The weapon by the pillow

Chapter 102 I'm just bait

"Finally, they've got it under control! This is interesting!" The man burst into laughter, tears welling in his eyes. "See, gentlemen, the stage for us to speak is about to close again! What you see is only what they want us to see! How could they possibly let what's buried beneath the surface rise to the top?"

"I only believe in the truth itself! You crossed the line today... just like last night. This city belongs to all of us, but it must not be a place to use sensationalism to guide public opinion!" Cheng Jing explained patiently, believing that she was right.

"You... are wrong!" Cheng Tan suddenly objected, which surprised Cheng Jing.

"I think you're all wrong!" Cheng Tan added.

"Don't look at me...look outside! The truth hasn't even begun...and the confrontation has already started...and then, another...the next Jin Xiaohao! It's endless..." Cheng Tan said sharply, "The murder weapon from thirteen years ago is on my pillow, stabbing me again and again. Every time I think of it, I don't want it to shed another drop...or kill another person! But your conspiracies and schemes last night and tonight have given it a new case!"

"Hmph! Immortals! Is that even possible?" The woman raised her head and said loudly, "No one wants to die, but they forget that the souls of the dead take root, sprout, blossom... and eventually bear the fruit of hatred!"

"So, you have your obsessions, just like me, with my stubbornness!" Cheng Tan laughed, looking at the man with the gun. "You don't care who cut off the live stream, you don't care if netizens judge it, you just want to vent your frustration, right?"

"So what if it is, and so what if it isn't!" The man's eyes flashed with a fierce light. "The three of us are as close as family. Now that the professor has disappeared without a trace, it's just the two of us. We'll have to fight to the death!"

"I think we're all going to die here today! Do you believe me?" Sister Fang suddenly interjected. She gave a bitter laugh, offering no explanation, and picked up a finger bone die with her fingertips, staring at it intently as if it were a family member.

"Of course I believe it!" Cheng Tan picked up a die and casually asked Cheng Jing, "Xiao Hua, who do you think would want you dead? You're with them!"

"There are at least five snipers outside. I can sense the infrared beams!" Cheng Jing also picked up a sniper rifle. "The ones who want me dead aren't our own people! We're going to uncover this place today. Those who are trying to cover it up must make this place disappear like apartment 403! Otherwise, why would they send in the bureau chiefs to lure us into this trap!"

"Officer!" The gunman nodded. "My car definitely played a role! Otherwise, we wouldn't have found our way here. It's a pity..."

He pointed at Sister Fang, "She's the one in charge, but she doesn't seem qualified!"

"I've seen the person who orchestrated this! But in the video..." Cheng Tan laughed again, "They were playing mahjong last night, but I don't know how it ended! Sister Fang, why don't you tell us?"

"I..." Fangjie was sweating this time.

"I...I can't say." Her voice trembled uncontrollably. "If I do...this whole building will probably be..."

"This building... isn't it the result of his curse..." Before Cheng Tan could finish speaking, the loudspeaker's announcement outside forcefully tore through the air and crashed in:

"Listen up, people inside! Release the hostages immediately and cease all illegal activities! Hands over your heads, get out of the building! I repeat, release the hostages immediately..."

The roar of helicopters and the buzzing of drones intertwined, like a group of metal behemoths, tightly binding the entire building.

The air in the private room tensed up.

On the mahjong table, thirteen white bone dice gleamed with an eerie white light under direct sunlight. The fine bone holes and textures were clearly visible, like miniature, ghostly blood vessels, telling a story of lingering injustice.

The gunman's muzzle remained firmly pressed against the window, but his eyes had changed—the composure of a cat playing with a mouse was gone, replaced by the vigilance of a trapped beast and a hint of relief.

"We only have two openings left." Cheng Tan's voice was unusually calm amidst the bright light and noise. "The east window and the west window. If the police launch a full-scale attack, it will definitely be through these two places. If you trust me—" He turned his gaze to the man with the gun, "Let Cheng Jing guard one of them. Anyone else going up there will just be sending them to their deaths. You should know her methods and her identity."

The man stared at Cheng Tan, and after a few breaths, nodded briefly: "Okay."

"As for the other window," Cheng Tan turned to Fang Jie, who was sitting in a wheelchair and looked pale, his voice suddenly turning cold, like a winter wind, "Fang Jie, let Chen Ming come out. He... might be able to help."

Fang Jie suddenly looked up, her eyes wide with shock: "You...how did you know Chen Ming was here?!"

"Because he was always there." Cheng Tan twirled a bone die between his fingers. "He was the bait, the thread you deliberately left for me to sniff, the fragrant bait to lure me into this jar. Unfortunately, now I am—we have all become bigger bait, catching not only those outside holding guns, but also those behind them who are truly afraid of the light of day... ghosts."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over each pale face: "Am I right, everyone?"

General Manager Zhao was slumped in his chair, a dark stain spreading from his crotch, emanating a foul stench. Director Sun held his head in his hands, muttering incantations, whether prayer or repentance, it was unclear. Sister Fang's eyes were unfocused, her lips trembling.

Only the man with the gun had an extremely strange smile on his lips.

"You're quite astute, Cheng Tan," he said hoarsely, "more astute than I thought. But astute people... often die young."

"Then let me understand a few things before I close my eyes." Cheng Tan gently placed the bone dice back into the wooden box, tapping them on the rim with his fingertips—three short, three long, three short. It was the death knell again, SOS.

Who is he passing a secret signal to?

Outside the door? Outside the window? Or... a shadow inside the room?

The shouts from outside the window rang out again: "Final ultimatum! Disarm and come out with your hands on your heads within thirty seconds! Otherwise, we will take all necessary measures!"

The countdown tolled like a death knell: "Thirty, twenty-nine, twenty-eight..."

"Bring Chen Ming out," Cheng Tan said to Fang Jie again, his words as firm as nails. "Now."

Fang Jie's trembling hand, like a withered leaf in the wind, reached into the hidden compartment, pulled out a miniature remote control, and pressed it.

Inside the private room, a hidden door, seamlessly integrated with the wallpaper pattern, silently slides open to the side.

Inside was a cramped storage room. Chen Ming was tied to a chair, his mouth was taped shut, and his cheeks were bruised, but his eyes were bright and piercing as he stared intently at the outside room.

Cheng Jing strode forward, tore off the tape, and untied the rope.

"Captain Cheng!" Chen Ming's voice was hoarse, yet strangely excited. "B17! I got the stuff, and..." His gaze suddenly shot to the man with the gun, emphasizing each word, "This man, I recognize him. He is..."