"Tactics?" Jiang Jingwei's eyes lit up. She propped her chin on her fingers, striking a thoughtful pose. "Li Dongze is right. We really do need a tactic. After all, we're an official organization, not brainless evil professions. I have an idea."
*Evil professions probably have more brains than you...* Though terribly inappropriate, the exact same thought crossed everyone's minds simultaneously.
Li Dongze asked, "You have an idea? Let's hear it."
Jiang Jingwei declared, "We charge in! Teng Yuan and Yuanshi take the vanguard, Guan Ya provides covering fire, and I look for a chance to launch a sneak attack and defeat them one by one."
*A brilliant tactic—so brilliant it's barely a tactic at all...* Worried sick about his aunt, Zhang Yuanqing urged, "Decurion, let's not waste time."
Li Dongze also felt he had been far too naive to actually ask a Fire Master for tactical advice.
Looking around at the group, he gave orders in a calm, orderly manner: "The other side has hostages, so we cannot force our way in. We need a Night Wanderer skilled in stealth to infiltrate. But sending Yuanshi in alone is far too dangerous. Guan Ya, contact Yuan Ting and tell him to get here as fast as possible."
"Understood!" Guan Ya pulled out her phone and stepped aside.
Li Dongze continued, "A Night Wanderer's stealth duration is limited. Even if one slips into the hospital, the security cameras will spot them. So, Wang Tai, get ready to hack into the hospital's surveillance system."
Wang Tai opened his laptop on the spot, sat down in his seat, and began clattering away at the keyboard.
Li Dongze turned to Jiang Jingwei and Teng Yuan. "We don't possess stealth abilities, so we stay here to draw Li Xianzong's and the other thugs' attention. I will handle the negotiations with Li Xianzong to stall for time and distract him as much as possible."
Just then, Guan Ya hung up her call and said in a low voice, "Captain Yuan said he needs fifteen minutes."
*Fifteen minutes...* Li Dongze frowned. He glanced at Zhang Yuanqing and said, "We'll stall as long as we can until he arrives. Don't be rash. There is no way you can take on that gang of thugs by yourself."
Teng Yuan, Wang Tai, and Jiang Jingwei shared the same stance.
Those criminals were here for Yuanshi. Behaving so brazenly was both a provocation and a taunt; with Yuanshi's current level, rushing in would be certain death. Discouraging as it was, it was an undeniable fact.
Guan Ya suddenly recalled that Yuanshi's aunt was an intern doctor at Pingtai Hospital. He had mentioned it during their investigation into the spirit servant incident.
*No wonder he's so anxious...* Guan Ya thought to herself.
Zhang Yuanqing sat in the vehicle with his eyes closed, resting his mind. He did not argue with Li Dongze; he felt restless, but his colleagues' concerns were valid.
Not rushing in blindly did not mean there were no other options.
At that moment, none of them noticed a plump, adorable infant spirit nimbly paddling its limbs, crawling toward the hospital and into the administration building occupied by the criminals.
*I'll send Little Doubi ahead to scout the path and check on Auntie...*
Zhang Yuanqing had his own thoughts and plans. In moments like this, the utility of a spirit servant became obvious.
Surveillance cameras could not capture it, and ordinary Spirit Realm walkers could not sense it either—unless the kidnappers happened to include a Night Wanderer or an Illusionist.
Those two professions were exceedingly rare, so the odds of such a coincidence were slim. Even if that truly were the case, he was not worried about Little Doubi being discovered, because this was a hospital.
A hospital filled with numerous spirit bodies.
Time ticked away second by second. At the eighth minute, Li Dongze picked up the walkie-talkie, pressed the button, and said, "Yuanshi will be here shortly. It's rush hour, so traffic is a bit congested. Give him three more minutes."
He repeated the message three times in succession.
Only then did Li Xianzong respond, his haughty voice sneering, "Don't play this stalling game with me. One hostage dead every minute—I keep my word. Or you can try forcing your way in and see if I blow everyone sky-high."
Li Dongze looked grave. Setting down the walkie-talkie, he turned to Teng Yuan and whispered, "Get ready to disguise yourself as Yuanshi and enter the hospital to keep the kidnappers steady."
His previous words had not been for negotiation or stalling, but to test the other party's attitude.
