"Tactics?" Jiang Jingwei's eyes lit up. She rested her chin on her fingers, striking a thoughtful pose. "Li Dongze is right. We do need a plan. After all, we're an Official Organization, not some mindless Evil Class. I have an idea."
The Evil Class probably has more brains than you, the group thought in unison, though the sentiment was highly inappropriate.
Li Dongze asked, "You have an idea? Let's hear it."
Jiang Jingwei proposed, "We charge in. Teng Yuan and Primordial lead the assault, Guan Ya provides covering fire, and I'll seize the opportunity to launch surprise attacks, taking them down one by one."
The tactic was so simple it was practically nonexistent. Zhang Yuanqing, anxious about his aunt, urged, "Chief, we don't have time to waste."
Li Dongze realized he'd been naive to ask the Fire Master for tactics. He surveyed the group and said calmly, "They have hostages. We can't force our way in. We need a Nightwalker skilled in stealth to infiltrate. But Primordial alone might not survive. Guan Ya, contact Yuan Ting and tell him to get here as fast as possible."
"Got it!" Guan Ya pulled out her phone and stepped aside.
Li Dongze continued, "The Nightwalker's stealth duration is limited. Even if they infiltrate the hospital, they'll be caught on surveillance. Wang Tai, prepare to hack into the hospital's security system."
Wang Tai immediately opened his laptop, sat down, and began typing furiously.
Li Dongze turned to Jiang Jingwei and Teng Yuan, saying, "We don't have stealth capabilities. We'll stay here to draw Xianzong and the other criminals' attention. I'll negotiate with Xianzong, trying to stall for time and distract him."
Just then, Guan Ya hung up the phone and whispered, "Captain Yuan says he needs fifteen minutes."
Li Dongze frowned. Glancing at Zhang Yuanqing, he said, "We'll try to hold them off until he arrives. Don't act rashly—you can't possibly take on those criminals alone."
Teng Yuan, Wang Tai, Jiang Jingwei, and the others nodded in agreement.
The criminals were after Primordial, and their brazen attitude was both a provocation and a trap. Given Primordial's current level, entering the hospital would be a death sentence. Though disheartening, it was the truth.
Guan Ya suddenly remembered that Primordial's aunt was an intern at Pingtai Hospital. He had mentioned it during the Spectral Servant investigation.
No wonder he's so anxious, Guan Ya thought.
Zhang Yuanqing sat in the car, closing his eyes to gather his thoughts. He didn't argue with Li Dongze, though he felt resentful. His colleagues' concerns were valid.
He couldn't rush in recklessly, but that didn't mean there were no other options.
Unbeknownst to anyone, a round and adorable Infant Spirit was nimbly paddling its limbs, crawling toward the hospital, toward the administrative building occupied by the kidnappers.
"Let Little Goofball scout ahead and check on Aunt's condition first," Zhang Yuanqing thought. He had his own plans, and this was where his Spectral Servant's abilities would shine.
The Infant Spirit was invisible to surveillance cameras and undetectable by ordinary Spirit Realm Walkers, unless the kidnappers happened to include a Nightwalker or Illusion Master.
But those two classes were exceedingly rare. Even if such a coincidence occurred, Zhang Yuanqing wasn't worried about Little Goofball being discovered, because this was a hospital—a place teeming with Spectral Entities.
Time ticked by. At the eighth minute, Li Dongze picked up the walkie-talkie, pressed the button, and said:
"Primordial will be here soon. It's rush hour, so traffic is a bit heavy. Just wait three more minutes."
He repeated the message three times.
Li Xianzong finally responded, his arrogant voice dripping with mockery: "Don't try to stall me with these tricks. One minute, one life. I keep my word. You can storm the hospital if you want, but I'll blow everyone up."
Li Dongze's expression turned grim as he set down the walkie-talkie and glanced at Teng Yuan, whispering:
"Get ready to impersonate Primordial and enter the hospital. Keep the kidnappers calm."
His earlier words weren't meant for negotiation or stalling, but to gauge the kidnappers' resolve.
Chief Teng Yuan hummed in agreement. "Primordial, let's switch outfits."
