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墨書 Inktalez
Zhong Kui's Diary
"The apartment I rented is located in the tube building next to Xiangshan High School, Room 09 on the second floor of Building Three. These buildings were originally the office buildings of Xiangshan High School. When they separated from Star City University, there were constant disputes. Eventually, both sides decided to set aside their differences and jointly develop the property, using the office buildings for rental purposes, splitting the rent..." Baozi's incessant chatter began to resurface.
I couldn't be bothered to respond. I found Principal Tan at the entrance, confirmed the location of the tube building, and turned to ride my electric vehicle.
Kong Xuan hung up the phone and sat behind me on the electric vehicle. Following Principal Tan's directions, I navigated through the alleys next to Xiangshan High School, and after about two minutes, I saw five four-story tube buildings in front of me.
Tube buildings, also known as barrack-style architecture, were a common type of urban residential structure in our country from the 1950s to the 1990s. Generally three or four stories high, some even have five or six floors. They have staircases at both ends and a long corridor running through the middle, allowing for ventilation like a tube, hence the name. The rooms are tightly arranged on both sides of the corridor, usually single rooms under 20 square meters, without independent toilets, bathrooms, washrooms, or kitchens.
As a local in Star City, I was surprised to discover that there were these five shabby buildings situated between Star City University and Xiangshan High School, which had not been developed. It's worth noting that these five tube buildings are located between two prestigious schools and adjacent to Star River. If developed, they could certainly bring great profits to developers. Perhaps that’s why Xiangshan High School and Star City University refuse to budge and would rather rent them out... As the saying goes, everyone is here for profit.
The residents of this tube building are either students or teachers. It seems Mr. Qian did not deceive us; Ray Yu is indeed in one of these buildings with fewer than six stories—correctly, this building has only four floors. This building belongs to a school and houses many teachers and students. Indeed, this tube building belongs to Xiangshan High School and is occupied by its faculty and students.
While I was lost in thought, Kong Xuan asked, "Which one is the third building? The tube buildings I've seen before usually have a white round mark coated with lime on the side indicating which number it is, but these buildings don't have any."
"The one in the middle!" I replied confidently.
"How do you know?" Kong Xuan seemed puzzled.
"There are only five buildings; whether counting forward or backward, the third one is always the middle one!" I drove the electric vehicle up to the middle building and signaled for Kong Xuan to get off. I casually parked the electric vehicle aside and ran up to the second floor where Room 09 was located. Looking around, I noticed there was no one else in the corridor. With a loud bang, I kicked open Room 09's door.
In the center of the room was an iron chair bolted to the cement floor with several expansion screws. A twelve or thirteen-year-old boy was tightly bound to it. Upon seeing us, hope filled his haggard face as he made muffled sounds through his mouth taped shut and began struggling violently. The bomb strapped to his chest displayed a timer showing 55 minutes and 07 seconds remaining.
I didn't have time to comfort him; I took out my phone and called Lou Wei to inform him that we had found the bomb and provided him with the address. I asked him to relay this information to Wan Dahai so that he could lift the citywide alert status and quickly send a bomb disposal expert over.
Lou Wei was overjoyed when he hung up. After two minutes, he called back; a bomb disposal expert would arrive shortly. However, Wan Dahai could not immediately lift the citywide alert status as it could lead to a stampede; they would have to proceed step by step and first open certain routes.
I have no opinion on such professional matters. After hanging up the phone and tearing off the transparent tape from the boy's mouth, I asked, "Are you Ray Yu?"
The boy nodded excitedly, "Yes, yes! Are you sent by my dad to rescue me?"
Kong Xuan laughed and said, "What a silly question! Otherwise, why would we come in here? Is there soy sauce for sale in this room?"
"You finally came! Wuwuwu!" Ray Yu couldn't hold back his tears any longer.
"Alright, stop crying," I chuckled. "You've been captured for a long time, right? Are you hungry?"
Ray Yu slowly stopped crying and shook his head. "I was very hungry before, but now I don't feel hungry anymore. Can I have some water? I'm really thirsty."
I went out for a bit and returned with a bottle of mineral water and two pieces of chocolate. "I asked someone next door for these."
After giving Ray Yu a few sips of water and letting him eat a piece of chocolate, he seemed much more energized and looked at me. "Uncle, what about the bomb on me?"
"Weren't you listening when I was on the phone? Don't worry, the bomb disposal expert will be here soon," I reassured him.
Ray Yu glanced at the thick bomb strapped to his chest. The fear that had been swirling in his eyes suddenly spread across his entire face. "Can this bomb really be disarmed?"
