A real killer playing a villain; the guy surnamed Zhen in Detective, run!

Lu Yuan extended his short-barreled rifle from under the cover, close to the surface of the water, with the muzzle pointing upwards and his right index finger cocking it.

A bullet shattered the last intact ceramic column of the insulating support. Three copper-core high-voltage wires, each as thick as a finger, lost their anchor and plummeted with inertia, crashing into the waterlogged corridor.

A blue-white light shot up from the water's surface, catching the lead assault team members off guard.

His combat boots filled the water, and the entire electrical circuit flowed from his feet into his body. He froze on the spot, his muscles went out of control, the gun slipped from his hand, and he convulsed and fell to the side.

Odin reacted with lightning speed. The instant the lightning flashed, he leaped away from the flooded area, his feet landing on the wooden handrail on the side of the corridor, detaching himself from the conductive layer of the ground. The third assault soldier also jumped back a step.

Lu Yuan burst out from behind the wall, gripping his military blade in reverse with his right hand, his body pressed low as he charged into the misty water, stepping on the dry base of the wall.

The assault soldier, paralyzed by the electric current, was still convulsing, his head tilted to one side. Lu Yuan gave him a helping hand as he passed by.

The blade pierced through the seam of the body armor on the side of the neck, severing the carotid artery. The assault soldier fell, and "Gods" lost another member.

Odin jumped off the escalator and landed on the dry ground on the other side of the corridor, pointing his gun at the direction where Lu Yuan had disappeared.

The mist was so thick that visibility was reduced to less than three meters.

"Hold your position," Odin said to his last remaining subordinate.

The two men stood back to back, guns pointed in opposite directions. Well-trained mercenaries do not blindly pursue when visibility is limited.

Meanwhile, outside the hotel, sirens ripped through the night sky.

Red and blue lights reflected from the windows on the 23rd floor into the corridor, turning the water mist into an eerie purple.

......

Seven minutes ago, Jiang Yan's armored vehicle stopped at the outlet of the shipyard's underground sewage discharge river.

The technical team found fresh tire tracks at the entrance of the underground river, and the width, tread pattern, and wheelbase indicated that it was a modified off-road vehicle.

"Retrieve the surveillance footage." Jiang Yan took off her gloves. "Starting from this exit, count backwards five minutes from all intersections within a three-kilometer radius."

The footage plays back frame by frame. A black SUV without license plates drives out of the wasteland above the underground river mouth, turns onto the city expressway, and heads towards the Evergreen Hotel.

Jiang Yan's expression changed. "Everyone, get in the car. Code name: Tiger Leap, Yuan Han's temporary base."

The armored vehicle roared as it turned around. Jiang Yan switched the walkie-talkie channel to the provincial emergency response: "Jiang Yan is calling the command center. The 23rd floor of the Changqing Hotel is suspected of being under armed attack. Requesting emergency support from the Armed Police detachment."

Six minutes later, three SWAT vehicles and an armored personnel carrier arrived at the hotel. The lobby floor was covered in broken glass, and the front of the SUV was still stuck in the revolving door frame.

Jiang Yan kicked open the fire escape door. "Come with me."

......

The staircase at the 22nd floor.

The SWAT team's bulletproof shields clashed together, forming a black wall. Half a flight of stairs ahead, Odin's last assault soldier had secured a perfect high position.

The muzzle flash of large-caliber automatic rifles poured down from above, bullets striking the shields and scattering sparks and shrapnel everywhere. A SWAT officer's helmet was ripped off by a stray bullet, causing him to stagger back half a step.

"We can't get up there," shouted the SWAT officers in the front row.

This position is too tricky: the corner provides natural cover, and it also offers a commanding angle of fire. A direct assault will only result in a pile of corpses.

Jiang Yan gritted her teeth and retreated behind the corner. Just as she was about to order the flashbangs to be deployed, a voice suddenly came through her earpiece.

In the security room, Lu Yuan pulled the walkie-talkie down from the wall and switched it to the public emergency rescue channel.