His style leaned toward middle-aged, and though Primordial Heavenly Venerable's identity was strictly confidential, Teng Yuan had frequent contact with Official Walkers. Rumors that the "Primordial Heavenly Venerable" was a young man might have already spread.
Without knowing how much intelligence the enemy possessed, it was best to stick as close to the real deal as possible.
Zhang Yuanqing could only temporarily divert a portion of his focus to quickly exchange jackets, baseball caps, and masks with Teng Yuan.
Li Dongze picked up the walkie-talkie again, his voice grim. "Li Xianzong, are you causing trouble in Songhai because you're after the Primordial Heavenly Venerable?"
Li Xianzong's cheerful voice crackled over the line. "The Grand Slaughter Instance is about to open, and I'm a bit short on cash. I thought I'd borrow a few heads to trade for some toys."
Whether intentional or not, the man's voice was arrogant and dismissive, as if the Primordial Heavenly Venerable were a fat sheep ready for slaughter, his provocation dialed up to the max.
Even Guan Ya felt a surge of anger, let alone the hot-tempered Jiang Jingwei, who gritted her teeth, baring her small, white fangs.
Now certain that Li Xianzong was after Primordial, Li Dongze hung up without another word.
Meanwhile, Little Goofball scurried through walls, quickly reaching the first-floor lobby.
Several corpses lay sprawled across the lobby floor, their viscous blood staining the tiles crimson. Over a hundred ordinary people huddled near the escalators, information desks, and walls, some crouched, others slumped, their faces a mix of whimpering sobs, trembling fear, and suppressed rage.
Two armed thugs patrolled the crowd, their eyes darting around warily. They occasionally let out unsettling chuckles as they groped the young women.
There are only two of them on the first floor. If they're not Earth Fiends, I can take them out instantly with a surprise attack.
These guys really think they've got me cornered? Pulling off this whole show? If they want to die, I'll gladly oblige. Zhang Yuanqing suppressed his fury and guided Little Goofball up the escalator to the second floor.
Despite being a tiny infant with sparse baby hair, Little Goofball moved with surprising speed. Upon reaching the second floor, he found the waiting hall packed with hostages.
Without pausing, Little Goofball continued straight up the stairs. The third floor was completely empty, whether because the occupants had been herded to the second floor or had taken advantage of the chaos to hide.
Finally, the Infant Spirit reached the fourth floor.
In the fourth-floor waiting hall, a gaunt middle-aged man stood guard. He held a pistol in his left hand and a short blade in his right, his cold gaze sweeping across the crowd as he barked:
"Heads down, hands behind your necks! Anyone who doesn't cooperate gets a bullet in the head!"
The hostages obediently lowered their heads, trembling with fear, their faces pale with terror.
Aunt wasn't here. Zhang Yuanqing scanned the medical staff in the hall but couldn't find her. Suddenly, screams erupted from the maternity ward.
Two kidnappers were on the fourth floor, and another was inside, dragging people out.
Zhang Yuanqing's heart sank. He maneuvered Little Goofball to quickly crawl inside.
In the office, Dr. Zhao's face turned deathly pale as she heard her colleagues screaming outside. Her plump body trembled uncontrollably.
"They... they're coming!" Dr. Zhao gasped, her voice filled with terror.
She turned to see Xiao Jiang, also pale but remarkably quick-thinking, pulling her down to crouch. "Let's hide under the desk," Xiao Jiang whispered.
Huddled beneath the desk, Dr. Zhao felt a sliver of security. She strained her ears to listen to the commotion outside, her voice anxious:
"Why haven't the Security Officers arrived yet? Will they kill us? Why aren't the Security Officers here yet?"
Jiang Yu'er murmured reassuringly, "It'll be okay. Someone will come to save us."
Her calm tone and unwavering expression, though Dr. Zhao couldn't fathom where Xiao Jiang's confidence stemmed from, did offer some reassurance.
Just then, the office door was violently kicked open with a deafening bang. Dr. Zhao flinched, shrinking into herself and covering her mouth.
The man at the doorway paused for a few seconds, his voice rough: "Get out here. Don't make me shoot."
