Song Yecheng subconsciously wanted to rush in, but Jiang Que stopped him immediately: "—Don't come over!"
Song Yecheng suddenly stopped and had to look at the floor tile again. His mind was thinking quickly: Jiang Que was obviously walking back and forth in a straight line, and the floor tile here was more than one meter long and wide. According to Jiang Que's stride, it was impossible that he had not stepped on this tile when he just entered, but why was there no reaction at that time, but it was suddenly triggered now?
Before he could figure out what was going on, all of a sudden, all the screens on the walls around the control room, which were originally displaying different contents, flashed at the same time, and cut out the same picture -
It’s Duan Jingming again!
Song Yecheng almost wanted to scold him for haunting him, but Duan Jingming on the screen had no sense of being disliked at all. He still leaned back on the familiar sofa, raising his hands to clap as if unable to hide his joy - clapping, clapping, clapping.
"Officer Jiang, I knew you would come."
He chuckled with satisfaction and pointed at the ground with a sly look. "This tile under your feet is a gravity detonator I specially prepared for you. Stepping on it once is fine, but a second time, it will instantly record the weight it's currently carrying. If the weight changes by more than five kilograms, all the bombs in the building will detonate within three seconds."
Song Yecheng's heart sank, because although he had guessed that this floor tile was probably a device similar to a loose-type mine, he never expected that it could actually measure weight accurately.
Five kilograms.
This is an extremely subtle limitation.
If he only needed "weight" to hold down the floor tiles, he could have just dragged something around to replace Jiang Que, but now the range of change was limited to five kilograms, which was equivalent to completely cutting off this possibility -
The easiest thing to move was the control console, but just by looking at it, he knew it weighed at least a hundred kilograms, far exceeding Jiang Que's weight. While the other scattered items could be disassembled and pieced together to determine their total weight, there was definitely not enough time, and even if there was, there was no way to weigh them.
This was clearly a death trap set for Jiang Que, with the intention of making sure he never came back.
"How's it going, Officer Jiang?" Duan Jingming on the screen smiled confidently, "Are you satisfied with this surprise?"
Jiang Que ignored his provocation, because at this time he also noticed the problem of "weight", but his perspective was slightly different from Song Yecheng's -
If this floor tile was just to prevent him from "walking", then setting the trigger condition to "explode as long as the weight changes" would obviously be the simplest and safest. However, it now leaves a floating range of five kilograms. What is the significance of this range?
Could it be...
"Jiang Que." Song Yecheng suddenly called out from outside the door.
Jiang Que turned around and saw Song Yecheng asking seriously, as if he had come up with something: "How much do you weigh?"
Almost instantly, Jiang Que keenly thought of a possibility and immediately replied in a precautionary manner, "At least ten kilograms lighter than you."
Song Yecheng choked immediately. How could he not understand the hidden meaning behind such a deliberate answer? He felt helpless and amused at the same time: "Can you not be so sensitive? I didn't say I would do it for you?"
Jiang Que chuckled noncommittally, then raised his hand and threw the file bag in his hand, drawing a parabola and falling out the door.
Bang!
Song Yecheng raised his hand and caught it, only to hear Jiang Que say, "Go downstairs and take it out."
Song Yecheng lowered the file bag and opened his mouth reflexively, as if he wanted to say something, but swallowed it back in the end.
He glanced at Duan Jingming on the screen, then turned his gaze back to Jiang Que, and finally uttered only one word: "Okay."
After saying that, he turned around so casually and left the door without looking back.
The quickness of his agreement and the swiftness of his departure left even Duan Jingming stunned. After blinking in amazement for a long moment, he said with a smile of disbelief, "Huh? He just left you like that?"
There was no one outside the door. Jiang Que listened to the footsteps gradually fading away and disappearing, and finally turned his gaze back to the screen.
