Chapter 391: Dad, Mom, I'm Going on Ahead First

Hearing the crude words from the other side, Yu Dazhang was now even more certain that the person opposite him was Zhang Chao.

What he found interesting, though, was that the moment Zhang Chao's words left his mouth, his wife instinctively swatted his arm.

As if reminding him not to use foul language.

"State your conditions."

Yu Dazhang still didn't sit down. Instead, he stood facing Zhang Chao, looking down at him from a superior position:

"Let's not waste time between us."

While speaking, he was also observing the two people opposite.

Just as Captain Hua had said, Zhang Chao's waist was bulging, and from the outside it looked very much like a pistol tucked into his belt.

By contrast, the woman standing beside him was much simpler—at a glance, her clothes offered nowhere to hide a weapon.

"Where are you from, officer?"

This time it was the woman speaking. A gentle smile hung on her face, her tone calm, as if making ordinary small talk.

"Grew up in the north as a child, later moved to Songhai with my family," Yu Dazhang replied evenly.

He knew perfectly well she was stalling for time.

But that was fine—he also needed time to assess the current situation and weigh the pros and cons of his own position.

On his way in just now, he had scanned the entire underground prison and indeed spotted several homemade bombs shaped like detonators along the walls.

Each bomb even had a circuit board strapped to it, looking quite the part.

Judging by appearance alone, there was really no way to tell whether the bombs were real or fake.

The main thing was that the circuit boards on them were so convincing—each one had a little red light blinking nonstop.

"How did you end up handling a case all the way out here?" the woman continued.

Judging by her expression, she really did seem curious about it.

"Someone walked out of your place and made it back to Songhai," Yu Dazhang replied, looking at her:

"If not for him, I wouldn't have come here."

That remark successfully piqued the interest of the two opposite.

Before the woman could speak, Zhang Chao jumped in:

"Impossible. No one has ever escaped from here. You really can spin one hell of a yarn."

Compared with his hot temper, his wife was far more composed.

She patted Zhang Chao on the shoulder, signaling him to shut up, then stared at Yu Dazhang and asked:

"Which year are you talking about?"

"Five years ago," Yu Dazhang answered crisply:

"Probably the person here who looked most like an imbecile."

At that hint, the woman nodded as if suddenly enlightened:

"I remember now—there really was such a person. After all these years, he's the only one who ever got away."

She no longer treats human lives as anything… Yu Dazhang found it hard to imagine that this seemingly gentle, refined woman before him could actually be involved in such an atrocious, heaven-defying racket.

And from the way she spoke, she clearly didn't regard those mentally disabled people as human at all.

From her tone, Fang Peng sounded like a dog that had slipped its leash.

"Let's get back to your conditions," Yu Dazhang steered the topic back again.

But just as Zhang Chao was about to speak, he added:

"Before that, I need to confirm whether those bombs are real."

"How do you want to confirm?" Zhang Chao asked.

Yu Dazhang thought for a moment, then pointed outside:

"When I came in, I saw those bombs all blinking red. If they're remote-detonated, at least let me see the remote."

After saying that, he calculated the time in his head.

There was probably half an hour before dark.

If he kept stalling, the couple might very well succeed in escaping.

But that wasn't what worried him most.

If those bombs were real, once the two of them fled, there was a very good chance they'd detonate them outside.

Because only by causing a large-scale disturbance would they have a chance of escaping Lotus City.

So the opportunity was right before his eyes!

"No problem," Zhang Chao agreed readily.

As he spoke, he pulled a palm-sized detonator from his coat pocket. It had a red button on it, and beneath the button was a rotary switch that had to be turned.

It was real!

The moment he saw that rotary switch, Yu Dazhang's heels went numb with fright.

Dad, Mom, your son has been unfilial—I'm going on ahead first.

Qu Tuotuo, if you have any decency, keep my memory alive for two years.

He had already begun composing his last words in his heart.

In his previous life, Yu Dazhang had seen real bomb detonators—unlike the kind in movies and TV that only have a single button.

A real detonator has a safety-like switch beneath the button.

Without turning that switch, the bomb cannot be detonated.

That design is very necessary.

Otherwise, if the button were accidentally pressed, dying would be far too unjust.

"Take a look." Zhang Chao pointed the detonator at Yu Dazhang:

"This is the bomb's remote. The moment I press the red button, everyone here dies."

Hearing this, Yu Dazhang craned his neck, leaned forward, and opened his eyes wide, as if trying to get a clear look at the detonator.

He noticed the red light on the detonator wasn't on, which meant the safety switch was currently off.

With his reaction speed, he should be able to snatch it away.

The chance would be gone in an instant.

Now!

With that single thought, Yu Dazhang suddenly reached out and grabbed forward.

His target wasn't the detonator, but Zhang Chao's wrist.

By the time Zhang Chao reacted, his wrist was already firmly gripped by a fat hand, and then he felt his whole body lift off the ground.

Yu Dazhang had actually hauled him out from behind the desk.

No one in the room had expected this fat man to suddenly act; even Captain Hua was stunned by the scene before him.

What nerve!

Knowing full well it was a bomb detonator, he had gone straight for it.

What kind of mental fortitude must one have to pull off something so crazy!

Without the slightest hesitation, Yu Dazhang's other hand closed in as well, and with both hands he wrenched hard—

*Crack*—Zhang Chao's wrist was broken.

"Aaargh!!"

With Zhang Chao's scream, the detonator slipped from his hand.

At the same time, the four men in matching uniforms unclipped batons from their waists and charged at Yu Dazhang.

*Bang*—a gunshot rang out, and the man at the very front dropped on the spot.

When Captain Hua raised his pistol to aim at another, they had already reached Yu Dazhang; firing now would inevitably cause friendly casualties.

In the gap of his hesitation, the three had already raised their batons and swung at Yu Dazhang.

A *zzzzt* sounded, and blue electric arcs sparked from the tips of their batons.

Stun batons!

Yu Dazhang quickly hauled Zhang Chao up and used him as a shield.

Fortunately, the three didn't dare strike Zhang Chao.

The human body conducts electricity; if the current hit Zhang Chao, Yu Dazhang would naturally get shocked too.

*Bang*—another gunshot.

Captain Hua seized the chance and shot another one.

Seeing this, Yu Dazhang shoved Zhang Chao toward the remaining two, because he had spotted that woman lunging for the detonator on the floor.

Right now he couldn't worry about anyone else; if she got her hands on the detonator, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Just as the woman's hand was about to touch the detonator, a chubby hand shot out and snatched it up first, gripping it tight.

The next instant, the woman took a solid slap across the face—so hard her head snapped sideways and slammed heavily into the ground.

One hit and she was out cold.

*Bang bang bang*—three more shots.

Captain Hua let slip no chance to fire; the remaining two men were also hit and went down.

All of this happened in just five seconds.

Four shot, one knocked out, one half-crippled.

(End of chapter)