On the tenth floor of Yu Yuan Villas, inside a large living room, Bai Cheng was once again tied to a chair just like the last time. Aside from Kang He, Ling Xiang had recruited two more friends to act as Crocodile’s henchmen. To make the scene as realistic as possible, Kang He even wore the same clothes that Crocodile had worn during his standoff with Luo Tian at the hotel. The other two henchmen wore black tracksuits with bulletproof vests underneath. They also had makeup to enhance the effect and were equipped with wigs, masks, and hats.
At this moment, the three of them were adjusting their bulletproof vests.
“Vice Captain Fang was right. Captain Luo is leading a team here as we speak. Let’s stick to the plan,” Kang He said.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Luo Tian arrived at the abandoned Yu Yuan Villas with his team. He glanced at the massive, unfinished building complex and said quietly, “Start searching from Section A. Notify everyone if you find something; if not, meet back on the first floor.”
“Understood.”
The team searched all the way to Section C. Luo Tian ascended the stairs, checking floor by floor, and finally spotted Bai Cheng tied to a chair inside a room on the tenth floor.
Using hand signals, Luo Tian indicated to his teammates to stay outside, poised to rush in if they heard gunshots. He then rolled forward into the room, hiding behind a broken wall near the entrance. He held his breath and slowly raised his head to peek inside.
He saw Bai Cheng, blindfolded and tied to a chair near the wall. One of the henchmen was crouched beside her, looking impatient. Crocodile was by the window on the left, smoking a cigarette, while another person stood by the window on the right, holding a gun and watching outside.
Luo Tian ducked back down and noticed that his gun hand was trembling uncontrollably again. He clenched his right hand into a fist, using his left hand to press down on his right forearm to steady it. He carefully inhaled and exhaled, trying to calm his breathing and body.
After a moment of this, his hand finally stopped shaking. Still hiding behind the wall, Luo Tian took another deep breath, then slowly peeked out again. He raised his gun, aiming the barrel at Crocodile, who was standing by the left window. Through the scope, he focused on Crocodile’s face as he smoked. Slowly, Luo Tian started to squeeze the trigger.
Suddenly, Crocodile turned his head toward the door, his masked half-face entering Luo Tian’s line of sight. Startled, Luo Tian quickly ducked down again, his heart pounding. That brief glimpse of Crocodile’s face brought back a flood of memories—the church, Jiang Shuo’s death, his pale face frothing at the mouth, and Crocodile’s cold, merciless shot. Even Luo Tian’s heart began to ache.
He stayed hidden for a while longer, listening for any sounds but hearing none. Slowly, he peeked out again. Crocodile had moved away from the window and was now leaning against the wall behind Bai Cheng. The other henchman had taken over the watch at the window. Luo Tian raised his gun again, aiming it at Crocodile. Despite his burning hatred and desire to kill him, Luo Tian’s hand trembled once more. Even though his gun was aimed at someone other than Crocodile, his fear left him unable to steady the weapon.
Once again, Luo Tian ducked back, swallowing hard and breathing heavily.
He signaled to his teammates outside the door, using hand gestures to communicate that on his count of three, they should storm the room and neutralize the criminals.
“We need to act fast. Ensure the hostage’s safety. If they resist, shoot to kill.”
“Understood.”
“Three… two… one.”
As soon as Luo Tian finished the countdown, his team rushed into the room. Three gunshots rang out, followed by silence.
Luo Tian peeked inside and saw that the two gunmen were injured and subdued by the SWAT team. Crocodile, however, had managed to avoid the bullets and had moved swiftly to Bai Cheng’s side.
His gun was now pressed against Bai Cheng’s temple.
Luo Tian was on the verge of losing it. Fury rushed to his head, and he stormed out from behind the wall, pushing past the circle of officers surrounding Crocodile. He stood directly in front of Crocodile, aiming his gun at his forehead.
Crocodile stared down the barrel of Luo Tian’s gun, his expression indifferent. He taunted, “I’ve got the hostage. Do you dare shoot? Or do you want to see her die with me?”
Sensing Luo Tian’s presence, Bai Cheng tentatively called out, “Luo Tian, is that you?”
“It’s me. Don’t be afraid,” Luo Tian reassured her, before turning his attention back to Crocodile. “What do you want?”
“I know you’ve captured Mud Eel. You release him and let us go, and I’ll let her go. A one-for-one trade. If not, I’ll kill her to avenge Mud Eel.”
“You’re talking nonsense. We don’t have Mud Eel. Whatever information you got is wrong. But if you release the hostage now, I’ll let you go.”