Duan Jingming snorted twice, feigning regret and gloating, "I thought I'd at least be able to enjoy a heartfelt drama of 'you go,' 'I won't,' and 'we die together.' I didn't expect you to be so unimportant that I wouldn't even bother to act it out with you."
He taunted her with relish, but Jiang Que's expression didn't change at all. He just casually said, "I'm sorry to disappoint you."
His eyes seemed to be fixed on Duan Jingming, but he was actually looking at the time at the bottom of the screen.
Three minutes left.
Song Yecheng should be almost on the first floor now. With his speed, he has enough time to get out.
"No, no, no, I'm not disappointed," Duan Jingming said, still looking very interested. "I just didn't expect that Officer Jiang would go to such great lengths to investigate me, but in the final moments of his life, I was the only one by his side. This kind of fate—it really makes one sigh!"
2 minutes and 45 seconds.
Song Yecheng should have entered the abandoned staircase.
"Don't feel sad," Jiang Que said absentmindedly, "Even if I can't get out, you will definitely be caught. Once you're in prison, you'll have plenty of time to feel sad."
"Hahahahahaha..." Duan Jingming laughed unscrupulously, and it took a long while before he managed to stop. "Officer Jiang is indeed righteous. It's a pity - even if I get caught one day, you won't be able to see it."
2 minutes and 30 seconds.
The ventilation window was not high, and there were a lot of debris underneath to serve as a foothold. If everything went smoothly, Song Yecheng should have climbed out by now.
"It doesn't matter," Jiang Que responded indifferently, "If I can't get out, there will always be someone who can. They will be my eyes and ears, listening to your confession and watching you be executed."
Duan Jingming was taken aback for a moment, but soon sneered disdainfully, "Officer Jiang, at this point, there's no need to act all righteous and fearless, right? There are only two of us left, so who can you act for? Why don't you take advantage of these last two minutes to tell me what your last wish is? If I'm merciful, I might even help you fulfill it."
2 minutes and 15 seconds.
According to Song Yecheng's pace, he should be far enough away from the building now. Even if the bomb explodes, he will not be affected.
Thinking of this, Jiang Que breathed a sigh of relief silently and slowly, as if he had finally completely unloaded the burden and no longer had to worry about anything.
The next second, he stopped staring at the time and finally looked straight at Duan Jingming.
Facing Duan Jingming's provocative gaze, he suddenly smiled indifferently, reached into his pocket and took out something, then opened his palm towards the screen -
"Did you see this?"
The thing was flashing red light, and it was hard for Duan Jingming not to see it, but he didn't pay much attention to it. His tone was still casual and contemptuous: "What is this?"
Anyway, he was not in the base, so even if it was a grenade, it would not pose any threat to him.
"Emergency locator," Jiang Que said calmly, "It can not only lock my position, but also search for all signal transmission devices around me and automatically track the direction of the signal."
Before Duan Jingming could fully grasp the meaning of these words, Jiang Que continued, "I was initially upset that I activated it too late and missed your video call downstairs. But thankfully, you're not one to quit when you're ahead. You gave me a second chance, and you delivered it to me."
Duan Jingming's expression finally changed. He seemed to have realized what this thing meant, and frowned with suspicion and vigilance.
"That's right," Jiang Que chuckled softly, "After chatting for so long, your position has long been exposed, and now—you should have been surrounded."
Duan Jingming's pupils suddenly shrank, and he stood up in disbelief, walked quickly to the window, parted the curtains and looked down.
Just a few seconds later, he took two steps back in panic and stared at the camera in shock: "You...you guys...!"
There was no trace of emotion in Jiang Que's eyes. He watched him quietly as he paced back and forth like a trapped beast, his eyes frantic and frustrated, completely losing all his previous elegance and composure.
However, Duan Jingming, in his panic, suddenly stopped in his tracks. As if he had thought of something, he suddenly burst into laughter. Then, he rushed in front of the camera and approached it almost frantically: "What are you so proud of?! I'm surrounded, and you're going to die anyway!"
