Chapter 85: The Decisive Blow in the Ventilation Duct

The news of the municipal bureau's successful hostage rescue spread like wings, and by the next morning it had circulated through the public security systems of several surrounding cities.

Feng Yan's encrypted communicator had been buzzing nonstop since early morning.

Several municipal public security bureau leaders, beating around the bush, inquired about that kind of 'little bug' that can squeeze into cracks and climb walls.

Wang Hao helped Chen Guang tidy the equipment box while smugly saying:

"See? Guangzi, our \"Insect Pack\" has become a hot commodity!"

"We'll have to get Brother Feng to set up a competitive bidding auction later!"

Chen Guang ignored him, carefully inspecting the wear on the joints of a "Mechanical Spider".

The heavy use last night still left some traces.

Li Yang silently checked the terminal for usage suggestions recorded from police feedback:

For example, maneuverability in tight spaces could be improved, and the camera's performance in extreme low light needs optimization.

Just then, Captain Lei Meng burst into their temporary workspace with a gust of wind, his face even more solemn than yesterday's.

"Section Chief Feng, Engineer Chen, we need to trouble you again!"

Lei Meng's voice was a little hoarse, and his eyes were bloodshot.

"We just received a request for help from a neighboring city—they've got an even tougher case over there!"

The situation is more complicated than yesterday's.

A gang armed with standard-issue firearms robbed a jewelry store.

Most importantly, they also took three hostages and fled into an abandoned chemical plant office building in the suburbs.

This gang has extremely strong counter‑surveillance awareness, using the factory's complex pipe network and sturdy structures to make a last‑ditch stand.

The local SWAT team launched several strong assaults, but they not only failed, two members were lightly injured.

"That old office building's structure is too damn complex!" Lei Meng pulled up the drone's aerial footage.

He pointed at the building, its walls covered in rusted pipes and shattered windows.

"Ventilation ducts and material transfer ports are everywhere—it's like a maze!"

"They're hiding in there; we can't pinpoint their exact location, so a frontal assault would be suicide!"

He looked at Chen Guang, his eyes pleading:

"Engineer Chen, we still have to rely on your \"Insect Pack\"!"

"Only they can get inside and figure out what's going on in there!"

Without any hesitation, the Dragon Chant team deployed again.

The perimeter of the abandoned chemical plant had been sealed off layer by layer by the police, the atmosphere oppressive.

When the local municipal bureau's leaders saw Lei Meng's "expert team" and those few iconic equipment cases, they felt as if they had seen a savior.

Chen Guang wasted no time, directly setting up the control terminal on the command vehicle.

Li Yang and Wang Hao assisted the police, quickly analyzing the building's structural diagrams to locate every possible entry point.

"The main ventilation duct entrance is on the roof, but it might be blocked from inside."

"There's a broken material transfer port on the second floor that might be big enough."

"The basement has a maintenance passage that connects to part of the piping..."

"Multiple points of entry." Chen Guang made the judgment.

"The Spider Squad will handle ground‑ and low‑area reconnaissance."

"The Butterfly Squad will use its small size to try to enter through higher‑level breaches, providing aerial vision and communications relay."

Soon, the three "Mechanical Spiders" respectively entered from the basement maintenance passage, the broken window on the first floor, and the material port on the second floor.

Like water droplets seeping into sand, they vanished silently into the building's intricate interior.

At the same time, the two "Mechanical Butterflies" nimbly flew up to the third floor and slipped in through a broken exhaust‑fan opening.

On the command vehicle's screen, real‑time feeds from multiple angles began to appear simultaneously.

The interior of the abandoned office building could be called a disaster:

collapsed partitions, scattered chemical waste barrels, thick pipes crisscrossing everywhere, and pervasive gloom and dust.

Spider‑01 cautiously crawled along a ventilation pipe rusted through and through, its feed conveying a rust‑red sense of oppression.

Spider‑02 weaved through the cluttered control room on the first floor, skirting the abandoned consoles.

Spider‑03 tried to creep along the wall, seeking to infiltrate the second floor.

Butterfly‑01 and ‑02 hovered over the relatively open area on the third floor, their cameras sweeping across the spacious workshop and corridors.

"Watch for heat and sound sources." Chen Guang reminded.

Time ticked by second by second; the command vehicle fell silent except for the faint hum of the equipment and everyone's restrained breathing.

Lei Meng and the local SWAT captain stared intently at the screen, their fists clenched until they turned white.

Suddenly, the feed from Spider‑01 showed the pipe ahead splitting into a fork, and faint human voices could be heard indistinctly!

"Spider‑01, reduce speed and boost the audio pickup gain." Chen Guang immediately operated.

"……Damn……the police outside haven't withdrawn……"

"……What the hell are they afraid of! Do they dare come in here?"

"……Old Three's watching those three hostages……don't screw up……"

The gangsters' conversation came in fragments, mixed with some profanity.

"Confirm the target is inside the area connected to the ventilation ducts!" Lei Meng growled low.

"Can you pinpoint the exact room?"

"Spider‑01, keep moving toward the sound source."

"Butterfly‑01, lower your altitude and search the area where the third floor meets the ductwork."

Chen Guang calmly mobilized resources.

Spider-01 was like a patient hunter, inching closer through the complex pipe network.

