Chapter 110
When you're feeling down, you can sometimes use the method of speculating on the worst possible outcome to push yourself out of your rut, because often in the end you'll find that as long as you're alive, nothing is really a bad thing, and even things aren't really problems.
Su Wenqiang was still struggling with the conflict between life and life, but He Feihu faced far fewer choices. When Tian Xinxi presented him with a box of weapons, he knew he had no way out. His heart pounded with unprecedented unease. If they followed Tian Xinxi's advice and attacked during the transaction, they would likely end up facing the Flying Tigers—the last thing he wanted to do. He clung to a sliver of hope: "A transaction this important... the two of us aren't enough."
Tian Xinxi laughed heartily: "Of course it won't just be the two of us. Just wait and see. Eat and drink well for the next few hours, and we'll get to work when it's time."
On his path of crime, Tian Xinxi had to admire himself; he was indeed cunning. For example, he could manipulate a former Flying Tigers member, while also allowing the police just the right amount of time to investigate the gang's activities. To put it more arrogantly, through a single email, the police had now become his pawns; the CIB, the O-Division, and the SDU would all be at his disposal.
"This is too risky." Tiger wanted to make one last attempt. But for Tian Xinxi, who was addicted to gambling, these words were nothing more than a powerful stimulant. He spread his arms wide, his body more relaxed, as if he was about to possess the world: "This is what's fun, Tiger. For people like us, our future is all about gambling. The biggest bet is just one life."
A life? Tian Xinxi wasn't the kind of person who would die a heroic death if he lost a gamble. The victor's story was history; in his case, it only made him a tyrant and a villain. Faced with this utterly shameless social scum, He Feihu suppressed the surging contempt and disgust within him, determined to infiltrate his side to prevent him from committing any underhanded acts of betrayal against the police.
In fact, Tian Xinxi's plan can be summarized in eight words: use someone else's strength against them, like the mantis stalking the cicada. He and He Feihu hid near the factory where the transaction would take place. After both sides had searched the premises, they would use a pre-scouted passage to enter the factory. Meanwhile, the police who had found clues would lead a team there. He would occupy a high vantage point, and as soon as he saw the police cars appear, he would prepare to have Tiger open fire to disrupt the operation. In this way, while the police were breaking down the door and arresting both parties involved in the transaction, he would intercept the scattered ringleaders and seize the spoils for himself.
Tian Xinxi's plan was perfect, and he was lucky; the jewelry did indeed end up in his hands. But before he could escape unscathed after hiding the items, the SDU's attack team was already upon him. On the rooftop, Zhuang Zhuoyuan, at the observation point, looked seriously at Tiger, who had appeared in the scope alongside him, and urgently reported the situation to his superiors.
Inside the command vehicle, Pan Zilong quickly analyzed Zhuang Zhuoyuan's description. Indeed, Tiger might have chosen to protect Tian Xinxi's safety because of the children's hiding place. Emotionally, they could allow some leeway, but only if Tiger didn't point a gun at them. Otherwise, if he appeared to be on the opposite side of the police, they would have to follow protocol. However, Pan Zilong didn't elaborate on these points to Zhuang Zhuoyuan. Firstly, they were in the midst of an operation and didn't have time to explain; secondly, he felt that as the commander-in-chief, he had no need to explain to his subordinates. Therefore, he simply said coldly, "Deal with it as it comes. Shoot to kill if necessary."
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Zhuoyuan immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
In the cluttered alley, Tiger and Tian Xinxi were cornered. He shouldn't have followed him on the run; by some twist of fate, he'd been chased all the way here. Recalling the events in the factory, Tiger realized he'd been tricked by Tian Xinxi when they revealed what they were dealing with. They weren't trading drugs at all, but six whole boxes of weapons. Of course, this stuff was a hot potato; swallowing it wouldn't be easy to get rid of it. So, earlier, Tian Xinxi had used it as bait, "handing over" some to the police. He kept one box for himself, and the rest, mixed with toy guns, were laid out openly as the tools of the transaction.
Only now did Tiger truly understand Tian Xinxi's purpose: this guy wanted to use him and the police to kill Cat Brother's gang, steal the money in the suitcase, and rise to power. And by then, he was already in a bind.
