Free Web NovelChapter 377: High speed chase
A low, mechanical whir began to cut through the night air above them.
At first it was distant, almost swallowed by the rush of wind against the moving car. Then it grew louder—closer—unmistakable.
The driver stiffened and glanced into the rearview mirror. His face drained of color.
"It’s a helicopter," he said hoarsely.
The whirring intensified as a powerful searchlight suddenly sliced across the highway, illuminating the black sedan in a stark beam of white.
"It’s the police!" the driver shouted, panic overtaking him. "They’re tailing us!"
The car swerved slightly as he instinctively jerked the steering wheel. Tires screeched against asphalt before he regained control.
Hua Ling turned her head slowly and looked up through the side window at the looming shadow overhead. Instead of fear, a manic grin spread across her face.
"Ha... ha... ha..." Her laughter rose, sharp and breathless. "Step on it! Don’t let them catch us! Step on it!"
The driver hesitated only a second before slamming his foot down on the accelerator.
The engine roared.
The sedan shot forward, speed climbing rapidly as it tore down the highway. Other vehicles honked violently and veered aside, headlights flashing as drivers scrambled to avoid collision. The black car zigzagged between lanes, narrowly missing a truck before cutting sharply ahead of a smaller vehicle, forcing it to brake hard.
Above them, the helicopter adjusted its position, maintaining distance while keeping the sedan locked in its spotlight. Through his headset, Alex relayed coordinates in a calm, clipped tone to ground units already mobilizing ahead.
Within minutes, police cruisers began merging onto the highway from different entry points. Sirens wailed, red and blue lights flashing in synchronized urgency as they formed a tightening net.
Inside the sedan, tension exploded. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
"Police ahead!" one of the men shouted as flashing lights appeared in the distance.
The driver cursed under his breath and swerved toward the shoulder, attempting to bypass the forming blockade. The car fishtailed slightly before regaining traction.
Hua Ling leaned forward, gripping the seat in front of her. "Faster!" she demanded, her voice shrill. "Break through them!"
"We can’t!" the driver barked. "They’re everywhere!"
The highway had transformed into chaos. Vehicles slowed abruptly, some pulling aside completely as officers used loudspeakers to command traffic to clear the road. The black sedan, however, refused to comply. It barreled forward recklessly, its engine straining under the extreme speed.
The helicopter’s searchlight never left them.
Another patrol car surged from a side road and positioned itself parallel to the sedan, attempting to box it in. The driver swerved violently to avoid being forced off course, nearly clipping the patrol car’s bumper. The maneuver sent the sedan spinning halfway across the lane before it corrected, tires screeching in protest.
Hua Ling’s laughter began to falter.
Her eyes darted around as flashing lights multiplied ahead. Two more police vehicles had formed a barricade across the northbound lanes. Behind them, additional units were closing in, sealing off retreat.
"There’s no way through!" the driver yelled.
"Find one!" Hua Ling screamed back, but even she could hear the thinning conviction in her own voice.
The helicopter dipped lower, the thunderous chopping of its blades echoing across the highway. Through the windshield, officers could now be seen exiting their vehicles with weapons drawn, taking defensive positions behind open doors.
The sedan swerved toward a narrow service exit in a last desperate attempt to escape, but another police SUV roared up from the ramp, blocking it completely.
The driver slammed the brakes.
The tires shrieked against asphalt, smoke rising as the car skidded sideways before coming to a violent halt just meters from the barricade.
Silence lasted only a heartbeat.
Then came the amplified command.
"Turn off the engine! Hands where we can see them!"
Hua Ling sat frozen, her chest heaving. The manic triumph that had filled her moments earlier drained rapidly, replaced by something far less stable.
Disbelief.
This was not how it was supposed to end.
She had calculated everything. The forest. The distance. The timing. The burial.
They were supposed to be too late.
They were supposed to be searching trees while she crossed borders.
"How..." she whispered, staring at the encircling lights. "How did they..."
Before Hua Ling’s disbelief could fully form into coherent denial, a police officer had already yanked the car door open and dragged her out with unceremonious force.
Her boots scraped harshly against asphalt as she was pulled forward. The night air was sharp and cold against her flushed face. In one swift motion, the officer twisted her arm behind her back and forced her down onto the highway shoulder. Gravel bit into her knees. Her cheek nearly struck the ground before he shoved her flat and snapped the handcuffs tightly around her wrists.
The metal clamped shut with a final, merciless click.
"Let go of me!" Hua Ling shrieked, thrashing violently despite the weight pressing her down. "Do you know who I am? Do you know who I am?!"
Her voice cracked with fury and disbelief. This was not how her story ended. She was not meant to be thrown onto dirty asphalt like a common criminal.
The officer did not even blink.
"You are under arrest for kidnapping," he said flatly, tightening his grip as she struggled again.
"Kidnapping?" she spat, her hair falling wildly across her face. "Who did I kidnap? This is a wrongful arrest! You have no right!"
She twisted and kicked, but more officers closed in, forcing her into a kneeling position. Flashing red and blue lights painted her face in violent streaks of color. The helicopter still hovered above, its blades slicing through the night like a relentless reminder that escape was no longer possible.
The head of the police unit approached calmly, his expression hard but controlled. He crouched down until he was eye level with her.
"Tell me," he said evenly, "where did you take Hua Jing?"
At the mention of that name, something flickered across Hua Ling’s face. Then she laughed.
It was a brittle, hollow sound.
"So it’s about that wretched woman," she sneered. "Why would I know where she is? If something happened to her, then that’s her bad luck. Maybe she shouldn’t have put herself in such a situation."
