Chapter 253: Breaking Ties

Z City, in the old shantytown.

The neighborhood was nearly empty, filled with crumbling buildings and abandoned homes. Xiao Yu’s eyes locked onto a four-story building. The windows were boarded up with wooden planks and metal bars.

What was this place?

Once, it had been a pyramid scheme hideout. Shu Yuzhen had met “Jiangnan Deepfeel,” aka Tong Qing, through a social app and got lured here to Z City. Tong Qing had then taken her to a small motel and drugged her.

Then, local thug Zhao Shuai delivered her to the hideout run by Bian Yueze.

The pieces were finally coming together.

But Xiao Yu wasn’t here to dig up more of the past. He was hoping this former hideout would lead him to the terrorists’ current base.

Strolling around the building, Xiao Yu examined the road outside.

According to Bian Yueze’s confession, this was where he’d handed off the victims. A bus without any plates had parked right out front, and he remembered watching it drive off to the right.

To recreate the scene and trace the route, Wang Dong had arranged for a bus to be brought in. Xiao Yu climbed on board, and the bus started moving slowly.

“Do you remember how long the bus had been driving before the ride became smooth? No bumps, no swaying, no inertia?” Xiao Yu asked.

Shu Yuzhen, her head covered by a hood to simulate the original conditions, responded slowly, “It wasn’t that long, maybe twenty minutes, or half an hour?”

Twenty minutes? Half an hour?

Xiao Yu squinted. They hadn’t traveled too far.

Then, up ahead, a three-way intersection appeared. One road led toward the city center, another out of town, and the third looped back.

Into the city?

After thinking it over, Xiao Yu dismissed that idea. The place where they trained and held Shu Yuzhen was a massive warehouse—something unlikely to be inside the city.

“Out of town,” he instructed Wang Dong.

The bus turned onto the road leading out of the city. After about ten minutes, they were on a quieter road heading into the outskirts.

“Out here, with so few people, only other drivers would’ve seen anything going on inside the bus,” Xiao Yu muttered. “And given the height, most wouldn’t notice the people on board.”

He looked out the window.

Twenty minutes… then twenty-five…

“Stop!”

The bus came to a halt. Xiao Yu stared into the distance, eyes fixed on a cluster of warehouses.

A power plant?!

Even from a distance, the industrial site was unmistakable, with huge buildings and towering smokestacks. With his sharp vision, Xiao Yu noticed each warehouse was massive—over 200 meters long and at least 50 meters wide.

“Is this the place?” 

Wang Dong’s expression darkened as he gazed at the plant, his eyes flashing with barely restrained rage.

He wanted blood—and for good reason.

What’s his job? National security.

And terrorists? They existed to tear it down.

A born rivalry, a fight to the end. When national security agents crossed paths with terrorists, they were not just pulling punches—they were drawing blades.

Wang Dong put on a wireless earpiece. “All units, ready up!”

Military trucks sped in from a distance. Overhead, two armed helicopters flew into view. The ground was covered by armed police forces, while the skies belonged to special ops. And as for regular cops… other than Xiao Yu, there were none in sight.

“All units, stand by!” Wang Dong gave the order, then glanced at Xiao Yu with a grin. “Come on, let’s take a stroll, little brother.”

Xiao Yu, “…”

He didn’t really want to go, but Wang Dong had been too good to him. Those special reserve cigarettes alone… he’d lost count of how many packs Wang Dong had passed his way.

Could he say no now?

“Messed up,” he muttered, tossing in a bit of profanity as he got off the bus.

Wang Dong and six other Team Two members followed him, while four more stayed back to keep an eye on Shu Yuzhen.

They got off, drew their guns, checked them, and flicked off the safeties.

Once everything was set, Xiao Yu slipped his gun back into its holster and flashed a grin at Wang Dong. 

“When this case is over, if I don’t get a whole crate of those special reserves, we’re done for good.”

Wang Dong, “…”

He barely held back a smile. Figures. This so-called brotherhood? Only worth a crate of special reserve cigs.

The six officers behind them stifled laughs. They all envied Xiao Yu a little. There weren’t many who could talk to their boss like that. But they respected him, too. The whole team knew Xiao Yu’s abilities were almost unnervingly strong.

In their eyes, he belonged in Team Two. Why stick around in some small-town police station?

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yu put the joking aside and focused on the power plant in the distance, eyeing the warehouses. His heart raced, blood pumping with excitement. It had been a while since he’d felt like this. He felt like a soldier heading into battle.

Terrorists, huh? 

He had to admit, he was a little pumped. Time to go full throttle on those skills.

“Let’s move!” Xiao Yu started walking.

Wang Dong and the six officers fell into step behind him.

The group made their way toward the power plant.

***

Power plants like this were pretty well-known. In northern areas, most cities had one on their outskirts. The main function was to use the hot water from thermal power plants, which was then reheated for city heating.

When the group arrived at the plant’s entrance, they were stopped by the guards.

A Team Two officer flashed his badge.

“Keep an eye on them,” Xiao Yu instructed, noticing the subtle shift in the guards’ expressions.

Why was this necessary?

If terrorists were indeed hiding in the plant, there were only four main gates. Those guards could definitely be involved. Watching them closely would prevent any chance of them tipping off the terrorists.

One officer pointed the guards toward the security booth, keeping a tight eye on them. He drew his gun without hesitation, making it clear he wouldn’t think twice about using it if needed.

“Let’s go check it out,” Xiao Yu said, heading toward the suspicious-looking buildings.

But just as they were about to enter the building area, Xiao Yu suddenly stopped.

He froze, staring at a nearby greenbelt.

There was a couple with a child. The couple looked to be in their thirties, and the child was around six or seven.

At that moment, the kid began running toward them.

Xiao Yu’s pupils narrowed, locking his gaze on the child.