Chapter 100

Just a few minutes ago, Lu Siyu endured a bout of dizziness at home, closing his eyes as he fought against the desires of his body.

He reassured himself that he had taken enough stomach medicine, and now his need for medication was more psychological; he didn’t really need those drugs.

After making a decision, Lu Siyu stumbled into the bathroom. He turned on the hot water and washed his hands and face repeatedly. After a while, it seemed to have some effect, helping him sober up from the drug haze.

The pain in his body seemed to have eased a bit. Lu Siyu endured the discomfort as he changed his clothes, then walked to his car. Just as he drove out of the gate, several messages suddenly popped up on his phone.

Zhang Congyun’s actions undoubtedly caused a great stir. Lu Siyu tapped on a link and entered Zhao Liu’er’s live broadcast room.

Zhao Liu’er was crying, recounting the sins of Christmas Eve…

Zhang Congyun had been gathering information about Huo Shaoqing from various sources before. Getting close to those around Huo Shaoqing was the best way, so… it wasn’t difficult to deduce that Zhao Liu’er had long been one of his targets.

She was also in the car at the time, she was an accomplice, and she was also part of that retaliatory plan. Zhang Congyun’s goal was to use Zhao Liu’er as bait to lure Huo Shaoqing.

Just then, the live broadcast suddenly stopped, the screen went black, and a message popped up saying the server connection was lost, with an urgent recovery prompt.

As Lu Siyu drove, more and more cold sweat formed on his forehead. His mind was in chaos, like being engulfed in flames, reaching its climax and exploding with a violent scream echoing in his mind, stimulating every nerve.

That was the ultimate outcome of the situation. Now, perhaps there was still time to stop everything.

Time in his mind suddenly rewound, those flames condensed into a point.

Lu Siyu forced himself to calm down. At this moment, predicting what would happen next became crucial. He couldn’t let Zhang Congyun lead him anymore; he had to be ahead of him.

With that in mind, Lu Siyu leaned against the steering wheel during the red light. He wasn’t at the scene now and couldn’t be sure whether the stream was cut off or buffered. Regardless of the reason, it meant that Zhang Congyun’s desire to execute publicly would be thwarted.

Last Christmas, Zhang Congyun lost his wife, the person closest to him. Not long after, he learned about the framing mentioned by Chen Yanqiu. At that time, he should have been meticulously preparing in the background, searching for the real culprit.

He had long been secretly collecting information about Huo Shaoqing, plotting everything meticulously.

That feeling was all too familiar to Lu Siyu. He himself was also a victim of the case. The departure of his loved ones left him with a huge trauma. He wanted revenge, he wanted to find that person, kill that person, tear them apart into pieces.

In this fleeting moment, the thoughts of the two intersected and synchronized. Zhang Congyun, day and night, had endured, supported by the fantasy of avenging his enemies. As time passed and the wait lengthened, he was no longer satisfied with quietly killing his enemies.

He longed to make more people see. This was an important part of his revenge plan. Without this step, the entire operation would lose its meaning.

Where would he choose?

If the live stream couldn’t go up for a while, he would definitely have a backup plan.

Zhang Congyun had long ceased to fear life and death. The victim’s family member had transformed into a desperado, enduring for so long. What he wanted was high exposure to compensate for his inner injustice.

Nancheng Tower…

The horn behind him sounded, and Lu Siyu propped himself up from the steering wheel. His eyes were clear, his lips pressed together slightly, as he turned the car toward Nancheng Tower.

Zhang Congyun would choose there because it was the symbol of Nancheng, of class and status, Zhao Youlan’s lifelong wish, and also his psychological knot.

If it was Nancheng Tower, Zhang Congyun’s revenge plan could form a perfect loop there. Killing the enemy would cause a sensation, a heroic way to go down with the enemy.

Lu Siyu’s location was closer to Nancheng Tower than the city bureau. After driving for a while, he looked up and could already see Nancheng Tower standing in the morning light.

The last time Lu Siyu climbed up here was when he was a child, holding his father’s hand, standing in front of the huge glass, overlooking the entire city.

The cars looked like matchboxes, queuing up, pedestrians like ants, bustling on the road, the whole city was under their feet.

Even now, Lu Siyu still remembered the feeling of walking in the clouds, overlooking the secular world, how shocking it was.

