Ding.
The elevator display stopped at the fifth floor. As the doors slid open, two uniformed officers stepped out, one after the other.
They immediately scanned their surroundings, then made their way toward the stairwell. After confirming that both the stairwell and the hallway were clear of any suspicious individuals, they arrived at the door of Unit 501.
“This is the place, right?” the taller officer asked.
The shorter one nodded. “Yeah, dispatch said this was it.”
“I’m not seeing anyone suspicious around here. You don’t think this is some kind of prank call, do you? What a pain to be dragged out here this late.” The tall officer let out a yawn, his tense posture relaxing almost instantly.
Just a few minutes earlier, they’d gotten a call from dispatch about someone in Unit 501 reporting that he was a scammer who’d ripped off some underworld bigshot, and now the bigshot had sent a hitman after him. They’d rushed over right away—because even though it sounded like nonsense, if it was real, that would be a massive deal.
But now that they were here, there wasn’t a suspicious soul in sight.
Knock, knock, knock.
The shorter officer stepped up and rapped on the door. “Hello? Were you the one who called us? Please open the door.”
In situations like this, they usually didn’t announce themselves as police right off the bat—just in case there was someone dangerous inside. Identifying themselves too soon could trigger a rash reaction.
To their surprise, there was absolutely no response from inside.
“Nobody home?”
“That can’t be right. He said he’d be waiting for us.”
The tall officer thought for a moment and knocked again. “Hello? We need you to open up—there are some things we’d like to ask you about.”
They waited a good while longer, but still—dead silence.
The tall officer’s face shifted, and he lowered his voice. “Is it possible he’s already…?”
He didn’t finish the sentence, but his partner caught his meaning immediately. “I’ll call a locksmith.”
The worst-case scenario was that the caller had already been killed. If that was the case, they had no choice but to get that door open and confirm the situation.
The autumn wind blew chilly and sharp.
On the main road in front of the Qingcheng Police Station, under the dim glow of the streetlights, a shadowy figure shuffled cautiously toward the entrance—so bundled up that only his eyes were visible. The moment he spotted the glittering sign that read QINGCHENG POLICE STATION, Zhang Songyang was so overcome with emotion he could’ve wept.
He’d finally made it!
From his apartment to the station was only about a ten-minute walk, so he hadn’t driven or taken a cab. Instead, he’d stayed right under the surveillance cameras the entire way.
After all—driving his own car would give away his identity, and a cab was a confined space where the cameras couldn’t see what was happening inside. If he got killed in there, no one would know.
Sure, walking wasn’t completely safe either, but at least there were cameras everywhere. Even if the hitman got him, the police could track him down through the footage—and that would at least give Jiang Chuan a little headache.
Thank you, government. Thank you, officers. Thank you for installing all those cameras all over the city. You just saved my sorry hide.
After taking a moment to compose himself, Zhang Songyang pulled his head down even further and crept toward the station entrance.
The police station was lit up bright even at night. Just as he reached the front gate—
“Halt!” A stern voice rang out from the guard post.
“O-Officer, I—I’m here to report a crime!” Zhang Songyang stammered, instinctively clutching the Desert Eagle tucked inside his jacket.
The guard blinked, giving him a once-over. “Report a crime? Fill out a registration form first.”
“Of course, of course!” Zhang Songyang scurried over, scribbling down his information on the form.
“Follow me.”
The guard led him toward the main reporting hall.
The moment he stepped into the brightly lit lobby, Zhang Songyang finally felt the weight lift off his shoulders.
Back in the day, he’d always look away when he saw a cop on the street, and he’d floor the gas whenever he passed a police station—because, in his mind, those places just reeked of bad luck.
But today was different. Standing inside the station, he felt an overwhelming sense of safety—better than being at home, honestly.
Alright. I’m inside the police station now. No matter how unhinged that hitman is, there’s no way he’d dare come in here and kill me, right?
And on top of that, there are several officers on duty. My safety level just shot through the roof!
“Hey, Zhang—someone’s here to file a report. Could you take care of it?” the guard called out.
Immediately, another officer walked over to Zhang Songyang. “Hello, you can take off your coat now. Don’t worry—you’re in a police station. No matter how much danger you’re in, you’re safe here.”
Zhang Songyang nodded frantically, his voice cracking with emotion. “Oh, thank God—thank God I made it here alive. I—I was so scared, Officer. Please, you have to help me. If it weren’t for you guys, I probably wouldn’t even see tomorrow’s sunrise…”
The officer blinked, taken aback by the man’s overwhelming emotion. He didn’t know what had happened, but it was clear Zhang Songyang had been through something serious.
“Don’t worry,” the officer assured him. “This is a police station. Nobody’s going to lay a finger on you here. You’re absolutely safe with us.”
Zhang Songyang nodded like a bobblehead and grabbed the officer’s hands with both of his. “Yes, yes—as long as I’m with you, I’m totally safe—”
But before he could finish, he felt the Desert Eagle in his jacket start to slip. Because he’d pulled his hands out, the weight of the gun was dragging it downward—fast.
CLANG!
The golden Desert Eagle slid free and slammed onto the floor with a deafening crash—followed by the sound of cracked tiles.
The entire lobby went dead silent.
Two officers and Zhang Songyang all stared at the gun on the ground, their expressions nearly identical: utter shock.
A gleaming handgun had just fallen out of Zhang Songyang’s clothes. And it had hit the floor so hard it shattered the tiles.
A real gun. Almost certainly a real gun.
Even if it wasn’t, it was definitely a heavily restricted replica firearm!
This guy was insane—bringing a gun into a police station in the middle of the night. What the hell was he planning?
Whatever it was, one thing was clear: he was out of his mind.
“GUN!” one officer shouted.
In the span of a heartbeat, both officers reacted.
The one holding Zhang Songyang’s hands immediately twisted his wrist outward, hooked his leg, and slammed Zhang Songyang to the ground with a textbook takedown. The other officer kicked the Desert Eagle away and pinned Zhang Songyang down as well.
Other officers on duty came rushing out—some drawing their own weapons, some helping subdue Zhang Songyang, and one quickly securing the fallen gun.
“Notify the SWAT team! Armed suspect infiltrating the station!”
“Hurry—hurry! Get the chief on the line! This is huge!”
“Call everyone in! And sidearms—get all the sidearms out now!”
The officers braced themselves, eyes fixed on the station entrance. There was no way Zhang Songyang had come alone—if he was bold enough to walk into a police station with a gun, he had to have accomplices!
The sudden chaos left Zhang Songyang completely dazed, but the pain shooting through his arms and body made him wince.
“Officers—let me explain! Please, just hear me out! I—I’m here to turn myself in—”
