Chapter 4 Episode 4 On the Brink of Crisis, Part 2

On the other side, Du Bin groped blindly in the pitch-dark room, while Hu Guozheng took out his phone and turned on the flashlight for illumination. “The lights are out. Do you have a flashlight?”

“Let me check.” Du Bin rummaged through his backpack and found only a military flashlight.

“Let’s go.” They opened the door and dashed outside. At first, they heard nothing, but soon realized that many people were rushing toward the emergency exits. Amid the chaos, they could hear terrified cries and the security guards trying to keep order. The two felt a surge of relief—if they followed the crowd, they would soon escape the hotel. Most guests were gathering in open spaces.

In the gloom, shadowy figures holding guns appeared in their line of sight. Most people could only make out these figures by the light of their flashlights and, terrified, turned back in panic. A volley of gunfire erupted, sending guests fleeing in all directions. About a dozen men in suits, each armed, quickly cornered over a hundred guests in the hotel lobby.

“Hurry, we’re almost at the parking lot.” Hu Guozheng and Du Bin followed the crowd down the stairs from the emergency exit, straight to the underground parking garage.

As Du Bin opened the car door, he suddenly thought of Fang Yilin and worried for her safety. From what he knew, those men would surely take hostages and clash with the police, turning the entire Binxing Hotel into a battleground between criminals and law enforcement.

Suppressing the pain from his wounds, Du Bin pulled out his phone and dialed her number. Instead, he was met with a call alert: “Fatty.”

Hu Guozheng, just settling into the driver’s seat, heard Du Bin call him. Seeing Du Bin standing motionless, he asked, “What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you want to go back!”

“That’s right. I need to make sure Yilin hasn’t left.”

“Damn.” Hu Guozheng was exasperated, but hearing Du Bin’s resolve, he sighed. Du Bin continued, “You go ahead.”

“Hey! You’re injured, damn it!” Hu Guozheng shouted as he saw Du Bin turn and run back. Frustrated, he slapped the steering wheel, but in the end decided to follow him.

The police, having received the alarm, came to investigate. Sensing something was amiss, they reported to their superiors and eventually dispatched the SWAT team for assistance.

The man standing at the center was the SWAT team’s captain, Lan Huigang, a highly capable professional soldier. Fifteen others stood in two rows.

“Officer Xu, what’s the situation inside?” Lan Huigang saluted a police officer, Xu Guojun of the Criminal Investigation Division. Xu returned the salute and led the group to a police car, where he began briefing them on the current situation.

Lan Huigang thought for a moment and said, “Officer Xu, rest assured—we’ll rescue the civilians safely.”

“I hope so.” Xu Guojun had no choice but to place his hopes in him, knowing full well Lan Huigang’s abilities.

Lan Huigang gazed at the hotel across from them, shrouded in darkness; fortunately, their powerful searchlights could reflect through the glass and illuminate the interior.

“Are you ready, guys?” Lan Huigang turned and loudly addressed the SWAT officers.

They responded in unison, “Ready!”

With a wave of his hand, Lan Huigang divided them into three groups, each tasked with a specific mission: “Group A surrounds and contains the suspects, Group B sneaks in through the underground parking lot to rescue all hostages, Group C provides remote sniper support. Move out!”

Once their plan was set and preparations complete, Lan Huigang shouldered his submachine gun and led the way.

With the police drawing attention, Lan Huigang led Group A to take up positions outside the hotel’s front and back entrances. Group C carried sniper rifles, searching for vantage points. Group B made their way to the underground parking lot, which was so eerily silent it set everyone’s nerves on edge. The five members carefully approached the emergency exit, relieved to find it temporarily safe.

Meanwhile, Du Bin, worried whether Fang Yilin had escaped, retraced his steps. By the time he returned, the lights were back on; the two realized the assailants must have seized control of the entire hotel and were monitoring all surveillance cameras.

Pushing open the emergency door on the third floor, they saw there were no cameras. The farther they ventured inside, the more they heard the commotion within, including faint screams.

“Hurry, there’s noise up ahead.”

Du Bin and Hu Guozheng reached the restaurant and witnessed the scene inside: over a hundred people crouched on the floor, while seven men in unusual attire, each holding a gun, maintained order. Among the crowd, Du Bin spotted Fang Yilin, terrified and clinging to Wu Jiahao.

Du Bin frowned. Though displeased, he restrained himself. “Looks like these kidnappers aren’t targeting just one person. If everyone hands over their money, they could easily make a hundred million. There are cameras here—it’s risky for us to show ourselves.”

“So what, are we just going to let them get away with it?” Hu Guozheng grumbled in discontent.

Du Bin clicked his tongue. “Damn, you really want to take them on?”

“It’s not impossible. As long as you make a sacrifice and draw some of them away, it’ll be fine.” Hu Guozheng gave him a meaningful look.

Du Bin was speechless at this idiot’s suggestion. Sacrifice? That meant risking his life to buy time. Hu Guozheng grinned wickedly and added, “If you want to save your girlfriend, it all depends on your performance.”

“I’m injured, you know.”

“So tell me, can an injured person fight? If not, just run, got it?”

Du Bin reluctantly agreed, understanding well the fat man’s strength. Despite his size, Hu Guozheng was fierce in a fight, but this time, facing armed opponents, who knew if he could handle it. Gathering his courage, Du Bin rushed out, immediately drawing the kidnappers’ attention and gunfire.

“Damn, they’re really shooting to kill!” Du Bin rolled behind a column, experiencing firsthand how exhilarating it was to be shot at point-blank range. As the gunfire ceased, he stuck out his middle finger in contempt, then sprinted away.

“After him!” One of the enraged kidnappers shouted, and soon three men chased after Du Bin, leaving only four kidnappers in the restaurant.

Sweating profusely in the shadows, Hu Guozheng hesitated about whether to risk charging out. Though three were lured away, there were still uncertainties. He decided to wait a little longer.

As for Du Bin, he ran fiercely despite his injuries, blood dripping steadily. Opening the emergency exit, he saw several kidnappers coming up from below and had to choose to go up instead. “Damn, almost got trapped.”

Du Bin kept running upstairs, not knowing how many floors he ascended. Suddenly, he darted into the hotel’s interior, with about six kidnappers in hot pursuit. Luckily, his evasive maneuvers kept him from being riddled with bullets.

He ran desperately, zigzagging through corridors. Suddenly, at a corner, he collided with someone—a girl whom he instantly recognized as Qin Ling. Seeing the six kidnappers charging down the hallway, Du Bin didn’t hesitate. Without waiting for her to say anything, he grabbed the bewildered Qin Ling and ran.