"Boss, I just asked the security guard, he said a delivery driver did go in a moment ago and hasn't come out yet."
Li He sat in the back, leaning slightly forward, and said to He Qi'an.
"Look, isn't that the delivery driver's electric bike?!"
Zhang Ming pointed ahead and said.
He Qi'an and Li He looked up. Under the car lights, the electric bike lying on the ground appeared unusually eerie in the heavy rain.
"Get out of the car!"
He Qi'an said in a deep voice, immediately opening the car door and getting out.
Li He followed closely behind, and Zhang Ming quickly turned off the engine and got out of the car as well.
He Qi'an walked up to the electric bike, looking at the open delivery box filled with rainwater, his eyes flashing with gloominess.
The three of them quickly entered the second building unit, and as they walked to the elevator, they were startled to find one of the elevators stopped on the 13th floor.
"Boss..." Zhang Ming swallowed, unable to help but look at the team leader.
He Qi'an strode into the elevator, and Zhang Ming and Li He quickly entered, pressing the button for the 13th floor.
Once in the elevator, He Qi'an took out the firearm holstered at his waist and quickly checked it.
Li He also checked his weapon, while turning on the electric baton and glancing at its battery level.
Zhang Ming watched the two of them, feeling both excited and somewhat nervous. He had only joined the job this year, nearly six months in, and every mission so far had been minor; he had never encountered a murder case!
He steadied himself and checked his weapon as well.
"Ding..."
They arrived on the 13th floor!
He Qi'an walked out of the elevator, quickly glancing to both sides, "This way."
The three of them silently walked to the door of room 1302. He Qi'an raised his hand, and Li He and Zhang Ming stood ready, hands on their weapons.
He Qi'an leaned against the door, listening for any sound from inside.
"Bang!"
He heard something drop inside and stood up straight, immediately knocking on the door.
"Bang bang bang! Bang bang bang!"
The knocking sound echoed abruptly, startling the people inside.
At this moment, Ai Lin, looking disheveled, her clothes torn and her face bruised, was being tightly gagged by the tall delivery man, with a kitchen knife pressed against her waist.
She trembled all over, sobbing and scared to death. Hearing the knocking on the door, a great hope burst forth in her eyes.
"Bang bang bang! Bang bang bang!"
The knocking continued, while the delivery man panted heavily, leaning into Ai Lin's ear and softly threatening, "Don't make a sound, or else... hm!"
"Who's there!" the delivery man shouted loudly.
He Qi'an and the others heard a man's voice and exchanged glances.
"I'm here to fix the pipes. There's a blockage upstairs, and I need to clear it from your place. Open the door, I'll be quick!" He Qi'an said in a thick voice.
The man was furious, "What time is it? Come back tomorrow, I'm asleep!"
"I can't do that, there's water everywhere upstairs. I'm afraid your ceiling will start leaking if I wait. I'll be quick, ten minutes, just ten minutes and I'll be done. Please open the door!"
The man cursed inwardly, tightly gagging Ai Lin, who was filled with hope, looking towards the door, hoping the people outside could come in and rescue her.
At this moment, she recalled Lin Xiaoyan's words after work, feeling an immense regret. Why did she order takeout? She could have just eaten instant noodles!!!
"I'm sleeping! Go away, no repairs!" the delivery man said in a deep voice.
Outside, He Qi'an, hearing the refusal from inside, wore a cold expression and signaled to Li He with his eyes. Li He nodded, took a wire out of his pocket, and quickly approached the door, trying the handle.
Hearing the handle, the delivery man became alert, "What are you doing?"
Li He looked at He Qi'an and nodded.
He Qi'an nodded back, continuing to knock on the door, "Open up, open up, I need to fix the pipes. Just let me in, I need to fix it today as instructed from upstairs..."
While He Qi'an spoke and knocked, Li He quickly inserted the wire into the lock hole, gently twisting it...
"Damn it!" the delivery man cursed under his breath, looking at the person in his arms, the knife pressing against her neck. "Move, go inside!"
Ai Lin, tears streaming, was forced into another room, and then the delivery man tied her up, gagging her, and warning, "Stay put, don't make a sound, or I'll slit you open!"
He Qi'an, hearing no more sounds from inside, softly urged Li He.
Li He, dripping with sweat, sped up his actions.
"Bang bang bang... open the door, open the door..."
The delivery man quickly took off his clothes, walked to the wardrobe, opened it, and found men's clothing inside. He quickly put one on.
"Coming, stop knocking, it's the middle of the night, what a nuisance!" the delivery man shouted, then closed the bedroom door, casting a warning glance at Ai Lin on the bed before closing it.
Ai Lin shut her eyes in terror, not daring to move.
The man quickly closed the door, tucking the kitchen knife into his waistband behind, ready to answer the door.
When his hand reached the doorknob, the door suddenly opened from the outside, changing the color of his face drastically, and his hand reached for his back.
He Qi'an saw the man's movement and kicked him, swiftly subduing him.
"Li He, check the rooms."
"Yes!" Li He immediately started checking.
The delivery man was pinned to the ground, shouting loudly, "Who are you? What do you want? This is trespassing, let me go!"
Zhang Ming looked at the captain, Li He, hesitated for a moment, and quickly followed behind Li He to check.
Li He looked at the fallen takeout box and the messy living room. Suddenly, he heard a sound coming from the bedroom.
He quickly headed to the bedroom.
"Don't go in there, my wife's asleep inside, you're being indecent! I'm calling the police!"
The delivery man saw Li He heading toward the bedroom, his eyes filled with panic, shouting loudly.
"Shut up!" He Qi'an shoved the man firmly, warning in a deep voice.
Li He opened the door and found the woman tied up inside.
Seeing someone enter, Ai Lin immediately let out a cry for help.
"Zhang Ming, come help out!" Li He turned and yelled, while grabbing the blanket on the floor and covering Ai Lin with it.
Zhang Ming stepped in, staring at the bound woman, pausing for a moment, realizing that the call... was real!!!
"Hurry up and come! Call 120 for emergency services, you untie her, I'll go help the captain!"
Zhang Ming snapped out of it, quickly agreeing, "Okay."
...
At this moment, Lin Xiaoyan lay shivering in bed, praying in her heart, hoping the police could rescue Sister Lin.
She glanced at the time, midnight!
Lin Xiaoyan turned pale, her hands trembling non-stop, and her eyes started hurting again.
She thought and thought again, deciding to make another phone call.
Mao Hong was currently investigating information on Lin Xiaoyan.
"Ring ring ring..." The phone rang, Mao Hong glanced at the caller, finding it somewhat familiar. She checked back, and it turned out to be Lin Xiaoyan's number from earlier.
"Hello, this is..."
"Hello... hi, I..."
Mao Hong recognized the familiar, tense, and anxious voice. Indeed, it was Lin Xiaoyan.
"I want to ask, did you... dispatch any officers?" Lin Xiaoyan had a lengthy mental debate before making this call.