Chapter 214: Red Gloves and Spoils of War

"Yajun! Yajun! Wake up, wake up! We've caught him, wake up!"

"Yajun! Wuwu~~~ Ah~!"

Gao Fengkun held Zhao Yajun's wrists, shaking them continuously, calling out, just wanting to shake Zhao Yajun's hands open to check the wounds.

Perhaps Gao Fengkun's crying was too hard to listen to; Zhao Yajun opened his eyes in a daze, seeing the target lying in front of him and his fellow villager Gao Fengkun holding his wrists and crying.

"What... what's wrong?"

Gao Fengkun heard Zhao Yajun's voice and hurriedly turned his head to look at Zhao Yajun's face, only to see Zhao Yajun looking at him in a daze.

"Yajun, you're awake? Quick! Quick, let go! Doesn't it hurt? You fool."

Zhao Yajun heard Gao Fengkun tell him to let go, so he obediently loosened his hands slowly. Perhaps because they had been stiff for too long, this loosening was incredibly painful.

"Ah~~~"

Hearing Zhao Yajun's roar, Gao Fengkun gently pulled out Zhao Yajun's hands and held his wrists. Looking at these bloody hands, he himself felt an immense pain.

The wounds on Zhao Yajun's hands were mainly from Hu Zhengquan's bite, which had already reached the bone, followed by the impact on the stones of the roadbed when he fell with Hu Zhengquan from the train.

The train's inertia was very large, the roadbed was all broken stones, and under the drive of inertia, the two rolled on the roadbed. The hands wrapped around Hu Zhengquan's stomach became the point of impact, which was why he suffered such heavy injuries.

"Endure it, the Li Kezhang and the others will be up soon. Endure it, we'll go to the hospital to see a doctor. Endure it."

Gao Fengkun comforted his fellow villager friend with a crying voice but tried to remain calm. He struggled to stand up, dragged Zhao Yajun out of the snow pile, and placed him on the roadbed without snow. He took off his own cotton coat and covered Zhao Yajun's bloody hands and face, which were still in a stiff, gripped posture, as if his own little bit of body temperature could relieve his brother's pain.

This move could be considered a lucky strike. If the wounded hands were frozen again, then even after being saved, they would ache to the bone during rainy weather. Now that Zhao Yajun's hands were covered, it was better than nothing against the invasion of freezing.

After taking care of his brother, he looked at the target in the snow. He wanted to beat him up for a while, but seeing that this person was already like a dead man, not even knowing how to hide from the wind and snow, he gritted his teeth, walked down the roadbed again, and dragged the target's collar with tears in his eyes, dragging him toward the roadbed like a dead man.

Although he had an eighteen or nineteen-year-old body, he had been on guard all night, called up in the middle of the night to carry out the mission, running and jumping, through heavy snow and trains—his stamina had been exhausted. Now, he could only persist with a strong will because he could already see the Li Kezhang and the others running this way in the distance.

It wasn't until he dragged both of them to the open space by the tracks that he "plumped" and fell onto the tracks.

He didn't feel it just now, but sitting on the tracks, he felt his whole body aching. He gasped for breath and looked at his own hands. He didn't know when his left hand had also started bleeding. A long, narrow cut was splitting his palm, the snow-white flesh of his palm was turning outward, and wisps of blood were continuously flowing out.

"Hehehe, hehehe."

Gao Fengkun looked at his hands and let out a laughing sound. In this empty, lonely snowfield, at the junction of the dark sky and the silver-white earth, amidst Zhao Yajun's painful groans and the silent, desperate Hu Zhengquan, it seemed so eerie.

The first to arrive weren't Li Xuewu and the others, but the police dogs. The police dogs ran to Gao Fengkun and wanted to lick him, then barked "Woof, woof, woof" at Hu Zhengquan.

Gao Fengkun pulled his hands back and shouted at the police dogs. The 8 police dogs whimpered and lined up, sitting on the tracks.

The cold wind whistled, rolling scattered snowflakes onto Gao Fengkun's face, bringing a trace of coolness to his face, which was as red as a shrimp. Feeling the temperature of the snowflakes, Gao Fengkun knew he was still alive.

When Li Xuewu arrived with the team members, this was the scene he saw: Gao Fengkun sitting on the tracks gasping for breath, Zhao Yajun lying on Gao Fengkun's right side groaning weakly, Hu Zhengquan handcuffed and lying on his back on Gao Fengkun's left side, and a row of police dogs sitting beside Gao Fengkun.

"Sec... Li Kezhang, we've caught the target."

Seeing Li Xuewu run over, Gao Fengkun wanted to stand up to report, but his legs wouldn't listen, and he fell back onto the tracks.

Li Xuewu waved his hand, walked to Gao Fengkun's side, looked at Zhao Yajun, who was still groaning painfully with a bruised face, lifted his flapping clothes to look, saw a pair of bloody hands trembling continuously, covered the clothes back up, walked to Gao Fengkun's side, grabbed Gao Fengkun's trembling hands to look, stood up, took off his own cotton coat, and put it on Gao Fengkun.