"Captain Jiang, the target is at the eleven o'clock position above your head, half a meter inside the load-bearing wall. He is 1.85 meters tall, and his right hand holding the gun is exposed on the outside of the wall."

Jiang Yan did not hesitate.

"Three men in the front row, switch to armor-piercing rounds." She gestured the coordinates to the SWAT officers in front of her, "Fire through the wall, 11 o'clock position, 50 centimeters from the wall."

The three SWAT officers adjusted their angles, pointed their guns at the brick wall above them, and pulled the triggers at the same time.

The large-caliber armor-piercing projectile penetrated a 20-centimeter-thick wall.

A muffled groan came from behind the wall; the assault soldier's right arm had been pierced, and his gun had fallen from his hand. He lost his balance and tumbled down the stairs. SWAT officers rushed in and subdued him.

Odin heard gunshots and shouts in the corridor; his last henchman was gone!

The corridor was blocked off at both ends, with Lu Yuan in front and special police officers surging up behind.

Odin stood amidst the puddles and mist, his spear hanging at his side, and he smiled.

Laughter echoed in the empty corridor, mingling with the sound of dripping water pipes.

"Joker," he called into the depths of the mist. "That was impressive. In twenty-three years, this is the first time I've lost so decisively."

He dropped the gun and unfastened the Velcro straps on his tactical vest with both hands.

Beneath his vest, six C4 cartridges were neatly attached to the front of his chest. He held a detonator in his left hand.

If he loosens his grip, the spring will spring back, the primer will ignite, and the entire floor will be reduced to fragments.

"There's no going back." Odin's laughter stopped. "Falling into the hands of you police means death, falling into the hands of the Cleaners is even worse. We might as well all go together."

The SWAT officers who had just rushed up the floor saw the C4 and froze in their tracks.

Jiang Yan peeked out from behind and saw what was on Odin's chest; her blood rushed to her head.

"Everyone back off! Retreat to the corner!"

The special police surged back like a tide.

Odin stood still, his left hand gripping the handle, veins bulging on the back of his hand. He knew this was his last, and only, bargaining chip.

Footsteps sounded from behind the mist, and Lu Yuan emerged from it, carrying a fire axe he had taken from the fire cabinet on the wall in his right hand.

With a swing of his right arm, the fire axe flew out of his hand, its back facing forward, the entire weight pressing down on a single point: Odin's left wrist.

Bone shattered, detonator slipped from between fingers.

The instant the axe left his hand, Lu Yuan's body was already in front of Odin. His knee slammed into Odin's chest, pinning him to the ground.

Before the grip could spring back up, his right hand pinched the fuse linkage, his fingers wedged into the gap between the primer and the firing pin, and he snapped the connection.

The C4 didn't go off. Odin lay in the water, his left wrist bent at an abnormal angle, his chest pressed down by his knee, making it hard for him to breathe.

He looked at the face above him, water droplets dripping from Lu Yuan's chin and hitting his eyes.

"Joker...you're not human."

Lu Yuan ignored him, stood up and took a step back.

Jiang Yan led her men forward, handcuffed Odin's wrists, and had him flipped over and made to lie face down on the ground by four SWAT officers.

The "gods" were completely annihilated.

Twenty minutes later, the scene was taken over by special police. The corridor was littered with bullet casings, rubble, and blood. The fire hoses were still leaking, and the walls were riddled with bullet holes.

Lu Yuan disengaged the hydraulic lock on the explosion-proof door from the outside, and the door opened. Su Qinghan stood behind the threshold, her face still covered with gauze, her eyes terribly red.

She saw Lu Yuan standing in the corridor covered in blood, walked over, and hugged him.

Lu Yuan couldn't lift his left arm, so he wrapped his right arm around her waist and rested his chin on her head. The two stood in the puddle, neither of them speaking.

Zhao Xiaoman poked her head out, clutching the airline crate. Inside, Lao Liu was barking fiercely, its claws scratching loudly against the plastic walls. Lin Wanwan stood behind, supporting Xiao Ju, tears streaming down her face.