A roaring fire erupted outside the window, illuminating Chu Jiajun's figure in a bloody haze. Chen Xiaohu suddenly realized that they were two completely different people. This man had long been a creature of that path, a freak who had picked up a gun at a young age, followed his adoptive father into the Magu factory, and faced a hail of bullets.
Five minutes later, Chu Jiajun pushed open the door leading to the pipeline room on the south side of Hall 2. However, at that moment, he cursed and closed the door.
They had robbed the guard's gun and had no extra magazines, with only a few bullets left. Outside the door, not far away was the entrance to the sewer manhole, but this place, which was supposed to be unattended, was now guarded by guards.
Chu Jiajun had purchased the underground sewer blueprints from "film," while Ji Yongtao had them retrieved from the archives within the system. Both sides had assumed it was a low-probability event, yet it became the key to victory or defeat.
Chen Xiaohu: There is another manhole...
Chu Jiajun didn't want to talk to him. If one wellhead was blocked, the other must have been too. Their way out was blocked, and no one could have imagined that there would be a freak like them, obsessed with the sewer.
The last resort is to kill the guards watching the manhole... They don't have many bullets left, and Chen Xiaohu has a bomb. If they kill the guards and escape from the manhole by force, they will inevitably be chased and have to give up the gold.
No, there is another way.
Chu Jiajun saw the elevator next to him. The elevator in the empty building could go directly to the underground parking lot, which was definitely guarded. Moreover, as soon as the people in the parking lot saw the elevator's running light on, they would definitely pay close attention to the elevator and concentrate their forces on the floor where the elevator stopped...
But Chu Jiajun quickly came up with a plan in his mind, and he took Chen Xiaohu and ran upstairs.
A plan to escape with minimal risk and preserve the gold.
We need to race against time now. Ji Yongtao and his team have already confirmed that they are in Hall 2, which will soon be filled with guards.
-
In the underground parking lot, the security guard in charge found that the elevator's operating light was on.
This is Elevator No. 2, which corresponds to Exhibition Hall No. 2. There is no exhibition in Exhibition Hall No. 2 today. It is a critical time now, and no staff will go out.
Everyone was on alert, and those searching the other floors were transferred to the basement. Ji Yongtao and Liu Weide received the news simultaneously through the intercom, but made different judgments.
Ji Yongtao's judgment was not to move. The police force dispatched in the parking lot was sufficient. Even if two people with live ammunition really came out of the elevator with guns fired, it would be impossible for them to confront more than a dozen armed guards head-on.
Ji Yongtao: Please be vigilant at other exits. It is very likely that they are still in Hall 2, preparing to take the opportunity to escape through the weak point.
Ji Yongtao: We cannot rule out the possibility that they will go back. Team 2 should not disperse. I repeat, no dispersion is allowed!
Liu Weide: They won't go back! All exits 2 are locked!
The second team's forces were sent to the parking lot for support, while Liu Weide stayed in the elevator hall on the first floor to continue following up, constantly switching hands to hold the intercom.
Next to him was the side door exit, and a few hundred meters away, a dispatch vehicle was parked on the roadside of the exhibition area.
Suddenly, a strange sound came from behind him. The source of the sound was the elevator door.
The elevator clearly went down to the basement level, but the door to the first floor was open.
It was forced open by brute force.
The elevator door on the underground floor opened normally, and there was no one inside.
The elevator door on the ground floor was forced open from the inside. The two people must have pressed the button for the underground parking level after entering the elevator, then opened the top window of the elevator car as quickly as possible, climbed to the top of the elevator, and sat on the top of the elevator car to go downstairs.
So when the elevator on the underground floor opens, there is no one inside; people stand on top of the elevator car and push open the elevator door to the next floor - the first floor.
Before Liu Weide could see the figure inside clearly, the man leaped out and stepped on him to the ground. The walkie-talkie slipped out and was stepped on by another person.
Communication from underground came over the intercom: There is no one in the elevator, are there any abnormalities at the defense points?
Reports from various defense points: South 2, no abnormalities...
Liu Weide's head was pinned to the ground by the gun, and the blood in his body froze at that moment. The man stepping on his walkie-talkie tilted his head slightly, perhaps also hesitant about the current situation.