Dr. Zhao's face drained of color. Suddenly, she felt Xiao Jiang press down on her shoulder. Then, Xiao Jiang crawled out from under the desk.
The man at the door was burly, with a buzz cut, triangular eyes, and a menacing expression.
When he saw the woman emerge from under the desk, his coarse face froze in surprise. His triangular eyes lit up instantly as he bellowed:
"Lao Xu, look what I found! Ha ha! Look what I found!"
"Found your mom giving birth in there?" the thug outside retorted with a curse.
"I found a real knockout!" The burly man rubbed his buzz cut vigorously, his eyes gleaming with lust. "Damn, who knew there was such a hot chick in this dump of a hospital? You keep watch outside. I'm gonna have some fun first."
The woman wore a white coat, her round face framed by delicate features that were instantly striking. The more one looked at her, the more charming and beautiful she seemed, especially the beauty mark at the corner of her right eye, which added a unique allure to her loveliness.
"How 'extreme' are we talking?" the lean man outside asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Just fucking extreme, man," the burly man replied, clearly lacking sophistication.
Dr. Zhao felt a wave of despair wash over her. Who would come to save them now? Even if the Security Officers stormed in, it would be too late.
She couldn't help but raise her head and glance at Xiao Jiang. The usually delicate young woman was now squinting, her face devoid of fear or panic.
But in the next moment, Xiao Jiang's demeanor abruptly shifted. She recoiled in terror, tears welling in her eyes, clutching her chest, and whimpered in a trembling voice:
"Y-you stay away!"
Damn it!
Outside the hospital, in a business van, Zhang Yuanqing watched the scene unfold in the office through Little Goofball's perspective.
He straightened up, his voice urgent: "Chief, my aunt's in danger! I'm moving now! I'll hold out until Yuan Ting arrives."
With that, he vanished from sight before Li Dongze and the others could react.
In an instant, the atmosphere became as tense as a fuse about to ignite. Li Dongze abruptly waved Teng Yuan into the hospital, then signaled Wang Tai to prepare to hack the surveillance system.
After issuing these orders, Li Dongze pressed the intercom button and said in a low voice:
"He's here. He's entered the hospital. Do not harm the hostages under any circumstances."
Li Xianzong's lazy voice crackled through the intercom: "Excellent! Direct him to the first-floor lobby. Make sure he stays within camera range. Otherwise, I can't guarantee the hostages' safety."
Ending the call, Li Xianzong in the surveillance room grabbed another intercom and announced:
"The fish has taken the bait. Full alert!"
In the obstetrics and gynecology office, the man listening to the intercom on his chest frowned, pondered for a few seconds, then scoffed, dismissing the warning.
He wasn't Li Xianzong's subordinate. He had chosen to play along with this scheme purely out of a desire to lash out at society, not to hunt down some "Primordial Heavenly Venerable."
After all, his days were numbered anyway. He might as well indulge himself before he died.
The burly man holstered his pistol and licked his lips as he approached Jiang Yu'er. "I loved your expression just now. Your fear is so alluring."
Suddenly, he felt a cold sensation on his shoulder, as if a block of ice had been pressed against it.
Instinctively, he reached back to touch his shoulder, but found nothing there.
Two seconds later, his vision vanished.
Without hesitation, the man began dodging wildly while enveloping his body in scorching flames. He manipulated the fire to expand into a raging inferno, sweeping through the office like a fiery tsunami.
This was his defense against any potential enemies attempting a close-range ambush.
Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced his chest, a distinct sensation of flesh being torn apart.
He recognized the pain instantly—it was the unmistakable agony of bullets tearing through his body. Yet he hadn't heard a single gunshot.
The pain returned, bullets slamming into his chest one after another, shredding his heart into bloody pulp.
By now, the man's blindness had lifted. He stared in stunned disbelief toward the desk, where a young man stood. His face, the backs of his hands, and his chest were marked with crimson burns, and he held a large-caliber pistol with a dark red casing.
Standing protectively before the female doctor, shielding her from the flames, the young man said coldly, "I love your expression now. Your dying face will be just as alluring."