Chapter Ten: Fierce Men and Women

  Time rewound to an hour ago, the gunfight had just ended, and the heavy rain was still pouring down. Wang Xing shouted in the courtyard, "Liu Handong, is that you?"

  Liu Handong was startled, he had just witnessed with his own eyes the people outside taking down two assassins, they should be helping him, but his vigilance made him dare not trust anyone easily, so he said: "Who are you?"

  "Wang Xingdao: 'I am Xia Qingshi's entrusted private detective to protect Shu Fan, I'm Wang Xing.'"

  Liu Handong said: "What makes me believe you? Put down your gun first."

  Wang Xing shouted: "You prove yourself as Liu Handong first, then I'll put down the gun."

  Liu Handong was furious: "How can I prove it? Do you want me to show you my ID?"

  Wang Xing had thoroughly investigated Liu Handong's file and, after a moment's thought, came up with a verification method. "What military rank was your grandfather awarded in '55?"

  "Colonel in the army." Liu Handong replied, then looked at Ma Guoqiang, who was still bleeding, and angrily said: "If this policeman keeps talking nonsense, he won't be saved."

  Xiao Fan pulled out a bloody police ID card from Ma Guoqing's pocket and showed it to Liu Handong.

  "Ma Guoqing from the fireworks squad has been shot and is bleeding badly, he's almost dead!" Liu Handong shouted.

  Wang Xing stepped out of the car and raised his hands high to show he was unarmed.

  "I'm coming over, don't shoot."

  Liu Handong held an automatic rifle, scanning the street, gesturing for Xiao Fan to hide. He was a bit too tense, after all, the opponent was only an amateur assassin, not impressive enough to have a sniper.

  Wang Xing walked into the yard and saw Ma Guoqing lying on the stairs. He rushed over quickly: "Old Ma, what's wrong with you?"

  Ma Guoqing was still awake and said in a low voice: "Little Wang, I can hold on."

  Liu Handong let out a sigh of relief, Ma Guoqiang knew this person, at least he could trust him half way.

  Wang Xing looked around: "Where's Shu Fan?"

  Liu Handong's gun was still pointed at Wang Xing: "You haven't proven your identity yet."

  Wang Xing carefully took out an iPhone from his pocket: "I can let Shu Fan and her father talk."

  Liu Handong nodded, and Wang Xing dialed the FaceTime. A few seconds later, the call was connected, and on the screen was a woman's handsome and majestic face.

  "I've found Shu Fan, she wants to talk to President Xia, otherwise she won't show up." said Wang Xingdao.

  "Wait a minute." The woman walked into a room that looked like a hospital ward, holding her mobile phone. A thin man's face appeared on the screen.

  "Where is Daddy's little darling?" The man's voice was very gentle.

  Xiao Fan rushed out of the stairwell, her eyes full of tears, holding her phone, opening her mouth, and finally making a sound: "Dad, I'm scared."

  In the phone, Xia Qing Shi was overjoyed, his autistic daughter could actually speak, and he vaguely heard her voice: "An Xing, book me the fastest ticket, no, charter a plane, whatever plane is available, I want to go back."

  On a stormy day with heavy rain, the 3G signal was very poor and kept cutting in and out. Liu Handong had already believed the other person's identity, putting away his gun: "This place isn't safe, this policeman can't hold on either."

  Wang Xingdao said: "I have a car, I'll take Old Ma to the hospital first."

  Liu Handong said: "You hold him, I'll drive."

  Wang Xing knew the other party was still on guard, so he tossed over the car keys: "The white Jetta outside."

  Liu Handong dropped the empty automatic rifle and left with Xiao Fan first. Wang Xing picked up Ma Guoqing and followed, then looked for the killer who was shot in the leg, but he was nowhere to be seen. At this time, they couldn't care about catching him either. Everyone got into the Jietda (a car model), Liu Handong said: "Hold on tight." Before his words were finished, everyone felt a strong push from behind.

  The nearest Provincial Medical University Hospital, Liu Handong drove hastily, the road was flooded and muddy due to construction, Wang Xing urged: "Faster, faster!"

  "Either you drive." Liu Handong stepped on the accelerator, and a truck coming from the opposite direction whizzed past with a gap of less than five centimeters.

  Wang Xing suddenly fell silent.

  Ma Guoqing's wound was still bleeding, Xiaofei's clothes were stained with blood, the towel covering the wound was soaked through, and there was a first-aid kit in the Jetta. Under Wang Xing's guidance, Xiaofei handled it calmly and neatly. Suddenly, Ma Guoqing's phone rang again. Xiaofei answered it, and it was an anxious female voice: "Dad, where are you?"

  Xiao Fan looked at Liu Handong, and Liu Handong nodded slightly.

  "We are on our way to the hospital, Medical College Hospital." Xiaofan's voice was pleasant and clear, speaking standard Mandarin rather than local dialect.

  Liu Handong's driving skills are great, but he completely disregards traffic rules and signal lights, even running three red lights in a row while going against the flow of traffic. Wang Xing watched with his mouth agape, thinking that with the new traffic regulations being so strict, he might not have enough points on his driver's license to deduct from.

  The hospital arrived quickly, Liu Handong stopped the car at the emergency department entrance, and Wang Xing together carried Ma Guoqing, who was covered in blood, inside. The doctors and nurses rushed forward to receive them, the injured person was quickly pushed into the operating room, and the clothes stained with blood were thrown at the door.

  A loud roar of an engine came from outside the emergency room, a red Yamaha off-road motorcycle with a wild and fierce appearance stopped, a girl wearing a T-shirt, hot pants and slippers got off the motorcycle and asked: "Was a wounded policeman sent here just now?"

