Desperate people, accept the seed of my soul!

Friday, 5 p.m.

Chenxi City Police Department, Major Case Command Center.

A huge electronic screen occupied the entire wall, displaying a map of the city of Chenxi that was fragmented by dense red dots and blue lines.

The air was thick with anxiety and oppression, the lingering smell of tobacco from dozens of cigarettes that had burned.

"Still not blocked?"

The speaker was Zhao Jianguo, the deputy director of the Chenxi City Police Bureau in charge of criminal investigation.

He served as the head of the newly established task force for the "Chen Guohua Family Annihilation and Police Assault Escape Case".

At this moment, the veteran police officer with thirty years of criminal investigation experience was staring intently at the red dot on the screen that represented Chen Guohua's trajectory, the vertical lines between his brows as if carved by a knife.

Below him, Pang Shilong, director of the Fifth District Garrison Bureau, Li Ming, head of the Criminal Investigation Section of the Municipal Bureau, and Wang Gang, captain of the Municipal Bureau's Mobile Assault Team, sat around the conference table, their faces unusually grim.

Li Ming, who was in charge of routine police deployment, stood up: "Chief Zhao, the situation is very strange. Conventional physical cordons and trajectory prediction are completely ineffective against the suspect, Chen Guohua."

Li Ming pressed the remote control, and the image on the big screen switched to a series of dynamic images captured by surveillance cameras.

"The way suspect Chen Guohua moved... has exceeded our conventional understanding. This footage was captured ten minutes ago at the intersection of the West Third Ring Road."

In the footage, a dark figure rushes through traffic at an astonishing speed, leaps over a two-meter-high guardrail in an instant, and disappears into a blind spot of the surveillance camera.

"It's not just about speed, but also about the complete disregard for terrain obstacles. The Skynet system has a serious lag in its detection. By the time we locked onto him through facial recognition, he had already used his explosive speed to move to the next block. Moreover, he completely avoided main roads, specifically choosing to weave through complex terrain such as construction sites, old residential areas, and even overpasses."

Li Ming took a deep breath and concluded, "This means that every time we close the net, he's a beat too late, and he always manages to slip through the gaps. Unless we can mobilize the entire city's police force for an indiscriminate, carpet-like blockade, we simply can't stop this...this monster."

The conference room fell into a deathly silence.

monster.

This term is rarely used in the police system to describe suspects, but at this moment, looking at those almost impossible actions, everyone present implicitly accepted this assessment.

How could a patient with end-stage uremia possess physical abilities that surpass those of an Olympic champion?

What exactly is hidden behind this?

"No matter what he is, as long as he's human, he has limits and a purpose." Zhao Jianguo slammed his hand on the table, breaking the silence. "He's not running around blindly. Judging from his route, his destination is very clear—the city center. He's going to kill someone! The key now is to find out who his next target is!"

If the target is unknown, police protection and interception will always be a step too late.

At this tense moment, a rapid phone call rang in Pang Shilong's pocket.

Pang Shilong took out his phone, and the name "Lei Zhen" was displayed on the screen.

Lei Zhen had previously informed him that he was focusing his efforts on investigating the hidden details of Zhao Qiang's case and trying to find out Chen Guohua's more fundamental motives.

The fact that they're calling at this time means there must be a major breakthrough.

"I am Pang Shilong."

Lei Zhen's urgent voice came from the other end of the phone: "Director Pang! We've found him! We've found Chen Guohua's target!"

Pang Shilong perked up and immediately pressed the speakerphone button: "Speak!"

"I retrieved the case file of Zhao Qiang and found that the key biological evidence did not match. The case handlers also admitted to being subjected to abnormal interference! I immediately interrogated Zhao Qiang again, and this time he confessed to a crucial fact—he was not the main perpetrator in the rape case, and he had not even touched the victim Chen Xiaoyu!"

Pang Shilong's pupils contracted sharply: "Then who is the real person?"

"Wei Zixuan! The eldest son of the Wei Group!"

Lei Zhen's voice boomed like thunder in everyone's ears, "That night, Wei Zixuan committed the assault in the car, resulting in a death. Afterwards, Wei Zixuan promised Zhao Qiang three million yuan as a settlement fee to take the blame. Chen Guohua must have known the truth!"

These words caused an uproar in the command center.

The Wei Group is a major taxpayer in Chenxi City, and Wei Zixuan is an "Outstanding Youth" who is frequently featured in charity news.

"If Chen Guohua is convinced that Wei Zixuan is the real culprit, then his destination is..."

"Heavenly Palace on the Clouds!"

Li Ming typed rapidly on the keyboard, pulling up relevant information: "There's an annual charity gala called 'Dawn of Light' at 5:30 tonight. Wei Zixuan is a key guest; he should already be there or on his way!"

Zhao Jianguo suddenly looked up at the time on the big screen.

17:05 minutes.

There are still 25 minutes until the dinner begins.

Based on Chen Guohua's current movement speed, he is less than three kilometers away from Genting Center.

"broken!"

Zhao Jianguo suddenly stood up, the chair scraping against the floor with a harsh sound.

The Genting Centre Hotel is located in the heart of the city's bustling commercial district, and there is another large-scale event tonight, attracting a large number of celebrities and media.

If Chen Guohua were to take action in that situation, regardless of success or failure, the reputation of the Chenxi City police would be completely ruined, and the order of the entire city would be impacted like never before.

"Wang Gang!"

"Here!" Wang Gang, the captain of the mobile assault team, stepped forward.

Where is your team?

"Groups one and two are currently involved in the encirclement, about two kilometers from the Heavenly Palace. Group three is on standby at the station."

"Immediately mobilize all forces and proceed at full speed to the Heavenly Palace on the Clouds! Spare no effort to intercept Chen Guohua before he enters the banquet hall! Wei Zixuan's safety must be guaranteed; his crimes should be brought to justice! This is not merely a matter of life and death, but also a matter of the rule of law and reputation of Chenxi City!"

"yes!"

"If a suspect continues to use lethal violence to protect a target or endanger public safety after warnings have been ignored..."

A flicker of reluctance crossed Zhao Jianguo's eyes, but it was quickly masked by his duty as a police officer, turning into a steely coldness.

"Authorize the use of necessary force, including firearms, to stop it."

"yes!"

Wang Gang gave a standard military salute, turned around, and strode out of the command center.

A few seconds later, sirens blared throughout the courtyard of the Dawn City Police Department. Several black mobile assault vehicles roared onto the street like beasts unleashed from their cages, their red and blue flashing lights tearing through the twilight.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, the shadow of vengeance was weaving through the alleyways, bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Both sides were vying for the same goal—

Heavenly Palace on the Cloud Top.