"Li Kezhang, I'm not cold, you wear it." Gao Fengkun saw Li Xuewu taking off his coat for him and said with a trembling voice.

Li Xuewu didn't say anything, just helped Gao Fengkun put on the coat, buttoned it up, and patted Gao Fengkun's shoulder.

"I cannot let my comrades feel cold, and I cannot let my brothers feel cold. Go see a doctor with Yajun. I'll come see you when I'm done here."

After Li Xuewu finished speaking, he waved his hand at the team members behind him, signaling them to carry the two away. The guards swarmed up, used the long guns of Zhao Yajun and Gao Fengkun found on the tracks, dismantled the gun straps to make a stretcher, carried Zhao Yajun, and ran back.

Gao Fengkun only had wounds on his hands, but because of the tension and the long-distance sprint, he had no strength left. Two guards carried Gao Fengkun on their shoulders and ran back.

Xu Ning in the distance had already chased over with a truck. Perhaps he hadn't blocked Hu Zhengquan, so he went back to reorganize the team, met Liu Zhaolun who was returning, and chased this way. By the time Li Xuewu sent away the two wounded, Xu Ning's truck had already driven along the snow toward this side.

Li Xuewu didn't watch how Xu Ning arranged the rescue of the wounded. He turned around, walked to the side of the tracks, and looked at Hu Zhengquan, who was lying on the ground looking at the sky.

"How is the celestial phenomenon tonight? Is it suitable for escaping?"

Facing Li Xuewu's question, Hu Zhengquan just stared blankly at the night sky. If he didn't blink from time to time, one would think he was really dead.

Li Xuewu walked to Hu Zhengquan's side, squatted down, and looked at the wounds on Hu Zhengquan's hands. They were now frozen, and bloody ice dregs were stuck on his ten fingers, as if he were wearing a pair of red gloves.

"You were also born to parents. Why don't you act like a proper person instead of being a dog for others?"

Perhaps feeling offended, the police dogs sitting on the roadbed barked "Woof, woof, woof" at Li Xuewu, still following orders.

Li Xuewu looked apologetically at the police dogs. Although they hadn't bitten Hu Zhengquan, they were all heroes tonight.

"Do you know why you couldn't run away? Because I have a group of good comrades and good brothers who would risk their lives. What do you have?"

Seeing Hu Zhengquan not speaking, Li Xuewu stretched out his right hand, grabbed Hu Zhengquan's five fingers of his handcuffed right hand, and rubbed them continuously, rubbed them, as if he were helping Hu Zhengquan warm his hands.

But the split wounds flowed out new fresh blood, melting the bloody ice dregs, staining Li Xuewu's fingers red. Slowly, more and more flowed, dripping down along the gaps of Li Xuewu's fingers, dripping onto the snow-white shirt exposed on Hu Zhengquan's stomach.

"You should have also had good comrades-in-arms and good brothers who went through life and death together. I believe you understand my feelings right now."

Li Xuewu finished rubbing one hand and switched to rubbing the other, and even violently pulled off the loose fingernails.

Hu Zhengquan's wounds on both hands were opened again, like a floodgate. With Li Xuewu's continuous force, fresh red blood kept gushing out.

"How dare you, how dare you treat my life-and-death brother like this!"

Hu Zhengquan's expressionless, old-monk-meditating face began to show pain and despair. Those hollow, dull eyes also slowly began to gather spirit again, finally staring at the face of the smiling tiger who was looking down at him and gritting his teeth while using force.

"Ah~~~ Hiss~~~ Ah~~~"

Li Xuewu saw Hu Zhengquan screaming, so he rubbed even harder, as if the beast-like roaring sound was the sound of nature. He even felt the sound wasn't loud enough, gritting his teeth and increasing the volume of this wonderful sound.

"Ah~~~ Hiss~~~ Ah~~~ Kill me~ Kill me~ Hiss~~~ Ah~~~"

"Hehehe, killing you isn't my responsibility. I'm only responsible for catching you. But before sending you to trial, I'll help you disinfect and check your wounds. Look, how careless you are, these fingernails~"

"These fingernails~"

Li Xuewu pulled Hu Zhengquan's intact fingernails twice but didn't pull them off. Finally, he grabbed a stone from the ground and violently smashed it toward that finger.

"Ah~~~ Ah~~~~"

Li Xuewu threw away the stone, grabbed the fingernail that had been smashed up by the stone, and violently tore it off.

"Ah~~~ Ah~~~ Ah"

"Hehehe, look, how careless you are, you even dropped your fingernails. I'll help you remove the other fingernails. It's okay, practice makes perfect. I have experience this time, I won't smash so many times."

Li Xuewu looked at the Hu Zhengquan who was in agony, grinned, and revealed a cruel smile. The scars constantly jumping on his face seemed to add a touch of evil to this cruel smile, appearing even more ferocious and terrifying amidst Hu Zhengquan's roaring.

