Free Web NovelChapter 222: Chapter 222: Lying in Wait
However, the scene inside the cave stunned the officers. The kidnapper was lying unconscious on the ground, his dagger beside him, while the two female hostages sat on the floor. One of the girls was still in a state of shock, clearly terrified. The other, however, seemed to be in better shape; she was even able to give them a proper greeting.
What was going on?
How did the criminal suddenly collapse? Did he have some kind of sudden illness?
But this wasn’t the time to ponder such questions. Two officers immediately moved forward to restrain the kidnapper. The captain in charge of the operation approached the two young women and said, "You’re safe now."
"Thank you," the calmer girl said, taking a deep breath and quickly expressing her gratitude.
"Can you tell us what happened just now?" the captain asked, curious as to why the kidnapper had suddenly fainted.
Just as the captain finished his question, one of the officers restraining the criminal called out, "Captain Zhang, this man was knocked out."
A faint bruise was clearly visible on the kidnapper’s temple. An experienced officer could tell at a glance that he had been struck.
Hearing this, Captain Zhang strode over to examine the kidnapper’s condition. He frowned and turned back to the two young women. The only people in the cave were the kidnapper and these two hostages. Logically, it was impossible for the two of them to have knocked him out; otherwise, the standoff wouldn’t have dragged on for so long.
"Could you please tell me what happened?" Captain Zhang asked softly, approaching the two girls. They had just been rescued and were still shaken. He worried that a loud voice might upset them further.
"He... he just suddenly fell over," the terrified girl stammered. "At the time, he was holding a dagger to my neck, and then he just collapsed. I thought he was going to attack me, so I screamed... but it turned out he had fainted. But even so, I’m still in a panic. The whole thing was just too terrifying."
The calmer girl added, "I don’t know either. The kidnapper just suddenly fell to the ground and passed out."
’She knew it had to be the work of the girl in the opening above,’ she thought. ’That person saved us. Since she wanted me to keep it a secret, I have to help cover for her.’
"You didn’t notice anything else unusual?" Captain Zhang pressed. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
Both girls shook their heads.
Captain Zhang’s brow furrowed. He turned to look at the still-unconscious kidnapper. He had just examined him; the man had been knocked out by a hard object striking his temple. Since the two hostages hadn’t seen anything, it meant the attacker must have been some distance away. Furthermore, the force had been perfectly controlled. This person was definitely highly skilled.
Unfortunately, it seemed the person in question had no intention of revealing themselves.
Captain Zhang lowered his head and circled the spot where the kidnapper had collapsed. Soon, he discovered a small pebble, one that was noticeably different from the other stones in the cave.
Captain Zhang immediately put on a pair of gloves and placed the pebble into an evidence bag.
He then scanned his surroundings and quickly spotted a long, narrow opening in the rock face to the upper left. As Captain Zhang looked toward the opening, he also noticed that the calmer girl’s expression seemed to falter for a split second.
Captain Zhang glanced at her discreetly. It was obvious this girl knew something. But why wasn’t she willing to talk?
Puzzled, Captain Zhang estimated the distance between the narrow opening and the kidnapper. He couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath. The distance was considerable. Even he couldn’t guarantee he could hit a person with a small pebble from that far away, let alone strike the temple with such precision and perfectly controlled force!
This person’s skills were absolutely incredible.
However, an individual like this had to be registered with the bureau. After all, with that level of skill, they could easily cause trouble if they wanted to. They could be considered a dangerous individual. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
It would be best to find this person in Beijing and have them file a report at the station. But looking at the two girls, who were still quite shaken, Captain Zhang decided to put the thought aside for now.
Soon, the police left the cave with the kidnapper and the two young women. Su Qing, leaning against the wall in the adjacent cave, wasn’t in a hurry. She listened to the sounds from the other side, took out some food to fill her stomach, and waited for about another hour. Only then did she climb up to the opening. A quick look confirmed that the other cave was now empty.
Su Qing climbed through and started walking toward the cave entrance. She hadn’t gone far when a police officer suddenly stepped out from behind a large rock, his eyes fixed on her.
Su Qing stopped in her tracks, narrowing her eyes at the officer.
"Hello, my name is Zhang." The person waiting outside was none other than Captain Zhang. After leading the kidnapper and the two girls out of the cave, he had sent his team members down the mountain ahead of him while he stayed behind. He wanted to wait and see if the person who had helped them would emerge from this opening.
And sure enough, his wait had paid off.
Su Qing remained silent, merely watching Captain Zhang. ’I’m so careless,’ she mentally cursed herself. ’I should have waited in the cave for a few more hours. These officers are something else. Why do their powers of observation have to be so sharp?’
She didn’t need Captain Zhang to say anything to know why he was waiting here. He must have found a clue—most likely the pebble.
Still, Su Qing had no regrets. If she had encountered a situation like this and hadn’t acted, her conscience would have tormented her. Her past life in the apocalypse had taught her to be decisive and swift, nipping danger in the bud. But the warmth and kindness she had experienced since coming to this world had preserved a certain softness and goodwill in her heart. She couldn’t just stand by and do nothing in a situation like today’s.
Captain Zhang naturally noticed Su Qing’s resistance and defensiveness. He quickly smiled and said, "I don’t have any malicious intent. I waited here today simply because I wanted to know who helped us. First, I want to thank you for saving the hostages in the nick of time. Without your help, they might have been harmed today. Thank you."
"It was nothing." Since it had come to this, Su Qing didn’t bother denying it. The cave was small enough to see everything at a glance. Besides the main entrance, the only other access was the long, narrow opening in the ceiling. No one could have possibly gotten through that opening without considerable skill.
