Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Enjoy it well.

“Crash—”

The sound of the warehouse window shattering instantly startled Zhao Gang. At the same time, in the “honest man’s” earpiece, Yan Qiuyu’s urgent and furious orders came through: 【He Linfeng and Jian Qing, those two bastards!】

【Old Zhou, immediately execute Plan B!】

So, before Zhao Gang’s hand even reached the knife handle in his pocket, his arm was suddenly twisted by Zhou Shan, the man who had been posing as a discarded briefcase carrier. Caught in a pincer from front and back, and seeing that both the warehouse and the courtyard gate had already fallen, Qian Weiqiang immediately realized the police had arrived. He had no intention of helping and turned to run toward the back of the warehouse.

As long as he could climb the wall and get into the cornfield, he still had a chance…

“Woof! Woof!”

Two loud, fierce barks of a dog made Qian Weiqiang shudder violently.

Just as he rounded the corner, he ran into a pitch-black, wolf-like dog standing on the wall, baring its fangs. Like a rabbit meeting its natural predator, his legs went weak. In just a few seconds, he was completely surrounded by police officers rushing in from all sides.

“He Linfeng!” While helping Zhou Shan restrain Zhao Gang and put on handcuffs, Yan Qiuyu barked sharply, “How’s the situation?”

This was a joint rescue led by the major crimes unit. With more than a dozen pairs of eyes watching, if any hostage was seriously harmed, not even Bureau Chief Zhao could protect them.

“Safe,” He Linfeng said as he signaled Jian Qing to open the locked iron gate, scanning the surroundings. “Suspect Shi Hong has been subdued.”

“But we’ve only found four hostages so far.”

Cold metal cuffs locked around her wrists. Shi Hong, who only had brute strength, could not break free at all. The kick the young man had landed on her arm carried such force that it felt as if the bones inside had been shattered. She almost curled up from the pain like a shrimp and had no chance to retrieve her knife. All she could do now was glare hatefully at him.

That face—she would recognize it even if it turned to ashes.

It was Jian Qing.

So close! Just a little more and Xu Hao would have died!

“Four?” Yan Qiuyu instinctively scanned the entire courtyard, her pupils slightly widening as she sharply noticed the trampled weeds near the corrugated iron house, along with a few dark, dried patches of red.

Following her gaze, Zhou Shan grabbed Zhao Gang by the collar: “The key!”

But Zhao Gang did not answer. Breathing heavily, he instead grinned in provocation and let out a hoarse laugh.

At a moment involving life and death, there was no time for procedural questioning or being led around by the suspect. Every extra second meant one less chance of rescuing the hostages. Yan Qiuyu decisively flipped off the safety, aimed at the old lock on the door, and fired.

Bang.

The broken lock ring fell away.

Yan Qiuyu pushed open the door. A thick smell of iron and blood hit her face. Li Ming lay quietly in a pool of blood.

“Ambulance.”

Crouching down calmly to check the boy’s breathing, Yan Qiuyu did not move him carelessly. Instead, she switched communication channels and ordered, “Get an ambulance to drive in immediately.”

Having long prepared for all possible situations, the medical team waiting on the temporarily sealed main road immediately set off, rushing wildly into the bumpy, uneven path.

When Yan Qiuyu saw Jian Qing and He Linfeng again, the former was being tightly hugged by a boy more than ten years younger than him.

“Ge! Ge!” Xu Hao, whose eyes were red, hugged him like a giant bear, never having felt the young man’s cold demeanor to be so reassuring. “You’re my god! Waaah!”

The sports jacket near his left shoulder was soaked through with tears. Extremely unaccustomed to such overly intimate physical contact, Jian Qing forced himself not to push the other away, but his hands hung stiffly at his sides, like a wind-up puppet that had forgotten to be wound, unable to return the embrace or pat his back in comfort no matter what.

His patience was nearing its limit. He unconsciously glanced toward He Linfeng, who was always good at diffusing situations, and then suddenly realized he seemed to be silently asking him for help.