  Liu Handong recognized that the girl was indeed Ma Ling, the female driver of bus 520. He thought to himself, "What a coincidence! She must be Ma Guoqing's daughter."

  "Your dad just went into the operating room, don't worry, he was shot in the stomach, it's not fatal." Wang Xing said as he stood up.

  "Uncle Wang." Ma Ling hastily greeted him, then looked at Liu Handong, recognizing him but not speaking, and rushed straight to the operating room, soon being pushed out by a nurse.

  "Wang Shu, who shot my dad?" Ma Ling was furious, his face twisted in a way that made him look like he wanted to tear several people apart.

  "The one who shot your dad was blown up by your dad on the spot." Liu Handong replied, he witnessed the scene with his own eyes, the most intense gun battle lasted no more than ten seconds, life and death were on a thin line, if it wasn't for Old Ma's cooperation and full trust in himself, I'm afraid that by now there would be more than one person lying in the operating room.

  Wang Xing stretched out his hand and said, "The car key should be mine now."

  Liu Handong tossed the Jetta keys over.

  "Go out and have a smoke." Wang Xing nudged Liu Handong, winking at him. Ma Guoqiang had already been sent to the hospital, and his family members had arrived too; there was no point in them continuing to stay here.

  Liu Handong understood, pulled up the small sail and went out, arrived at the car, Wang Xing took out a cigarette and threw one to Liu Handong, looked at the blood-stained clothes on Xiaofeng's body, frowned and said: "Wait for me, I'll go buy some clothes."

  He rushed to the supermarket at the hospital entrance, Liu Handong stood beside the car smoking, suddenly a burst of electric current sound, the police radio in the car threw out the command from the command center: All units pay attention, closely watch a suspect with a gun, the suspect holds Liu Handong's ID card, physical characteristics are 1.82 meters tall, weighing about 80 kilograms... It is possible that a 14-year-old girl is accompanying him, the suspect is extremely dangerous, and can be shot dead if necessary...

  Liu Handong's hands were shaking, the police were wanted for himself, the killer was going to kill him, what the hell had he done to provoke someone! He looked at Wang Xingyuan's departing figure, this person was not in the system, should be trustworthy.

  "Xiao Fan, follow this man, he will protect you." Liu Handong placed his hands on Xiao Fan's shoulders and instructed solemnly.

  Xiao Fan's eyes were brimming with tears as she clutched Liu Handong's collar and refused to let go.

  "Don't follow me!" Liu Handong roared, scaring Xiaofan so much that she trembled and let go of his hand.

  In the distance, red and blue police lights flashed, a police car drove into the hospital gate.

  Liu Handong turned his head and walked away, dodging into the emergency department entrance.

  Ma Lingyong stepped forward: "What exactly happened? Who did it?"

  Liu Handong said: "May I borrow your motorcycle for a ride?"

  Ma Ling took out the key: "Tell me who was behind the sinister plot, and I'll give you the key."

  "Shi Feng Group's Gu Changjun, the hitman he hired injured your dad. I'm going to find him now." Liu Handong reached out for the key, but Ma Ling took it back, "I changed my mind, let's go together."

  Liu Handong turned around and saw that the police car had arrived at the emergency department entrance. It was too late to ride a motorcycle now, so he stomped his foot and walked straight into the emergency department.

  The police car stopped and two traffic police officers lifted a wounded person from the vehicle. It turned out that this police car was rushing to send a traffic accident victim for emergency treatment, not to catch Liu Handong.

  Liu Handong didn't know what the police wanted, so he hid in the emergency room's observation room and opened the window to take a look outside. Seeing that it was traffic police, he let out a sigh of relief and was about to leave when he suddenly thought of something. He turned his head back and saw that there was someone lying on the hospital bed - it was the guy who had tried to strangle himself with a rope that night! The man's head was wrapped in bandages, with an IV drip hanging from his arm, connected to an ECG monitor and oxygen supply. Damn it, he hadn't died after all!

  The injured man lay on the hospital bed, like a piece of meat on a chopping board. Liu Handong stepped forward and yanked off his oxygen tube, ripped off the bandages, and used his hands to pry open the stitched wound on his face where steel bars had pierced through. The poor guy let out a blood-curdling scream, but Liu Handong covered his mouth, muffling the sound, which was swallowed back into his throat. His eyes were wide with terror as he stared at Liu Handong.

  "Do you remember me? I'm asking you, where does Gu Zhangjun live? You dare to say a word, and I'll tear your face apart!" Liu Handong threatened in a low voice, he wasn't scaring people, but was playing for real.

  "He said." The man was frightened by his ferocious face and immediately revealed Gu Changjun's home address and unit address. Liu Handong asked again, "Why did Gu Changjun want to kill me?"

  "His brother is dead," said the man.

  Liu Handong suddenly came to his senses, the guy sitting in the passenger seat holding a dagger looked very similar to Gu Changjun, it should be Gu Changjun's brother, no wonder, this deep-seated hatred has been formed.

  One punch and the kid fell silent, Liu Handong walked out of the door, not through the main entrance, but from the emergency department's back door. Just then, a powerful roar was heard, and a large-displacement Yamaha off-road motorcycle stopped in front of him.

  The driver took off his helmet, revealing a ponytail, it was Ma Ling.

  "All aboard!" Ma Ling's figure was swift and refreshing.

  Liu Handong did not hesitate and sat on the back seat of the motorcycle.

  Ma Ling stepped on the gas pedal, and the motorcycle's front wheel lifted off the ground as it shot out like a cheetah.