As soon as the fake gun was discovered, guns were immediately pointed at Tian Xinxi. Tiger had no choice but to fire the first shot to save Tian Xinxi's life. What followed was a chaotic firefight. When the Flying Tigers entered, they immediately scattered. He Feihu had been closely following Tian Xinxi as he fled, but after a few turns, Tian Xinxi appeared behind him, and the other side had a gun pointed at him. Perhaps it was in this battle that he rediscovered his long-lost marksman's instincts; He Feihu turned around in time, and the bullet pierced his shoulder blade, missing a vital organ.
Tian Xinxi, having crossed the river, betrayed his benefactor. To He Feihu's astonishment, he fired another shot, crippling his other hand. He revealed his ferocious face and then threatened him with the whereabouts of the two children: "Find a way to plead with Feihu, or Dingding and Lele will be buried with me."
At this moment, the attacking team was already close by. He Feihu had a sudden inspiration. He recalled the terrain he had observed beforehand, locked onto the S1 observation position, and guessed that Zhuang Zhuoyuan must be there. So he deliberately led Tian Xinxi into his designed area.
Given the current situation, Tian Xinxi's trust in He Feihu was extremely limited. It seemed as if Feihu was everywhere, and he had no time to adjust his escape route, but he still found a way to protect himself. He followed closely behind He Feihu, almost glued to him, using him as a human shield. With He Feihu on his side, even if the SDU wanted to fire, they would have to think twice.
A new situation report came through the earpiece. Xie Jiaxing, who was at the forefront with his gun raised, noticed blood seeping from Tiger's arms, confirming that Tiger had become Tian Xinxi's hostage. Regardless of whether this was a real hostage situation or a staged one, this situation at least relieved the Flying Tigers from their dilemma.
The two sides remained deadlocked in the alley. Pan Zilong's orders persisted, but this time the target was Tian Xinxi, not Tiger. Zhuang Zhuoyuan stared intently through the scope, a slight relief washing over him, but he still hesitated to act. The evidence against Tian Xinxi was irrefutable; even shooting him on the spot would be legal and compliant. His head was the perfect target. But if he died—no, even a single shot—that scumbag Tian Xinxi would refuse to reveal Dingding Lele's whereabouts. Zhuang Zhuoyuan was unable to act immediately, hoping his assault team could find a breakthrough first.
"Ah Yuan, be decisive," Pan Zilong urged. He understood Zhuang Zhuoyuan's hesitation, but the Flying Tigers' operations always emphasized speed and decisiveness. Delay could lead to unforeseen changes, and changes meant enormous crises.
“Inspector Pan…”
"Shoot to kill!"
There was no second word, no second chance. If Zhuang Zhuoyuan didn't fire, Pan Zilong would give the order to the others to shoot. Zhuang Zhuoyuan was the best option, but not the only one.
The lives of two children were at stake, and Zhuang Zhuoyuan couldn't shake the urge to pull the trigger. However, he ultimately had no choice but to do so when Tian Xinxi suddenly pulled a pistol from inside his clothes. Seeing this, Zhuang Zhuoyuan's hand moved faster than his mind, and he immediately fired. The gun fell to the ground before the other man could raise it, and Tian Xinxi collapsed, limp and lifeless.
Xie Jiaxing rushed forward, trying to separate Tiger and Tian Xinxi, but He Feihu, with his injured arms hanging limply, struggled fiercely, determined to find out Dingding and Lele's location. Zhuang Zhuoyuan's shot was too accurate; Tian Xinxi's eyes were already unfocused, or perhaps he didn't intend to think about those two annoying brats in his final moments. By the time Zhuang Zhuoyuan rushed down from his firing position to the scene, Tian Xinxi was already dead. "Tiger..." he said, his face full of remorse.
He Feihu, with tears streaming down his face and looking utterly exhausted, still managed to comfort him: "Yuan, you did the right thing. If you hadn't fired, he would have hurt our brothers. In this situation, Sniper had to be decisive, and you handled it very well."
Zhuang Zhuoyuan felt even more guilty.
The unease lingered even after he finished work. Zhuang Zhuoyuan didn't want to go home like that, so he drove around in circles before finally returning to his small apartment. He and Iris had originally planned to move in once Tangyuan was a little older, building a love nest as a family of three. However, as Tangyuan grew older, they gradually realized their ability to care for a child alone was limited. Considering their plan to have a second child after Iris graduated, this apartment had to become their temporary base, sometimes a quiet space for Iris to work on her writing, and sometimes a convenient place for the couple to enjoy weekends together.
