I asked, "Why did you kill Cao Dazhuang? Weren't you two buddies?"
My intention was to stall for time. Xiaotao's radio had sounded a few times earlier but she didn't answer it, indicating that a police platoon was headed our way.
Zhang Qiang answered, "He deserved to die!"
I tested the waters. "You silenced him because he discovered your secret?"
Zhang Qiang roared, "That bastard blackmailed me!"
Earlier this year, Cao Dazhuang had discovered their secret. But instead of calling the police, he blackmailed Zhang Qiang for hush money. At first it was thousands, then tens of thousands. Relying on their familiarity with each other, Cao Dazhuang mistakenly assumed that Zhang Qiang wouldn’t dare hurt him.
Finally, Zhang Qiang visited Cao Dazhuang at his home to negotiate for a one-off payment so this matter could be closed. He couldn’t stand being asked for money every few days. However, they couldn’t come to an agreement so Zhang Qiang killed him. Then, he dismembered the body in the house and disposed of it at a construction site.
When he recounted the incident, he only mentioned that he had killed them. However, the autopsy results clearly showed that there were two people involved. He was clearly taking the blame for his wife!
His feelings for his wife were definitely sincere, which made her a good target to start with. I could force him to put away his weapon by using Li Qin, but she remained hidden behind Zhang Qiang the entire time, leaving me no chance to approach her.
Zhang Qiang laughed sinisterly. "The county police are as dumb as pigs. They didn’t even uncover anything from their investigation."
Xiaotao retorted, "And yet here we are before you. This is what you get for looking down on the police!"
Zhang Qiang dismissed, "Enough of your smart remarks! The whole county knows about you because of Director Feng, that fucking idiot. I knew you were police officers as soon as you got here. That night, my wife was frightened and ran out when her illness relapsed. Otherwise, how could you have suspected me?"
Zhang Qiang glanced at Li Qin anxiously. She seemed especially sensitive to the words "illness" and "relapse."
As it turned out, this matter had triggered the attack that night. Zhang Qiang thought too little of us. In fact, we would’ve sniffed him out even in the absence of an attack.
At this moment, the rustle of footsteps sounded in the woods. Yuanchao brought with him a team of policemen, their cold guns pointing at Zhang Qiang. Startled, he inched the knife closer. He shouted, "Who said you could call for backup?"
Xiaotao spread her hands. "As you can see, I’ve not answered my radio. They managed to find us on their own."
Zhang Qiang was alarmed. He snarled, "Get back or I'll kill her!"
Xiaotao ordered the others to stand down. The officers dispersed but adopted a scattered encirclement strategy. The woods were foggy and visibility was poor at night so Zhang Qiang hadn’t noticed.
Zhang Qiang listed his conditions once more. He asked for a car with a full tank of gas and warned the police not to follow.
Remaining at an impasse was frustrating. The hostage's condition didn’t look good either. Her life could be threatened by Zhang Qiang’s excessive use of sedatives. I gritted my teeth and made a decision. "Why don’t I switch places with the hostage? It’s easier for you to move if you take me."
Xiaotao stared wide-eyed at me.
Zhang Qiang sneered. "Just who do you think you are?"
"I’m her captain. My life is worth more!"
Xiaotao refused. "Song Yang, what are you babbling about? I’m the captain. Take me."
Bingxin interjected, "My dad is the director. Hold me hostage instead!"
Zhang Qiang threw his head back in laughter. "Hmph, you’re even fighting over this. What great dedication! Even I’m tempted to give you a round of applause."
He pointed the knife at me. "Judging by your fair and silky skin, you must have the highest position. Come here!"
What poor vision he had! But this was good too. I had hoped he would take me.
I slowly walked over, and just as I was about to reach him, Zhang Qiang suddenly pushed the girl to the ground and pulled me. With one hand holding the knife against my neck, he used his other hand to search my body for a gun.
When he was done, he nodded. "Alright, come with us! You two don't move. Darling, let's go."
Xiaotao and Bingxin looked at me anxiously but I shook my head gently and motioned for them not to follow.
As Zhang Qiang dragged me from the back, I saw that the officers led by Yuanchao had formed a big encirclement, closely following us. We retreated until we came to the Santana when Zhang Qiang pushed me into the car. I asked, "Do you really think you can escape?"
"I’ve gotten away with it for so long, so why can’t I escape now? The police always think they’re smart but you’ve underestimated my intelligence!"
Just then, Li Qin shrieked, her face contorting into a changed expression. She sneered, "Haha, you two are going to die."
Zhang Qiang cursed, "Get out of here, you fucking bitch!"
Li Qin had already switched to her other personality. She bolted into the woods, turned around and mocked, "I'm not in the mood to accompany you to your grave. Have fun by yourself, loser!"
Zhang Qiang shouted, "Stop right now!"
All of a sudden, a white figure flew out of the woods. Shock was written all over Zhang Qiang’s face as he quickly raised the knife to my chest but the white figure was still a step ahead. A cold glint flashed before my eyes. And just like that, Zhang Qiang's hand was separated from his arm.
His severed hand flew deep into the woods. It was several seconds before blood sprayed out of the wound like a fountain.
Clutching his severed arm, Zhang Qiang screamed, "Who the hell are you?"
This time, I finally caught a glimpse of the man’s real appearance. He looked to be in his early twenties with a face that bore a striking resemblance to the celebrity Zhang Yixing, except he was more handsome. He was dressed in white from head to toe–from his trench coat down to his boots. The long sword in his hand looked very much like a samurai sword. But judging from the carvings on the hilt, it was most likely a lost ancient Chinese weapon–the Tang Sword.
We locked eyes for several seconds when he suddenly bowed. With the skillful display of an exquisite sword-retracting technique, he drew the sword back into its scabbard and turned to leave.
A few seconds after he disappeared into the woods came the police. I stopped an officer who had arrived from that direction and asked, "Did you see a man in a trench coat?"
The officer stared blankly and answered, "No!"
It had clearly only been a few seconds between the man’s departure and the officer’s arrival. Could he have gone into hiding? The police arrested the couple while I ran after the man, heading off in the direction where he had disappeared. I looked around, hoping to find him with my Cave Vision because I wanted to know his identity and his purpose for sticking around to protect me.
I discovered footprints on a tree trunk, and when I looked up, I found the man sitting on a branch. Was the man proficient in Qinggong? He managed to climb up the tree without exerting much strength.
His tone icy, he said, "Young Master, could you not dig your grave in the future? Your life doesn’t belong to you alone."
I asked, "Who are you? Why do you appear whenever I’m in danger?"
The branch shook and the man disappeared. I ran after him and shouted, "I'll jump off a building tomorrow. I hope you catch me!"
"Try it then." His voice was already far away.
Xiaotao’s voice sounded from behind me. "Who wants to jump off a building?"
I turned around to see Xiaotao walking over. She confirmed Zhang Qiang’s capture but wasn’t sure who the perpetrator of his severed hand was. The blade was extremely sharp; the cut was more precise than one made with a scalpel. There was a high chance they could still reattach Zhang Qiang’s hand.
She asked, "Don’t tell me it’s your mysterious bodyguard?"
I nodded.
She chuckled. "You volunteered to be a hostage because you knew he would come to save you, didn’t you? With regards to your behavior, I only have this to say to you–you’re playing with your life!"
"As long as we get the guy right?"
She patted me on the shoulder and smiled, "Now that we’ve solved this case, we can finally relax."