Today is the day Lian gets discharged. Xiao Lin had asked for leave from the school hospital. There was still some time before the appointed hour. He nestled on the sofa; the renovation of the living room, that had been pierced by bullets, was nearing completion.
The grumbling landlord had come several times, not saying much, but the complaint on his face was unmistakable. As long as they didn’t take back the house, those negative emotions could be ignored. After all, it was a short distance to the school hospital from here, and he was unwilling to spend all his time on the road. Besides, his insomnia was severe; Xia Xue couldn’t withstand it and went to the farmhouse, making the nights without her company unusually uncomfortable.
He stretched languidly, reminiscent of a cat. Having given the workers a day off, he only wanted to quietly contemplate on the sofa. Zhang Teng was wanted. With the hype from online media, this face was hard to go unnoticed. As long as he hadn’t left, exposure was a possibility.
It’s rare that Wu Shuang turned out to be competent. Thinking of her flushed face, Xiao Lin felt an impulse to laugh.
The phone buzzed beside him. He didn’t feel like checking it. Few people knew his private number, and it was likely a message from Hua Qingyi. Xia Xue didn’t like texting, so it was unlikely her. He closed his eyes, wanting to nap a while. However, the noncompliant ringtone and vibration sounded again, screeching. He frowned, noticing an unfamiliar number on the screen.
"Zhang Teng has been found." Xiao Lin was quite surprised to receive a call from Wu Shuang on this number. Because the information she divulged far exceeded the importance of the number’s origin, he temporarily ignored it.
"In the old city district, killed a police officer, seized firearms, and fled southwest in a police car."
Xiao Lin hung up. There was still an hour and a half left before the appointed time, which should be enough.
The old city district. A model 2000 police car sped through the streets. Luckily, the morning market had wrapped up, and the street vendors mostly packed up. There weren’t many people, so no casualties were caused, just some items scattered on the ground.
The police car drove aimlessly, while the sirens blared behind, echoing across the sky. Spectators at a distance began indulging in all sorts of wild speculations while minding their own safety. A police car chasing another police car was headline news they hadn’t encountered before.
Zhang Teng occasionally checked the police cars in his rearview mirror—four of them. He was calculating the best route. Going straight led to a main road, likely with checkpoints ahead. The left led into a greenery area, narrow, while the right was the Commercial Street.
After charging through a traffic light, he suddenly turned right, choosing to enter Commercial Street. In places crowded with people, checkpoint setups are unsuitable, and firearms are much less useful in such scenarios. That’s consistent worldwide—police can’t harm innocent civilians because bullets don’t see faces.
Entering the commercial area, the crowd began to increase. It was rush hour, and the commuters at the red-light intersections seemed eager to weave through the traffic. The police cars thus slowed down. Zhang Teng kept a close eye on the rearview mirror; there were only two police cars now, each blocked by two or three private cars, while he positioned himself at the traffic light shift, an opportune moment to shake off these pesky tails.
He deliberately slowed his start; when the green light turned yellow, he stepped hard on the accelerator and dashed through. The drivers behind him had to stop for the red light. Watching the police getting out of their cars behind, Zhang Teng couldn’t resist a satisfied laugh.
Bang! A gunshot rang out, a bullet grazed the car, aiming to blow the tires out. Zhang Teng sharply turned the steering wheel, driving closer to the crowd.
Bullets were fired again at an angle, and Zhang Teng dodged, constantly making sharp turns to evade the gunfire. His eyes gleamed fiercely; someone wanted him dead. Judging by the bullet’s range, these weren’t police-issued weapons. He maneuvered the steering wheel, searching for an outlet; he knew the adversary wouldn’t easily let him go.
A small car suddenly appeared ahead, and not seeing it almost caused a collision. He jerked the wheel, narrowly missing the white little QQ. Was it an illusion? Zhang Teng glanced in the rearview mirror at the small car they had just passed; someone inside smiled at him.
The white QQ disappeared at the first corner. Zhang Teng mocked himself a little.
Another bullet flew past, hitting a tire. The car skidded and spun in place. Zhang Teng braked and stabilized the car, with sirens blaring incessantly. Discover more novels at ⓝovelFire.net
Seeing the police car approaching, Zhang Teng hopped out, targeting a BMW. He drew his gun, threatening the owner to abandon the car. The innocent owner tumbled out, scrambling with hands over his head, shouting not to kill him, frantically searching for a route to escape.
Zhang Teng wasn’t in a killing mood. He jumped into the car and continued his escape.
Meanwhile, in a nearby alley, a white QQ watched the scene unfold. Wu Shuang’s SWAT team still had about ten minutes left. Yanjing’s traffic posed a problem; even with sirens, it didn’t help much.
The BMW sped past the QQ, which promptly followed. Xiao Lin turned Chopin’s piano music up to its maximum in the car. Apart from the music, nothing else could be heard. He maneuvered through the traffic, guiding the petite car body in between other vehicles.
Zhang Teng noticed the car. He sharply turned the wheel to collide with the white QQ, erupting a huge noise.
Xiao Lin gripped the steering wheel. Inside the car, he couldn’t feel the external impact’s vibrations. The metallic screeching sounded like his beloved car was moaning. It made his blood boil. His car was letting off a groan. He hit the accelerator, overtaking the BMW.
Zhang Teng never anticipated such explosive power from a QQ. It roared like a lion after a growl and charged ahead.
Bam! A bullet hit the front windshield, snapping Zhang Teng back to reality. The glass cracked into countless fine lines, but didn’t shatter—good cars were good indeed.
Up ahead, the white QQ had turned a corner and stopped on the road, waiting for him. From the car stepped out a man holding a gun.
Zhang Teng didn’t step on the brakes; instead, he pressed the accelerator harder. Bang! Bang! Bullets shot in from the left. Xiao Lin hesitated for a moment. At the same time, a black shadow dashed out, and Xiao Lin smiled.
He rarely used firearms because each bullet’s discharge came with a lingering jolt, which he disliked. Moreover, the loud blast of a gun was a strain on the eardrums, and even the scent of gunpowder inhaled into the body was a health hazard. Given these conditions unsuitable for human health, he thought cold weapons were a reasonable choice. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote on recommendations or monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)