The sharply flowing tail of his brow lifted in a teasing arc. He Linfeng slowed his pace, smiling as he moved his lips toward Jian Qing, making sure every word was clearly readable:

“Enjoy it well.”

Jian Qing: …

“Don’t cry,” having not interacted with teenagers for a long time, he looked at the messy shoe prints on Xu Hao’s clothes and asked dryly, “Does it hurt?”

Xu Hao vigorously shook his head.

Remembering the shattered glass scattered everywhere, his nose stung. He hurriedly grabbed Jian Qing’s hand: “Where’s Ge?”

Tsk.

This time He Linfeng was genuinely a bit jealous.

Shifting his gaze away on purpose, he suddenly noticed that in the farthest corner of the warehouse, Song An’an—wrapped in a blanket and quietly rubbing her hands—was also secretly glancing at Jian Qing.

“He Linfeng!” Yan Qiuyu, almost tempted to grab him by the ear, her face dark as water, slammed her communicator against her unreliable subordinate, “What did I tell you to do?”

Keep an eye on Jian Qing.

And the result? These two were actually teaming up to mess with her.

He Linfeng snapped to attention obediently: “I was wrong.”

“Punish me however you want.”

Perhaps startled by the scene, Song An’an picked up the neatly folded coat on her lap, limped over, and bowed to Yan Qiuyu: “Hello.”

“The situation just now was extremely dangerous. If it weren’t for Mr. Jian and this officer, the few of us would probably have been in grave danger.”

With someone taking the lead, Gao Zixuan—still shaken—nodded his chin like a bobblehead: “Yes, yes! I was terrified! Luckily Xu Hao’s brother and this officer descended like heavenly soldiers and saved us from disaster.”

“I can also testify.” Yang Qian, who owed her survival to Xu Hao protecting her, and who had always been cautious and self-preserving, raised her hand with a thick nasal voice, like answering a question in class.

Xu Hao even wiped his face, ears red, and turned around: “Please don’t blame my brother, and also this…”

He paused.

Purely in terms of appearance, the man in sportswear looked young and handsome, so calling him “brother” was normal. But considering his job, Xu Hao still chose a more respectful address:

“…this police uncle.”

Instantly demoted in seniority relative to Jian Qing, He Linfeng: ?

Barely noticeably, the young man who had just stepped away from his younger “brother” curved his lips slightly.

“…”

Being surrounded by four pairs of eyes that had all cried at least once, Yan Qiuyu felt like she had basically become the villain in a movie.

Was she here to punish He Linfeng harshly?

Clearly she was just setting a stance first and doing an act to shut others up.

Forcing down the twitch in her temple, Yan Qiuyu said seriously: “Understood. I will take everyone’s statements into account.” Five-thousand-word self-criticism is definitely unavoidable.

“Do you need help contacting your relatives?” Having checked the girl’s information beforehand, Yan Qiuyu asked, “Are you injured anywhere?”

Song An’an shook her head: “Please just send me home directly.”

“Ge,” Xu Hao, admiring the girl’s bravery and grateful she had spoken up for Jian Qing, tiptoed closer and whispered, “Song An’an’s mother is sick. Can we help her?”

“She’s really a very good person.”

“He also helped Yang Qian block the kidnappers and nearly got injured.”

Jian Qing gave a noncommittal “mm.”

Objectively speaking, he really should thank Song An’an: if not for the system chattering in her head, he would not have “acted on his own judgment” and made things difficult for Team Yan.

