The sun rose slowly, like a shy little girl caught in the middle of a game of hide-and-seek, peeking hesitantly over the horizon. Its golden rays stretched gently across the quiet morning, brushing against the lilac flowers resting lazily on the veranda. Tiny droplets of dew clung to their petals, shimmering like scattered stars fallen from the night sky.
From the balcony above, the girl stood still, watching the world awaken. Yet her eyes held a distant weight, as though her thoughts were tangled in something far heavier than the calm before her.
Then, suddenly—
the sharp ringing of a phone shattered the silence.
It lay beside her bed, vibrating insistently against the wooden table. She turned, picked it up, and answered without hesitation.
A man's voice came through—deep, steady, and edged with urgency. Middle-aged, authoritative. Familiar.
"Yanshu… there's a hostage situation at Nanjing City's No. 2 High School. Your assistance is required. Leave immediately."
There was no pause. No questions.
"Understood."
The call ended.
In one swift motion, she grabbed her jacket, her expression now stripped of all softness. The quiet girl on the balcony was gone—replaced by someone sharper, faster, unyielding.
As she stepped into her car, the echo of the man's voice lingered in her mind. It hadn't sounded right. There was something beneath it—something tense… almost uneasy.
This wasn't going to be simple.
The engine roared to life.
And with a sudden surge of speed, she drove straight toward No. 2 High School.
The moment she arrived, the atmosphere hit her like a wall.
Police sirens wailed in the distance. Red and blue lights flashed relentlessly, painting the school building in pulses of chaos. The entire perimeter was sealed—armed officers, barricades, tension thick enough to choke on.
A uniformed officer rushed toward her, raising a hand to stop her.
"Ma'am! This area is restricted. You can't—"
She didn't even slow down.
With a swift motion, she pulled out her badge and held it up. On it, in bold letters, were the words: Li Yanshu, Age 26, Special Task Force Captain.
The officer's words died in his throat. His posture snapped straight, eyes widening as recognition struck.
"Y-You may proceed, ma'am."
She walked past him without another word.
No hesitation. No wasted movement.
As she stepped through the gate, she lifted her phone.
"Where are you?"
A voice crackled through the line—young, focused.
"Back side of the school. We're tracking the targets. You just got here?"
"I'll be there in a minute."
She ended the call and moved fast.
Her boots struck the ground with purpose as she rounded the building—
—and then she saw it.
A black tactical van, heavily modified, parked near a side entrance. Antennas bristled from its roof like spikes. The air around it hummed with quiet urgency.
She approached, opened the door, and slipped inside—closing it behind her with a firm click that sealed the world out.
Silence.
Then—
Screens.
Rows of glowing monitors flickered in the dim interior, each displaying different camera feeds from inside the school—hallways, staircases, the auditorium.
A young man sat hunched over the system, fingers flying across the keyboard, eyes locked on the data streaming before him. His name was Lin Xue.
Another stood nearby, phone pressed to his ear, his voice low but urgent as he relayed information. His name was Chen Ye.
Somewhere on the other end of that call, their unseen leader issued orders.
The moment she entered—
"Morning, Cap," Lin Xue said without looking away.
She stepped forward, her gaze sweeping across the screens.
"Status."
Lin Xue exhaled softly. "Fifty hostages—students, teachers, and staff—all gathered in the auditorium."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"And the attackers?"
"Two," Lin Xue replied. "One male, one female. Both strapped with explosives… and armed with guns."
A beat of silence.
Then—
"Identities?"
Chen Ye lowered his phone slightly, turning toward her.
"Got an update from Old Man Gu," he said. "Husband and wife. Wang Jun, forty-five, a lab technician. Liu Fang, forty-two, a fruit vendor."
He paused. His tone shifted.
"They had a daughter."
The van seemed to grow quieter.
"Wang Xiaoyu. Seventeen. She studied here… until last month."
Li Yanshu's eyes flickered.
"What happened?"
Chen Ye hesitated—just for a second.