He glared fiercely at the time next to him, and immediately laughed even more crazily: "Hahahahaha! One and a half minutes, you only have the last minute and a half left! Even if I'm about to be caught, I can still watch you die with my own eyes!!"
His resentful and twisted face was reproduced in countless close-ups on the surrounding screens of all sizes, layered over the walls, as if surrounded by ghosts roaring the most vicious curses, lingering throughout the entire control room.
Yet, amidst the ghostly shadows, Jiang Que remained as calm as a deity, raising his eyelids slightly: "So what?"
The eyes covered by long eyelashes concealed a sharp edge, and that edge radiated a clear light: "I am loyal to my faith and have no regrets in death."
This resounding sentence hit Duan Jingming's face so hard that it seemed as if a crack had appeared on the resentful mask.
However, at this moment, a voice that extremely destroyed the atmosphere suddenly sounded outside the door -
"What are you dying for?"
Duan Jingming was stunned, and Jiang Que also turned around suddenly, only to see that Song Yecheng, who should have been far away from the building, appeared outside the door again!
He walked across the threshold so dignifiedly, a screwdriver in his hand, and raised an eyebrow at Jiang Que with a sly smile:
"Have I given you leave to die, little officer?"
Duan Jingming stared in astonishment: "Haven't you already—"
Unexpectedly, before he could even finish his words, Song Yecheng had already strode to the door, lifted the cover of the distribution box, and slammed the switch.
"It's so noisy." He clapped his hands in disgust.
All the screens around went out instantly, Duan Jingming's voice was abruptly interrupted, even the hum of the exhaust fan stopped abruptly, and the ears were suddenly quiet.
Song Yecheng turned around and saw Jiang Que still standing there, staring at him as if stunned. He couldn't help but tease, "Oh, are you stunned by my handsomeness?"
Jiang Que seemed to have just woken up from a dream at this moment, and the worry that had been put at ease suddenly rose again: "...Why did you come back?"
Although the power switch has been turned off, it will not affect the detonation of the bomb - the red light of the floor tiles under his feet is still dazzling, and the "tick" sound of the countdown in the hall outside the door is still echoing urgently.
"There's only a little over a minute left," Jiang Que said anxiously, then suddenly saw Song Yecheng's hands again, "Where's the file?"
"Don't worry—" Song Yecheng walked quickly towards the wall, giving him a look that everything was OK. "The file has been sent out."
Jiang Que had lost all his previous composure and anxiously asked, "Then why did you come back?"
Song Yecheng walked to the wall and raised his hand to press the exhaust fan blade, which was still rotating slowly due to inertia even though the power was cut off. Then, without saying a word, he picked up the screwdriver in his hand and began to dismantle its outer frame.
"Because I'm also loyal to my faith." His hands moved very quickly, and he still had time to respond to Jiang Que, although his words sounded like nonsense. "My faith is - never allow any meaningless sacrifice. As long as there is a chance of survival, I will linger until the last second."
Jiang Que stared at his actions closely, and gradually seemed to realize what he was trying to do. However, after realizing it, he suddenly became even more incredible: "...This is the fourth floor!"
"I know." Song Yecheng answered nonchalantly, his hands still moving, as if it was completely unimportant.
Jiang Que: “…”
He couldn't move his feet, and no matter how anxious he was, he could only watch. He saw Song Yecheng quickly remove all the fixing screws, causing the entire round frame to loosen. Then he threw away the screwdriver, grabbed one side with both hands and exerted force suddenly. "Clang!", he forcibly pulled the huge iron plate with a diameter of one person's height off the wall.
Suddenly, a big hole appeared in the wall.
Song Yecheng casually flipped the iron plate aside with a "clang!", patted the dust off his hands and breathed a sigh of relief. Then, as if by magic, he suddenly reached into his clothes and pulled out a bundle of climbing ropes from the back of his waist covered by his shirt!
