I sat in the police car, rubbing my sore shoulder, cursing quietly a few times in my head. Even though my whole body still ached, it wasn’t as bad as before—it had eased up a little.

In the police car with me were just Brother Xiang and Uncle Jin.

Li Qingshan really wasn’t holding back this time. He had mobilized over ten police cars, carrying forty or fifty officers. The convoy roared through the streets, sirens wailing, completely ignoring the traffic lights.

The abandoned factory was halfway up a small hill on the outskirts. The hill wasn’t very tall, so the ten-plus police cars stopped at the base rather than charging straight up.

“You, twenty men, surround this hill. Don’t let a single living or dead creature escape. The rest, follow me to rescue the hostage.”

Li Qingshan was already suited up in a bulletproof vest, holding a handgun in both hands. With a commanding wave, he led the group up toward the factory. They even handed me and Brother Xiang each a bulletproof vest.

I’d seen these things during police school but never worn one. Back then, the instructor only showed it to us for a demonstration. Once I put it on, I realized just how heavy it was—easily over ten kilograms! Watching the officers darting around in these vests like it was nothing, I couldn’t help but feel a little admiration.

To be honest, if it were anyone else, Brother Xiang and I wouldn’t have been allowed to tag along. But it was Li Qingshan’s idea. He said since we were police school students, this was a great opportunity to experience the thrill of apprehending criminals firsthand.

Altogether, there were twenty-two of us. Under the moonlight, we crept through the forest toward the factory. Uncle Jin hadn’t come with us, of course. Being a deputy district chief, he wasn’t going to risk his precious life for this. If the hostage weren’t Li Qingshan’s own daughter, even he would’ve stayed at the base to direct operations.

“One team, prepare to breach. The second team surrounds the factory. Don’t let a single perpetrator escape,” Li Qingshan said, crouching down. As for me and Brother Xiang, we weren’t assigned to any group—we had free reign to move around as we liked.

We were getting close to the factory by then. I squinted at the large, single building ahead. It took up about a thousand square meters and looked like it used to be a garment factory before going out of business years ago.

As we got closer, flickering lights could be seen inside the abandoned factory. That instantly set everyone on high alert. After all, the place had been shut down for years. There was no doubt we were in the right spot.

The second team, comprising ten officers, quietly moved into the tall grass around the factory to set up an ambush. Meanwhile, the first team held their black pistols tight, cautiously approaching the main entrance. Of course, neither Brother Xiang nor I were armed. We didn’t even know how to disengage the safety, let alone fire a gun.

Like something straight out of a cop drama, one officer stepped forward and kicked the door open with a loud bang. The rest of them stormed in. Brother Xiang and I lingered outside for about ten seconds, waiting for the chaos to die down before entering. But oddly enough, no gunshots rang out during that time.

“Let’s go in and check it out,” Brother Xiang said curiously, and darted inside. I followed close behind him. What greeted us was a bizarre and eerie sight that sent shivers down my spine.

The factory floor was empty; the machinery had long been sold off. Yet, in the center of the room stood a massive cross. Li Shanshan was tied to it, unconscious. And next to her, three figures cloaked in black stood ominously. Their faces were obscured by the oversized hoods that draped over their entire bodies. Aside from those three, there was no sign of the other kidnappers.

“Chief Li, long time no see. I’ve really missed you,” said the person in the middle, their voice dripping with mockery. They pulled back their hood, revealing their face—a sight that shocked me to the core. It was Zhao Chenyang!

Surrounded by armed officers, he showed no fear whatsoever. On the contrary, he wore a sinister grin, his gaze fixed on Li Qingshan.

“You bastard! To think Old Jin and I trusted you without question, and you turn out to be one of the Bai Lian Cult! You’ve thoroughly disappointed me!” Li Qingshan roared, his fury evident.

Zhao Chenyang chuckled darkly and turned his gaze toward me and Brother Xiang. “So it was you two who ruined my plans with that old Jin coot. Fine, then. Today I’ll deal with you all in one go.”

“Big talk! Shoot him! I want him dead, not alive!” Li Qingshan shouted, raising his arm to signal the officers. But before they could fire, Zhao Chenyang whipped out a small knife and pressed it against Li Shanshan’s neck.

“Go ahead. Shoot. Let’s see how good your aim is. Or do you want to risk hurting your precious daughter?” he taunted with a smirk.

“Hold it!” Li Qingshan barked, clearly lacking faith in his officers’ marksmanship. He quickly changed his orders. “Go in and subdue them! Capture all three!”

His command was clear, but as ten officers charged forward, Brother Xiang suddenly stiffened, sniffing the air. “Something’s not right… There’s corpse energy!” he muttered, his expression darkening as he stared at the two silent figures beside Zhao Chenyang.

Sure enough, before the officers could get close, those two “people” suddenly sprang to life, lifting two officers with terrifying strength and hurling them several meters away.

Their hoods slipped off, revealing grotesque, rotting faces. Their flesh was decayed beyond recognition, writhing with white maggots that crawled in and out of their eye sockets, noses, and peeling skin.

The sight sent shivers down the spines of even the toughest officers. Some gagged and vomited on the spot. I felt bile rising in my own throat but swallowed hard to keep my composure. I wasn’t about to embarrass myself like that.

“What are you afraid of?! They’re just corpses! You’ve all seen plenty of those before! Get back in there!” Li Qingshan roared in frustration. But no amount of shouting could shake his men from their terror. The sheer abnormality of these walking corpses was far beyond their comprehension.

“Chief Li, let us handle the corpses. You focus on Zhao Chenyang,” Brother Xiang said confidently, stepping forward.

The two corpses, while intimidating, were nothing compared to the hopping corpse we encountered in Tao Village. Brother Xiang and I were more than capable of taking them down.

Hearing this, Li Qingshan gave us an approving nod and turned his attention back to Zhao Chenyang. Smacking a nearby officer upside the head, he barked, “What are you waiting for? Go get him!”

Zhao Chenyang’s expression finally shifted. His plan had been to use Li Shanshan as bait to lure in Li Qingshan, relying on the corpses to kill him. Against ordinary officers, these corpses were practically unstoppable. But with Brother Xiang and me here, his carefully laid trap was crumbling.