Chapter 10: The Firearm Case (Part One)

Several days had passed since the last raid on the drug dealers’ hideout, yet the three of them remained troubled and anxious.

It was morning, and I paid them little mind, choosing instead to eat steamed buns alone in the dormitory. After several consecutive days of classes, my spirits had improved. The material was already second nature to me; whenever class began, I would lay my head on the desk and drift off to sleep. The teacher would call on me at first, but gradually gave up.

No sooner had the first class of the morning ended than Lu Yun called:

“Emergency! I order you all to report to the station immediately. Prepare to intercept a major arms smuggling operation!”

From the urgency in Lu Yun’s voice, we knew this was no ordinary matter. We rushed to the police station, but before we saw any sign of Lu Yun, wave after wave of armed units boarded the armored vehicles. I barely had time to gather my thoughts when Lu Yun appeared, dragging us into a police car without delay.

“This is a critical situation. We must remain vigilant at all times and bring those smugglers to justice!”

Lu Yun’s commanding tone set us all on edge.

We arrived at our destination and concealed ourselves in the shadows of an abandoned warehouse, eyes fixed ahead. The last rays of the setting sun bathed the open ground in golden light, lending the soon-to-be-battleground an anxious, burnished glow.

One battered truck after another rumbled in, surrounded by dozens, perhaps a hundred men. Some spoke in hushed voices, others scanned the area warily—their expressions varied, yet all radiated a dangerous alertness. Through the gaps in the truck panels, the cold glint of metal was barely visible—a clear sign that crates of guns and ammunition were being transported.

Just then, Lu Yun’s steady voice cut through the crackle of the radio, resounding in every ear like the beat of a war drum: “All teams, remain on highest alert. The operation is about to begin. Prepare to move!”

At Lu Yun’s resolute command, the armed forces surged forward like arrows loosed from the bowstring, with the rest of the officers close behind, their steps swift and unwavering.

The shield bearers formed an impenetrable front line, and in an instant, gunfire erupted, bullets sparking against the shields. The smugglers responded immediately, drawing their weapons and firing wildly in our direction, bullets howling through the air with a chilling, bloody wind.

The enemy’s fierce barrage was terrifying—we were forced to scatter to our prearranged cover points. Pressed against a wall, I watched as cannon fire roared nearby. Several officers were struck and fell in pools of blood, their figures stretched long and tragic in the sunset’s glow.

Pinned by the enemy’s overwhelming firepower, we could only remain motionless behind our cover.

The smugglers, seeing their chance, hurried to load the goods and prepared to make a getaway. But as police, how could we allow these criminals to escape unpunished?

Just as the smugglers were about to flee, a shout split the sky:

“Charge!”

Lu Yun’s cry thundered through our hearts like a bolt of lightning. The officers burst from their hiding spots like tigers descending the mountain, launching themselves at the smugglers. A fierce gleam flashed across the smugglers’ faces; they quickly regrouped, their guns spitting jets of flame—each bullet a deadly greeting from the reaper.

The police moved with agility, weaving through the hail of gunfire, but the smugglers must have been professionally trained—their aim was lethal. More and more officers were struck down. The air grew thick with the stench of blood and gunpowder; the scene was harrowing beyond words.

One after another, the officers ahead of me fell. At my side, Zhou Jie suddenly reached into my pocket and pulled out a vial, hurling it toward the front.

Realization dawned—she had taken one of mine. Alarm shot through me.

I yanked Zhou Jie down, and together we slid across the ground, barely making it to the cover of a discarded shipping container as dirt flew. Almost at the same moment, a deafening explosion sounded—the vial Zhou Jie had mistaken for a bomb burst in midair, not in a blaze of fire but in a dazzling cloud of colored smoke, swirling through the air in a strangely eerie display.

Both smugglers and police froze, caught off guard by this unexpected turn. I stared at Zhou Jie, her face full of astonishment—she hadn’t imagined the harmless experimental dye would have such a “spectacular” effect. The colored smoke drifted and mingled with the setting sun, lending the battlefield an unreal, dreamlike quality. Zhou Jie and I hid at the edge of this boundary between dream and reality, hearts pounding.

“How can you just take my experiment vials?”

“I thought it was a bomb! I’ve grabbed the wrong one by mistake before!”

“Mistake? Do you know how important this is?”

“Ugh, never mind, I won’t argue with you now.”

I fished three more vials from my pocket, muttering to myself, “Which one is it?” Before I could finish, Zhou Jie grabbed one and tossed it forward.

The moment she threw it, I realized something was wrong. I tackled her to the ground—she had grabbed the small C-class bomb I’d developed just last week. Don’t be fooled by the ‘C-class’ label. In my hands, a C-class has the power of ten rocket launchers.

Sure enough, a tremendous explosion shook the air. When I looked up, a swath of smugglers had been killed—but the police had suffered heavy casualties as well.

A quick glance told me the situation was dire. Only eleven officers remained: myself, my three roommates, Lu Yun, and seven rookie officers who had been on the job less than a week. Though alive, those seven were all wounded in the legs.

The remaining smugglers jumped into a truck and floored the accelerator, speeding away. Seeing the situation, the five of us dove into a nearby police car and gave chase.