Shi Qiang grew increasingly anxious as he watched the robbers, who had already reached the school district.
'Damn it.'
Shi Qiang cursed in his heart.
'He should have used high-yield bombs to blast these scumbags out of their rat holes when they were still in the suburbs, and then brought them to justice one by one.'
Yet now, Shi Qiang could only watch helplessly as these three robbers slipped away right under his nose.
Shi Qiang's eyes were fixed on the faint outlines of the weapons beneath the robbers, and he swore that this time he would make these three scumbags pay, even if it meant being suspended or dismissed, and never being able to work as a police officer again.
The image of the family of three who died tragically in Minnan a year ago appeared before Shi Qiang's eyes every night; he could almost smell the blood in that scene, and each time his guilt grew day by day.
"Go!"
Shi Qiang shouted at the university students on the roadside, who were mixed in the crowd watching the police catch the thieves, and secretly cursed that people nowadays were truly bold to watch such excitement, then he rushed forward without stopping.
Judging by the direction the students came from, they were probably from Hanjiang University.
Although Shi Qiang himself only had a high school education, with years of criminal investigation experience, he could still distinguish which scholars were truly capable and which were merely freeloaders who only knew how to swindle state funds. Distinguishing students was even easier; Shi Qiang didn't even need to know their background, he just needed a quick glance to get a good sense of them.
'However, that student—'
Among the vast crowd of onlookers, Shi Qiang and Su Xiu's gazes met and quickly separated.
Shi Qiang suppressed the questions in his heart.
Because in front of him, the bandits who had just dashed to the intersection were stopped by the red light above their heads.
The three robbers exchanged glances, looking at the flowing traffic in front of them and the police cars waiting at the red light on the opposite side of the intersection. They then reached into their clothes, pulled out machetes wrapped in bandages, and plunged into the nearby crowd.
Damn it!
Shi Qiang raised his gun.
Without waiting for permission, Shi Qiang pulled the trigger.
On the other side, Su Xiu watched the scattering crowd. The robbers had already taken hostages; a fallen woman was dragged by her hair along the road, leaving a long trail of blood behind her.
Two students who had just left school were directly pushed into a roadside supermarket as human shields, along with the supermarket owner and customers, all becoming human shields blocking the entrance.
'What should I do?'
If this weren't Three-Body Problem, Su Xiu, with his superpowers, would undoubtedly rush forward without hesitation to subdue these criminals.
But—
The sophon's surveillance was like a thorn in his back. Although his Ling Neng · Premonition hadn't shown any abnormalities during his recent conversation with Ye Wenjie.
However, as Ye Wenjie was a key person of interest for the sophon, it was possible that he, having just left Ye Wenjie's office, was now under the sophon's surveillance.
A low gunshot rang out, accompanied by a scream. Su Xiu saw the scar-faced man on the far left clutching his chest and heavily hitting the curb by the road. Blood flowed from beneath him, and after a few twitches, he stopped breathing.
"Throw the gun away, Shi Qiang! If you don't, I'll kill this little brat!"
Inside the store, a robber lifted a student from the ground by his neck with one hand. Another tall, thin criminal on the road dragged a victim by her hair towards the roadside store to find cover, and crouched down, attempting to carry away the shot criminal.
Police sirens blared from all directions at the intersection, and uniformed police officers quickly sealed off the surrounding crossroads.
"Big Brother, Second Brother is dead."
The man who had been running last, holding the elementary school student, placed his finger on the scar-faced man's nose to check, then let out a wail.
The police officer named Shi Qiang coldly watched the criminal in front of him, holding the body of the shot robber with one hand and crying in despair. He was sure that if he raised his hand now, he could shoot this cunning criminal who was in disarray... But under the threat of the hostage, he could only throw his Type 54 pistol to the ground.
"A life for a life."
Shi Qiang raised his hands, indicating he was unarmed, and walked towards the two criminals who were moving closer to the store.
"Release the hostages, and you can do whatever you want with me."
Shi Qiang's expression was icy. His superior's reprimands in his earpiece were incessant, accusing him of messing up the case again and that he would be severely suspended this time... So he simply turned off his earpiece.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a silver-white reflection on the commercial building to the east; evidently, the sniper had already taken position. He just needed a little more time for the sniper to adjust the angle... "Give the cops a taste of what we can do."
The tall, thin robber looked around. Besides the girl he was dragging, there were three other hostages inside the store—two adults and one child. Except for keeping two as living human shields, the others could be used to negotiate with the police.
He shouted to the criminal outside the house.
The robber inside the store heard this, and a fierce look flashed in his eyes.
They were completely outmatched by the authorities in terms of technology and numbers; their only advantage was their lack of a bottom line.
And, most importantly—
The robber glanced at the police officer outside the door, who had put down his pistol and was slowly walking towards him, and shivered.
He wasn't afraid of falling into the hands of the authorities; for someone like him, the final outcome was nothing more than death.
But if he fell into the hands of Officer Shi—
In Minnan, they still had three blood debts that hadn't been settled between them, hadn't they?
Thinking of this, he no longer hesitated.
The thick, bright blade of the machete reflected a cold gleam. The hostage in front of him looked at the criminal with terror and unease. As the blade sliced through the air, cries and wails erupted; death had never felt so close.
He planned to negotiate with the authorities using a bloody head... at least to get them to withdraw the sniper on the roof first.
He was already a desperado, burdened with multiple blood debts; no matter how he was caught, it would only be death.
And dead people, especially those killed in broad daylight in plain sight, were most effective at putting pressure on the authorities.
However—
The sensation of the large knife cutting through skin, severing blood vessels, and striking bone did not occur.
A figure passed through the half-open supermarket door and stood before him; it was that student from earlier—
As he clearly saw Su Xiu's face, the robber felt a numbness in his wrist, but immediately after, the student in front of him punched him directly in the face. In a daze, he seemed to hear a metallic clang from within his mind.
The martial arts he had practiced for decades since childhood seemed to disappear in an instant. The robber's vision went black, and then he collapsed to the ground along with the weapon in his hand.
"I temporarily paralyzed his nerves with Ling Neng. I hope the sophon wasn't looking just now."
Su Xiu thought to himself as he looked at the unconscious robber.
His Ling Neng · Premonition had not issued a warning, so it seemed that the only two sophons currently on Earth were not yet sufficient to monitor all of humanity.
However—
"【Detected intense emotional fluctuations in surrounding humans】"
"【Warp Salvage attempts increased by 1% 2% 3% ... 107%】"
"【Remaining Warp Salvage attempts: 1】"
Su Xiu looked thoughtfully at his changing panel.
Clearly, only the emotional fluctuations he caused could be recycled.
"Big Brother! I'm going to kill—"
A muffled gunshot rang out from outside the door, and the robber's voice abruptly ceased.
"Thank you."
Shi Qiang tucked his pistol back into his waistband, pushed open the door, and walked in. He patted Su Xiu's shoulder and offered him a cigarette.
"Although I probably won't be a police officer much longer, I, Shi Qiang, will always owe you a favor."