Xu Ning rode a motorcycle along the roadbed. As soon as the motorcycle stopped, he saw the Li Kezhang squatting in front of Hu Zhengquan, holding Hu Zhengquan's hands, which no longer had fingernails, and talking to Hu Zhengquan with a smile.

What's the situation? Before the motorcycle engine was turned off, Xu Ning was still wondering when his Li Kezhang had become so kind and polite to a criminal.

When the motorcycle driver turned off the engine, that hellish roaring and screaming entered Xu Ning's ears. Seeing the Li Kezhang's "smile" at Hu Zhengquan, he knew the Li Kezhang was still the Li Kezhang he knew.

"Li Kezhang, it's getting late, we should go back. I let Yating take the wounded to the factory hospital. Ji Wang Weidong just sent a message saying he's waiting for you at the bookstore. Li Kezhang Shen has already returned to the station. Do you think we should take..."

Li Xuewu looked at the "red gloves" in his hands and then at Hu Zhengquan, whose face was twisted. He felt it was meaningless, so he let go of his hands, letting Hu Zhengquan scream and tremble as he rolled on the roadbed, finally rolling under the roadbed and sticking his ten fingers into the snow pile.

Li Xuewu stood up, walked to the snow pile, grabbed a handful of snow, and rubbed it continuously in his hands.

"We'll take him to see Ji Wang Weidong. Our Security Section does things openly and honestly, with the sun and moon as witnesses, just like my, Li Xuewu's, character—kind, honest, and reasonable. That, that, that! Do you remember that sentence I said?"

After rubbing the snow in his hands, seeing there was still some left and that there were pieces of flesh in his fingernails, he grabbed another handful of snow and rubbed it continuously until there were no bloodstains on his hands. Only then did it end.

Xu Ning saw the Li Kezhang "washing his hands." Before Li Xuewu turned around, he stood at attention and saluted under the gaze of a group of guards and security personnel: "Punish the past to warn the future, cure the sickness to save the patient, enforce the law strictly, and investigate violations."

Li Xuewu turned around with a smile and nodded at Xu Ning, clearly very satisfied with Xu Ning's memory.

"I have a set of methods for curing sickness and saving patients. Look, the person who was about to go crazy from despair has been treated so energetically by me. Sigh, my father is a doctor, but he always says I'm not cut out for medicine. But I just have such a kind heart and can't bear to see the suffering in the world."

Xu Ning took out the military coat from the motorcycle sidecar and gave it to Li Xuewu to wear. While buttoning it up for Li Xuewu, he said, "Yes, yes, yes, I just can't stand this point of yours."

He waved his hand to call the team members standing by and watching in a daze to hurry up and work, and hurry up and take Hu Zhengquan, who was still doing "ice therapy," into the car.

"You, you are just too kind. We are security cadres, a powerful department. With a kind leader like you, you tell us how we can still work? If you are like this again, we will have to criticize you. Sigh, I just can't stand this point of yours."

Li Xuewu shook the coat on his body, feeling the temperature return, and waved his hand at Xu Ning, "No way, the kind gene in me is already carved into my bones. I'm just happy to help others. Sigh, I'm also worried."

The faces of the team members were already so stiff they could hardly hold it. If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they would never have believed that the "kindness" the Li Kezhang spoke of was such "kindness."

Looking at the busy Li Kezhang Xu, looking at that young face, could this be the way of being an official? Learned it, learned it.

A motorcycle led the way, followed by a large truck that came later. They drove along the roadbed of the railway, left the city, turned onto the ring road, and drove back.

In fact, the Beijing Train Station was already in the southeast corner of the city. Driving along the railway roadbed, it didn't take long to get onto the main road. If they had driven directly this way at the time, they wouldn't have had to run through snow ditches and large snow-covered fields.

But except for Hu Zhengquan, who could have known where he was going to run? No one was a fortune teller who could predict the future.

Li Xuewu's motorcade sped all the way. When they returned to the residential area where Hu Zhengquan lived, the street had already been blocked. When Li Xuewu and the others entered, they were even checked for identification by the patrolling public security. It was only after stating the main leaders of the operation tonight that they were allowed to pass.

According to the instructions of the on-site disposal personnel, the car was parked at the alley entrance opposite the bookstore. As soon as Li Xuewu jumped off the truck, he saw Ji Wang Weidong standing at the bookstore entrance with a solemn face, waiting for him. Seeing Li Xuewu get off the car, he greeted him. The bookstore was already brightly lit, and people were coming in and out from time to time.

Li Xuewu stood in front of the car and looked toward Hu Zhengquan's house. That third floor was also brightly lit, and the guard room of the stationery factory was also lit.

"Our people went up to search, but there was nothing. Only the telephone was left on the table. We are still checking where it called."

Li Xuewu nodded after hearing Ji Wang Weidong's words and followed Ji Wang Weidong back. He felt something under his feet, kicked the snow, and it turned out to be a shell casing. Li Xuewu bent down to pick it up, weighed it in his palm, and looked at it. ===== CHAPTER 215 =====