【Host! Jian Qing is still here—why are you leaving?】

Compared to the previous systems that were either indifferent or overly sweet-talking, this one sounded like a talkative person pushed to the brink of madness:

【And! Why did you just save Yang Qian? She’s only an NPC briefly mentioned by the author. If Shi Hong’s knife had actually come down, you would’ve been finished. Rebirth doesn’t mean you have nine lives.】

【It’s over now, the plot is completely messed up. Xu Hao is a key character destined to die. In the original story, when the police broke in, he heroically saved Gao Zixuan but angered the killer and was killed by Shi Hong. The development wasn’t that different… so why did the protagonist arrive so early? How is he supposed to distance himself from his only remaining relative now?】

【The police came early too.】

【The timeline has been pushed forward drastically—Yang Qian alone has extended everyone’s survival.】

【Host?】

【Host!】

【Plot repair failed. If you don’t successfully get close to the protagonist soon, you will die.】

From beginning to end, Song An’an did not respond even once.

Like a deaf person who had shut out all sound, no matter how noisy it was around her, her inner thoughts were completely blank. She even smiled kindly when she noticed Jian Qing’s gaze.

“What are you looking at?” He Linfeng took the alcohol wipes and bandages borrowed from the medical staff and stepped forward with his long legs, standing between the young man and the girl. “Let’s go, get in the car. I’ll help you bandage it.”

His familiar tone made Xu Hao ask curiously, “Police uncle, are you his friend?”

“Yeah,” He Linfeng answered naturally on behalf of Jian Qing, handing Xu Hao a tissue. “Call me brother.”

Jian Qing glanced at him and did not deny it.

So Xu Hao, whose face was still tear-stained like a little calico cat, obediently accepted it: “Thank you, brother.”

Back in the car, Wang Lai was sitting in the driver’s seat. The other colleagues were either escorting suspects or collecting evidence at the scene; only he was left behind to notify the families.

“What kind of thinking is that? They even want to hold Chief Zhao accountable,” he said after hanging up Li Guojian’s call, drooping his mouth with a miserable expression, looking thoroughly worn out. “Just wait—there’s going to be trouble again when we get to the hospital.”

It was Xu Hao’s first time sitting in a police car. In the front passenger seat, he sat upright and proper, glancing at the rearview mirror from time to time.

—Actually, he wanted to stay with his brother, but that Brother He directly sent him to the front seat, and Xu Hao somehow ended up with a solo seat.

Probably to make it easier to treat the wounds?

Xu Hao thought.

But something so simple, he could’ve done it himself too.

Even if someone has great strength, they’re still flesh and blood. When smashing the glass with his fist, his brother’s left hand bones had been cut in several places, with faint splinters likely embedded inside.

Jian Qing didn’t feel much pain.

But He Linfeng grabbed his arm: “Do you think you’re Superman?” and then caught Wang Lai’s complaint, replying, “Accountability? They’ll probably have to go drink tea at the economic investigation unit first.”

They hadn’t had time to deal with things earlier because they were busy rescuing hostages. Now that the dust had settled, it was time to settle accounts regarding the unfinished building case.

His nails were neatly trimmed and clean, and there were no tweezers nearby. When He Linfeng picked at the splinters, he inevitably had to lean in close. His breath brushed over the cool disinfectant alcohol, its presence extremely vivid.

Jian Qing instinctively leaned back to avoid it.

The man instead precisely pinched his fingertips and “arrested” them: “Does it hurt?” After saying that, he blew gently on the wound as if coaxing a child.

Jian Qing: …

He suspected the other party was doing it on purpose.

But he seemed to be slowly getting used to He Linfeng’s closeness. At the very least, he no longer had any intention of punching the man, and he even felt more relaxed than when dealing with Xu Hao.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Jian Qing turned his head to look out the window.

In a pile of withered weeds whose leaf tips had turned yellow, a dog being held on a leash by a handler lowered its head, sniffing and searching, repeatedly pawing at something with its front paws.

Once.

Twice.

…

Thick soil was dug into a small pit.

Its ears stood upright. Excited, the dog nudged the handler’s palm: “Woof!”

The setting sun lingered in its last glow.

Roots deeply buried in the ground were torn apart. Twisted, clawing “tendrils” interwove into a net, tightly entangling a section of thin, small white bones.