The weapon by the pillow

Chapter 48 Rushing too fast will lead to disaster!

"...402, it's Liu Li. Could there be another conspiracy waiting for them? Yes, definitely. They've exceeded the time limit; Liu Li must be dead! I already have clues about that Shadow Squad. When they're relentlessly pursuing us, that's our chance..."

The master gave me my last chance!

What kind of opportunity is it?

The master seemed to have grasped some key information about the "Shadow Squad," but didn't have time to say it.

Now, I'm being taken away.

Are we just going to let this opportunity slip away like this?

Will this unsolved case from thirteen years ago remain unsolved for another thirteen years?

"Director Yang," Cheng Jing's voice was forced out through clenched teeth, "who issued this notice? What's the basis for it? I'm currently handling a suspected serial murder and illegal detention case involving multiple lives! What authority do you have at this time..."

"Power?" Yang Hong interrupted her, her face still expressionless, a hint of mockery in her eyes. "Captain Cheng, you're talking to me about power? This notice is a decision from an emergency meeting of the bureau, stamped with the official seal of the municipal bureau. As for the basis, it's clearly stated in the document. What you need to do now is immediately hand over command and return to the municipal bureau to cooperate with the investigation. I will temporarily take over the on-site work."

As soon as she finished speaking, two men wearing the same dark jackets stood on either side of Yang Hong behind her, their cold gazes locked onto Cheng Jing.

They were clearly from the Inspectorate.

The police officers around the command vehicle were stunned, watching this sudden turn of events with bewilderment.

Chen Ming was so anxious that sweat beaded on his forehead. He wanted to say something, but Yang Hong's cold gaze silenced him.

"Temporary takeover?" Cheng Jing laughed angrily. "Director Yang, do you know what the situation is like inside? Do you know the suspect's possible characteristics and danger level? Do you know what new clues we just discovered? You're an inspector, do you understand on-site command? If you go in, will you be rescuing people or harming them?!"

"That's none of your concern." Yang Hong remained unmoved. She glanced at the image of Building 7 frozen on the command vehicle's screen and coldly spoke into her headset:

"Special Police Team A, this is Yang Hong from the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Inspectorate. I am now in command on site. I order you to halt all operations and remain in place. No one is to take any further action without my orders. Repeat, remain in place."

"What?!"

The SWAT captain's surprised voice came through the earpiece, but they were disciplined soldiers and responded immediately:

"...Received. Remain at your post."

Cheng Jing watched as the SWAT team members on the screen, who had been poised to attack, quickly adjusted their posture after receiving orders, switching from offensive preparation to defensive alert.

Her heart sank to the bottom.

What is Yang Hong trying to do? Why is she suspending the operation? The people inside could be in danger at any moment!

"Yang Hong!" Cheng Jing could no longer hold back. She called her by name, "What exactly do you want?! There are eight lives inside! And Liu Li, who may have already been murdered! The murderer might be in the building! You're telling them to stand by? Wait for what? Wait for the people inside to kill each other? Wait for the murderer to clean up the scene and swagger away?!"

Yang Hong finally turned her gaze completely to Cheng Jing. She lowered her voice so that only Cheng Jing and Chen Ming, who was closest to her, could hear her:

"Cheng Jing, you're too hasty. Sometimes, rushing too fast can lead to making mistakes. It can also...scare away the fish we're trying to catch."

She paused, then added meaningfully, "The 'protagonist' you're looking for might not like the spotlight being too bright. We need a little... patience. Also, don't forget, you yourself are currently carrying a 'question mark.' Until that question mark is wiped away, your best option is to remain silent."

After saying that, she stopped looking at Cheng Jing and gestured to her two subordinates behind her: "Take Captain Cheng to the car. Back to the Municipal Bureau."

Two men from the Inspectorate stepped forward.

Cheng Jing stood there, rain running down her short hair and across her tense cheeks.

She looked at Yang Hong's cold face, at the frozen image on the command screen, at the puzzled or anxious looks in the eyes of her colleagues, and at Building No. 7, which stood silently like a tombstone in the rain not far away.

His master's words echoed in his ears: "Disrupt the rhythm...find the 'director'..."

Yang Hong's words echoed in his ears: "You've scared away the fish we're trying to catch... You need patience..."

Two voices collided fiercely in her mind.

Is this suspension notice a genuine procedural issue, or... some form of protection or isolation?

Countless questions arose.

But she knew that resisting at this moment was pointless. The inspectors held official documents, representing an organizational decision.

If she insists any longer, the situation will only become more tense, and she might even be forcibly taken away, which would put her in an even more passive position.

"Okay." Cheng Jing suddenly calmed down. She raised her hand to wipe the rain off her face and looked at Yang Hong again. "I'll go back with you. But Director Yang, I hope you understand the responsibility you have now. If anything happens to anyone inside, you will be held responsible."

She turned to Chen Ming, who looked anxious, and quickly whispered, "Chen Ming, you stay here and cooperate with... Director Yang. But keep your eyes peeled. If anything unusual or happens, immediately... find a way to notify my master. Understand?"

Chen Ming nodded emphatically, his eyes slightly red: "Understood, Captain Cheng!"

Cheng Jing said no more and walked towards the black sedan.

Two inspectors followed closely behind.

Before getting on the bus, she turned back one last time and looked at the window on the fourth floor of Building 7, from which a faint light was shining through.

Cheng Tan, you are the one your master praised, the protagonist of the story, and everyone else in it... You must all hold on.

She silently recited it in her heart.

Then, she bent down and sat in the back seat of the car.

The car door closed, shutting out the sound of rain and the tense atmosphere outside.

The car started and slowly drove away from Anpingli neighborhood.

Beside the command vehicle, Yang Hong watched the car's taillights disappear into the rainy night. The cold lines on her face seemed to soften for a moment, but then returned to normal.

She turned and walked towards the command vehicle, addressing Chen Ming and the others who were still in a daze:

"Now, I am the highest-ranking commander on site. Bring me all the data, all the surveillance footage, all the communication records. I need to know every single detail from when Cheng Tan posted the message until now."

Her gaze fell on Building 7, her eyes deep and unfathomable.

"Also, notify the technical department that I need infrared thermal imaging scans of all rooms in this building, except for 403 and 402, including the hallways, pipe shafts, and rooftop, immediately."

She seemed to be looking for something.

Or rather, confirming something.

Meanwhile, inside room 402, the eight people who were completely unaware of everything that had happened outside had their hopes, which had just been raised by Ah Zhe's words, "There are footsteps outside the door," quickly extinguished.

The footsteps seemed to stop outside; there was no breaking down of the door, no shouting, it just stopped eerily.

Then came an even more unsettling deathly silence.

Only the sound of rain outside the window, pattering and getting more and more urgent.