Please give the novel a rating or a review on NovelUpdates
———-

Chapter 49 Gunshots

“What’s the situation inside the diner now?” a voice asked through Jiang Chaoyun’s earpiece.

Jiang Chaoyun said, “Nothing has happened since the boy went in. How long until the sniper arrives?”

“Soon, very soon, 5 more minutes.”

Furious, Jiang Chaoyun said, “They’re still not here? If the suspect gets agitated, it’ll be useless even if they show up!”

“They really can’t get there in time; we just have to hold on for these 5 minutes.”

Jiang Chaoyun grew even angrier, “How are we supposed to hold on? Every second now is a race against death! If the suspect’s handler outside senses something wrong and tips him off, he’ll blow himself up along with the innocent people inside!”

“We have no choice; we have to wait. Forcing our way in could cause even greater casualties.”

Helpless, Jiang Chaoyun let out a long sigh, “If only the innocents inside could walk out on their own.”

“How would they come out? They don’t know anything is wrong, and the owner definitely won’t leave,” the voice on the phone doused her hope, “unless there’s some miracle prophet inside who can divine that there’s a werewolf among the crowd!”

Jiang Chaoyun’s face sank; on one hand, their intel confirmation had been too slow and they failed to notice the bomb in the suspect’s hands, a collective dereliction of duty.

On the other hand, Lu Li had slipped into the diner through her blockade, another personal screw-up, and if anything really happened she would definitely be disciplined.

“When it rains it pours! That punk really knows how to cause trouble!” Thinking of that reckless brat Lu Li, Jiang Chaoyun was so angry she wanted to curse.

“If only someone really could get out of there. Heh, it’d take divine intervention to pull that off,” she said with a wry smile while staring at the “Good Flavor” signboard.

Right then she saw the diner’s door swing open and a plump woman burst out in a panic.

Jiang Chaoyun’s eyes widened at once, “Someone actually came out? Could it really be divine intervention?”

She hurried over, guided Auntie Zhao to safety, and asked immediately, “Are you the owner?”

Auntie Zhao nodded repeatedly, “Officer, yes, I am.”

Lu Li had already told her that the outside was full of police, so Auntie Zhao unquestioningly accepted Jiang Chaoyun’s identity.

Jiang Chaoyun was pleased yet puzzled and asked, “From the way you’re panicking, do you know that the man in the mask is dangerous?”

Auntie Zhao said, “I know, of course I know! I also know there’s a bomb in the case he’s carrying!”

“What?” Jiang Chaoyun was even more surprised. “Ma’am, I didn’t expect you to be so alert.”

“Alert? Not at all… the boy who went in just told me!” Auntie Zhao quickly relayed everything Lu Li had explained and the situation inside the diner.

Jiang Chaoyun froze; so the boy hadn’t entered by accident but had gone in on purpose knowing it was dangerous?

So it wasn’t a prophet the diner had but a knight!

“What a brave person!” Jiang Chaoyun’s expression turned solemn. “Why haven’t the rest come out? Are you the only one?”

Auntie Zhao said, “There’s an old janitor asleep inside; they’re trying to wake him up.”

Auntie Zhao was now filled with shame; she had thought that after she had treated Chu Zining so harshly the girl wouldn’t care about her, yet Chu Zining had been the first to send her out…

She regretted it deeply and only hoped Chu Zining would make it out safely; she would do everything she could to make it up to that gentle, kind girl…

“Oh, so there’s still a chance,” Jiang Chaoyun breathed a sigh of relief; resolving this crisis hinged entirely on that boy’s wit and courage.

“No, don’t wake him up!” a panicked voice suddenly exploded in her earpiece.

The shout almost pierced Jiang Chaoyun’s eardrums and she asked back, “Why?”

The voice on the other end said, “We just reviewed the surveillance and had an informant identify him; we’ve confirmed that the old man in the janitor’s uniform is the suspect’s handler!”

“What?!” Jiang Chaoyun was shocked.

While her mind was still reeling, a sudden boom came from inside the diner.

Jiang Chaoyun’s eyes flew open; she knew very well that was… a gunshot!

…

Inside the diner, Lu Li calmly finished cooking the Nine-loop Pork Intestine and the red-braised pork.

Even in such a perilous moment, the aroma made Chu Zining swallow involuntarily.

“By now Auntie Zhao should be out. Are you ready?” Lu Li looked at Chu Zining.

Chu Zining nodded.

Lu Li’s original plan was simple: let everyone leave the diner one by one and then let the police handle the masked man.

But there was still the sleeping old man; if they carried out the first plan, that old man probably wouldn’t make it out.

So Lu Li had to settle for the second-best option: he would go calm the masked man while Chu Zining used the chance to wake the old man, then the three of them would leave together.

The two exchanged a glance, hesitated no longer, and Lu Li carried the two dishes out of the kitchen.

The masked man already felt jumpy; he had been in the diner for a full 10 minutes, yet it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and the noise outside had mysteriously vanished.

Clearly it had been noisy outside before he came in.

What made him even more irritable was that his contact still hadn’t shown up or sent any message.

“Your dishes are here!” Lu Li called softly, holding a plate in one hand as he walked over.

The masked man tensed at once and placed his hand on the case.

If this boy dared trick him and actually couldn’t cook Nine-loop Pork Intestine, he would make him pay!

Yet before Lu Li even reached him, he was already captured by the aroma.

“S-so fragrant…” the masked man swallowed; he was already starving.

Lu Li set the two dishes on the table and smiled, “Enjoy.”

Seeing the dishes that looked, smelled, and tasted perfect, the masked man’s doubts vanished; he didn’t even need to try them to know Lu Li’s cooking skills were top-notch.

“Looks like I really was overthinking,” the masked man relaxed.

On the other side, Chu Zining walked up to the old janitor and pushed him firmly, “Sir, we’re closing up.”

The old janitor slowly woke up; when he saw Chu Zining beside him, a sharp glint flashed in his dull pupils and his first reaction was to grip the large mug wrapped in a brown tea cozy on the table.

“What time is it? How did I suddenly fall asleep? Why are there only a few people in the diner?” the old man asked hoarsely, scanning the surroundings warily.

Seeing how startled he looked, Chu Zining whispered quickly, “Please don’t disturb the other guests. We’re closing; please gather your things and leave.”

The old man ignored her, pulled out his phone, checked the time, and immediately dialed a number.

Lu Li saw that the masked man had calmed down and had just breathed a sigh of relief.

Right at that moment, the phone in the masked man’s pocket started ringing.

———-
Support the Translation! 🌐✨

Your donations not only show appreciation but also keep the translator motivated! Every contribution helps continue bringing you more of what you love. Thank you for being a part of this journey! 💖

https://www.ko-fi.com/maxoofie