“Hey!!!” Li Yundong hurled the dress shoe at Wang Yong. The shoe hit Wang Yong in the back with a loud smack. The impact caused Wang Yong to stumble forward, but it wasn’t enough to knock him out. A second later, Wang Yong was up on his feet again.
“What the f*ck?!” Wang Yong turned around angrily, scanning over the crowd with murderous eyes.
“You!” Wang Yong pointed the knife at Li Yundong. “Did you throw something at me, punk?!”
Li Yundong removed his suit jacket and dropped it to the floor. “So what if I did?” Li Yundong said, rolling up his shirt sleeves. From the corner of his eye, he saw a lady pick up his jacket from the floor and then hold on to it.
Li Yundong advanced towards Wang Yong, smiling confidently as he did. Behind Wang Yong, President Yin was slowly pulling President Cao away to the side.
“You’re that eager to die, punk?” Wang Yong growled.
Li Yundong answered the taunt with a smirk. He stopped walking and curled his finger at Wang Yong. “Stop yapping and come kill me already,” Li Yundong said, then quickly activated Xianjue’s clairvoyant mode. A second later, he was back in normal mode again. His smirk widened just a tad.
“Have it your way!” Wang Yong lunged at Li Yundong. Having already anticipated when and where Wang Yong’s attack would come, Li Yundong grabbed Wang Yong’s wrist mid-slash, and then applied one of Lin Youfa’s wristlocks on Wang Yong’s wrist. Wang Yong screamed, and the knife clanged to the floor a second later.
Li Yundong released Wang Yong’s hand and then bent down to pick up the fallen knife. Wang Yong scrambled away on his knees.
Li Yundong straightened up and stood over Wang Yong. He held the knife in front of Wang Yong and then bent it until it snapped at the hilt. He dropped the hilt to the floor, then snapped the blade in half again.
“It’s over,” Li Yundong said, tossing the broken pieces aside. “You’re done. And your prison cell awaits you.”
Wang Yong recovered from his shock at the mention of prison.
“It’s only over when I get my money!” Wang Yong growled and climbed back to his feet.
Li Yundong shook his head and narrowed his eyes. What the hell is he planning? “Listen, dipshit. How is she supposed to give you the cash when she doesn’t have it?”
“She’s lying!!!” Wang Yong screamed. “She’s rich! So she must have it!”
Li Yundong rolled his eyes. Ever heard of something called a bank? F*cking moron.
“And you think stabbing her is gonna get you the money?” Li Yundong snorted. “How stupid are you?”
“Shut up!! That stab wasn’t meant to kill. She’ll give me the money once she experiences a little pain!”
Li Yundong rolled his eyes. What kind of stupid logic was that?
“It is over.” Li Yundong took a step towards Wang Yong. “You’re gonna come with me now. I will hand you over to the security guards and they are gonna escort you downstairs. Don’t try anything funny, or I swear to God I’ll break your legs.”
Wang Yong started to back away. At the same time, he was reaching for something inside his trench coat’s pocket. A moment later, he pulled out a palm-sized cylindrical object.
A dozen of alarm bells rang inside Li Yundong’s head. “Hey! What’s that in your hand! I said no funny business!”
All of a sudden, Wang Yong dropped the trench coat. “Give me the cash! Or everyone here dies!”
For the first time since the whole mess began, Li Yundong saw Wang Yong as real threat.
The bastard was wearing a suicide vest.
***
Li Yundong stared at the cylindrical object in Wang Yong’s hand, which he now knew was the suicide vest’s detonator.
“Not so smug now, huh? Punk?”
Li Yundong tore his eyes away from the detonator and studied Wang Yong’s face. “Who put you up to this? A debt collector with a suicide vest? Come on…”
Li Yundong clenched his jaw. Was it He Shao again? Or was it Zhou Qin’s father?
