Zhang Tianhua was the first to recover his voice. “You’re saying the elevator incident was only the beginning of his revenge?” he asked. “That he’s planning something bigger?”
“Then why did he start with something so big?” Ling Yue frowned. “If he triggered a small incident first… isn’t he afraid we’ll catch him before he can carry out the real attack?”
However, it was Kong Qinmao who answered, “Criminals like him often hold deep contempt for the police. And judging from how he planned the elevator accident, he’s meticulous and has strong anti-surveillance skills. Before taking action, he definitely mapped out every step, so he must believe we won’t catch him before he executes his main plan.”
“If he has a larger revenge plan,” Wen Yu asked, “then what’s the purpose of staging the elevator accident first?”
“After the elevator mishap, the residents of Building One were saying all sorts of things,” Xia Ling also added. “Some said the developer offended a rival, and the rival staged the accident to ruin the new property’s sales. Some even said the land used to be a burial ground, and the place was cursed. Fix the elevator all you want; more accidents will still happen. Others said only Building One’s elevator malfunctioned because someone in that building provoked an enemy, and the whole building got dragged down. In short, rumors spread like wildfire. Many residents were already considering selling their units and moving away. Stirring fear and panic among the residents, maybe that was Chen Zhengde’s goal.”
“Create terror first, then strike a heavy blow… utterly twisted.” Wen Yu muttered while Ling Yue shuddered, adding: “If he really has a bigger plan, when is he going to act?”
At that, the room fell into silence before a quiet voice spoke up.
“Tomorrow is Yang Xiaoyu’s birthday.”
Everyone except Han Huaixiao snapped their heads toward Xia Hang. At some point, he had pulled Yang Xiaoyu’s file out on its own, and the team rushed over. The date was correct. Tomorrow was indeed Yang Xiaoyu’s birthday.
A chill ran through all of them. Then, as one, they looked to Han Huaixiao.
“It’s just speculation,” Han Huaixiao said. “But we need to prepare for the worst. Everyone, discuss what kind ofmethod he might use to hit the most residents in Building One. I’m going to talk to Chief Yan.”
………………
On the sixth floor, Yan Zheng was on the phone with the higher-ups.
“Yes, the suspect has been identified,” he said, “Major Crimes is working at full speed to locate him.”
Seeing Han Huaixiao enter, Yan Zheng pointed at the cabinet with the tea leaves, signaling him to make tea. Captain Han took a small handful, dropped it into his superior’s oversized mug with boredom, before filling it with hot water, and setting it on the desk.
Yan Zheng ended the call, frowning at the cup. “New complications?”
Han Huaixiao summarized the case and Chen Zhengde’s background, highlighting the key points. “So we suspect he may have a larger revenge plan.”
Hearing his summary, Chief Yan clasped his hands behind his back and paced a slow circle around the office. Finally, he said, “I’ll handle communication with the higher-ups. You go draft the plan. The Bureau will back you fully.”
When Han Huaixiao returned to the office, everyone was already deep in discussion.
“There are so many residents in Building One,” Ling Yue said. “I think he might choose poisoning.”
“Then how would he poison an entire building?” Kong Qinmao asked.
“The tap water?” Ling Yue replied, but Kong Qinmao shook his head. “Then it wouldn’t just be Building One. More people would be harmed.”
Zhang Tianhua added, “If he wanted to poison the water, he’d have to either hack the system to alter chemical levels remotely, or physically break into the pipelines. He hired Peng Xiangye to hack the repair department’s systems, meaning he doesn’t have that level of skill himself. And anyone with half a brain wouldn’t accept a job like that a second time. With an incident that large, the police would hunt them down, and they would be guaranteed the death penalty. Breaking pipelines isn’t easy either, or we’d have accidents happening every day. So I think poisoning the water is unlikely.”
Ling Yue exhaled sharply. “Then what… blow up the whole building?!”
At that, Zhang Tianhua shook his head, proposing: “I think arson is more likely.” However, Xia Ling asked, “But it takes time for a whole building to catch fire. How would he make sure no one escapes once it starts?”
After listening for a moment, Han Huaixiao finally cut in. “If he plans to strike on Yang Xiaoyu’s birthday,” he said, “then tomorrow during the day, many residents will be at work. He’s more likely to act around midnight or the early hours before dawn, when most residents are asleep.”
“Trying to break his plan in such a short time…” Zhang Tianhua groaned, “when we don’t even know what the plan is… It’s almost impossible.”
“Wen Yu, coordinate with Tech,” Captain Han ordered. “Push harder. We have to locate his hideout.”
Wen Yu nodded. “Got it.”
“Captain Han,” Kong Qinmao then asked, “should we notify the residents and evacuate them now?”
“Whether Chen Zhengde will strike tonight is only our conjecture,” Han Huaixiao replied. “If we tell everyone to evacuate, the news won’t stay contained. It’ll spread fast, and the whole Mingcheng community will panic. Other communities will start fearing they’re targets too. Before we know it, the entire Lang City will be in chaos. Chief Yan is already discussing with the higher-ups whether evacuation is necessary.”
“So what do we do now?” someone asked.
“Everyone, change into plain clothes and head to Mingcheng Community immediately,” Han Huaixiao said. “The property management office has been requisitioned. SWAT, Fire Department, and other unit leads will gather there.”
To make case discussions easier, everyone from Major Crimes except Wen Yu piled into Han Huaixiao’s car. On the way, the car was driven by Kong Qinmao, whose driving skills were as steady as his personality, while Captain Han sat in the passenger seat. After reviewing the situation in his mind, he began assigning tasks.
