Desperate people, accept the seed of my soul!

She then pulled a first-aid kit from the closet and tossed it to Shen Hanzhou.

"Wipe the blood off your face. If you go out like that, the security guards will stop you on the street."

Shen Hanzhou took the first-aid kit and stuffed it into his coat pocket: "Let's talk downstairs. Let's go."

The two walked out of room 902, and the motion-activated lights in the hallway turned on.

As Jiang Yubai descended to the sixth floor and turned the corner, he saw Liang Wei's head leaning against the edge of the steps and stopped in his tracks.

He looks no more than twenty-five years old.

"His name is Liang Wei. His mother has liver cancer, and Zheng Daoyuan advanced the medical expenses. He broke in and killed me to pay off his debts. He didn't beg for mercy."

Jiang Yubai stopped again at the corner of the fourth floor.

Liang Wei's bloodstains were still on the steps, and fragments of cement cones were scattered all over the ground.

Shen Hanzhou stopped in front of Liang Wei's head and squatted down.

"You've paid back what you owed Zheng Daoyuan. You've paid back what you owed Brother Ding too. Don't work for others in your next life."

He stood up and continued walking down.

When they reached the elevator lobby on the first floor, Old Ding's head was slumped on the terrazzo floor, his eyes closed by Shen Hanzhou.

Shen Hanzhou stopped in front of Lao Ding's head and took out a photo of his senior sister.

"Senior sister, fourteen. These two aren't bad people. One is paying off Zheng Daoyuan's debt from twelve years ago, and the other is here to collect his brother's body. The path they're on is the same path I'm on, but on opposite sides. I'm here to take Zheng Daoyuan's life for you, and they're here to block my path for Zheng Daoyuan. There's no right or wrong, only who survives. I survived. The next one is Zheng Daoyuan himself."

Jiang Yubai stood to the side, watching silently.

Shen Hanzhou put away the photos and turned to face the stairwell.

"The rapid response team hasn't arrived yet. Let's go now. Downstairs."

Outside the main gate of Cui Ting Yuan, three black SUVs screeched to a halt next to the utility vehicle.

The nine members of the rapid reaction team disembarked simultaneously, all equipped with ceramic bulletproof plates, all-polymer firearms, and backpack liquid nitrogen injectors.

Team Leader Fang got out of the command vehicle and glanced at the tool vehicle—it was empty. Old Ding's spare magazine was scattered on the passenger seat, and the walkie-talkie was lying on the floor mat with its green light flashing.

He picked up the walkie-talkie and switched to the internal channel of Cui Ting Yuan.

"Old Ding, reply. Old Ding."

There was only electrical static in the channel.

Team Leader Fang put down the walkie-talkie.

"Old Ding and Liang Wei are also dead. Four in the commercial complex, eight on the periphery, and two inside the building. All fourteen were wiped out."

Duan Peng, the leader of the rapid response team, stood next to Team Leader Fang, with an old scar on his face running from his brow bone to his jaw.

He was urgently transferred from the headquarters in the three northern provinces to specialize in eliminating high-risk targets.

"Target capability range?"

"It can disassemble cement and metal. All the victims were sealed in cement. Mr. Zheng determined that it needed to come into contact with the target substance to activate, and there was a warning sign of cracks in the ground before activation. The warning sign was extremely short, and all witnesses died. The disassembly is estimated to be completed within one to two seconds."

Duan Peng turned around and gave orders to his subordinates.

"Three-on-three system. One group of three will block the main entrance and garage exit, set up ceramic bulletproof plates, and aim liquid nitrogen sprayers at the ground—if he attacks from underground, freeze the concrete. The second group of three will surround all unit doors and fire exits in Building 3, cutting off all escape routes. The third group of three will follow me into the building to search floor by floor. If we encounter a target, we will open fire immediately without stopping or shouting. Use liquid nitrogen to clear a path, freezing all concrete surfaces ahead before advancing. Maintain a five-meter distance to prevent being attacked simultaneously."

Team Leader Fang added, "Mr. Zheng's order—this time it's a kill order. Leave no survivors."

One group installed ceramic bulletproof plates at the main entrance and garage exit.