Regardless of how many years had passed, how many changes had occurred, wind or rain, the tower stood there all along. It witnessed so much history, so many separations and reunions.

Hopefully, this time, this prediction was correct.

Although his stomach was hurting like there was a knife stirring inside, Lu Siyu’s eyes gradually became firm.

Nancheng Tower was soon in sight. He parked the car below and hurriedly walked up. The elevator was out of service, and what was originally an orderly tower suddenly became chaotic.

Lu Siyu understood in his heart that this meant the police had found the car, and it was coming this way.

“For safety reasons, all personnel need to evacuate Nancheng Tower quickly. Please follow the staff and do not get separated… The elevator has been shut down… Please evacuate from the stairs, do not overcrowd, to avoid stampedes…”

Guides for evacuation and tourists heading downstairs appeared on the stairs.

The tourists didn’t know what was happening; the crowd was evacuating somewhat chaotically. Some were screaming, some were complaining, and some slow-moving individuals were left behind in the queue.

Lu Siyu went up against the crowd along the safe passage. He felt like he was swimming upstream.

Rapid ascent plus dodging the crowd consumed a lot of his energy. The pushing crowd, with faces filled with fear and questions, hindered his progress.

By the time he climbed to the eighth floor, Lu Siyu felt like he was reaching his limit. Cold sweat was pouring out, his stomach was twisting in pain incessantly, and he used his hand to support himself against the railing.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed him from the side. “Big brother, are you feeling unwell?”

Lu Siyu lowered his head. It was a little girl of just a few years old, with two braids, looking up at him with innocence and sincerity on her face.

“Quick, let’s go, don’t mind anyone else.” The child’s mother obviously wasn’t pleased with her delay and reached out to pick her up.

An elderly lady who had just come down from upstairs, her steps still trembling, asked Lu Siyu with concern, “Child, why are you going upstairs? It’s said that it’s dangerous here.”

Lu Siyu paused for a moment before speaking, “I’m a police officer.”

The old lady nodded and said, “Then, child, be careful.”

Among the crowd, some staff heard this and shouted, “Everyone, move aside a bit and let the police comrade go up.”

The noisy crowd of evacuees naturally made way.

Lu Siyu looked at the stairs leading upward and suddenly felt some strength in his body. It was this moment of pause that allowed him the opportunity to see the faces of those people clearly.

As it turned out, they were all ordinary people.

The previously anxious crowd suddenly quieted down, surrounded by hopeful eyes, as if seeing him brought a sense of safety.

With determination, Lu Siyu pushed forward and began to ascend the stairs. In the past, he didn’t fully understand the meaning of being a police officer or the responsibilities he bore. But at this moment, he seemed to grasp it somewhat…

If he remembered correctly, the live streaming room should be on the eighteenth floor.

A few minutes later, Zhang Congyun led Huo Shaoqing up to the eighteenth floor of Nancheng Tower. He had checked the information beforehand, and the live streaming room of Nancheng Tower was on this floor.

When they were at the base of the tower, Zhang Congyun had hesitated for a moment about whether to come up, but he thought that this was a place Zhao Youlan had always wanted to ascend but never had the chance to. This belief supported him. Even if he died, he would die on Nancheng Tower.

At that moment, whether people thought his actions were right or wrong, they would remember him firmly.

He would also be written into the history of Nancheng!

They encountered no one along the way, and no one stopped them.

When they reached the top, Zhang Congyun was slightly out of breath, while Huo Shaoqing, coerced by him, was almost out of strength. His wrists had been strained by the heavy box, and he knelt on the ground, crying, “Sir, I… I know I was wrong, I’m willing to do anything… Please don’t kill me…”

Ignoring him, Zhang Congyun surveyed the various paths, then walked to the front of the live streaming room with a grim face. The staff in the tower had already evacuated, leaving it deserted like a ghost town.

The door to the live streaming room was slightly ajar. He pushed it open and kicked Huo Shaoqing inside.

The live streaming room was fully transparent, with large floor-to-ceiling windows all around. The light shining through the windows made it difficult for Zhang Congyun to adjust his eyes. He tightly gripped the remote control in his hand and threatened, “Hurry up! Start the live stream for me!”

“Sorry, as a police officer, I’m not proficient in these matters.” Lu Siyu raised his head and placed his phone aside. The situation had been urgent just now, and he had only just arrived. He had managed to disconnect the live stream and then sent a message to Song Wen.