Teng Yuan gave an affirmative grunt. "Yuanshi, let's swap outfits."
Teng Yuan dressed like a middle-aged man. Although Yuanshi Tianzun's identity was strictly confidential, he had interacted with official walkers, so rumors that 'Yuanshi Tianzun' was a young man might have already leaked.
Without knowing how much intelligence the enemy held, matching the persona as closely as possible was the safest bet.
Zhang Yuanqing could only split off part of his attention to quickly swap jackets with Teng Yuan, handing over his baseball cap and face mask as well.
Li Dongze picked up the walkie-talkie again and said heavily, "Li Xianzong, you're causing trouble in Songhai just to target Yuanshi Tianzun?"
Li Xianzong's chuckling voice came through: "The large-scale killing dungeon is about to open, and I'm a bit broke. I figured I'd borrow his head to trade for a few items to play with."
Whether intentional or natural, the man's tone was insolent and casual, treating Yuanshi Tianzun like a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered—provocative to the extreme.
Let alone Zhang Yuanqing, even Guan Ya felt a surge of fury listening to it, while the short-tempered Jiang Jingwei ground her teeth, baring her little white canines.
*He really is here for Yuanshi...* Li Dongze said nothing more and put down the walkie-talkie.
On the other side, Little Doubi crawled swiftly, passing through walls effortlessly. Soon, he slipped into the ground-floor lobby.
Several corpses lay sprawled across the floor, their sticky blood staining the floor tiles. Around the escalators, the information desk, and other corners, over a hundred ordinary civilians were huddled, some crouching and others lying flat.
Some wept softly, some trembled violently, and others held in their fury, terrified to speak.
Two armed thugs paced through the crowd, warily scanning their surroundings and occasionally groping young women with crude, leering laughs.
*Only two men on the first floor. If I launch a sneak attack, as long as neither is an Earth Monster, I can take them down in an instant...*
*Do these bastards really think they've got me cornered? Staging such a massive spectacle... If you're so eager to die, I'll gladly oblige.* Suppressing his rage, Zhang Yuanqing guided Little Doubi up toward the second floor.
Though still an infant with sparse baby hair, the spirit moved remarkably fast. Upon reaching the second floor, he found the outpatient waiting area packed with hostages as well.
Little Doubi did not linger, heading straight up the stairs. The third floor was completely empty; it was unclear whether the people there had been driven down to the second floor or had managed to hide amidst the chaos.
Finally, the infant spirit reached the fourth floor.
In the fourth-floor waiting hall, an emaciated, middle-aged man held a handgun in his left hand and a short blade in his right. He swept a cold, harsh glare over the crowd, barking, "Hands on your heads and squat down! Anyone who doesn't cooperate gets a bullet through the skull!"
The hostages obediently held their heads, trembling with terror and pale with fright.
*Auntie isn't here. She's not in the hall...* Zhang Yuanqing carefully scanned the medical staff, but found no trace of her. Suddenly, a wave of screams echoed from deep inside the obstetrics and gynecology department.
There were two kidnappers on the fourth floor as well, and one was inside rounding people up.
Zhang Yuanqing's heart sank, and he steered Little Doubi to crawl rapidly inside.
Inside an office, hearing the terrified screams of her colleagues outside, Dr. Zhao turned pale, her slightly plump frame trembling uncontrollably.
"Th-They're coming up..." Dr. Zhao stammered in horror.
Turning her head, she saw Xiao Jiang was pale as well, yet she remarkably pulled Dr. Zhao down into a crouch and said, "Let's hide under the desk."
Huddled beneath the desk, Dr. Zhao felt a slight measure of safety. Straining her ears to listen to the commotion outside, she whispered anxiously, "Why haven't the police officers arrived yet? Are we going to be killed? Why aren't they here..."
Jiang Yu'er whispered, "Don't worry. Someone will come to save us."
Her calm tone and confident expression gave Dr. Zhao some genuine comfort, even though she had no idea where Xiao Jiang drew such confidence from.
Right then, the office door was kicked open violently with a loud crash. Dr. Zhao flinched in terror, curling herself into as small a ball as possible and clamping a hand over her mouth.
The man at the door paused for a few seconds before shouting in a harsh, raspy voice, "Get out here! Don't make me shoot!"
