Chapter 44.1 – Dating Agency Back Online
Citizen Jiang felt utterly exhausted, his eyelids drooping as he watched people move on the electronic screen. They dealt with two individuals who patrolled past the small door, swapping clothes with them.
He said, “The situation on the second floor can be observed from the third floor. I suggest heading up to the third floor first.”
The person who changed clothes then ascended the stairs quietly, reaching the third floor.
At intervals on the third floor, there were people on guard. They swiftly dealt with the corners, gradually converging towards the center. They restrained the individuals stationed downstairs, seizing them by the neck in the blind spots of those below.
Hu Li, through his earpiece, heard someone praising them, “Really impressive.”
The tone was genuine, heartfelt, but he inexplicably sensed a hint of perfunctoriness.
The people on the third floor finished their tasks. Following the instructions, they refrained from making any moves within the sightline of the individuals locked in rooms. The guards had lost the chance to make any sound, and the captives inside the rooms didn’t make a fuss despite realizing someone had come to rescue them.
Using the same method, the SIU members gradually descended from the third floor to the first, clearing all three levels and changing clothes to replace the original personnel.
The warehouse seemed unchanged, with individuals still on guard and patrolling. Those dressed in dark red attire produced keys, unlocking the doors to the rooms, allowing the occupants to step out.
The captives in the rooms thought the local personnel were relocating them. Trembling, they followed instructions, not daring to speak or run, quietly exiting through the main door.
Unexpectedly, things progressed smoothly. Hu Li stood on the upper floor, observing, when a voice came through his earpiece again, “Two people are coming up.”
The footsteps echoed loudly in the silent space. Even those escorting civilians out noticed. Bodies tensed up instantly, bullets were loaded.
The distance from the underground entrance was too far to approach quietly. They had no choice but to fire.
Sliding down a bit in his chair, Citizen Jiang glanced at the screen, saying, “No need to act. There are more people on the lower three levels. Any commotion, and… none of these h*stages will make it out.”
“You just need to say, ‘The transfer to the lab has been moved up.'”
The individuals who had readied their guns put them down once more.
The footsteps drew closer. Two people emerged from underground, immediately spotting the line of people moving out. They paused, asking, “What’s going on here?”
One person replied, “The transfer to the lab has been moved up.”
The inquirer seemed surprised but didn’t say much. They grabbed a cup of water from the nearby water dispenser and left.
The captured individuals continued slowly walking out.
They boarded the same tourist bus as before, perhaps for convenience, as the keys were hanging on the door for easy access.
Except for the two individuals still on the underground third floor, almost everyone was about to board the bus. The person in dark red clothing took out a walkie-talkie and reported to Hu Li, who was still in the warehouse.
Hu Li responded while walking upstairs, eventually stopping in front of a room. Previously, this was the only empty room on the entire floor, likely where Jiang Yujin and his friend were being held together.
He stepped inside, glanced around, took in the sparse belongings, then left.
Everyone outside had already boarded the vehicle, which had started moving away. He lowered his gaze, took out the walkie-talkie, and said, “Head to the underground.”
Without needing to manage the numerous hostages, things swiftly escalated.
Watching the individuals on the screen now on the second underground level, Jiang Yujin stood up, covering the microphone and throwing the paper with Shi Bu’s drawing into the shredder. He patted Shi Bu and gestured towards Golden Earrings and the person beside her, saying, “Find a way to wake them up.”
Shi Bu used physical methods to awaken the two individuals.
Jiang Yujin watched as Golden Earrings opened her eyes, steadying her phone in her hand, clearing her throat lightly, and began, “She’s awake, hurry and come to resc—”
He cut himself off mid-sentence, ending the call and carefully placing the phone to avoid damage.
Golden Earrings and her colleague woke up, staggering to their feet. Seeing two figures in front of them, they finally realized what had happened earlier. Their eyes widened in an instant, and both moved at once.
Jiang Yujin and Shi Bu intervened, blocking the actions of the other two unfortunate individuals, then swiftly returning them to their original positions. They did it so fast that the other two fell to the ground immediately.
“…”
After a brief burst of sound through the earpiece, silence fell. Hu Li hurriedly made his way towards the third underground floor.
As soon as he descended to the third floor, a noise of tables and chairs crashing to the ground emanated from a room. He approached and then kicked the door open.
The scene in the room was chaotic and confusing, making it difficult to untangle the relationships at first glance. In short, there were four individuals strewn across the floor – two in dark red clothing, one with golden earrings, and another in a dirty shirt.
The only person left standing in the room was the colleague of the one with the golden earring, who had a tight grip on someone.
Jiang Yujin was the one being gripped. He was forcefully pressed against the office desk, disheveled with wrinkled clothes.
There was no need for caution anymore. Hu Li directly drew his gun, aiming at the colleague of Golden Earrings.
After a gunshot, blood splattered, and the person fell. The one who had been partly on the desk quickly pushed away the fallen individual to avoid staining their own clothes.
This reflex action was quicker than a physical reaction. Only after pushing the person away did they begin to cough and rub their throat repeatedly.
It was evident that the person who had gripped Jiang Yujin had been ruthless – there were bruises on his neck, adding to the paleness of his skin, making it even more horrific.
It took Jiang Yujin a while to regain his voice, as if testing a microphone several times before finally being able to speak again. He attempted to explain the current situation to Hu Li.
He explained that the two people who brought him and his less familiar friend came in and suddenly had a quarrel with Golden Earrings and her colleague. All four ended up unconscious, giving him the chance to contact the outside world.
Unexpectedly, just now, the colleague of Golden Earrings woke up, knocked out his less familiar friend, and then attempted to harm him. Fortunately, Hu Li, the righteous vice-captain, arrived in time.
As Jiang Yujin spoke, he glanced at Shi Bu lying on the ground.
He never intended for that person to lose consciousness. However, after waking up Golden Earrings and her colleague, this silly individual tried to render them unconscious again. When he wasn’t paying attention, he directly knocked out Golden Earrings and intended to harm the remaining colleague.
So, Jiang Yujin took matters into his own hands and knocked out the silly individual.
That led to the current situation.
Hu Li surveyed the room, but before he noticed, Jiang Yujin discreetly slipped his safely stashed phone into his pocket.
The third floor hadn’t been cleared yet. Upon hearing the commotion, the individuals in dark red clothing quickly arrived but were swiftly brought down by another group dressed in similar attire.
Jiang Yujin raised his thumb, saying, “I feel really safe.”
Hu Li zipped up his jacket and raised his brows, “That’s really great.”
Priority was given to taking away Shi Bu, the unconscious victim, while the others protected Citizen Jiang, who claimed to be frightened, and left.
Hu Li and the remaining team stayed behind to handle things and look for any useful information.
The third underground level was used for resting and storing weapons and other items, similar to the previously raided hideouts. One valuable find was a list retrieved from the office computer.
The list contained a series of contacts, some with addresses and additional information, while others lacked details. At the top was only one name: “Shi Bu,” without any contact information or address. Near the bottom, one name was highlighted in red – most likely the friend Jiang Yujin mentioned, also named Shi Bu, who got involved due to sharing the same name.
Zero was looking for Shi Bu, which was the only good news they got today. They originally thought that Shi Bu was probably a high-ranking member of Zero, but they didn’t expect that the other party had not cooperated with Zero, at least not yet. Judging from the current situation, he might be against Zero.
The list was recorded and sent to headquarters. Hu Li changed out of his heavy attire and back into his colorful shirt.
In short, it was time to call it a day.
