Chapter 225: Shh, Don’t Make a Sound

As his colleagues had suspected, Xiao Yu was never the soft-hearted type.

To be a cop, you have to be tougher, meaner, and more ruthless than the criminals. If you can’t do that, one day you’ll end up dead at the hands of those same criminals. It’s a simple truth. If you’re up against someone more vicious and cruel, how can you survive?

The moment that man shot at Xiao Yu as the manhole cover was lifted, his fate was sealed. Xiao Yu would never give someone a second chance to pull the trigger.

After tossing the body up, Xiao Yu bent down and picked up a gun and a flashlight. The gun was a homemade firearm, a modified starter pistol that could hold two rounds. Though it lacked proper rifling, had poor range, and wasn’t very accurate, the bullet’s power was undeniable. At close range, it could be deadly. 

If it had been anyone else in his position just now, they would’ve already been shot.

Switching on the flashlight, Xiao Yu scanned his surroundings. In front of him lay a concrete passage.

After hesitating for a moment, Xiao Yu activated all the system abilities he could. He advanced cautiously down the passage.

It wasn’t long—only about seven or eight meters—but along the way, he noticed several iron doors lining the walls. There were six doors in total.

He casually stopped at one, grabbed the handle, and pulled it open. Inside was a spacious room filled with bottled water and food supplies—basic necessities like water and food. There was nothing else worth noting.

He moved on to another door.

Suddenly, Xiao Yu heard a faint noise—breathing, coming from behind the door.

A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, a mocking curve. Without a second thought, he reached for his sidearm, disengaged the safety, and aimed the gun directly at the door.

“You think I’d walk in?” Xiao Yu muttered under his breath.

Pressing the barrel against the door, he whispered one cold word.

“Idiot.”

Gunfire roared.

The bullet pierced the door, followed by a scream from inside. Xiao Yu kicked the door open and dashed in, just in time to see a man clutching his stomach with one hand, and holding a gun with the other. The man stumbled backward while groaning in pain.

The moment this guy saw Xiao Yu, he raised his arm.

Bang!

Blood splattered from his left chest—that was where his heart was.

“Cough, cough…”

He opened his mouth, making strange noises, before collapsing to the ground like a pile of mud.

Xiao Yu calmly lowered his gun, walked over, kicked away the man’s dropped firearm, and carefully examined his appearance. 

He shook his head. It wasn’t him.

This guy looked around twenty-five or twenty-six, similar in age to the one Xiao Yu had already taken down.

If it were Second Brother or Third Brother, they wouldn’t be this young.

He bent down and picked up the gun near the body. It was another makeshift firearm, modified from a starter pistol.

Xiao Yu narrowed his eyes.

Guns weren’t too hard to make. What was challenging was making the ammunition. Bullet casings, gunpowder, and primer formulas all required specific expertise and craftsmanship. Just getting the right amount of gunpowder was tricky: too much, and it explodes; too little, and it won’t shoot far. Especially the gunpowder mix.

Many people could fashion a gun, but very few could make bullets.

A starter pistol was easy to modify, but where were they getting the bullets?

As the investigation progressed, Xiao Yu realized this case was becoming more and more complicated.

He ignored the body. Someone else would handle it later. By now, Guo Qiang and the others should have already contacted the team. It wouldn’t be long before SWAT and armed police arrived.

With his gun in hand, Xiao Yu opened the third door.

Inside, he found a surveillance room and saw a woman.

She appeared to be around thirty, her face etched with terror as she huddled in the corner.

Her trembling, fearful demeanor could easily stir a man’s sympathy, making him want to protect her.

“Don’t be afraid.” Xiao Yu smiled as he approached the woman. “Tell me, who else is in this underground chamber?”

“I don’t know… I really don’t know!” 

The woman shook her head frantically, but suddenly her face twisted in terror, staring at something behind Xiao Yu. Her expression was as if a ghostly figure or a zombie was standing right behind him, ready to attack.

Most people would instinctively turn around to check.

Heh… 

Xiao Yu’s lips curled slightly as he turned his head.

At that very moment, the woman, crouched on the ground, revealed a vicious expression. She sprang up, pulling a knife from behind her, and thrusting it toward Xiao Yu’s chest.

Xiao Yu caught the woman’s hand. He slowly turned back, his face still wearing the same calm smile.

“Did you know?” Xiao Yu, still grinning, looked at the shocked and disbelieving woman. “When I was a kid, after watching a horror movie, I was too scared to go to the bathroom. I used an empty drink bottle instead. And you think you can scare me with that?”

“Ah!” the woman screamed, attempting to kick Xiao Yu.

Bang!

Blood sprayed from the woman’s leg.

“Ahhh!” A pained shriek burst from her mouth.

In the next moment, Xiao Yu shoved his gun into her mouth, silencing her.

“Shh!” Xiao Yu loosened his grip on the woman’s wrist and placed a finger to his lips. “Keep it in your mouth, and don’t scream. Understand?”

The woman trembled all over, desperately suppressing her pain. She bit down on the gun, terrified to make a sound. Her eyes looked at Xiao Yu as if he were a demon.

“Now, I’ll ask, and you’ll answer truthfully. Got it?” Xiao Yu slowly pulled the gun back, his tone cold but calm. “Remember, keep your voice down. Don’t scream.”

“I… I understand!” The woman’s teeth chattered, her voice barely above a whisper.

“How many people are in this underground area right now?”

“Our people… there are four of us!” the woman stammered, shaking as she spoke. “And… and there are three toys.”

Toys?

Xiao Yu’s eyes narrowed, and a flicker of murderous intent flashed within them. What did she mean by toys? They were living, breathing human beings.

“Whose toys?” Xiao Yu asked, his voice steady.

“They belong to Second Brother and Their Brother!” the woman answered.

“I’ve already taken care of two people. That leaves you. Where’s the last one?” Xiao Yu stared into her eyes with icy resolve.

“He’s in the control room,” she answered, nodding quickly before hesitating. “I don’t know exactly where it is. Only Second Brother and Their Brother know… we’re not allowed to go there!”

“The control room?” Xiao Yu’s eyes narrowed again.

What kind of place was that?