Having told Iris not to prepare dinner for him, Zhuang Zhuoyuan worried that she'd already eaten all the snacks and instant noodles, so he went to the convenience store to stock up on all the necessary "ammunition" for his wife, lest she go crazy from cravings while she was working out. When he carried the two large bags upstairs, he was surprised to find the living room light on. Before he could even feel happy, Iris had already skipped over to him with a spatula in hand, kissing his cheek and praising herself: "I knew you'd come here, honey, you're in for a treat tonight!"
Mrs. Zhuang had cooked for the third time since her marriage, barely qualifying as her third time. Zhuang Zhuoyuan glanced at the table subconsciously; there was nothing there but empty bowls. This was not a good sign. He nuzzled Iris's cheek with his chin, watching her dodge, and asked with a smile, "You didn't just cook rice, did you?" Her specialty was putting takeout from ULO restaurant into the microwave.
Iris snorted loudly, slapped him, and called him into the kitchen to see her masterpiece. A cutting board and cleaver were out, the stoves were on, one was simmering soup, and the other had vegetables in a pot—it looked quite professional. Zhuang Zhuoyuan nodded eagerly, praising Iris's smug expression, "You've really improved! You've learned how to use a pot to heat food."
"Can't you speak properly?!" Iris glared at him, hands on her hips.
Zhuang Zhuoyuan dodged her inevitable attack, put the snacks in the cupboard, and said, "You have a takeout lid in the sink."
Iris exploded: "How is that possible! I checked everything! It's all thrown away! Ah, Zhuang Zhuoyuan!"
Zhuang Zhuoyuan burst into unrestrained laughter.
Iris belatedly realized that the blame was still on the "pregnancy brain" phenomenon. Since Zhuang Zhuoyuan had exposed her so thoroughly, she simply stopped pretending and let him continue to maintain his "doting husband" persona. She shoved the dishes into his hands, leaving him to handle today's dinner.
With Iris's outburst, Zhuang Zhuoyuan was finally able to escape his emotional turmoil for the time being. After dinner, the two snuggled on the sofa watching TV. Zhuang Zhuoyuan hugged Iris and whispered "thank you." Iris idly flipped through the channels, but didn't seem to care much when she heard him: "Don't think you can skip the dishes just because of this. I cooked today, so you have to wash the dishes."
“With Miss Iris around, I wouldn’t dare shirk my responsibilities.” Zhuang Zhuoyuan ruffled Iris’s hair, which naturally earned him a flurry of playful punches from her. Finally, the disheveled kitten was held in his arms, face to face. Zhuang Zhuoyuan had one arm around Iris’s waist, while the other hand ran his fingers through her hair, gently touching her forehead, eyes, nose, and cheeks with his lips. He asked, “How did you guess I was here?”
Iris was aroused by his kiss, and buried her head in his neck, her voice low and muffled: "Tao-ge and Master both called me, and Auntie said you weren't coming home for dinner, so I guessed you were going to come here alone to eat instant noodles."
Zhuang Zhuoyuan chuckled softly: "Isn't that a bit too arbitrary?"
Iris, true to form, said, "I brought you here before I even got around to it, it's no big deal."
Zhuang Zhuoyuan thought about it and realized it didn't matter. He had originally planned to go home anyway, and now that he was going back to a home with Iris, it couldn't be better.
As Iris was being affectionate with him, she grew wary: "Zhuang Zhuoyuan, are you trying to use this as an excuse to avoid work? I'm warning you, don't try to trick me into washing dishes with you again."
Zhuang Zhuoyuan suddenly realized that his wife had lost her intelligence and her sense of romance during her pregnancy. He got up in his current position, carried his wife into the bedroom, and gradually eased her worries: "Just call a part-time housekeeper over tomorrow, and have her clean the room while she's at it."
"Zhuang Zhuoyuan, you've changed." Iris never expected her husband to say such a thing. She immediately adopted a dramatic act, frowning and covering her face. "Are you no longer willing to do things personally for our little family?"
Zhuang Zhuoyuan pinched her waist under her clothes, leaned over the bedside table, and whispered something in her ear. Iris immediately covered her exposed eyes and didn't mention the housekeeper again. But Zhuang Zhuoyuan just loved to tease her. He waited until she couldn't take it anymore and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, I'll wash the sheets tomorrow."
Iris was so angry she wanted to kill him. Her boss, Mr. Zhuang, had really changed.
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