Desperate people, accept the seed of my soul!

Ten minutes later, the police car stopped downstairs at the inpatient building of the Fifth District Hospital.

Lei Zhen didn't wait for the elevator; he led Liu Wei directly into the fire escape and rushed towards the top floor.

The ward under supervision is located on the twelfth floor.

As the two men pushed open the fire door, panting, and entered the corridor of the supervised area, Lei Zhen suddenly stopped in his tracks.

It's too quiet.

Although this is a quarantine area with few unauthorized personnel, the police officers in charge should be on duty in the corridor.

At this moment, the chair outside the ward at the end of the corridor was empty.

"Where's Xiao Zhang?" Liu Wei's expression changed, and he instantly went on high alert.

Lei Zhen didn't speak, but raised his left hand to signal Liu Wei to keep his distance and be on guard.

He slowed his breathing, pressed himself against the wall, and slid silently and swiftly toward the ward door.

When I got to the door of the ward, I saw the police officer in charge of guarding the room, Xiao Zhang, slumped in the corner behind the chair, his body curled up in a ball, his life hanging in the balance.

Lei Zhen quickly stepped forward and checked his breathing.

"He's still breathing; he was knocked unconscious."

He looked up at the closed hospital room door, his eyes as cold as ice.

Taking down a professionally trained detective without raising any alarms is something no ordinary person could do.

"Liu Wei, break down the goal!"

"yes!"

Liu Wei braced himself against the door frame, forcefully pushed the door open with one hand, but cautiously remained outside the door in a protective position.

The view inside the gate was completely visible.

The ward was empty.

On the pristine white hospital bed, a corner of the blanket was lifted, leaving some creases from body heat.

The wires connecting the body monitor were roughly torn off, and the electrode pads were scattered on the sheets.

The IV bottle on the stand was still shaking; the needle had been pulled out and thrown on the ground, and it was still dripping nutrient solution.

The person is gone.

Lei Zhen rushed into the room, his eyes quickly scanning the small space.

The bathroom, the cabinets, under the bed—no one was there.

"Liu Wei, notify the emergency department to come up immediately!" Lei Zhen spoke rapidly. "Xiao Zhang shows signs of a severe head injury and needs immediate medical attention. We'll split up; you stay here to protect the scene and coordinate with the medical staff. Be quick!"

Before he finished speaking, Lei Zhen had already turned around and rushed out of the ward, heading straight for the monitoring room next to the nurses' station on the floor.

"Retrieve the surveillance footage from the entrance of the intensive care unit, set to ten minutes ago."

The security guard frantically operated the keyboard; the screen flickered a few times before freezing at 2:55 PM.

In the footage, the door to room 302 opens without warning.

Chen Guohua strode out.

His back was straight, and his originally hunched and thin body now exuded a terrifying explosive power.

Xiao Zhang, who was on guard at the entrance, reacted quickly and immediately stood up to stop them.

But Chen Guohua was faster.

Without using any skill, he relied solely on his astonishing speed and strength to suddenly grab Xiao Zhang's arm as he tried to stop him, and with his other hand clenched into a fist, he slammed it hard into the side of Xiao Zhang's head.

Xiao Zhang instantly collapsed to the ground.

Chen Guohua didn't even glance at it, pushed open the fire escape door, and disappeared into the corridor.

The direct exit to the fire escape is through the side door on the first floor.

"Switch the surveillance camera at the side door on the first floor!" Lei Zhen shouted sternly.

Screen switch.

A minute later, Chen Guohua appeared at the alley exit on the side of the hospital building.

He glanced around, then lowered his profile and blended into the bustling crowd on the main road.

Lei Zhen stared at the direction Chen Guohua disappeared in on the screen.

That is the East.

That's the direction leading to the bustling commercial district of Chenxi City Center.

Lei Zhen took out his phone and dialed the private line of Pang Shilong, the director of the Fifth District Garrison Bureau.

"Director Pang, this is Lei Zhen. Emergency. Chen Guohua, the suspect in the Zhao family massacre, escaped from the hospital's ward ten minutes ago and attacked and knocked out the guard."

"Surveillance footage shows that his speed and strength were completely inconsistent with the clinical diagnosis of severe illness, indicating an extremely high level of danger. Based on his criminal motives, it is highly likely that he will continue to carry out retaliation against a specific target."

"He disappeared in a back alley on the east side of the hospital, and it is speculated that he may have fled towards the city center. We request that an arrest warrant be issued immediately and that police forces be coordinated to conduct surveillance and tracking in the relevant areas."

"The situation has been received." Pang Shilong's voice suddenly turned serious. "I will immediately report to the Municipal Bureau and request a city-wide investigation."

"Lei Zhen, you stay at the scene and complete the following tasks: First, thoroughly investigate the ward and escape route, and secure all evidence; second, cooperate with the hospital to clarify all oversights in the guarding process and prepare a preliminary report; third, centered on the hospital, mobilize all available police forces to conduct a thorough search of the surrounding streets, especially along the back alleys, to find witnesses and uncover his exact whereabouts after he left."

"The Municipal Public Security Bureau's command center will immediately take over overall coordination, and they will issue the arrest warrants and road control measures. Report any progress you make to me immediately."

The phone hangs up.

The screen went black, reflecting Lei Zhen's gloomy face.

The gaunt figure cowering and trembling in the interrogation room lingered in my mind like a ghost.

The entire police station was scammed.

"Chen Guohua, what kind of monster are you...?"

Lei Zhen gritted his teeth and squeezed out those words.

Given such terrifying power, why linger in that moldy rented room?

Since he could easily escape from prison, why did he voluntarily return here to feign death after killing the entire Zhao family?

At this critical juncture, they tore off their pretense and were even willing to assault the police in order to escape...

He raised his wrist and glanced at the time.

Friday, 3:20 PM.

At this time of year, when one should only be lazy and waiting for the weekend, a terminally ill patient with three lives on his hands and dangerous abilities disappeared into the crowds of Dawn City.

If it were simply a matter of escaping, he should have run out of the city and into areas where surveillance cameras couldn't reach.

But he did the opposite and headed towards the city center, where the crowds were densest.

An ominous premonition crept up Lei Zhen's spine.

What is he going to do?

Or rather, who else is he going to kill?

------

Friday, 4 PM.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the sky turned a deep orange-red, and the long, slanted shadows of the buildings divided the street into fragments of light and shadow.

On the path leading from the Fifth District to the city center, a dark figure was moving at an alarming speed.

That's Chen Guohua.

At this point, he no longer resembled a dying patient at all.

The state of "Life Burning" is activated, and every cell in the body screams, then transforms into violent kinetic energy.

Does it hurt?

I've long since become numb.

The adrenaline and some kind of supernatural numbing sensation had already masked the physical pain.

Right now, he only feels light.

That lightness, as if freed from the heavy shackles of the flesh, allowing one to ride the wind.

"Faster...faster..."

Chen Guohua silently recited in his heart.

About two kilometers ahead, a blinding red and blue light illuminated the intersection.

That's a police checkpoint.

Chen Guohua suddenly veered off course when he was 500 meters away from the checkpoint and rushed into an unfinished construction site on the side.

The two-meter-high sheet metal fence was practically useless in front of him.

Without slowing down, he stomped heavily on the ground, launching himself into the air like a cannonball. He braced himself against the top of the fence with one hand, his body leaving a trail of afterimages as he flipped over it in an instant.

The commotion from the direction of the checkpoint was left far behind.

City center, Genting Palace Hotel.

The road is still halfway there.

Wei Zixuan...

Prepare to die!