“Police aren’t allowed to lie, right? Remember that officer from three years ago who lied? What was his name again? Oh, right—Jiang… Jiang Shuo, wasn’t it? Have you forgotten what happened to him? So, Luo Tian, don’t play games with me.” Crocodile pressed his gun harder against Bai Cheng’s head.
“No one’s playing games with you. I can show you the arrest records.”
“I don’t care about your fake records. Have your men back off, including yourself. I want to see Mud Eel here in an hour. If not, this woman dies.”
“We can’t give you Mud Eel because we don’t have him. If you want revenge, take me. Let her go, and I’ll be your hostage.”
“There’s no way I’m taking that risk. Besides, I want you to feel the pain of losing someone important again. That feeling isn’t pleasant, is it? Seeing a familiar face covered in blood in your nightmares, isn’t it unbearable, Luo Tian? I wouldn’t dream of letting you die. I want you to live with this agony forever. Now get your men to back off. If I don’t see Mud Eel in an hour, she’s dead.”
Luo Tian and the others retreated from the living room, and Fang Chong arrived just in time.
“What do we do, Luo Tian? He wants Mud Eel, but we don’t have him.”
“Send Da Liu and Da Li back to the station. Have them search for Mud Eel immediately. I want results within an hour.”
“Got it.” Fang Chong relayed Luo Tian’s orders through the walkie-talkie to Da Liu and Da Li.
Luo Tian stood at the doorway and shouted inside, “We’re looking into Mud Eel’s whereabouts. Don’t harm the hostage.”
There was no response from inside.
With the hour nearly up, Luo Tian handed his gun to Fang Chong and walked back inside unarmed.
He said to Crocodile, “Mud Eel really isn’t in our hands. The last clue we had about him was the day after the hotel operation, when we found your abandoned car on Quanziao Road. So if anyone knows where Mud Eel is, it’s probably you.”
Crocodile tightened his grip on Bai Cheng, pressing the gun harder against her head. “Get all your men out of this building. If I see one more cop, she’s dead.”
“Alright.”
Luo Tian spoke into his walkie-talkie, “Everyone, evacuate the building. That’s an order.”
“Including you.”
Luo Tian glanced at Bai Cheng, with a gun pressed against her temple, hesitating.
“You don’t have a choice.” Crocodile yanked Bai Cheng’s hair, causing her to cry out in pain.
“Don’t hurt her. I’m leaving now.”
Crocodile dragged Bai Cheng out of the living room and down the stairs, step by step. Luo Tian walked ahead of them, keeping half a flight of stairs between them.
“Ah!” Bai Cheng let out a cry as she missed a step and twisted her ankle. Luo Tian instinctively rushed up a few steps.
“Don’t move,” Crocodile barked, pressing the gun harder against her head as he noticed Luo Tian’s movement.
“I won’t move. Don’t do anything rash. She twisted her ankle. Be careful going down,” Luo Tian urged.
“Her ankle? That’s not my problem. Keep moving, and don’t block the way.”
Limping, Bai Cheng was dragged by Crocodile all the way to Section C without encountering any obstacles.
At the entrance, Luo Tian turned to Fang Chong and asked, “Are the snipers ready?”
“They’re ready, but Crocodile keeps moving, so they haven’t had a clear shot without risking the hostage.”
“Understood.”
Crocodile walked out of the building, where he was greeted by rows of police officers standing at the door, their guns aimed at him.
“Have your men drop their guns here and go to the lobby in Section C. I want to see them crouched there, and you’ll stay on video with them so I can monitor their movements.”
“No problem.”
Following Crocodile’s instructions, Fang Chong and the others dropped their guns and retreated to the lobby of Section C. Fang Chong held up his phone, maintaining a live video call with Luo Tian, who showed Crocodile their positions.
With that, Crocodile dragged Bai Cheng toward a car parked by the highway, with Luo Tian following a few meters behind, holding up the phone.
When Crocodile reached the car, he leaned against the door, keeping a few meters between himself and Luo Tian as they stood in a standoff.
“You’ve got what you asked for. Now let her go.”
Crocodile glanced at Luo Tian, then suddenly turned his gun on him and pulled the trigger. Luo Tian dove to the ground, while Bai Cheng seized the opportunity to break free from Crocodile’s grasp. Luo Tian, seeing Bai Cheng was safe, threw his phone at Crocodile. Crocodile instinctively dodged, and in that moment of distraction, Luo Tian rushed forward, grappling with him for the gun.