Killing Liu Weide would only take a few seconds, but the dispatch station, which did not receive a response, would definitely realize that something had happened to Liu Weide.
Someone on the intercom was already asking: Team Two? Team Two? Liu Weide?
The person who stepped on Liu Weide threatened him: Say it's okay.
Liu Weide trembled and shook his head slightly: No, no... I won't let you get away...
Another person bent down to pick up the walkie-talkie on the ground, but just as he leaned over, the strap of his mask broke.
The man's true face was revealed in front of Liu Weide.
Everything seemed to be frozen.
The two of them looked at each other for only a moment, but Liu Weide seemed to have been staring at that face for a long time. He was stunned and couldn't even call out the name.
Without the mask, the man was startled at first, then he gave a helpless smile and sighed. He took a step forward and squatted lightly beside Liu Weide.
Chu Jiajun: Hello, Uncle Liu.
Liu Weide: ...
Chu Jiajun: I'm sorry, hehe…
He really seemed like a child who had made a mistake and was scratching his head embarrassedly.
Chen Xiaohu: Kill him! It's only a few hundred meters away, let's rush out!
Chu Jiajun raised his eyes, and with just one look, Chen Xiaohu shut his mouth quietly - it was indeed only a few hundred meters, but if he made a noise before killing Liu Weide, everyone would rush over, and these few hundred meters would be as dangerous as running through a minefield.
Chu Jiajun: Uncle Liu, let's talk.
He signaled Chen Xiaohu to let go of Liu Weide and patted the man on the shoulder.
Chu Jiajun: Let's be frank. You don't have to die. You can get money, a lot of money.
Chu Jiajun: Just say one word, tell them everything is fine here. One word, two million.
Chu Jiajun: "I mean what I say. Two million, not a cent less. Pick a time next week and go to the address I mentioned. The two million will be yours. Don't worry. If I didn't have this much credibility, no one would be with me."
Liu Weide: Are you...Chu Jiajun?
Chu Jiajun: Yes, but remember, you have to call me Xu Fei.
The person on the other end of the intercom was still urging.
Chu Jiajun: Tell them, it's okay, we don't need any help here.
Liu Weide: ...
Chu Jiajun: Uncle Liu, what are you thinking? Haven't you always wanted to take Mengmeng to see a doctor abroad? Didn't you want to send Mengmeng to study abroad? Look at Mengmeng now. She has to go to the hospital every week, eat special milk powder, and is so thin...
Liu Weide lowered his head and gritted his teeth, but he couldn't help but see his eyes turn red.
Chu Jiajun: You can save Mengmeng with just one word. How can you support her with less than 300 yuan a month? Uncle, I'll do my job and you'll do yours. Once you get the money, you'll be one of my own. If you have any difficulties in the future, I, Chu Jiajun, will be the first to help you.
Liu Weide lowered his head even more and asked softly, "Two million... Really? Two million?"
Chu Jiajun: Two million, you can use it to do business or save it, and your daughter will be able to live a good life.
Liu Weide slowly raised his head, his eyes evasive: Are you really...giving it to me?
Chu Jiajun pointed to the sky and said: If I don't give it to you, you will be struck by lightning.
Liu Weide: You have killed so many people, and you are still afraid of being struck by lightning?
Chu Jiajun: I don't even dare to walk under the tree when it rains. Uncle Liu, they're rushing us, what do you think?
Liu Weide almost bit his lower lip until it bled. After a few seconds, he nodded.
Liu Weide: Two million, it's a deal!
Liu Weide: You... give me the intercom...
Chu Jiajun handed the intercom over to the trembling hands. The man had even dropped the intercom to the ground for the first time, fumbling to hold it tightly.
He finally looked up at the two of them: I did this for my daughter...
Liu Weide pressed the talk button on the intercom.
Then, all the defensive points heard his voice.
Normally, Liu Weide speaks in a very gentle and soft manner.
At this moment, this voice was almost unrecognizable as his. It was hoarse and raspy, like the sound of an electrocardiogram curve being stretched taut and snapping at the instant—
"On the first floor, it's Xu Fei——"
——It's Xu Fei.
Ji Yongtao, who was rushing to the south, stopped.
Then, Liu Weide's call was disconnected, accompanied by a gunshot, leaving only noise.
A murmur of silence.
