A few minutes later, a law enforcement vehicle pulled up at the entrance.
Wang Pingcheng opened the door and stepped out. After grabbing a quick nap at home, he had rushed straight back to the Inspector Bureau.
‘To think a large-scale crackdown on Ghouls is happening without me, the Chief. If word gets out, I'll be the laughingstock of the department.’ He walked briskly toward the entrance.
But the moment he reached the entrance, his face froze.
Before him lay the corpses of two inspectors, their bodies riddled with so many holes it made his skin crawl.
“What on earth happened here?!” Wang Pingcheng roared in fury.
He dashed through the doors, only to find more corpses inside, all bearing the exact same horrific wounds.
He bolted upstairs, desperately searching for any survivors.
A few minutes later, standing inside the room where Fang Jian and his team had been stationed, his face was pale, his heart a turbulent mix of rage and shock.
The enemy's audacity was staggering—they had dared to launch a direct assault on the Inspector Bureau itself.
Meanwhile, outside the small building where Zhang Yi and his team were, dozens of inspectors had already cordoned off the area.
Soldiers stood guard nearby, and body transport vans were parked along the street.
Two soldiers carried out the corpse of a Ghoul. Behind them followed a stretcher bearing one of the victims.
“Put chains on it, just in case,” Zhang Yi ordered, pointing at the Ghoul's corpse.
Beside him, Duan Chebin remarked, “Group Leader Zhang, isn't that a bit too cautious? The thing's head is completely gone.”
“It's better to be safe than sorry. We still know far too little about these things,” Zhang Yi replied, looking at the surrounding inspectors as he pulled out his phone.
The screen showed 11:20 PM.
They had been on the ground for less than a day, and under his direction, sixteen Ghouls had already been eliminated.
“Group Leader Zhang, now that we're pushing back, whoever's pulling the strings must be getting desperate. With so many Ghouls killed, whatever conspiracy they have is bound to fail,” Peng Fei chimed in.
Now that he understood the situation better, he was growing increasingly impatient for revenge.
After all, the enemy had only shown one card so far—the Ghouls—and that was hardly enough to stand against the might of the state.
Zhang Yi pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, handed one to each of them, and said calmly, “We can't afford to underestimate them just yet. While we've achieved significant results, we've also lost many civilians and inspectors.”
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Just as he was about to light his cigarette, his phone rang.
He pulled it out and saw it was the number he had exchanged with Wang Pingcheng earlier that day.
“Hello, Chief Wang. Is something wrong?” he answered, feeling a pang of doubt.
Ordinarily, they weren't supposed to make calls during a mission to avoid alerting the Ghouls.
From the other end came Wang Pingcheng's frantic voice: “Group Leader Zhang, we have a disaster! The Inspector Bureau and the city library have been attacked! Everyone at both locations is dead—there are no survivors!”
Zhang Yi froze. He remembered clearly that Tong Lin, Fang Jian, and the others were at those locations.
“Chief Wang... are you saying even the members of our investigation team are dead?” Zhang Yi asked, unable to believe his ears.
In all the cases he had handled throughout his career, nothing like this had ever happened.
“Group Leader Zhang, I know you're devastated, but I'm just as heartbroken,” Wang Pingcheng said, his voice heavy with grief.
“I understand. I'm heading to the library right now,” Zhang Yi said and hung up.
Beside him, Peng Fei, whose sharp hearing had caught every word, wore a look of pure rage. “Damn it! These terrorists all deserve to die!”
“Group Leader Zhang, did something happen to Feng Shaojun and the others?” Duan Chebin asked, his face a mask of disbelief.
He hadn't expected the enemy to dare target the investigation team directly—especially Feng Shaojun, who was the son of a high-ranking official in Parliament.
“Come with me. We're going to the library right now,” Zhang Yi said, barely keeping his fury in check.
He had sent them to the library to find out if Zhao Jin had other cards up his sleeve. Now that they had been attacked, he couldn't help but wonder if they had dug up something they shouldn't have.
Duan Chebin rushed toward the vehicles. Moments later, the van they had been using pulled up in front of them.
“Get in. And you, send a squad to escort us,” Zhang Yi said, looking at the military officer among the soldiers before boarding the van.
“Understood. I'll arrange protection for you immediately, Group Leader Zhang!” The officer nodded and set to work.
The engine roared.
Once Zhang Yi and Peng Fei boarded, the van started up, speeding toward the library seven kilometers away.
Two gray military Hummers followed closely behind them.
After they departed, one of the inspectors on guard duty glanced around with shifting eyes. He turned, walked into a secluded corner, and pulled out his phone to type a message.
Under the cover of night, the three vehicles sped down the streets of Ningcheng, overtaking the occasional car along the way.
Sitting in the van, Zhang Yi watched the streetlights and buildings flash past.
His mind raced. Only a handful of people at the airport had known about the library assignment.
For the enemy to know that Tong Lin and the others were going to the library, there had to be a mole in their ranks.
At this realization, Zhang Yi's expression shifted. ‘If there's a mole, then my current location might have been leaked as well.’
Earlier at the small building, there had been over a hundred soldiers and inspectors, which likely deterred the enemy from making a move.
But now, with only a single squad escorting them, this would be the perfect opportunity if the enemy wanted to strike.
“Group Leader Zhang, this is the escort team! We have three vehicles tailing us from behind!” the walkie-talkie in the van crackled to life.
Zhang Yi quickly rolled down the window and looked back. Sure enough, three black, plateless vans had appeared behind them.
One of the vans suddenly accelerated, pulling up alongside the lead Hummer.
The passenger window of the Hummer rolled down, and a soldier raised his rifle, shouting, “You are interfering with a military mission! Fall back immediately!”
He aimed his rifle straight at the van's cabin.
Instead of complying, the van suddenly swerved, slamming violently into the Hummer.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The soldier in the passenger seat didn't hesitate to open fire. Bullets shattered the van's driver-side window.
The driver, a man with crimson eyes, was riddled with bullets and torn to shreds.
Crash!
With a deafening crash, the driverless van slammed hard into the Hummer, forcing it to a grinding halt.
Crash!
Another loud impact echoed from behind as the second Hummer was also intercepted by another van.
The final van overtook the struggling vehicles and sped toward the van carrying the three of them.
Inside their van, Peng Fei and Duan Chebin both saw what was happening behind them.
Veins bulged on Duan Chebin's forehead as he slammed the gas pedal to the floor. “Damn it! These bastards actually dare to come after us!”
They were clearly trying to wipe out the entire investigation team. Didn't they fear the higher-ups sending in the military to hunt them down?
Peng Fei drew two short, straight daggers from his lower back, his face filled with murderous intent. “With me here, you won't suffer a scratch.”
Zhang Yi pulled out his phone to call the garrison commander directly, but he quickly realized his signal, which had been perfectly fine moments ago, was completely gone.
Under Duan Chebin's frantic acceleration, their van was already pushing 140 kilometers per hour.
Yet, the black van still managed to catch up, pulling level with them.
“Duan, slow down!” Zhang Yi yelled urgently.
If they got hit at this speed, none of them would survive the crash.
As he spoke, he grabbed a shotgun from the seat.
The side door of the opposing van slid open.
Without even looking, Zhang Yi aimed the shotgun through the window and fired.
Bang!
The glass shattered as a man in the opposing van was blasted backward, his body shredded and blood spraying everywhere.
Clack!
Zhang Yi pumped the shotgun, preparing to fire another round.
But before he could, a figure suddenly lunged out of the opposing van, moving at an impossibly high speed.
Rate on N.U.