——That was one of the props he found in the wardrobe drawer when he was rummaging through the dormitory last night.
Song Yecheng untied the knot in a few seconds, walked quickly to the side, passed one end of the rope around the drainpipe on the wall, fastened the buckle, and then turned and walked towards Jiang Que holding the other end of the rope.
Jiang Que watched him approach step by step and couldn't help but ask worriedly: "...What do you want to do?"
Song Yecheng walked up to him, swung the rope without saying a word, passed it around his waist, and then passed it around his back. He caught it steadily with his other hand, and with a "click" he fastened the buckle firmly to the rope.
Jiang Que was still looking down, but Song Yecheng had already grasped his waist with one hand and lifted his chin with the other hand.
"Do you believe me?"
The two were so close that their breaths mingled. Song Yecheng's eyes were full of confidence and a smile. That fearlessness penetrated directly into Jiang Que's eyes and heart, and like a gentle spring breeze, it gradually soothed all his fluctuating emotions and chaotic worries.
Jiang Que's eyes gradually softened, and he finally calmed down completely: "Of course."
"Okay," Song Yecheng said, "Then when I count to three, you close your eyes and give your body to me."
Jiang Que looked into his eyes. Although he didn't know what he wanted to do specifically, he still nodded solemnly with complete trust.
Song Yecheng smiled slightly, turned around and faced the outer wall side by side with him.
--"one,"
--"two,"
--"three!"
Jiang Que closed his eyes, and instantly felt someone grabbing his lower back. A huge force carried him across the floor tiles and he rushed towards the hole in the wall regardless of everything!
In a moment, he felt the wind coming from outside the cave.
The next second, the arms around his waist pulled inward, locking him tightly in his arms like an iron socket. Jiang Que immediately raised his hands to hold him tightly. Song Yecheng grabbed the rope and jumped out. He spun in the air and kicked hard towards the edge of the wall!
In the second second, the feeling of weightlessness suddenly came over them, and as the two of them fell rapidly along the rope, the sound of the wind whistled past their ears.
In the third second, the falling momentum paused slightly after flying several meters. Jiang Que seemed to have stepped on something soft, and then the object suddenly disappeared. At the same time, Song Yecheng tightened his grip on the rope, and at the right moment, he braked and slowed down, bringing Jiang Que down steadily to the ground!
Just as the two touched the ground, a sharp "click" sound rang out throughout the building, followed by a loud bang that penetrated the building. Countless doors and windows burst open, and flames shot out from the building, scattering glass fragments, mud and flying sand all over the sky!
The strong impact was like an earthquake, pushing the two people who had just landed forward. Song Yecheng threw Jiang Que to the ground, wrapped his elbows around his head and face, and lowered his head to protect him firmly under his body!
The time is obviously very short, yet it seems to be extended endlessly.
All the loud noises were isolated from the world. The only sound Jiang Que could hear was the strong and powerful heartbeat in Song Yecheng's chest, which hit his earlobes and heart again and again, and gradually merged with his own heartbeat.
The smoke cleared and the roar gradually faded.
Only the crackling sound of the burning residue continued.
A distant sirens sounded from the distant sky, as if playing the prelude to the end.
Song Yecheng propped up his upper body slightly, and Jiang Que's eyes finally turned from dark to bright, and then he looked up -
Song Yecheng's forehead and cheeks were covered with dust and sweat. Although he looked disheveled, he exuded an air of determination in the reflection of the red sunset, appearing extremely handsome and charming.
He continued to breathe heavily, with a bright smile in his eyes, and looked directly into Jiang Que's eyes:
"If you live, I live too."
But with just seven simple words, Jiang Que seemed to have heard the most touching love words in the world. His heart trembled and he was lost in thought for a moment. All the words melted into silence in the sunset. He stared silently at those bright eyes, then curved his eyes and showed the brightest smile from the heart.
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