"Come on, it's a bomb disposal expert! They know what they're doing," Kong Xuan emphasized.
"It's over; it's an expert!" Upon hearing that, Ray Yu's fear turned into despair. Tears welled up in his eyes again as he cried out, "Can we not find an expert? Anyone off the street would be better than an expert!"
Kong Xuan and I exchanged astonished glances. He immediately patted his chest confidently and said, "I guarantee that these experts are real experts! They are definitely not like those so-called experts on TV who claim stocks can rise to ten thousand points, nor are they those scoundrel experts who earn a Chinese salary but have already joined American nationality. They are completely different. Even if those kinds of experts boast endlessly, it doesn't matter; if this bomb disposal expert messes up, their own life will be at stake!"
Ray Yu finally relaxed, nodding with tears in his eyes, "You're right, thank you, sir!"
Hearing Ray Yu, both Kong Xuan and I exchanged glances. Do we really seem that old to these post-2000s kids? I could understand being called an uncle, but Kong Xuan was referred to as 'sir'? Haha, Kong Xuan is still unmarried; it's just a matter of having a bit more facial hair.
Chuckling awkwardly, Kong Xuan shifted the topic, "Zheng Nan, is that Mr. Qian coming? If you hadn't barged into the room where Ray Yu was held, would he have detonated the bomb?"
I nodded, "That's right."
"By this logic, there must be a camera in this room; otherwise, how would Mr. Qian know we broke in?"
"Yes, that's how it is." My gaze began to scan the room for any sign of a camera.
"Don't bother looking; there are no cameras in this room," Kong Xuan said confidently.
"How can you be so sure?" I was somewhat skeptical. If it were Fatty saying this, I would believe it since that guy has extraordinary eyesight.
Kong Xuan didn't respond but took out a pack of cigarettes. He walked between me and Ray Yu, turning his back to Ray Yu. He handed me a cigarette and lit it for me before lighting one for himself. He placed the lighter in his left palm and made a spell gesture with his right hand, drawing a semicircle in the air.
Seeing my puzzled expression, Kong Xuan smiled slightly and exhaled a cloud of smoke. Amidst the smoke, I noticed a faint white light sphere centered around his right hand slowly and steadily expanding. When it touched the lighter, the halo flickered imperceptibly a few times.
Kong Xuan retracted the spell without saying anything and raised an eyebrow at me. The meaning was clear: his spell could detect metal. There must be metal on the camera; no matter how well-hidden it is, this spell would be able to find it.
Now that Kong Xuan said there was no camera, then there truly wasn't one. Wait, could it be that Mr. Qian was just trying to create a diversion? If that's the case, how did Mr. Qian know we had found Ray Yu?
Right now, Mr. Qian hadn't called me at all. Could it be that he doesn't know we've found Ray Yu? Was his threat about detonating the bomb just a bluff?
After thinking for a long time, I still couldn't figure it out. About twenty minutes later, footsteps echoed in the corridor outside, and two officers carrying large boxes rushed in.
"Bomb disposal experts?" I asked the two officers.
"Yes!" One of the Middle-Aged Officers glanced at Ray Yu, who was tied to the chair, put down the large box he was holding, frowned, and stepped forward to examine the bomb on Ray Yu. Meanwhile, the younger officer squatted down and opened his box, revealing a suit similar to a spacesuit and a helmet that looked like a glass case.
The Middle-Aged Officer reached out and tugged at the Power Cord attached to Ray Yu, his brow furrowing as if he had encountered something extremely surprising. I was startled and said, "Brother, can you be more professional? Your diploma isn't from some roadside Power Cord pole Southeast Asian certificate company, is it?"
Hearing this, the Young Officer shot me a glance filled with anger, while the Middle-Aged Officer seemed not to have heard me. He pressed his ear against the bomb and tapped it with his fingers, listening intently.
Just when Kong Xuan and I were both puzzled about what he was up to, the Middle-Aged Officer's tightly furrowed brows suddenly relaxed as he exclaimed, "What the hell!"
"Master, what's wrong?" Seeing the Middle-Aged Officer curse loudly, the Young Officer who was organizing tools on the ground couldn't help but ask.
"Hmph!" The Middle-Aged Officer snorted coldly. Then he did something that left us terrified; he actually grabbed the Power Cords of the bomb and began tearing them off haphazardly, directly pulling the bomb down and tossing it aside carelessly.
This guy is insane!
In shock and fear, both Kong Xuan and I dove to the ground in an instant, covering our heads tightly with our hands. Damn it, in such a room with such a big bomb, who knows if lying down would even help.
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