449: Chapter 449: Thunder Strike 449: Chapter 449: Thunder Strike It was a good thing it was autumn, as the underground sewer was quite dry and only had a mildly unpleasant smell without any flooding.
Along the sewer, Tangyu and his team were stealthily advancing towards the gymnasium.
Outside, Director Huo was engaging with the criminals inside, buying time and preventing them from using drastic measures.
Soon, Tangyu spotted an exit, and according to the map, it would lead them right into the restrooms of the gymnasium.
Tangyu signaled for silence, and after listening and confirming that nobody was above, he carefully pushed open the manhole cover and leaped out.
Once above ground, Tangyu quickly scanned the surroundings to ensure the area was safe.
It was a large, multi-functional restroom equipped with showers—natural for a gymnasium.
The area was incredibly quiet, and Tangyu could hear some noises from outside.
He made a hand signal to the team below, then swiftly moved to the bathroom door.
The door was closed, and after listening for a moment at it, Tangyu confirmed there was no one behind it.
He gently nudged the door open just a crack and quickly glimpsed the outside through the narrow gap.
More than a hundred students were crouching with their hands on their heads in the court, surrounded by six criminals wielding submachine guns.
Lin Feifei and Wang Ba were given “special attention” and were not with the group.
Scanning the area, Tangyu finally spotted them at a bench on the edge of the court, seated back to back on a double chair; to be precise, they were tied to the chairs.
Two criminals closely guarded them, their vigilance palpable as they watched Lin Feifei and Wang Ba as if fearing any resistance from them.
Eight criminals were on the court, and the others seemed to have scattered.
Tangyu’s gaze then rose to the stands surrounding them, hosting a few more criminals who were also focused on the court to prevent any intrusions.
Finally, Tangyu’s attention landed on a room that was incorrect to call just a resting room—it was a functional room, controlling the entire school’s broadcasting system.
Inside, Tangyu saw three individuals, including the man he had tracked who was installing explosives, now speaking into a microphone, with two criminals guarding the door.
In total, Tangyu counted sixteen visible criminals, with others likely hiding in more covert spots or out of his line of sight.
Tangyu turned back and lowered his voice, “Xiaoyu, you two go through the ventilation duct to higher ground, locate all hidden gunmen, and take them out if possible.
If you can’t handle them, wait for my move, then act immediately.
Lengzi, the three men in that room are yours to deal with, don’t let them break out.
Song Qingyu, you and the assault team will burst out the moment you hear my commotion outside, eliminate all the criminals on the court; this is your strong suit.
Your duty is to ensure the safety of the students.
Song Qingyu, lend Lengzi a gun.”
Song Qingyu nodded, pulled a gun from his belt, and handed it to Lengzi.
Lengzi took the pistol with a curl of his lip, fiddling with it in his hand, and said dismissively, “This thing is no fun at all, but rescuing people is the priority, I suppose.”
“Alright, let’s begin the operation,” Tangyu declared.
The team started their movement, with Tangyu entering the ventilation duct and Lengzi heading back to the sewer, aiming to reach the restroom near the functional room to block it as swiftly as possible once the action commenced.
The criminals in the gymnasium were oblivious to the impending danger.
Before long, Tangyu arrived at a storeroom.
Peering through the gap in the door, he saw Lin Feifei and Wang Jian about two meters away, guarded by two criminals whose attention was fixed on them, unaware of the watchful eyes behind them.
Lin Feifei sat calmly, her face showing no sign of fear.
Wang Ba, however, looked utterly terrified, his face pale and his eyes darting around, displaying the fear absent in his usual fearless demeanor.
Tangyu didn’t rush into action; he surveyed the scene again from this angle—similar to before but now included two more visible criminals in previous blind spots, totaling eighteen.
Those hidden wouldn’t be many more, Tangyu reasoned, also waiting for Xiaoyu’s update.
After a minute, Tangyu received a text from Xiaoyu, simply four characters.
This meant there were four additional hidden gunmen.
Pocketing his phone, Tangyu’s lips curved into a chilly smile, then he suddenly kicked the door open, bursting out like an arrow released from a bow, transforming into a streak of light as he charged forward.
In just a blink, he had reached Lin Feifei, his hands striking swiftly at the temples of the two criminals guarding her.
The temple, a vulnerable spot known as the “minor death point,” could be lethal if struck hard.
Tangyu’s move was merciless, reflecting his resolve not to spare these criminals, so his attack was lethal from the onset.
The criminals reacted instantly, sweeping their guns towards Tangyu, but it was too late—his fingers had already hit their temples.
Almost simultaneously, they collapsed without even a chance to scream, their faces turning a deathly red, almost as if stained with blood.
