Desperate people, accept the seed of my soul!

Zhou Chenghai's heart skipped a beat, and he turned around abruptly.

Lin Shen stood three steps behind him, clutching a pistol he had picked up from the team member who had just rolled down, the muzzle pressed against his chest.

His face was expressionless, and his black pupils looked like bottomless, icy pools in the dim light.

Zhou Chenghai's scalp tingled instantly.

When did this person touch his back?

He was so focused on listening to the noises upstairs that he didn't even notice someone approaching from behind.

"Who are you?" Zhou Chenghai's voice was tense as his fingers slowly reached for the pistol at his waist.

"Hmph." Lin Shen's voice was indifferent, without any inflection. "Trying to run?"

Zhou Chenghai paused for a moment, forcing a smile: "Misunderstanding, I'm from headquarters, here on a mission—"

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Shen had already pulled the trigger.

Two muffled thuds followed as bullets pierced Zhou Chenghai's chest, blooming into two flowers of blood.

The impact sent his body slamming backward against the wall, then he slid down to the ground, his uniform quickly soaked in blood, leaving a large, dark stain.

Zhou Chenghai looked down at the bloody hole in his chest, his face full of astonishment.

He had calculated that Shen Qinghou would kill his team members, that the plan to recruit them would fail, and that Commander Gu would give him a great credit. The only thing he hadn't calculated was that he would die here.

He opened his mouth, trying to call for help, but his mouth was filled with blood and foam, and he couldn't make a sound.

My vision blurred, and the last thing I saw was Lin Shen's back as he turned and walked up the stairs.

Lin Shen, carrying his gun, strode up to the second-floor landing.

The team member who had rolled down was still lying on the ground, blood streaming from his forehead, and he was no longer breathing.

He bent down, picked up the walkie-talkie that his team member had dropped, and held it to his ear.

The voice of Zhao Feng, the leader of the perimeter team, came through the walkie-talkie, sounding somewhat anxious: "Team Leader Zhou? Team Leader Zhou, what's the situation on your end? Please respond if you hear me!"

Lin Shen didn't say anything and put the walkie-talkie into his pocket.

He looked up towards the fourth floor. Shen Qinghou was still standing at the door, his back to him, protecting Su Wan behind him, his fingers on the strings, not making a move.

The remaining three team members huddled at opposite ends of the third-floor corridor, not daring to show their faces or fire their guns. They could only stare intently at the fourth floor, their palms sweating profusely.

Lin Shen walked along the wall to the door of the third-floor storage room, pushed the door open, slipped inside, and left a crack in the door to observe the movements outside.

With Zhou Chenghai dead, the remaining team members were leaderless and wouldn't rush forward rashly for the time being, but he knew that reinforcements from headquarters would arrive soon.

He took out his phone and sent a message to Shen Qinghou: "The commander has been killed by me. The remaining three are hiding on the third floor and are safe for now. There are still people tightening their grip on the outer perimeter. We need to find a way to break through as soon as possible."

After sending the message, he leaned against the door of the storage room, listening to the sounds outside.

The storage room was piled with cleaning tools, with mops and brooms leaning against the wall. The smell of dust mixed with the smell of disinfectant was very pungent.

He was quickly processing the current situation in his mind.

The arrival of the people from the General Administration tonight is clearly a trap that was set up in advance.

But why is Zheng Hongwen there?

Before he could think any further, he heard the sound of a car braking downstairs, the tires screeching against the ground.

Lin Shen peeked out through the crack in the door and saw three black SUVs parked in front of the apartment building. The doors opened, and more than a dozen members of the Sharp Blade Brigade, dressed in black combat uniforms, jumped out, carrying rifles, and quickly surrounded the apartment building.

Reinforcements have arrived.

Lin Shen's fingers tightened.

The Sharp Blade Brigade is the elite force of the headquarters, with combat power far superior to those field agents. They also possess heavy weapons. In a direct confrontation, it would be difficult for him, Shen Qinghou, and Su Wan, who has no combat ability, to break through.

He took out his phone, ready to send a message to Meng Zhaowen, asking her to bring people over to meet him.

Just as I opened my contacts, the building door was pushed open, and Han Qiming and Gu Mingyuan walked in side by side. Yue Sheng followed behind them, carrying a police baton, the old scars on his face glowing a pale pink in the flashlight beam.

Lin Shen paused for a moment. Han Qiming had come in person; things were probably more complicated than he had anticipated.

------

Han Qiming stood in the lobby on the first floor, looked up at the stairwell, and saw Zhou Chenghai's body still leaning against the corner of the wall, blood flowing all over the floor, glistening with a dark reddish-black light under the lamp.

His brow furrowed, and his face darkened considerably.

Zhou Chenghai was transferred by Gu Mingyuan. Tonight, he mobilized armed forces without authorization to storm the residence of the person he was protecting, and died here. This matter is definitely related to Gu Mingyuan.

Gu Mingyuan stood beside him, glanced down at Zhou Chenghai's body, his face showing a sorrowful expression, his tone filled with self-reproach: "Zhou Chenghai was transferred from the provincial department. He was usually very steady in his work. How could he suddenly act on his own... Director Han, I am responsible for this matter. I will write a self-criticism when I get back."

Han Qiming didn't respond to him, but simply raised his hand and said to Yue Sheng behind him, "Have your men guard the first floor and don't let anyone out. I'm going up to check."

Yue Sheng nodded, waved to signal the two team members to guard the entrance, and followed Han Qiming upstairs.

Gu Mingyuan followed behind them, his face displaying just the right amount of anxiety and heartache, but inwardly he was sneering.

It's good that Zhou Chenghai died. Dead men tell no tales, and even if Han Qiming suspects him, there's no evidence to back it up.

Now that Shen Qinghou has killed Zhou Chenghai and three field team members, the evidence is irrefutable. Even if Han Qiming wanted to protect him today, he couldn't.

The sound of several people's footsteps rose up the stairs, and Shen Qinghou's fingers pressed on the strings of the zither, clearly feeling the change in vibration.

Four people.

His steps were steady, and his breathing was even; he was a well-trained elite.

Shen Qinghou's body tensed even more, his fingers slightly raised, ready to launch a wave at any moment.

Su Wan squatted behind him and felt his muscles trembling slightly. She knew that he had just released sonic waves and had exhausted a lot of energy. She quickly reached out and used her sleeve to wipe away the beads of sweat that had seeped from his forehead.

Her fingertips touched his skin; it was icy cold.

Shen Qinghou turned and glanced at her, his lips twitching almost imperceptibly, as if he were smiling, or perhaps comforting her.

Han Qiming walked to the third-floor landing and saw three team members huddled at either end of the corridor, holding guns and looking flustered.

He stopped and asked in a deep voice, "Which group are you from? Why did Zhou Chenghai bring you here?"

One of the team members was Zhao Feng. Upon seeing Han Qiming, he quickly stood up and saluted: "Reporting to Director Han, we are from the Suwan Protection Team. Captain Zhou said that they detected criminals entering the residence of the protected individual and brought us up to make the arrest. We had just rushed to the third floor when we were attacked by the people upstairs. Captain Zhou... Captain Zhou may have already died in the line of duty."

Han Qiming's expression darkened further.