Wang Yong sneered and kept backing away until his back hit door. “It doesn’t matter. Either I get the money, or I die.” Wang Yong pushed the door a few times. It was locked. “Damn it!” Wang Yong pounded the door with his fist. “Who has the keycard!”
Keycard? Li Yundong’s glanced around until he saw a tiny scanner attached beside the door.
“I’m gonna ask one last time… Who. Has. A. Keycard! Step out now, or I’ll blow up this goddamn floor!”
Whispers washed over the crowd. Seconds later, a man stepped out. “H- Here… I have the c- card…”
“Stop! Stop moving! Throw the card towards me!” Wang Yong held out his hand. Suddenly, he was looking towards the hallway. “Hey! Stay where you are! Nobody runs unless you want to get blown into pieces!” Wang Yong brandished the detonator in the air.
Li Yundong glanced towards the hallway. Those in the hallway had been jostling their way towards the elevator before Wang Yong’s warning, no doubt trying to sneak away. But at Wang Yong’s warning, they all stopped moving. Li Yundong returned his gaze to Wang Yong, who was now picking up the keycard from the floor.
There was a loud beep followed by a green flash on the scanner. Wang Yong pushed the door open with his back and slowly backed his way into the office. Shrieks and yells sounded from inside. “Silence! Gather around over there! And sit down!”
Seconds later, Wang Yong emerged from the office. “Cao Kefei!! Get your ass over here!”
Li Yundong turned around. President Cao was sitting on the floor. She looked dangerously pale and she was holding her chest with both hands. President Yin suddenly bent down and whispered something into her ear. After that, President Cao stood up on shaky legs.
Li Yundong shook his head and refocused his attention on Wang Yong. There was only one way out of this situation—he needed to get his hands on that detonator. But how?
The crowd stirred as President Cao and President Yin made their way towards the door. Wang Yong was watching the two women’s approach with murderous eyes. C’mon Li Yundong. Think. How can I get the detonator?
Wait. What if he didn’t try to take it from him, but force him to drop it instead?
A tiny smirk tugged at Li Yundong’s lips. He reached into his pocket and took out a coin, then held it inside his palm. When President Yin was walking past him, he whispered, “Stick close to him. And stay on his right side. When he drops the detonator later, kick it away.”
President Yin stiffened for a moment, and then walked on ahead. Wang Yong opened the door wider. “Get in! And shut the door after you!” he yelled, then slipped back into the office. President Yin paused at the door and gave Li Yundong a fearful glance. Remember what I told you, stay on his right side, he mouthed the words to her. She nodded and entered the office,
Seconds later, the door closed with a loud bang. Li Yundong turned to the crowd. “Another keycard,” he said, glancing around. “Quickly!”
A girl stepped forward. “Here. Take mine.”
Li Yundong took the card and turned to the rest of the crowd. “The rest of you should get outta here. And tell the security guards to evacuate the building.”
Once the crowd began to move, Li Yundong turned around and walked towards the door. Su Chan once told him that the Renyuan Jindan had enhanced his reflexes and hand-eye coordination to superhuman levels.
It was time to put that claim to the test.
***
Li Yundong shut the door as quietly as possible. A group of women huddled together near a desk. Wang Yong and the two presidents were nowhere to be seen. Li Yundong crept towards the women first. There were seven of them in total, all of whom shot fearful glances at him when they saw him approach. Li Yundong lifted a hand to calm them down.
“Where?” Li Yundong whispered.
“I-Inside President Cao’s o-office…” a girl with a pony-tail answered. “Who are you?”
“I’m a new employee,” Li Yundong said. “And I’m here to help.”
“B- But how?” another woman with short hair asked.
Li Yundong thought for a moment. This wasn’t what he had originally planned, but he had to improvise. He turned to Miss Ponytail. “Can you take me to her office?”
Miss Ponytail nodded, then moved to stand up.