-
The walkie-talkie that was taken away was shot away and was smoking in the corner.
Chu Jiajun looked at Liu Weide sitting on the ground with an expressionless face. He put the muzzle of the gun to Liu Weide's head and said nothing.
Liu Weide's eyes were bloodshot. But this normally timid man now stared wide-eyed at the black muzzle of the gun.
Just as he was about to pull the trigger, Chu Jiajun heard his murmur.
Liu Weide: Please tell Mengmeng for me.
Liu Weide: Tell my Mengmeng that her father did not embarrass her.
Chu Jiajun's fingers froze. He couldn't explain what was holding him back. He didn't know a father like that. The father he knew was the man who'd signed and sold him to a gambling den, the man who'd given him a gun and let him lead the way.
He had never heard these two fathers call his name.
A gunshot rang out, and Liu Weide collapsed to the ground. Chen Xiaohu had fired the shot. He stared at the dazed Chu Jiajun in astonishment: "Brother, what's wrong with you?"
Chu Jiajun: ...what?
Liu Weide's body still maintained the expression he had before death, with his eyes open.
Chen Xiaohu: Let's go! We have to get to the car!
Chu Jiajun didn't move.
Chen Xiaohu: Big Brother? Big Brother?!
Chu Jiajun was thinking about his final struggle, but his mind was blank, as if a voice was howling, everything was over.
All he thought was, it's over, and before he left, he forgot a lot of things.
I forgot to wash the dishes in the sink, forgot to take Dafei for a walk, and forgot to bring my keys.
He will be scolded, but now he feels that being scolded is not bad.
If I hadn't come to steal the gold...it wouldn't be bad to be scolded, I would rather be scolded.
He was overwhelmed by immense despair and fear. In fact, his true identity was just discovered by a policeman. He couldn't explain why he felt so desperate, and even wanted to shoot himself to end it all.
Because there's no going back.
Without the key, I can't go back.
Chu Jiajun was almost about to give up. He threw the gun to Chen Xiaohu and stood there motionless.
Plates, dogs, keys.
His lips trembled as he repeated these three words.
If spending money could turn back time to yesterday, he would burn all his money.
I want to go back, I want to lie on the balcony and smoke with you, I want to go to the food stall to eat barbecue.
It's okay to have nothing, it's okay to destroy everything, it's okay to chop off an arm or gouge out an eye, it's okay to kill millions of people.
Want to go back.
By any means necessary...Xu Fei wants to go back.
He turned his head abruptly, the blankness in his eyes dissipating like the receding tide. He tossed his black leather gloves, mask, and any clues he might have found on his body into a corner. Then he snatched Chen Xiaohu's grenade and threw it at the pile. With a loud explosion, all the evidence was destroyed.
Chu Jiajun: I want to go back.
Chu Jiajun: Just follow what I say and you can go back.
-
It's Xu Fei.
Ji Yongtao stumbled again. He could almost hear the whispers of those around him. "It's Xu Fei"—the sentence was interrupted before it was finished. Perhaps it wasn't meant to be interpreted that way. Liu Weide spoke with a Cantonese accent, so perhaps he was saying something else similar in pronunciation?
But who is Xu Fei?
This strange child, dressed unlike a college student, made a grand entrance at the train station. He danced, frequented nightclubs, spent money lavishly, spoke strangely, visited the Friendship Store, and occasionally brought back from his "jobs" many "high-end goods" for Ji Yongtao that his boss didn't want...
He would be very afraid of being separated from himself. He was so scared, as if he would no longer have a home if he left Ji Yongtao.
Ji Yongtao repeated the words: It's Xu Fei...
Around 20 years old, height, appearance, features...
It's Xu Fei.
They broke open the side door on the first floor, and there was still unburned fire from a grenade inside. Liu Weide's body fell to the ground, and in the middle of the first floor were two figures.
Suddenly, everyone realized that this sentence might have other meanings.
Chen Xiaohu stood behind Xu Fei, who was kneeling, his face heavily bruised. He was being held tightly by Chen Xiaohu, a knife at his throat.
Chen Xiaohu: No one is allowed to come over!
Chen Xiaohu: If he takes one more step forward he will die!
Perhaps, the hostage is Xu Fei.