The two struggled fiercely, while Bai Cheng watched, looking for an opportunity to help.
Amid the chaos, Crocodile let out a roar and kicked Luo Tian hard in the stomach. Just before Luo Tian was knocked back, he managed to knock the gun out of Crocodile’s hand, sending it clattering to the ground between them.
Ignoring the pain, Luo Tian scrambled to retrieve the fallen gun, but Crocodile ran in the opposite direction. When Luo Tian stood up and aimed at him, he saw that Crocodile had once again taken Bai Cheng hostage, his hand gripping her throat tightly.
“Don’t move, or I’ll snap her neck,” Crocodile snarled.
“Let her go, and I’ll let you go. One-for-one.”
“Neither of you is getting out of this alive today. You can’t kill me, Luo Tian. Look at your hands—they’re shaking. You can’t shoot me, just like last time. If you pull the trigger, you’ll kill her, just like you killed Jiang Shuo, killed Lu Heng, and almost got Fang Chong killed.”
Luo Tian felt a surge of blood rush to his head. His hands shook uncontrollably, and his head throbbed. He gripped his right hand with his left, trying to steady the gun.
“Give up, Luo Tian. You’ll never be able to kill me.” As Crocodile finished speaking, he twisted Bai Cheng’s neck. Her eyes fluttered shut before she could even cry out.
Luo Tian watched in horror as Bai Cheng’s body fell to the ground like a leaf. His eyes turned bloodshot, and his whole body shook violently. With a furious scream, he fired all seven rounds at Crocodile.
Though Crocodile ducked to the ground quickly, Luo Tian’s barrage was too intense. Several bullets hit him, causing him to writhe in pain and roll on the ground.
Luo Tian dropped his gun and ran to Bai Cheng’s side, pulling her into his arms.
“Bai Cheng, Bai Cheng, wake up!” Luo Tian frantically shook her, hoping for a response. But Bai Cheng lay motionless, as if she would never wake up again.
Luo Tian held her tightly, squeezing her as if trying to meld her into his body.
Suddenly, the person in his arms coughed a few times. Luo Tian, who had been crying uncontrollably, stopped in shock. He looked down at her in disbelief.
Bai Cheng sat up, still coughing, and when she saw Luo Tian’s tear-streaked face, she burst into laughter.
“I almost suffocated for real if I didn’t wake up soon,” she joked.
Luo Tian touched her neck. “But you… didn’t he…?” He trailed off, glancing at Crocodile. Crocodile, though in pain, was sitting up, his face contorted in discomfort but not seriously injured.
Crocodile tore off his mask and hat, discarded a voice modulator, and picked up the rubber bullets scattered nearby. He tossed them to Luo Tian, saying, “It’s all fake. I’m not Crocodile. My name is Kang He, Ling Xiang’s friend.”
Luo Tian stared at the rubber bullets in his hand, then turned to Bai Cheng, who was still in his arms. “What’s going on?”
“This was all part of a setup to help you overcome your fear and shoot. Bai Cheng came up with the idea,” Fang Chong explained as he arrived.
Luo Tian still looked confused, so Fang Chong pulled him up from the ground with a smile. “Let’s head to the hospital first. I’ll explain everything on the way.”
“Here’s the full story, Luo Tian,” Fang Chong continued as they headed out. “Miss Bai came up with the plan after reading about cases where people, in critical moments, can summon the strength to overcome their fears. So we found someone similar in size to Crocodile to pretend to kidnap her, hoping that when the moment came, you’d be able to conquer your fear. And it worked.”
“You all staged this elaborate drama just to cure me, huh? I have to admit, it felt pretty real.”
“Yeah, we took precautions to ensure nothing went wrong. The criminals were wearing bulletproof vests, and all the bullets were replaced with rubber rounds.”
“Good thing they were, or I’d have lost my leg,” Kang He said, lifting his pant leg to reveal a bruise where he’d been shot.
Luo Tian, feeling embarrassed, said, “Sorry about that, man. I owe you dinner to make up for it. You were so convincing that I completely fell for it.”
“Of course! I’m a professional actor, after all. Playing a murderer is like a pop quiz to me—no big deal. Plus, I spent hours in makeup for this.”
“Captain Luo, how about treating the whole team to dinner? Everyone contributed,” Da Liu called out from the passenger seat, leaning back to join the conversation.
“Alright, alright, I’ll treat everyone. Next time, dinner’s on me. But for now, let’s get Bai Cheng and everyone else to the hospital. You’re all looking pretty banged up.”