'Finally, it crawled behind the grille of a vent, and through the gaps in the grille, it saw the situation inside!

It was a room similar to an old laboratory, with three thugs wearing hoods.

Two of them guarded the door and window with guns, while one watched over the three hostages tied to a chair in the corner.

The hostages had tape over their mouths, their eyes filled with fear.

"Found him!" the local SWAT team leader exclaimed, pointing at the screen at the thug guarding the hostages.

However, a problem followed.

That room had only one door, blocked from inside by the thugs with heavy objects, and the windows were also sealed from within.

Although the vent grille allowed a clear view inside, it was extremely sturdy, making it impossible to breach silently from outside.

Forcibly breaking it would surely alert the enemy.

The assault route was blocked again.

"Damn! In sight but out of reach!" Lei Meng punched the carriage wall in anger.

Just when everyone was at a loss, Chen Guang, who had been silently staring at the screen, suddenly spoke:

"The ventilation pipe where Spider-01 is located has a diameter of about 30 centimeters, and its internal structure allows small objects to pass through."

He pulled up the control interface for the Mechanical Mantis, showing two mantises equipped with Bee Sting micro-lasers on standby.

"The Bee Sting laser, in low-power mode, can cause an instantaneous blinding effect on fragile electronic components or optical sensors, accompanied by intense glare."

Chen Guang's voice remained calm, but the content lifted everyone's spirits.

"You mean…?" Lei Meng seemed to have thought of something, his breathing becoming rapid.

"Let the Mechanical Mantis carry the Bee Sting, travel through the ventilation pipe, and infiltrate above the target room," Chen Guang explained.

"At the moment the assault team moves, simultaneously trigger the laser to blind and dazzle the thugs inside, creating an absolute advantage window of 0.5 to 1 second for the assault."

This plan is extremely bold, and also heavily reliant on precise technology and timing!

"Are you confident?" Feng Yan looked at Chen Guang.

"Theoretically feasible. It requires Old Li's cooperation, precisely calculating the mantis' infiltration path and laser activation timing, synchronizing with the assault team's actions to the millisecond." Chen Guang looked at Li Yang.

Li Yang immediately pulled up the building structure diagram and ventilation pipe diagram, his fingers swiftly swiping across the screen.

After running the simulation, a few seconds later he lifted his head, his eyes sharp:

"The route is viable, and time synchronization can be achieved."

"Let's do it!" Lei Meng and the local SWAT team leader exchanged a glance and almost simultaneously let out a low roar.

A new battle plan was quickly formulated.

The assault team redeployed outside the room door, preparing to, upon receiving the signal, use a breaching hammer for the strongest impact.

Chen Guang controlled Spider-01 inside the ventilation pipe to guide the path for the Mechanical Mantis.

The two Mechanical Mantises, like assassins in the dark night, crawled silently along the safe route explored by Spider-01 through the dim pipe.

Finally they reached the grille above the target room's vent, the azure Bee Sting laser aimed downward at the room.

"Mantis team in position."

"Assault team in position."

Everyone's hearts were in their throats.

"Countdown, five, four, three, two, one! Move!"

With Lei Meng's command over the communicator!

"Boom!!!" A deafening breaching blast came from outside the door!

Almost at the same millisecond!

"Sizzle! Sizzle!"

Two thin yet extremely glaring blue laser pulses shot precisely from the gaps in the vent grille.

One instantly struck the face of the gunman at the door, while the other hit the open space between the window thug and the hostage‑guard thug, erupting in intense glare!

"Ah! My eyes!"

"What the hell?!"

The three thugs simultaneously screamed and cried out, instantly falling into blindness and chaos!

In that flash of lightning!

"Police! Don't move!"

"Drop your weapons!"

The assault team SWAT, like a fierce tiger descending the mountain, swiftly stormed the room, exploiting that precious half‑second plus time gap.

The gun muzzles instantly locked onto the thugs still covering their eyes and shouting wildly!

Clean and efficient apprehension, disarmament, and control!

The whole process was so fast that people couldn't react.

When the three thugs were firmly pressed to the ground and handcuffed, they hadn't even fully recovered from the laser's blinding effect.

The hostages were safely rescued, with no one injured.

In the command vehicle, after a brief silence, an irrepressible outburst of cheers and applause erupted!

The leaders of the local municipal bureau excitedly grabbed Feng Yan and Lei Meng's hands, repeatedly thanking them.

Lei Meng then grabbed Chen Guang's shoulders in a bear hug, shaking him vigorously, his voice trembling:

"Chief Chen! Awesome! Too damn awesome! This move is killer! The decisive strike that flew out of the ventilation pipe! I'm convinced!"

Chen Guang's glasses were askew from the shaking; he silently straightened them, his face still showing little expression.

Just watching the two Mechanical Mantis on the screen that had completed their mission and were quietly withdrawing, they softly said: 'Mission accomplished.'

Wang Hao came over, looking at the frozen image on the screen of the distorted expression at the moment the criminal was blinded by the laser.

Wang Hao hehe laughed: 'Guangzi, this Bee Sting of yours, from now on just call it the Justice Sting!'

Outside the window, the siren wailed long, breaking the silence of the abandoned factory.

Sunlight streamed through the broken window into the room where the battle had just ended, and also fell upon those silently retracting boxes, the cold, efficient 'insects'.