The ceramic slab had a smooth, dark green surface. Shen Hanzhou had never been exposed to ceramic materials before, and its molecular structure was completely unfamiliar to him.

The second group deployed liquid nitrogen spray lines at each of the two unit entrances of Building 3—thin metal pipes laid close to the ground, connected to backpack liquid nitrogen tanks. Once triggered, the liquid nitrogen would cover a radius of five meters, instantly lowering the temperature of the cement surface to below -100 degrees Celsius.

Duan Peng led three groups into the building.

Each of the three carried a canister of liquid nitrogen on their back and held a fully polymer submachine gun. The gun body contained no metal, the bolt mechanism was made of engineering ceramic, and the bullet was a polymer-coated ceramic core.

"Go up floor by floor. Spray liquid nitrogen on each floor to freeze the ground and walls, and proceed only after confirming it's safe. The target is Jiang Yubai—the infrared indicator shows a heat source in room 902. Shen Hanzhou needs to take her away, so he has to go through the stairs. Intercept him on the stairs."

Team Leader Fang sat in the command vehicle and stared at the infrared scanning screen.

On the screen, there are two heat sources moving in room 902—they are descending from the ninth floor and have reached the seventh floor.

"The heat source in room 902 is moving downwards. The target has taken Jiang Yubai out of the room and is going downstairs. Team Three, speed up and intercept him before he reaches the lower floor."

Zheng Daoyuan's voice was cold and deep in the encrypted channel.

"Liquid nitrogen freezes the walls and floor, making it impossible for him to break the frozen solid. Breaking it requires contact time at the molecular level, and extremely low temperatures make molecular bonds more difficult to break. He uses this to delay firing."

"clear."

"If he gets away again this time, neither of us can stay in Xiongbei. I'll go there myself."

As Shen Hanzhou and Jiang Yubai reached the corner on the fifth floor, Shen Hanzhou suddenly stopped.

He pressed his right hand against the wall of the stairwell, his senses extending downstairs—the door to the first-floor unit had been broken open, and three heartbeats were entering the building.

Their equipment was not made of metal; the molecular structure of the gun barrels and bulletproof plates was completely unfamiliar.

Each of the three carried a cryogenic container on their backs and was spraying liquid nitrogen up the stairs, causing the temperature of the concrete steps to drop sharply.

Three heartbeats guard the exit from the main entrance, while three heartbeats block the ramp from the garage direction.

The nine heartbeats were divided into three groups, trapping him and Jiang Yubai inside the building.

Nine people, divided into three groups, surrounded the entire building. The three who entered were pushing upwards from the first floor, spraying liquid nitrogen to freeze the stairs on each floor. They were forcing me to retreat—there would be no way out once I reached the top floor.

You can't retreat upwards, you can only attack downwards.

Jiang Yubai saw his expression: "You're here?"

"They're here. Nine. Three are going into the building, six are sealing off the exits. Those who went in brought liquid nitrogen and are freezing the stairs as they push them up."

"Can we win?"

"There's a lot of cement in the stairwell, which is to my advantage. But liquid nitrogen can freeze the cement and slow down my abilities. If the three of us coordinate well, one can spray liquid nitrogen to freeze my feet, and the other two can fire their guns at the same time—I'll be at a great disadvantage."

"What do you need me to do?"

"Retreat to the corner of the sixth-floor corridor. Crouch down, don't make a sound, and don't come out no matter what you hear. I've killed these three, and I'll come get you."

Shen Hanzhou went up to the sixth floor, placed his right hand on the wall of the stairwell, and closed his eyes.

The ability sensed the advance rhythm of the three-person rapid reaction team: one person sprayed liquid nitrogen in front, freezing the steps and walls on both sides for two seconds after each step. The other two followed with guns, always maintaining a five-meter distance.

The advance speed is not fast, but it is very stable and there are no blind spots.

A direct confrontation won't work. As they advance, liquid nitrogen clears the way, freezing the steps beneath my feet and delaying my ability activation by at least one to two seconds. Two seconds is enough time for them to fire a dozen shots.

We need to get them to use up the liquid nitrogen first.