This perhaps seemed so flimsy and doubtful. But Chen Xiaohu's grip tightened, and Xu Fei struggled in pain, a scarlet streak appearing on his throat.
Chen Xiaohu: Prepare a car, and don't follow me! In five minutes, the car will be parked at the door, and you all get out!
Chen Xiaohu: Did you hear that?! Get out!
Ji Yongtao raised his gun and took a step closer. The next second, Chen Xiaohu suddenly became excited and stabbed down fiercely with his knife-holding hand.
Chen Xiaohu was indeed agitated. This was an unexpected twist in his plan—he hadn't intended to slit his throat; it was Chu Jiajun who, with all her might, clenched his hand and slit his own throat. It looked as if Chen Xiaohu was the one committing the crime, while Xu Fei was struggling.
Arterial blood gushed out like a waterfall.
Chen Xiaohu suddenly realized something. He lowered his head and saw Chu Jiajun staring at him.
The relaxed smile in those eyes signified the success of the plan. From the very beginning, the plan was not to help Chen Xiaohu escape, but to help "Xu Fei".
Help Chu Jiajun and become Xu Fei completely.
The bullet that hit him between the eyebrows knocked him backwards like a sledgehammer. The scenery was accompanied by a chaotic mix of colors that confused the vision, presenting a kind of splendor like the refraction of colorful light through glass.
Just like Chu Jiajun's eyes.
Chu Jiajun woke up in the hospital.
His neck was stitched and bandaged, and police officers were standing inside and outside the ward. He just wanted to see where Ji Yongtao was, so he moved his head, but the wound on his neck was excruciatingly painful.
The door opened and two policemen in uniform came in, one male and one female. They walked towards the bed with a kind smile, like enthusiastic people visiting a sick child. That smile made him feel alarmed. Sure enough, both of them had notebooks and sat down beside the bed: How do you feel?
Chu Jiajun pretended to be weak as much as possible and shook his head.
Interrogator: It's okay, we just want to ask you a few questions. Oh, and I have some news for you: Comrade Liu Weide has died.
The two people's eyes scanned every detail of his face carefully.
Chu Jiajun's eyes were confused at first: Liu Weide... Liu Weide... Is he the one... the one from Brother Yong's unit...
The man nodded.
Chu Jiajun's voice was hoarse: I saw him... cough cough cough...
Chu Jiajun: So, what I saw was really him?
Neither of them answered, and Chu Jiajun's performance received no rating.
Interrogator: What is your name?
Chu Jiajun: Xu Fei.
Interrogator: How old are you?
Chu Jiajun's eyes flickered constantly, and he couldn't answer too smoothly. A male college student who had just returned from the brink of death, facing this sudden interrogation, should have been confused.
Interrogator: You don't need to ask us back. If you know our questions, just answer them. If you don't know, just say you don't know.
Chu Jiajun nodded uneasily.
Age, birthday, parents' names. When asked about parents' birthdays, he said he didn't know.
The school schedule, the names of his good classmates, where he worked... he told them all one by one.
Ji Yongtao was actually just outside the door. He heard part of the interrogation and his eyes, which had been looking at the ground, moved: If he was really Chu Jiajun, wouldn't this be alerting the enemy?
Li Yu: Then we can take it down right away. If not, everyone is happy.
Ji Yongtao: What's there to be happy about? Old Liu is dead.
Ji Yongtao took a deep puff of cigarette: How to explain this to his wife and children?
Li Yu hesitated to speak, lit a cigarette and smoked silently.
The interrogation behind the door intensified. These interrogations had actually been preceded by interviews. They had learned about Xu Fei's bizarre university life—he rarely went to school and bribed classmates to sign in and take exams for him.
The place where I worked was a dance hall. The owner and manager had some connections in the underworld and could provide false certificates.
University life became a breakthrough point, and the interrogator was forced to go straight in. Suddenly, Chu Jiajun covered her face and cried: I can tell you, but you... please don't tell Brother Yong...
Chu Jiajun: I didn't want to study, I wanted to do business. I made a little money by reselling contraband cigarettes in a nightclub. Then I didn't want to go to college anymore because I felt that the money I would earn would only be that much.
Chu Jiajun: I used the money I earned from reselling cigarettes and alcohol to hire classmates to take the exam for me, so I could figure out a way.