Lu Siyu’s physical strength was not enough to allow him to stand and talk for long. Fortunately, there were a few swivel chairs here, which allowed him to sit down and regain his strength. And he understood in his heart that if he followed Zhang Congyun’s instructions now and started the live stream, both he and Huo Shaoqing would be in grave danger.

“In that case, I’ll kill him now!” Zhang Congyun shouted, pointing the remote control at Huo Shaoqing.

Huo Shaoqing was already frightened out of his wits. He knelt on the ground with a thud, “Sir, I… I know I was wrong, I’m willing to do anything… Please don’t kill me…”

Zhang Congyun turned his head to look at Lu Siyu, as if recognizing him for the first time at this moment. He was like an inflated balloon on the verge of bursting, angrily questioning Lu Siyu, “Why would a police officer know we’re here? Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you too?”

“I came here on my own initiative as a private individual.” Lu Siyu spoke, leaning forward slightly, quickly assessing everything. Huo Shaoqing’s wrist was connected to a box, indicating that the explosive material was stored inside the box. The remote control was in Zhang Congyun’s hand. Now, the wealthy second-generation was already scared stiff.

Lu Siyu’s stomach was hurting badly. Engaging in a physical struggle, he couldn’t guarantee that he would immediately snatch away the remote control, nor could he confirm if there was only one remote control device. He could only outsmart, not act recklessly, and he could only move forward, not retreat.

With this in mind, Lu Siyu licked his lips, looked directly at Zhang Congyun, and tried to keep his voice calm, “Although we can’t live stream from here, you have a better option. Once news spreads that you’re at Nancheng Tower, it will quickly attract attention. It will take about ten minutes for media reporters to arrive. They will surround this place completely. By then, people will remember you, and they will remember Zhao Youlan’s death. With the flash of cameras and the attention of the media, blowing this person into pieces is what you really want to achieve.”

Zhang Congyun slowly lowered the remote control in his hand, and Lu Siyu knew that this proposal had caught his interest. He continued speaking, “So, you just need to wait ten minutes. During these ten minutes, we can chat freely.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Congyun realized what was happening. The person in front of him was just trying to buy time. However, even if he saw through it, what could he do? Lu Siyu’s proposal was indeed the best option for him at the moment. With this in mind, Zhang Congyun took a step back, his eyes filled with vigilance. “Are you here to stop me?”

“No,” Lu Siyu shook his head. “I’m increasing your bargaining chips. Now you have two hostages. I just want to apply some of my own reasoning and thoughts.”

Zhang Congyun stared at him intently, still not trusting him. “Does your police force have that negotiation technique? I won’t fall into your trap.”

“I already revealed my identity when I went to your house last time. They wouldn’t send a rookie cop to negotiate with you,” Lu Siyu downplayed his own status.

Zhang Congyun fell silent for a moment.

“I know you’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. You’re as firm as a rock, unwavering. There’s no need to be afraid of what I might say,” Lu Siyu took a deep breath, enduring a bout of pain. He knew his face must be deathly pale at this moment. He clenched his fingers and gripped the armrest of the chair beneath him before continuing, “I want to seek an answer. I’ve been thinking about your relationship with Chen Yanqiu. I think you also have doubts about his death, so I believe you should listen to the investigation results from the police. This way, when we all die, there won’t be any lingering doubts.”

He was gambling, betting that the relationship between Zhang Congyun and Chen Yanqiu was not ordinary. In such a conflicted environment, there must have been some kind of connection between them. In that case, Zhang Congyun wouldn’t be completely indifferent to Chen Yanqiu’s story.

Zhang Congyun looked at him and grunted but didn’t interrupt him.

Lu Siyu breathed a sigh of relief. He guessed right. The pain in his stomach forced him to cough twice. He continued, “A week ago, we found Chen Yanqiu’s body in a chemical factory. He was stabbed in the chest and left to die. His body was placed in a pool of chemical salt, turning into a mummy…”

Those were things Zhang Congyun hadn’t known about before. Holding the remote control, he turned to look at Lu Siyu, his expression turning into that of listening…

All the facts, causes, and consequences. Lu Siyu felt he had grasped the truth…

Under Nancheng Tower, the media had indeed arrived one after another. However, at this time, a police cordon line blocked them, and dozens of police officers had completely controlled the area under Nancheng Tower, preventing them from approaching.