“No, wait. I changed my mind” Li Yundong said, pulling her back down. Then, he turned to face the other six women. “Do you girls know what’s going on here?”
“The guy has a bomb…” Miss Ponytail said.
Two of the women burst into tears.
Li Yundong held up his hand. “Girls, calm down. I’ve got a plan. But I might need your help.”
The girls looked at each other fearfully.
“W- What can we do?” Miss Ponytail asked.
“Okay. Here’s the thing.” Li Yundong looked pointedly at Miss Ponytail. “Yes, you’re right, the guy has a bomb. And he’s got a detonator in his right hand.” Li Yundong looked at all seven women again. “The detonator looks like a cylinder with a red button on top. Do you follow me so far?”
When the women nodded, Li Yundong continued, “Alright. Tell me about office. Is it big?”
Miss Ponytail nodded. “Very.”
“Is there a way for me to sneak in quietly?”
“Um… Yeah, I think so. It’s pretty big, and it’s got an L-shape floor plan. The door leads into the shorter leg of the L-shape, and the desk occupies the end of the longer leg.”
“Anything else? Furniture? Balconies?” Li Yundong asked.
Miss Ponytail nodded. “A sofa set. Oh, and a coffee table. All those are set up at the bend of the L-shape. And then there’s a balcony beside the long end of the L-shape.”
“Okay. So if I walk through the door, I’ll see the sofa set straightaway. And then if I take a left turn at the corner, I’ll see the desk at the end?”
“Yes…”
“Alright, that will do,” Li Yundong said with a nod, then rose to his feet.
“So what’s the plan?” Miss Ponytail asked.
“Just a sec, okay?” Li Yundong walked to a random desk and poked around it for a while. He needed something larger and heavier than a coin. He took a stapler from one of the drawers and then walked back to the girls.
“Alright, listen up. Here’s the plan…”
Thank God the bastard didn’t lock the door, Li Yundong thought as he slowly opened the door of President Cao’s office. Once there was a large enough gap, he poked his head into the office.
Xiao Zhang—Miss Ponytail—was accurate in her description. The sofa set and the coffee table were the first thing he saw. Wang Yong and the two presidents were nowhere to be seen, which meant they must both be at the long end of the L-shape. Probably somewhere at President Cao’s desk…
Li Yundong turned back around to face the girls. “Okay… Remember the plan?”
The girls gave him grim nods.
“Whatever you do, do not touch the red button. And make sure you spread out to cover more area. That will increase the chances of one of you grabbing it.”
The girls nodded again.
Satisfied, Li Yundong opened the door wider and went into the office first. The girls went in one by one after him. The floor inside the office was carpeted, so he didn’t have to worry about the clicking of the girls’ heels. President Cao probably preferred a quiet environment. Li Yundong walked in front and stopped at the bend of the L-shape. Peeking out from the corner, he saw Wang Yong standing in front of a huge executive desk, on top of which lay a black duffel bag. The bag was filled with cash and Wang Yong was counting the cash with his left hand. His right hand hung at his side with the detonator tightly clutched in it. True to her promise, President Yin stood on Wang Yong’s right side. Where’s President Cao…? President Cao was sitting behind the desk, so she was partially blocked from view by Wang Yong’s body.
Li Yundong clutched the stapler tighter and turned back around. Xiao Zhang and the other six girls were all looking at him expectantly, waiting for his instructions.
Li Yundong waved them over, then pointed at sofa set. “Three of you hide behind the long sofa,” Li Yundong whispered. “The rest of you be on standby.”
The girls nodded.
Li Yundong peeked around the wall again to make sure that Wang Yong’s back was still to them. Then, he turned back around to give the girls the go-ahead. Xiao Zhang and two other girls sneaked out and hid behind the long sofa. “You guys are the backup, got it?” Li Yundong whispered to the rest of the girls. “Just grab the damn thing if it’s close to you.”