"She jumped from the rooftop."
The words landed heavy.
"Declared suicide."
Li Yanshu didn't respond immediately.
Her gaze drifted to one of the screens—zoomed in on the auditorium doors, armed silhouettes moving behind them.
Tension coiled in her chest.
"Are they sure?" she asked quietly.
Chen Ye frowned. "Postmortem confirms it. Witnesses too."
Li Yanshu's expression hardened.
No.
Something about this didn't fit.
A couple doesn't walk into a school with bombs strapped to their bodies… because of a simple suicide.
Lin Xue broke the silence, glancing back at her.
"Then what's their motive?"
Li Yanshu's eyes lifted—sharp, certain.
"We'll hear it from them."
A pause.
Then, colder—
"Because this… isn't just suicide."
Li Yanshu said, "I have to go inside. Both of you stay out and monitor the situation. I will try to send the hostages out."
"Yes, Cap," both replied at the same time.
Li Yanshu then ordered a police officer to give her a megaphone.
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Wang. My name is Li Yanshu, and I am the captain of the Special Task Force unit. If you have any problem, please tell me. I will do my utmost to solve it. But please release the hostages. They are innocent people. The students are the same age as your daughter—they have parents who care about them. Please release them. I am entering the building unarmed. Whatever you want to say, tell me, okay?"
Then she entered the building without a gun. When she came near the auditorium door, it opened from inside.
She stepped in carefully. She saw fifty hostages kneeling in a corner, while the husband and wife stood with guns in their hands, pointing at them, both wearing bomb suits.
"I know the situation isn't right. Why don't you put the guns down first? Your daughter, Wang Xiaoyu, would never want her parents to become murderers."
Wang Jun pointed the gun at her.
"Don't utter my daughter's name. You people are all murderers who killed my daughter. You all think she committed suicide, but do you know who pushed her to that cliff where she had no way back?"
Liu Feng cried softly, but for her daughter's sake, she hardened her heart and joined her husband in committing this crime.
Wang Jun then took out a small diary and handed it to her.
"This diary is proof that someone forced my daughter to commit suicide."
When Li Yanshu took the diary, she read it carefully.
The entry was from three months ago:
"Today the results came out, and I got first place. I am so happy that I want to go home quickly and tell my parents. My family is middle-class, but they love me more than anything. Today marks exactly one year since my admission to this school. This school is very different from my last one because it is where the rich study. I got in as a scholarship student. No one talks to me, but it doesn't matter. All I want is to pass and get into a good university, and relieve the burden on my parents' shoulders."
The date changed:
"Today, during lunch break, I went to the old music room as usual to eat. But I shouldn't have gone there. Who knew my life would become hell from here on? When I went in, I saw Chen Xue with Mr. Liang. His hands were on her waist, and they were standing very close. I didn't know what to do, so I ran away."
"I don't know what happened, but suddenly Chen Xue started bullying me with her gang. I didn't know what to do, so I silently endured it. The bullying got worse. They even circulated my nude photos online, and the school committee wanted to expel me. They told me to call my parents. I don't know what to tell them."
"Then I confronted her, but Chen Xue said, 'Who would believe you? A girl who has nothing.' She told me to die and relieve my parents' burden."
"Mom, Dad… do I have to die to relieve your burden?"
Li Yanshu read the whole diary. She felt sympathy for Wang Xiaoyu, but her parents' way of seeking justice was not right.
"I will bring justice to Wang Xiaoyu. Please trust me. Release the hostages. I know they were wrong for ignoring her pain, but this is not the right method."
Among the hostages were Chen Xue and her gang, as well as Mr. Liang.
Mr. Liang thought that if this matter became public, his life would be ruined. Suddenly, he tried to snatch the diary from Li Yanshu's hands. She held it firmly and drove her knee into Mr. Liang's stomach.
In the chaos, Mr. and Mrs. Wang eyes relflect pain and grief, pressed the button on the bomb.
Boom.