A SWAT team had assembled, led by Zhang Guodong, the captain of the Nancheng SWAT team. He held the structural diagram of Nancheng Tower and discussed with Xu Changying and Song Wen on the side. The situation was not optimistic.

“…Based on the hazardous materials we discovered just now, the suspect may be carrying several times more here. The location of the broadcasting room in Nancheng Tower is close to the load-bearing columns of the tower. An explosion may cause partial collapse of the tower body. Moreover, in this direction, launching an assault from below would be difficult,” Zhang Guodong said, gesturing on the blueprint.

Xu Changying asked, “So, if we forcefully break in, what are your chances of success?”

Zhang Guodong pondered for a moment and shook his head, “That’s the last resort. Ideally, you have other methods to prevent the suspect from detonating.”

Xu Changying said, “In any case, we must find a way to stop the suspect. He has a large quantity of high-explosive materials in his possession. Once an explosion occurs, the consequences would be unimaginable.”

Song Wen added, “The most crucial thing now is to finalize the plan.” He glanced at his watch. “It will take some time for Zhang Congyun to climb to the eighteenth floor. We’d better wrap up this discussion within three minutes.”

Feeling that most of the people here were from Nancheng, Xu Changying, feeling somewhat bullied, snorted, “Aren’t there more of your people here?”

Song Wen replied, “Everyone here is an excellent police officer. I believe we can all make the right judgment. Of course, we need to consider everyone’s opinions. Captain Xu, you go first.”

Xu Changying continued, biting his teeth as he made a decision, “According to Zhang Congyun’s information, he has a granddaughter. I suggest quickly bringing the girl from school.” If the girl came, it might prevent Zhang Congyun from pressing the remote control. He thought it was worth the risk.

Song Wen had some objections to this. Xu Changying was gambling. If Zhang Congyun’s granddaughter arrived and he didn’t detonate, he shook his head. “There’s no time, and the girl is only ten years old. It’s possible that there could be an explosion at any moment. The girl might get injured. Even with proper protection, do you want her to watch her grandfather blow himself up?”

If they rushed and, unfortunately, something happened, this girl might become a psychological wreck.

“Alright… I didn’t think it through.” Xu Changying also understood the problem here and abandoned this plan. He continued, “Furthermore, I think we need a negotiation expert to talk to Zhang Congyun.”

Song Wen hesitated for a moment and said, “The City Bureau has negotiation experts on standby at all times. They can quickly arrive, but the premise is to establish contact with the inside first.” Then he organized his thoughts and said, “I think we should deploy snipers.”

Xu Changying shook his head, “I observed the terrain just now. The distance is too far.”

Song Wen looked at Zhang Guodong beside him. “Captain Zhang, can we shoot from the 20th floor of the Commercial Building on the right to the 18th floor of Nancheng Tower?”

Zhang Guodong reached out to measure the wind speed. “Downwind. The position is a bit extreme, but it’s worth a try.” He added, “There is a backup elevator under Nancheng Tower that can ascend to the 20th floor, breaking through the glass into the broadcast room. However, this is the last resort. An explosion happens in an instant. This kind of strong attack is very dangerous and may not quickly resolve the crisis.”

Song Wen continued, “I think we should try to establish contact with Lu Siyu inside the tower as much as possible. At this time, he might already be with Zhang Congyun.”

“You said he was on sick leave before? Why would he be in Nancheng Tower? We can’t be sure if he can meet Zhang Congyun.” Xu Changying said, “In addition, although Lu Siyu is very capable, I think we shouldn’t pin our hopes on a rookie police officer.”

“Captain Xu…” Song Wen looked up at him. “Trust me, he is more useful than a negotiation expert.”

Song Wen was extremely worried about Lu Siyu’s safety now, but he tried to calm himself down and deal with the crisis in front of him.

Finally setting aside their prejudices, the two came up with a feasible plan. Xu Changying nodded, “Then I’ll evacuate the crowd here and coordinate with the SWAT team for the assault. Xu Youyou, bring the negotiation expert over here to discuss the plan, try sniping, and contacting Lu Siyu. Captain Song, please handle this.”

Song Wen nodded, “Time is tight. Captain Zhang, let’s go to the sniping point first and clarify the current situation inside the broadcast room.”