Dr. Zhao went white with fear. Suddenly, she felt Xiao Jiang pat her shoulder, and then Xiao Jiang crawled out from under the desk.
The man at the door was burly, sporting a crew cut and triangular eyes, his expression ruthless.
Seeing the woman crawl out from under the desk, his rough face visibly froze. His triangular eyes instantly lit up, and he hollered, "Old Xu! Look what I found! Haha, look what I just found!"
"Did you find your mom in there having a kid?" the thug outside cursed back.
"I found a top-tier babe!" The burly man vigorously rubbed his bristly hair, his eyes filled with lust and excitement. "Fuck, this damn hospital actually has such a premium beauty! You guard the outside—I'm going to have some fun with her first!"
The woman wore a white doctor's coat. Her face was rounded with delicate, exquisite features that struck anyone at first glance, growing all the more lovely and charming the longer one looked. The beauty mark at the corner of her right eye, in particular, lent her stunning looks a distinct touch of coquettish grace.
"Just how fine is she?" the gaunt man outside asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Just fucking gorgeous, all right?" The burly man clearly lacked the vocabulary to elaborate.
*Xiao Jiang...* Despair gripped Dr. Zhao's heart. Who could possibly come to save them now? Even if officers stormed in, it would be far too late.
She could not resist raising her head to look at Xiao Jiang. To her shock, this usually delicate and gentle young woman had narrowed her eyes, showing not the slightest hint of fear or panic on her face.
Yet in the very next instant, her demeanor transformed completely. She stumbled back in fear, tears pooling in her eyes as she clutched her chest, looking utterly pitiful as she sobbed, "D-Don't come any closer..."
*Dammit!*
Outside the hospital, inside the commercial van, Zhang Yuanqing saw the scene in the office through Little Doubi's vision.
He straightened abruptly and spoke with rapid urgency: "Decurion, my aunt is in danger. Begin the operation! I'll hold out until Yuan Ting gets here!"
With that, before Li Dongze and the others could react, he vanished from their sight into thin air.
In a flash, as if a fuse had been lit, the tension in the air tightened instantly. Li Dongze waved sharply, signaling Teng Yuan to head into the hospital, then shot a glance at Wang Tai to hack the surveillance system.
After issuing his orders, Li Dongze pressed the walkie-talkie's button and said in a heavy voice, "He's here. He's entered the hospital. Whatever you do, do not harm the hostages."
Li Xianzong's lazy voice came through the speaker: "Very good! Tell him to go to the first-floor lobby, and stay out of camera blind spots. Otherwise, I can't guarantee the hostages' safety."
Ending the call, Li Xianzong grabbed another walkie-talkie inside the security control room and barked, "The fish is on the hook. All units, stay on high alert."
*The fish is on the hook. All units, stay on high alert...*
Hearing the voice from the walkie-talkie pinned to his chest inside the obstetrics office, the burly man frowned, considered it for a few seconds, and sneered, brushing it off.
He wasn't Li Xianzong's subordinate. He had joined this game purely to vent his rage against society, not to hunt down some Yuanshi Tianzun.
He didn't have long to live anyway, so he might as well indulge himself before dying.
Tucking his handgun into his waistband, the burly man licked his lips and walked toward Jiang Yu'er. "I like that expression you made just now. You look so alluring when you're scared."
Right at that moment, he felt an abrupt chill on his shoulder, as though a block of ice had settled there.
He reflexively reached for his shoulder, but felt nothing.
Two seconds later, his vision vanished completely.
Without a moment's hesitation, the burly man dodged erratically while enveloping his body in scorching flames, expanding the fire into a wave that swept through the office.
He used this to guard against any potential enemies closing in for a sneak attack.
Suddenly, a sharp pain struck his chest, and he distinctly felt his flesh being torn apart.
It was a familiar agony—the sensation of a bullet tearing through his body—yet he hadn't heard a single gunshot.
Pain flared again as bullets struck his chest one after another, tearing his heart to shreds.
By this point, the blindness had faded. Dumbfounded, the burly man looked toward the desk. Standing there was a young man with black-red burn marks across his face, hands, and chest, holding a large-caliber handgun with a dark-red casing.
He stood in front of the female doctor, having shielded her from the flames. His gaze was icy as he said, "I like your expression right now. You look alluring right before dying, too."
Chapter 116