Lu Ziqing issued the order! However, the command was drastically different from what everyone expected.
"I promised her parents to take good care of her; I cannot break my word,"
Lu Ziqing said indifferently.
Qi Yong closed his eyes for a moment.
Duan Shen didn’t hear the conversation between Lu Ziqing and Qi Yong. Holding Song Lili hostage, he walked out of the school gate. Just then, a black jeep pulled up to the gate with a screech, and shouted at Duan Shen,
Duan Shen quickly got into the car and immediately dragged Song Lili in after him.
As soon as the car door shut, the jeep sped off!
At that moment, gunfire sounded again, but chasing the jeep’s tail was meaningless.
Commander Shen Xinhui of the Xilin Military District delivered a fierce slap across Lu Ziqing’s face!
In the office of the military district’s commander, everyone held their breath, none daring to breathe heavily.
Dressed in a military uniform and standing at over six feet tall, Lu Ziqing stood rigidly at attention.
Facing Shen Xinhui’s fury, Lu Ziqing showed no fear; he accepted the slap, convinced it was deserved.
Yet, even if he were to choose again, he would still let Duan Shen go to keep Song Lili safe for the moment.
"Not speaking? What does your silence mean? Lu Ziqing, do you know how much pressure I’ve been under to give you enough time, resources, and leeway during this chaos in Xilin?"
"The lives of over 1,500 students and teachers matter, as does Tang Xiaohua’s life."
"What do you mean by that?"
Shen Xinhui glared furiously at Lu Ziqing.
"Reporting, sir, I will safely rescue the hostages and bring Duan Shen to justice."
"If you haven’t accomplished what you’ve promised by nightfall, take off your uniform and leave my Xilin Military Region!"
After leaving, Lu Ziqing strode toward the command center, Qi Yong following behind.
"Commander, Commander Shen was really furious this time."
"Has Duan Shen’s location been locked down yet?"
"We’ve roughly pinpointed the area. Electronic tracking detected that Duan Shen has hidden underground, which is why we haven’t been able to catch him for such a long time."
"An underground base... Easy to defend, hard to attack. He really knows how to hide."
Qi Yong, walking beside Lu Ziqing, hesitated for a long time before speaking,
"Commander, why did you let Duan Shen go so easily today?"
"I didn’t let him go; I just wanted to ensure the safety of the innocent."
"If it weren’t Tang Xiaohua today, would you still have hesitated, refusing to order a sniper shot?"
Lu Ziqing stopped walking, took a shallow breath, and looked at Qi Yong,
"If you know the reason, why bother asking?"
No response, but Qi Yong was left speechless.
Duan Shen, he could capture, but without Song Lili, he would never find her again.
At the entrance of the command center, Qi Yong still muttered, "I just think the commander should trust our snipers more..."
"Qi Yong, when you are in my position, then you can question my decisions."
This was the underground: cold, damp, and foul-smelling without a hint of sunlight.
The environment resembled a public underground warehouse from fifty or sixty years ago, spacious with several exits all concealed within the homes in the village.
The vast space was divided into many sections. Song Lili’s legs and feet were bound, and after Duan Shen carried her in, he dumped her in a corner.
About a hundred people were gathered here, all wearing tattered clothes, looking like nefarious individuals.
Perhaps because of the perpetual darkness, their faces all appeared dark, making their white eyes seem eerily prominent as they all stared at her.
"Big brother! Are you alright?"