Upon closer inspection, one could see a trickle of blood from their noses, eyes, and ears.
This death scene was somewhat ugly.
The sudden movements here had attracted the attention of all the villains on the field towards Tangyu, as guns began to fire in his direction.
However, just at that moment, various sounds erupted from all around: gunshots, screams of agony, the noise of heavy objects falling to the ground, and the sound of breaking objects.
The bathroom door was kicked open, and Song Qingyu along with the SWAT team made a thunderous attack, charging out in full force.
Soon, the gunshots sounded from these people, who not only moved quickly but also coordinated exceptionally well, each shot fired with deadly accuracy.
In the middle of the field, the bodies of villains also fell one by one, each killed with a single shot.
Four hidden gunmen were quickly taken care of by Little Fish and his men, thus swiftly eliminating the danger in the area.
The two villains guarding Lin Feifei and Wang Ba died at Tangyu’s hands the very moment the SWAT team burst out and shot the others.
After dealing with these villains, the SWAT team members quickly surrounded the students, using their bodies to form a human wall to ensure the students’ safety.
As for Lin Feifei, having Tangyu’s protection rendered her absolutely secure.
Lengzi, resembling a human-like tank, stormed into the function room without giving the people inside a chance.
He immediately shot and killed two villains, but he did not continue firing.
Not because he was out of bullets, but because the last villain in there took out a timer bomb remote and looked menacingly at Lengzi, forcing him to retreat.
Little Fish and his men came over.
Tangyu handed Lin Feifei and the others to Little Fish before heading towards where Lengzi was, his gaze settling on the villain.
The group of rescued students watched the SWAT officers with excited joy, many even started crying.
The villain glanced around, his face growing darker as he saw his dead comrades on the ground, his eyes flickering with intense murderous intent.
He had not anticipated that these police officers would be able to infiltrate the gymnasium so silently.
Apparently, despite all his calculations, he had overlooked one detail; it was truly a case of “leaving no stone unturned” yet missing one crucial element.
But considering the time, he coldly smiled to himself.
He actually didn’t care about the outcome here; this place was merely a decoy to facilitate the operations of the second-in-command elsewhere.
Here, it was just a method to delay time and distract the Donglin City police forces.
They had come prepared to face death, hence facing it didn’t frighten him; in fact, it only drove him to madness.
“Heh, it seems the rotten police of Donglin City are somewhat capable, managing to enter the gymnasium without my knowing.
I hadn’t thought that this gym could be accessed through underground tunnels,” the villain sneered chillingly.
Guns aimed at him, he could have been riddled with bullets in a second.
“Evil never prevails over good, you have nowhere to run,” Tangyu said.
“I advise you to put down the controller; you might still have a chance to survive.”
“Haha, survive?” The villain laughed in derision, scoffing and sneering, “I didn’t come here planning to return alive.
Out in this world, life and death are beyond my concern.
You’ve killed so many of my brothers.
Do you think I would easily stop?
Heh heh, I’m not afraid to tell you, I’ve planted several bombs in this school.
With a single press, Linshan Middle School would be leveled to the ground.
Ha ha, do you think I would easily let go?”
Tangyu shook his head, not wanting to argue with the madman.
“Don’t be too happy too soon, I have some bad news for you — I’ve already dismantled all the bombs you planted.
Don’t look at me that way; I’m not lying.
I disguised myself as a janitor, pushing a trash cart and followed you in the underground parking lot of the academic building.
You planted a bomb, I dismantled one.
If you still don’t believe it, feel free to press the remote and try,” he said.
The villain’s brows furrowed deeply as he stared hard at Tangyu: “Hah, impossible.
The bombs I planted aren’t something you can just dismantle at will.
Who do you think you are?
A bomb disposal expert?”
“You’re wrong,” said Tangyu.
“Even a bomb disposal expert is no match for me.
Though I don’t play with bombs, I understand the principles, and I’ve studied with a master before.
Things others can’t dismantle are not difficult for me, so don’t be so surprised.” Tangyu’s claims were indeed true; he had indeed learned the principles of bombs and some dismantling techniques from a bomb expert.
Some bombs are extremely difficult to dismantle, as even the slightest touch could trigger an explosion, but Tangyu had the ability to achieve an extraordinarily fine control that ordinary people couldn’t.
“Humph, then I have to see this for myself,” the villain sneered, pressing a button.
Unfortunately, no explosion came from outside.
Only then did the villain believe that the bombs he had set had truly been dismantled by Tangyu.
He pressed other buttons, none of which worked, and angrily threw the controller to the ground.
The cold sneer on his face remained, his eyes alight with madness.