Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Rioters

Near Caiyun District, dozens of police vehicles and hundreds of special police officers had sealed off the surrounding streets. For the first time, the kind of grand scene usually reserved for crime films was unfolding before the eyes of the citizens of City C in Central Asia. The solemn atmosphere and the imposing display were far beyond anything Hollywood could conjure, and most of the onlookers had no desire for mere spectacle—everyone was following orders to disperse to other areas.

“What’s the situation?” After stepping out of the police car, Guo Zhenghua strode toward the perimeter, his brow furrowed as he asked. But the scene before him gave him a bad feeling. It had already been an hour since he’d received the incident report, and he knew all too well the level of security in City C. With today’s personnel and modern equipment, even if this were a terrorist attack, unless the perpetrator held a large number of hostages, it should never have dragged on this long. Things were looking much more serious than he’d imagined.

“Sir!” The officer who’d come to meet him at the perimeter snapped to attention upon seeing Guo Zhenghua. Guo waved the formality aside. “Report the situation!”

“Yes, sir!” The man in charge of the operation was Xue Jianlin from the special police unit. He saluted, then pulled out a laptop to brief him. “At around 5:10 this afternoon, a distress signal was sent from the forensics team at Jinghua Entertainment, a gaming center at No. 7 Yanyun Road, Caiyun District. We dispatched reinforcements immediately. By the time they arrived, only the team leader, Wu Rui, was still alive—all others had perished.”

“Wu Rui?” Guo Zhenghua nodded. He knew her—she was the daughter of Wu Qianjiang, the Deputy Chief Judge of the Caiyun District People’s Court. Wu Rui was a bright, capable young woman, known for her decisive manner—a true reflection of her father’s style.

“How is she? Is she stable?”

“Uh…” Xue Jianlin hesitated before steeling himself. “When the armed police arrived, Wu Rui was being assaulted by the perpetrator. Upon seeing the police, the man tore Wu Rui in half with his bare hands.”

“Tore her in half?” Guo Zhenghua drew in a sharp breath. Was this some modern-day mythic brute? He suppressed his shock and pressed on, voice grave. “What about the police reinforcements?”

“All killed in action,” Xue Jianlin said heavily. “A full squad was sent, about thirty officers—none survived.”

Guo Zhenghua was utterly stunned, silent for a long moment before he managed, “Were our people armed?”

“They were all equipped with standard Type 81 assault rifles, each had a Type 92 pistol, and we had two snipers providing cover.”

“And the assailant—he’s been alone this whole time?” Guo Zhenghua pressed.

“Alone, and always fighting barehanded. His style is brutally direct. Here, I have some surveillance footage.” Xue Jianlin turned the laptop toward him.

Guo Zhenghua watched the fragmented footage, his expression grim. If it weren’t for the grave situation and Xue Jianlin showing him the video himself, he would have thought it was a scene from some science fiction action film.

The video showed a man over two meters tall, moving with the fluidity and speed of a jungle predator. He darted around the room, using obstacles for cover, evading gunfire with impossible agility. Any officer unlucky enough to be caught at close range was instantly twisted apart by his massive hands—there was no chance for resistance. The scene was horrifyingly bloody.

He also displayed keen awareness of the snipers, never giving them a chance to shoot. Even after the entire squad was wiped out, the snipers couldn’t get a clear shot. Then, the giant sprinted from the gaming center straight to the building where the snipers were stationed, his speed and explosive power more beast than human—he crossed a hundred meters in just a few bounds.

The two snipers, acting decisively, abandoned their rifles and tried to escape down the air conditioning ducts from the fifteenth floor. Both were well-trained and moved with professional skill, but they had descended barely two floors when the giant burst up the side of the building and, from outside the thirteenth-floor window, smashed their heads with a single punch.

“Is this guy even human?” Even someone of Guo Zhenghua’s rank couldn’t keep from cursing.

“We used the surveillance images to identify him through the SkyEye system. His name is Sun Biao, a local thug. But footage from this morning shows him entering the gaming center at only about 1.75 meters tall, sickly thin from years of malnutrition and drug abuse. Yet after emerging from the gaming pod, he’d become this two-meter giant.”

“Gaming pod?” Guo Zhenghua frowned. “The same pods the government ordered to be shut down today?”

“Yes, the very ones that reportedly allow people to vanish into thin air.”

Guo Zhenghua fell silent for a moment, then said darkly, “This is strange—a big deal, possibly. But right now, our top priority is to contain or even neutralize this maniac. Where is he now?”

“On Yanyun Road, in the Yan Yu residential complex.”

Guo Zhenghua was taken aback. That complex housed the families of the Caiyun District government officials—he lived there himself. He felt a surge of relief that he’d told his son to wait at school with the family instead of going home. He asked quickly, “What’s the situation now? Are the residents evacuated?”

“They are.”

“Then what are you waiting for?” Guo Zhenghua barked.

“He has a hostage.”

“How many?”

“One.”

“Who?”

“Judge Wu’s wife, Sun Cailian.”

Guo Zhenghua’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. This man was brazen beyond belief—he’d just murdered the judge’s daughter, and now he’d taken his wife hostage? What kind of grudge was this? His face darkened, almost dripping with anger, and he spat, cursing, “That damned bastard!”

“More like an animal,” Xue Jianlin muttered fiercely, then continued, “You may not know, but Sun Biao and Judge Wu’s wife are aunt and nephew. That means the girl he raped and killed—Wu Rui—was his cousin.”

Guo Zhenghua was stunned all over again. It was monstrous. But years of criminal investigation had taught him to keep hold of reason. He frowned and asked, “Is there any history here?” Besides, the name Sun Biao felt oddly familiar.

“Director Guo, don’t you remember? Sun Biao is the son of Sun Tiancheng.”

“Sun Tiancheng!” Guo Zhenghua nodded. He remembered now—ten years ago he’d led the team that took down a major criminal organization. Sun Tiancheng had been an extremely dangerous man, responsible for the deaths of many undercover officers. When he was finally captured, the court immediately sentenced him to death, giving him no chance at all.

“What does this have to do with Judge Wu? Sun Tiancheng brought his fate on himself, and to avoid any conflict of interest, Judge Wu couldn’t possibly have presided over the case.”

If everyone understood things so clearly, there’d be no need for our line of work anymore.

“So he’s taking revenge on society? That’s his excuse for turning on his own family?” Guo Zhenghua said stiffly.

“Guo, be rational! We’re analyzing a criminal’s motives here—we have to see things from his perspective, or how am I supposed to explain what comes next?”

Guo Zhenghua paused, then waved his hand impatiently. “Go on.”

“After Sun Tiancheng was executed, his wife committed suicide a few months later. Sun Biao was temporarily placed in Judge Wu’s household.”

“Placed with Judge Wu?” Guo Zhenghua was puzzled. “Was there any abuse?”

“That’s not clear, but Judge Wu is a man of integrity. It’s unlikely.”

“Where’s Judge Wu now?”

Xue Jianlin gave an awkward smile. “Up ahead, but he’s not in a good state—he has a psychologist with him.”

“Nonsense!” Guo Zhenghua’s eyes flashed. “How could you let him come to the front line?”

“We tried, but he wouldn’t leave!” Xue Jianlin said, embarrassed.

“Take me to him!”