Li Yundong stepped quietly around the corner and slinked over towards the cabinet lining one side of the office. The cabinet should provide him enough cover if Wang Yong suddenly turned around to look over his shoulder. President Yin had already spotted him, but she didn’t do anything to give his presence away. From the cabinet, Li Yundong glanced towards the sofa and saw no signs of the girls, which meant that they were all well-concealed. Li Yundong peeked out from the edge of the cabinet and dropped into a crouch. He tested the weight of the stapler in his palm, and then mobilized his Qi to his right arm.
Li Yundong activated his telescopic vision and zoomed in on the back of Wang Yong’s right elbow. The ulnar nerve. Hitting that spot would cause Wang Yong to loosen his grip for sure, but the problem was that it was a difficult target to hit. Should he go for a simpler target such as the head, or the back? Or should he trust Su Chan’s claim that the Renyuan Jindan had enhanced his hand-eye coordination and reflexes? In the end, he decided to stick with the original plan to go for the ulnar nerve. Calmness washed over Li Yundong. You can do this…
He activated Xianjue and predicted 5 seconds into the future just to make sure that Wang Yong didn’t make any unexpected movements. A second later, Li Yundong cocked his hand back and hurled the stapler at Wang Yong.
There was a loud yelp.
The detonator dropped to the floor. President Yin reacted instantly and kicked the detonator, causing it to roll towards the sofa set. All seven girls ran out from their hiding places and scrambled for the detonator. Wang Yong ran after the detonator too, but he was too late. One of the girls had gotten to it first.
“No!!!!” Wang Yong lunged for the girl with the detonator, but Li Yundong was quicker; he pounced and grabbed Wang Yong by the throat with one hand. “Secure the detonator!” Li Yundong yelled as he dragged Wang Yong towards the balcony.
Li Yundong crossed the balcony’s threshold and headed for the railing. The railing trembled when Li Yundong slammed Wang Yong’s back against it.
“Don’t move!!” Li Yundong growled. Then, he began to rip the vest off Wang Yong’s body, taking extra care not to touch any of the explosives attached to it. Seconds later, the vest was off. Li Yundong shoved Wang Yong aside and stepped towards the railing. He had to dispose of the vest just to be safe. Leaning against the railing, Li Yundong scanned the ground floor desperately. Where… where… where…
He spotted the company’s swimming pool on the ground floor. The swimming pool was unoccupied, which made sense since it was still office hours. Without further ado, he flung the vest downwards and watched it fall until he heard a loud splash. The vest floated on the pool’s surface.
Li Yundong turned away from the railing and glared at Wang Yong, who looked completely crushed. “Stay there…” Li Yundong pointed a finger at him. “I’ll deal with you later.”
Li Yundong walked back into the office. “Where’s the detonator?”
One girl raised her hand. Li Yundong nodded, then turned towards President Yin. “I’ve dropped the bomb into the swimming pool downstairs. The pool is unoccupied and the water might soften the blast if the bomb goes off.”
President Yin sighed in relief, then nodded. “Good work.”
Suddenly, there was a commotion at the door. Seconds later, Shen Hui and several uniformed security guards appeared inside the office.
“Oh my God, couz!” Shen Hui’s shrill voice rang out. “What happened?”
President Yin waved her off. “It’s all over now.” President Yin shot Li Yundong a glance. Was there a hint of awe in her eyes? Before Li Yundong could read any further into it, he was interrupted by a series of gasps and shrieks.
“Oh my God! What is he doing!” Xiao Zhang shouted, pointing towards the balcony.
Li Yundong whipped his head around. “Son of a bitch!” he yelled, his legs already moving.
Wang Yong was now sitting astride the railing, looking down towards the ground floor. Li Yundong charged towards the balcony. But by the time Li Yundong cleared the balcony’s threshold, Wang Yong’s body was slowly tipping over the railing. Knowing that he only had a split second to act, Li Yundong did the first thing that came to mind.
He leaped.
