Chapter 9: A Daring Capture

In the morning, the four of us had just woken up and were preparing to attend our early reading class when a phone call came through.

On the other end was the voice of Lu Yun:

“The four of you must come to the police station immediately. There’s a major case. I’ve already arranged your leave from class. You must arrive at the station within five minutes.”

We were still full of questions, but the urgency of the situation left us no time to think. We had no choice but to set aside our doubts and rush straight to the police station.

Once there, Lu Yun stood before us, his face grave, and gave a succinct, powerful briefing: “Our target this time is the city’s largest drug trafficking gang. They’re hiding in an abandoned factory. We have concrete evidence, and we must act swiftly to capture them all at once.”

With that, he waved for us to follow.

The four of us fell in behind him, joining a unit of heavily armed officers as we stormed out of the station. The wail of sirens split the morning stillness, and police cars shot forward like arrows, racing toward the drug dealers’ hideout—the deserted factory.

The factory gates were tightly shut, the area silent and desolate, broken only by the occasional cry of a crow, which lent a sinister edge to the tense atmosphere.

We had just reached the entrance to the derelict factory and were preparing to charge in when we suddenly realized the way was blocked. The traffickers had been prepared. One of them grinned maliciously as he planted an ABC bomb at the gate, the cold metal casing glinting menacingly in the morning light.

“Fall back!” Lu Yun shouted, but it was already too late. There was a thunderous explosion, and the blast sent shards of debris flying everywhere.

Sensing the danger, I quickly dove behind a large, solid rock for cover. When I turned back to survey the scene, many officers were already lying in pools of blood, the ground stained crimson, and the air thick with the acrid scent of gunpowder. My three companions were as pale as death, terror in their eyes, yet they struggled to remain calm and search for a way out.

At Lu Yun’s command, we and the remaining officers quickly formed an assault formation. The door was kicked open, and at that instant, a hail of bullets tore through the air like a raging storm, weaving a deadly net.

A policeman barely poked his head out before being struck by a bullet; his body convulsed as he fell, blood spurting onto Feng Danyan’s terrified face. Her eyes widened, lips quivering, but she gripped her pistol tightly, forcing herself to stay composed. Zhou Jie and Wang Qing pressed close together, their gazes steely and cold, yet beads of sweat glistened on their foreheads, betraying their deep anxiety.

I crouched behind cover, barely breathing, my eyes narrowed as I watched the life-and-death struggle unfold; every second was suffocating.

At that moment, I saw, from a distance, a drug dealer hoisting a rocket launcher onto his shoulder, taking aim at us and ready to fire. I hesitated, wondering whether I should use the small, specialized bomb my relative had developed.

As I made my decision, time seemed to freeze. I locked my gaze onto the distant figure, the gaping mouth of the massive rocket launcher like the mocking grin of death, pointed straight at our group of officers.

My heart pounded, sweat tracing down my cheek, and in a flash, I recalled the power of that unique homemade bomb—the gunpowder inside was my own blend; I knew exactly what it could do.

Gritting my teeth, I didn’t hesitate. I hurled the small vial with all my strength. It traced a graceful arc through the air, landing precisely on the open ground between us and the drug dealers. Instantly, sparks erupted as the vial hit the ground, followed by a tremendous explosion whose force miraculously swept only toward the traffickers.

After the deafening blast, the dust settled. The drug dealers, like leaves caught in a hurricane, were thrown to the ground, writhing in agony. Their bodies curled inward, faces twisted in pain, the arrogance they once displayed now replaced by despair and terror.

Lu Yun’s eyes were fierce as he signaled the remaining officers to move in. They surged forward and quickly subdued the struggling traffickers. We followed closely behind, witnessing everything, our emotions a tangled mix of relief, shock, and exhaustion.

Back at the police station, under the cold, harsh lights, my three companions—Feng Danyan, Zhou Jie, and Wang Qing—remained ashen-faced, their eyes vacant.

It was as if their souls were still trapped in that abandoned factory, amidst the storm of bullets, unable to fully return from the brink of death.