Watching the robbers arrive at the school district, Shi Qiang's anxiety grew.
Damn it, he cursed silently.
I should have used high-yield explosives to blast these scumbags out of their rat hole back in the suburbs and then brought them to justice one by one.
But now, Shi Qiang could only watch as the three robbers slipped away right under his nose.
His eyes were glued to the faint silhouettes of weapons concealed beneath the robbers' clothes. He swore that this time, these three scumbags would pay the price, even if it meant being suspended, fired, or never being able to work as a cop again.
The memory of the family of three who died tragically in Southern Min a year ago flashed before his eyes every night. He could almost smell the blood in that vision, and each time, the guilt in his heart intensified.
"Go!"
Shi Qiang shouted at the university students by the roadside who were blending into the crowd to watch the "police catching thieves" drama. He cursed inwardly at how bold people were these days to watch such a dangerous spectacle. Then, he continued his relentless pursuit.
Judging by the direction those students came from, they were likely from Handong University.
Although Shi Qiang only had a high school education, his years of criminal investigation experience allowed him to distinguish which scholars were truly talented and which were merely frauds wasting state funds. Identifying students was even easier; he didn't even need to know their background. With a single glance, he could read most of them.
But that student—
In the vast crowd of onlookers, Shi Qiang and David's eyes met for a split second before darting away.
Shi Qiang suppressed the questions in his mind. Before him, the bandits who had just dashed to the intersection were stopped by a red light.
The three robbers exchanged looks. Seeing the stream of cars rushing past and the police cars waiting for the light on the opposite side, they reached inside their clothes and pulled out machetes wrapped in bandages. They then plunged headlong into the nearby crowd.
Damn it!
Shi Qiang raised his gun. Without waiting for orders, he pulled the trigger.
On the other side, David watched as the crowd scattered in panic. The robbers had already taken a hostage—a woman who had been struck down was being dragged by her hair across the road, leaving a long trail of blood behind her.
Two students who had just finished classes were pushed into a nearby supermarket to serve as cover. Along with the store owner and customers, they became human shields blocking the entrance.
What should I do?
If this weren't the Three-Body world, David, now possessing superpowers, would have rushed forward to subdue the thugs without hesitation.
But—
The surveillance of the Sophons felt like a thorn in his back. Although his [Precognition] hadn't signaled any abnormalities during his conversation with Ye Wenjie, she was a primary target for the Sophons. It was highly likely that he, having just left her office, was being watched.
A low gunshot rang out, followed by a scream. David saw the scarred man on the far left clutch his chest and collapse heavily against the curb. Blood flowed from beneath him, and after a few twitches, he stopped breathing.
"Drop the gun, Shi Qiang! If you don't, I'll slaughter this brat!"
Inside the store, a robber lifted a student off the ground by the neck with one hand. On the road, another tall, thin thug dragged the female victim by her hair toward the shop to find cover, leaning down to try and take the shot accomplice with them.
Sirens wailed from every direction as uniformed officers quickly cordoned off the intersections.
"Big brother, second brother is dead."
The man who had been trailing behind, carrying a primary school student, checked the scarred man's breathing before letting out a wail.
The policeman named Shi Qiang looked coldly at the thug weeping over the corpse. He was certain that if he raised his hand now, he could kill this panicked bandit. But under the threat of the hostages, he could only throw his Type 54 pistol onto the ground.
"A life for a life."
Shi Qiang raised his hands to show he was unarmed and walked toward the two thugs closing in on the store.
"Release the hostages. I'll let you do whatever you want with me."
Shi Qiang's expression was ice-cold. The reprimands of his superior rang incessantly in his earpiece—accusing him of messing up the case again and promising a severe suspension. He simply switched off the earpiece.
From the corner of his eye, he spotted a silver reflection on the commercial building to the east. The snipers were moving into position. He just needed to buy a little more time for them to adjust their angle...
"Let's show these cops what's what."
The tall, thin robber looked around. Besides the girl he was dragging, there were three other hostages inside—two adults and one child. Aside from keeping two as human shields, the others could be used as bargaining chips.
He shouted to the thug outside. Hearing this, a fierce look flashed in the store robber's eyes.
They were completely outmatched by the authorities in terms of technology and numbers. Their only advantage was their lack of a moral baseline.
And most importantly—
The robber glanced at the policeman outside who had dropped his gun and was slowly walking toward them, and he shivered. He wasn't afraid of falling into official hands; for a man like him, the end result was nothing but death.
But if he fell into the hands of Officer Shi...
Back in Southern Min, they still had three blood debts to settle.
Thinking of this, he no longer hesitated.
The heavy, bright blade of the machete reflected a cold light. The hostage looked at the thug in terror as the blade sliced through the air, accompanied by wails and cries. Death had never been so close.
He intended to use a bloody head to negotiate—at least to force them to remove the snipers from the roof. He was already a desperate criminal with multiple lives on his hands; being caught meant death regardless. A public killing in broad daylight would put the most pressure on the authorities.
However—
The sensation of a heavy blade cutting skin, severing vessels, and striking bone never came.
A figure stepped through the half-open supermarket door and stood before him. It was that student from before—
As he recognized David's face, the robber felt a numbness in his wrist. Immediately after, the student's fist struck him directly in the face. For a moment, he thought he heard a metallic ring echoing in his mind.
The "boyhood skills" he had practiced for decades seemed to vanish in an instant. David's vision went dark, and he collapsed to the ground along with his weapon.
I used psionic energy to temporarily paralyze his nerves. I hope the Sophons weren't looking just now, David thought as he looked at the unconscious robber.
[Precognition] hadn't issued a warning. It seemed the two Sophons currently on Earth were not enough to monitor all of humanity simultaneously.
However—
[Detected intense emotional fluctuations from surrounding humans]
[Warp Salvage progress increased: 1%, 2%, 3%... 107%]
[Remaining Warp Salvage attempts: 1]
David looked thoughtfully at his shifting panel. Clearly, only the emotional waves he triggered personally could be recycled.
"Big brother! I'm going to kill—"
A dull gunshot rang out from outside, and the robber's voice cut off abruptly.
"Thanks."
Shi Qiang tucked his pistol back into his waistband and pushed the door open. He patted David on the shoulder and handed him a cigarette.
"I probably won't be a cop for much longer, but I will always owe you one."