The criminal roared in a breakdown: “Try pushing me one more time!”
Captain Zhang immediately stopped in his tracks, raised both hands and shouted, “Don’t act rashly, I’m stepping back now.”
After stepping back, Captain Zhang said, “A-Wei, you still have time to stop. We understand your child’s situation. We will take that into account when dealing with you.”
“My child… my child.” The criminal was on the verge of a breakdown, his eyes bloodshot with rage: “I can’t die here. I have to save my child.”
He looked down at the hostage in front of him, his bloodshot eyes locked on the crying child: “His kidneys must be a match for my son.”
As the criminal reached his claw-like hand toward the child's waist, Captain Zhang shouted in urgency: “A-Wei, calm down! Think of your son—if you kill this child, your son won’t survive either!”
Those words from Captain Zhang managed to calm the criminal slightly.
“Trust the police. We’ll save your child,” Captain Zhang continued soothingly.
On the rooftop of a neighboring building adjacent to Building No. 8, a sniper was already in position, aiming at the criminal’s head.
“Captain Zhang, I’m in position. Should I take the shot?” the sniper asked through his earpiece.
Captain Zhang replied, “Hold on.”
The sniper insisted, “In this situation, the criminal won’t surrender. I can make the shot count.”
“Don’t hesitate, Captain Zhang. If we drag this out any longer, it’ll work against us,” Officer Xiao Feng urged.
Captain Zhang’s face turned grim. Deep down, he leaned toward authorizing the shot. He believed in the sniper’s skill—one shot, one kill—and the criminal’s back was exposed.
But he had also promised Li Ran to wait for his return.
However, the hostage was in grave danger—any moment of hesitation could lead to the criminal losing control completely.
At that moment, the criminal lifted the child hostage and dangled him over the edge of the rooftop, his emotions spiraling out of control as he roared, “My kid is still lying in the hospital, barely a month to live! I… I swear, this will be the last one! This child is very healthy—his kidneys must be healthy too!”
The criminal’s claw-like hand reached for the child’s waist again, its sharp talons piercing the skin…
The hostage cried in pain, shaking his head and clenching his teeth, not daring to make a sound, fearing it would provoke the criminal.
The police all shuddered in fear—was the criminal really planning to go down with the hostage?
“Captain Zhang! There’s an air cushion below! If we take the shot now, we can still save the child. Any later and it’ll be too late!” Officer Xiao Feng shouted.
Hearing that the child wouldn’t be in danger, Captain Zhang’s eyes narrowed, a sharp glint flashing through them.
“Take the shot!”
With that command, the sniper held his breath, adjusted his scope, and locked in on the criminal’s flaming-hot head.
Bang!
A deafening gunshot echoed through the residential complex.
The next moment, the sniper’s pupils contracted sharply: “That’s impossible!”
Everyone on the rooftop stared, dumbfounded.
The bullet had shattered half of the criminal’s head—yet that mangled half slowly turned toward Captain Zhang.
“It’s over!”
Captain Zhang cursed inwardly. He never imagined that even with half his head blown off, the criminal wouldn’t die!
“AHHH!!” The criminal howled furiously, shaking the sky.
Terrifying soundwaves burst from his half-shattered mouth.
“Cover your ears—now!” Captain Zhang shouted.
But it was too late.
The horrifying sonic waves swept across the rooftop. Everyone who heard it dropped to their knees, clutching their ears and screaming in agony, blood pouring from their eyes, ears, and noses.
“How is this possible?” Captain Zhang held his head, face full of horror.
Nie Tianwei had completely lost control. The child hostage was knocked unconscious by the soundwave, bleeding from all seven orifices.
At that moment, Nie Tianwei lifted the hostage to his front, and with his other hand, now transformed into a sharp blade, he slashed at the child’s waist. A gaping, bloody wound split open the skin.
“Stop him! Someone stop him!” Captain Zhang shouted frantically.
The officers on the rooftop and the sniper in the neighboring building were all knocked unconscious by Nie Tianwei’s sonic assault.
Captain Zhang and Officer Xiao Feng looked completely hopeless, forced to watch helplessly as Nie Tianwei reached for the hostage’s kidney.
“Demonic Shadow Grasp!”
Suddenly, a shadow darted through the air, a clawed hand reached toward Nie Tianwei. Like a lightning strike, a massive demonic hand snatched the hostage away.
The unexpected turn of events caught everyone off guard.
The hostage, seemingly sentenced to death, was miraculously rescued by that dark figure in the sky.
“Catch!”
The shadow landed on the rooftop and quickly handed the unconscious, seriously injured child to Captain Zhang.
“I should’ve listened to you,” Captain Zhang said with guilt as he took the child.
“Treat the hostage quickly,” Li Ran glanced at the child. Thankfully, the wound was only external—no internal organs had been damaged yet.
“Understood.”
Li Ran didn’t expect much from the police.
Most officers on the rooftop had eerie power under 1,000. The highest was Captain Zhang at 1,400. Even with numbers, they were no match for a monster with 1,600 eerie power. Especially when the criminal was driven to desperation.
No wonder the police were completely wiped out during the siege on Yu Peng.
Li Ran had never counted on the this world police to do anything meaningful.
If they could handle it, serial killers like Yang Baobao and Yu Peng wouldn’t be treating the police like a joke.
Meanwhile, the little demon baby rode the Netherworld Six-Tailed Fox, engaging the demonized Nie Tianwei in battle.
Though the little demon baby only had 300 eerie power, she wasn’t the least bit afraid of Nie Tianwei’s 1,600. Thanks to the Chitong aura, she could still harass him effectively.
The fox itself had eerie power above 1,400, and with the Child of the Night buff, it was nearly on par with Nie Tianwei.
“Yiyiyaaa~~!”
The little demon baby grabbed the tuft of red fur on the fox’s head, giggling mischievously while waving her tiny arms, using Evil Will to manipulate dark energy attacks against Nie Tianwei.
The six grand, elegant tails of the crimson-eyed fox moved like six ghostly serpents, wrapping around Nie Tianwei in the move Six-Tail Spiral Bind.
“ROAR!!”
Suddenly, Nie Tianwei bellowed again in rage, shaking the crimson-eyed fox away and dispersing the binding attack.
“Yiya!”
The little demon baby was flung off by the tail, but quickly stabilized herself midair. Then she bared her tiny teeth in imitation of the fox, pretending to be fierce.
“You… all of you… must die!!” Nie Tianwei howled, pointing his halberd-like fingers at Li Ran.
At once, a torrent of killing intent burst from him like a terrifying flood, sweeping everything in its path.
Those with lower eerie power felt like they were being locked onto by a ferocious beast, frozen in terror, unable to move.
Li Ran stepped forward, holding a silver case in hand, and stared directly at the berserk Nie Tianwei: “I can save your child!”
“Liar!!”
Nie Tianwei roared with madness, leaping high and lunging at Li Ran.
Li Ran easily dodged his claw attack, spun around, and opened the silver case in front of Nie Tianwei.
Chilling air wafted out from within. At the peak of his fury, Nie Tianwei suddenly froze in place. His bloodshot eyes stared in disbelief at the contents of the silver case.
Inside, neatly arranged, were ten kidneys, resting in a box full of ice.
He could see clearly—they were all fresh and alive.
(End of Chapter)