“Based on what you discussed earlier, Chen Zhengde may use explosives, poisoning, or arson. If he plans to use explosives, he would’ve installed them in advance. Brother Hua, when we get there, go with the bomb experts and run a full inspection of Building One. Look for any explosives.”
“Xia Ling, you take a team and check the water system in Building One. Test if the water is abnormal. Ling Yue, talk toproperty management, see if any supplies were distributed to residents recently, especially food. If so, take samples for testing immediately.”
“If his plan is arson, then for a building to burn fast, he needs multiple ignition points, starting from the lower floors to cut off escape routes for upper-floor residents. Qinmao, when we arrive, take several plainclothes officers and sweep the community. Look for unknown persons and any fast-burning materials. Pay special attention to unfamiliar people entering or leaving Building One on the surveillance feeds.”
In the end, Xia Hang hadn’t heard his name. He was about to speak when Han Huaixiao continued: “Xia Hang, get a map of the community from property management. Work with them and the local police substation to draft an evacuation plan.”
Once he finished giving instructions, Han Huaixiao called Wen Yu, asking if there was anything new on her end. Wen Yu was in another car with the Tech team, several of them typing so fast it was like sparks flying. “We’ve pulled the surveillance around Yang Xiaoyu’s cemetery, his mother’s house, and Mingcheng Community,” she answered. “If he appears, we’ll get an alert immediately. We’re also tracking his escape route from the previous hideout.”
“Good.” Han Huaixiao said.
By the time they reached Mingcheng Community, it was already eight p.m. Days had passed since the elevator incident, and life was slowly returning to normal. From the ground floor, everyday sounds drifted through the buildings: the sizzle of a family’s dinner stir-fry, a parent scolding their child during homework, an elderly resident with bad hearing blasting a war film on their TV, someone following along to an exercise video…
Amid this ordinary, lively soundtrack, the team spread out to investigate.
Their first sweep revealed nothing suspicious, except for the addition of several chrysanthemums placed outside Yang Xiaoyu’s apartment door and on the rooftop.
SWAT Captain Qi Xuhui, an old acquaintance who’d worked with Captain Han many times, asked, “Those flowers… his psycho father put them there?”
“Probably not,” Han Huaixiao replied, with Kong Qinmao adding, “We checked the surveillance. They were left by some residents.”
Han Huaixiao guessed it was because Sun Ying had mentioned in the residents’ group chat that Yang Xiaoyu once asked for the property office’s number. Maybe, unsettled by the case, some residents had sent the flowers themselves.
With no abnormalities found, Han Huaixiao focused the operation around Mingcheng Community, placing Building One at the center, pulling together officers from Major Crimes and the supporting units into a coordinated deployment.
They were still in a passive position, unsure of Chen Zhengde’s plan or timeline, so for now, all they could do was lock down Building One as tightly as possible.
Xia Hang completed the evacuation plan with property management and the local police substation, then brought it to Han Huaixiao.
Captain Han was seated by the window in the property office, where the desk was stacked high with documents, case files, and maps. The ashtray beside him overflowed with cigarette butts, and a take-out box sat unopened, its steam long cooled into droplets clinging to the lid.
Xia Hang set down the evacuation plan, brewed a cup of strong tea, and moved the ashtray aside. Next, he opened the take-out box and gently flicked away the condensation on the lid, saying: “You haven’t eaten a single bite since noon. Eat something to settle your stomach.”
Earlier, Han Huaixiao had simply been too busy to eat, and then later, he’d forgotten. Now he grabbed the chopsticks, snapped them apart, shoveled a few quick bites into his mouth, and flipped through the evacuation plan. The plan itself was sound, but whether they would evacuate residents depended on the higher-ups’ directive.
Seeing him eat too fast, Xia Hang filled another paper cup with warm water and placed it by his hand.
Han Huaixiao noticed he hadn’t left and asked, “What do you think he’ll use for the larger attack?”
It was a question Xia Hang had considered. He didn’t have an answer, but he had seen many forms of revenge.
A village controlled by drug dealers, where a mother who refused to let her young child touch drugs tried everything to send him away, but the dealers intercepted them. They dragged the boy in front of her, cut off his ear, shattered his legs, and finally forced the mother, before all the parents in the village, to inject drugs into her own son, making him addicted and ensuring he would never leave.
Sheng Jun, the drug lord, had once taken an interest in a boy, a straight male idol who was extremely popular in Thailand. However, the boy refused him, and not long after, someone drugged him. He ended up clinging to several men, behaving obscenely. Everything was recorded on video, and the clip was sent to his fans. Overnight, the idol fell from untouchable stardom to public disgrace. His career collapsed, debts piled up, and in desperation, he tried to please Sheng Jun, who wouldn’t even look at him anymore. Eventually, the idol developed severe psychological issues and jumped from the thirtieth floor.
In the world of criminals, their cruelty had no bottom.
Han Huaixiao waited, but heard no reply. When he looked up, he saw sorrow clouding Xia Hang’s eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
Xia Hang pulled himself out of the memories. “If Chen Zhengde believes that the residents of Building One refused to give Yang Xiaoyu the property office number, causing him to freeze to death on the rooftop…”
“Then is it possible he’ll use the same method to retaliate?”
Captain Han suddenly lifted his head.
“You mean, since Yang Xiaoyu was trapped on the rooftop that night, Chen Zhengde might trap all of Building One’s residents inside the building, cutting off any way to call for help?”
Xia Hang nodded. “Mm. But that’s just my guess.”
Captain Han tossed the half-eaten take-out into the trash, thought for a few seconds, then dialed Chief Yan Zheng.
Leave a Reply