai will be in serious danger.’ Ye Xing’s eyes narrowed as he carefully surveyed the surrounding terrain.
The abandoned factory had two buildings, designated Building One and Building Two, which stood about six or seven meters apart. The kidnappers and hostages were in Building Two, which was surrounded by a sea of police and onlookers, making it completely impassable.
’It’s probably impossible to sneak into Building Two directly. I’ll have to get across from Building One.’ A plan forming in his mind, Ye Xing’s gaze shifted to Building One. He moved instantly. Under the cover of darkness, unnoticed by the crowd, he slipped into the first building and took the stairs to the rooftop.
’If only I had Miss Tantai’s or Xia Girl’s Lightweight Skill... Six stories is pretty high. Even I would be seriously injured if I fell from here. Thankfully, the gap is only six or seven meters. I should be able to make it.’ Ye Xing’s gaze fixed on the rooftop of Building Two. He took a few steps back, circulated the Innate Skill, and channeled True Qi into his feet before suddenly rocketing forward. Upon reaching the edge of Building One’s rooftop, he kicked off the ground with explosive force.
"SWOOSH!"
He executed a flip in mid-air, wind whistling past his ears. The six-or-seven-meter gap flashed by in an instant. When his feet touched down again, he had landed on the rooftop of Building Two.