Chapter 929: Shooting the Killer

Lin Dongxue shouted, “Go after him!” She saw a burly man wearing a monstrous mask dragging an unconscious man. She raised her gun and yelled, “Hands up!”

The man pushed over a stack of boxes, which tumbled down. Lin Dongxue instinctively stepped back, accidentally firing a shot into the ceiling. The gunshot echoed painfully in the large space.

Chen Shi also spotted the man, dragging the victim behind the boxes. He aimed his gun with both hands and fired several shots, but missed.

Noticing Lin Dongxue’s trembling hands, Chen Shi saw she was trying to steady her breathing. No one expected to confront the killer here. The warehouse was vast and dark, full of obstacles, and they had no backup. They had to rely on each other.

Chen Shi, equally frightened, was reminded of that night four years ago. Still, he reassured Lin Dongxue, “Don’t be afraid. Flank him from that side. Shoot on sight.”

“You be careful too!” Lin Dongxue nodded, holding her gun as she moved down a narrow aisle.

The two cautiously searched the area. Chen Shi caught a whiff of blood, the scent growing stronger. He climbed a stack of boxes like steps and saw two killers with the victim’s abdomen open, extracting something.

Every nerve in his body screamed danger. He aimed at the smaller of the two killers.

The larger man, instead of fleeing, shielded his companion like a wall, spreading his arms wide.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

The deafening shots rang out, the larger man staggered but stood firm. For a moment, Chen Shi thought the masked figure wasn’t human—bullets had hit vital spots.

The smaller killer darted away like lightning, nimbly leaping onto boxes and heading for a skylight.

Chen Shi aimed at his back, but the box beneath him suddenly wobbled as the larger man kicked it. Chen Shi fell hard, the impact almost breaking his back. The giant advanced, pawing aside boxes, a claw knife glinting, emitting guttural growls from beneath the mask.

“Captain!”

Lin Dongxue arrived, shooting at the giant. Chen Shi, still on the ground, fired as well. The cacophony of gunfire filled the warehouse. The giant stood frozen, his torso erupting in a mist of blood before he finally collapsed to his knees, then flat on the floor.

Chen Shi, breathing heavily, realized his trigger finger was still twitching even though his gun was empty.

He wiped the sweat off his face and said, “Save him!”

They navigated through the mess of boxes to the victim, the warehouse manager. His abdomen was slashed open, bleeding profusely, but he was still alive. Pale and bleeding from the mouth, he looked at them pleadingly.

The killers, surprised by Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue’s intrusion, had hastily operated without killing the victim first, taking only his stomach.

“Can you hear me? Don’t be afraid, we’re the police. An ambulance is on the way,” Chen Shi said, holding the victim’s bloody hand.

The victim’s mouth moved, tears streaming down his face.

Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue took turns talking to him to keep him conscious. Blood flowed continuously from his wound. Unable to stop the bleeding from inside his abdomen, his face grew whiter. Several times he drifted off, and Chen Shi had to slap his face gently to keep him awake.

He feared the victim wouldn’t hold on until the ambulance arrived.

After what seemed like an eternity in the dark, blood-scented warehouse, they finally heard the ambulance. Someone rushed in, shouting, “Where are you?”

“Over here!” Chen Shi yelled.

“Wave your hand, we can’t see you.”

Lin Dongxue had an idea and fired a shot into the ceiling. The gunshot guided the medics.

The medics, seeing the giant killer’s body first, exclaimed, “My God, he’s huge. We can’t move him.”

“Not him, here!” Chen Shi snapped.

The medics found the three behind the boxes, asking what happened. Chen Shi explained, “His stomach was cut open.”

“He’s still conscious, that’s good.” The medics checked his vitals and quickly administered adrenaline. “We have blood in the ambulance. He’ll be fine. Help us lift him onto the stretcher.”

The four of them managed to get the warehouse manager onto the stretcher. As he was taken away, he weakly grasped Chen Shi’s hand, tears in his eyes, and whispered, “Thank you.”

“At last…” Chen Shi exhaled deeply, almost collapsing with relief.

“I haven’t been this scared in a long time.”

“Me neither. When that giant charged at me, my mind went blank.”

They found each other’s hands and squeezed, finding comfort in the shared ordeal.

They then inspected the killer’s body. He had been shot at least a dozen times. Unlike most criminals they’d encountered, this one seemed almost otherworldly. His nearly two-meter-tall frame was solid muscle. His massive hands could probably crush a basketball, covered in calluses and scars from years of using a knife. Chen Shi removed the mask to reveal a face seemingly carved from muscle, with sallow skin, and deep creases around his eyes and mouth. His small eyes bulged lifelessly. Chen Shi closed his eyes and found a small glass vial in his mouth.

Inside the vial was a white powder. Chen Shi speculated, “It’s poison, for them to use if they’re caught. Definitely professional killers.”

“I can’t believe we have such professionals in Long’an,” Lin Dongxue said in shock. “Why haven’t we seen them before?”

“Probably because their fee is extremely high…”

Footsteps approached. Lin Dongxue immediately aimed her gun, but it was the factory manager, hands raised in fear, “Don’t shoot, it’s me! My God, did you kill him?”

“What do you need?” Chen Shi asked.

“A small man in black clothes just ran out of the warehouse. He was like a monkey, scaled the wall, and then I heard a car. I was wondering why you didn’t chase him.”

“We had to save a life,” Chen Shi said wearily.

“That guy was bleeding as he ran. The whole factory is buzzing. No one’s working, they’re all watching. How could something like this happen?”