Chapter 272: Carjacking

The call connected. The howl of the wind and the heavy patter of rain striking glass came through the speaker.

"Er Gou, what's the situation on your end?"

It took a long time for Er Gou to reply. "Jian Ge, I think the police have their eyes on me! Those bastards are narrowing their search radius. I've already left Shanyang Mall Parking City and I'm heading toward the city center."

"You're exposed?" I frowned. "They must have pulled the call records from the old man's landline. They've tracked your number."

"What do I do then? Throw away the SIM card? But then you won't be able to reach me."

"Find a way to sneak into Shanyang Shopping Center. I'll come find you later tonight. Lanjiang Dam is the main event, and we have to keep one of our own watching it. Also, turn your phone off immediately and don't turn it back on. Every phone has a unique device identification code. When you connect to the network, they can use that code to identify and locate you. That means both your phone and your SIM card are compromised. Either throw them away, or leave the phone on and dump it in the opposite direction to confuse the police."

"That works? Alright, got it."

After hanging up with Er Gou, I called Mr. Gu, but it rang for a full half-minute with no answer.

"Not good. Something happened to Mr. Gu."

The live broadcast hadn't even started yet. Just a little over two hours into the night, someone was already in danger. It felt like a massive net was steadily tightening above my head, the suffocating sensation growing stronger by the minute.

With Mr. Gu's abilities, the police couldn't possibly stop him. His Gu insects could poison ordinary people over a wide area; even if he were surrounded and pursued, he should be able to escape with ease.

"Mr. Gu went to Bridge No. 3 Crematorium. If something happened to him, it's highly likely he ran into Lu Xing and Qiu Ren."

I made my third call to Blind Liu. Old Liu had luckily escaped detection by using a cheap, long-obsolete knockoff phone, and he had already successfully sneaked into Anxin Hotel.

"Old Liu, pay attention to two places: Room 203 and Room 2o6. Don't let your guard down, and don't rashly enter any tunnels. Hide in the dark. Even if you see Lu Xing, don't make a move against him. That madman is very difficult to deal with."

"Understood."

"Turn your phone off right after this call ends. Be careful not to let the police track you."

"But won't that mean you can't reach me either?"

"How about this: turn it on at the top of every hour, but don't leave it on for more than forty seconds each time. Signal detection takes time; forty seconds shouldn't be enough for them to react."

I hung up with Blind Liu and pulled my raincoat tight. Just as I was about to head outside, the sound of police sirens drifted into my ears.

Like a startled bird, I ducked into an alleyway. Two police cars sped past, patrolling around the bank with clear purpose.

'The old man's phone must be monitored too.' The phone in my palm had become a hot potato exposing my location. One wrong move, and I would be pushed into a dead end.

'Throw it away? Flee?' Compared to those options, I had a much bolder idea.

Since I was already exposed, I threw caution to the wind. I connected to the internet, logged into WeChat, found Balding Uncle's ID, and sent a message: "Emergency! Hurry to the Route 14 terminus at Bridge No. 3 Crematorium and wait for me!"

"Is this for the new live broadcast?"

Two seconds later, I saw Balding Uncle's reply and knew things were secure. He didn't ask about the wanted posters; he went straight to asking about the stream. That meant he trusted me implicitly.

"Yes, and this might be my final live broadcast."

"I'll be right there!"

I disconnected from the internet and powered down the phone. Slipping out of the alley with police cars still patrolling nearby, I feigned nonchalance and walked a short distance until I finally saw a taxi passing by.

I waved it down, but unfortunately, there was already a passenger inside. Seeing me completely drenched by the heavy rain, the driver was afraid I'd dirty his car and showed absolutely no intention of stopping.

"Whether you stop isn't up to you." I took a step forward and blocked the middle of the road.

Tires skidded, the screech of sudden brakes piercing the rainy night.

"Fuck you! Are you blind?!" The driver rolled his window down a crack and cursed at me, while the passenger in the back echoed his sentiments.

They cursed vigorously, but I didn't talk back. I strode up to the taxi and jammed one hand into the window gap. "Driver, I need to go to Miyun Mansion. The stop where only the Route 14 Bus passes."

"Can't you see I have a passenger? Are your eyes on your ass?"

"Heading out to the middle of nowhere in the dead of night? I wouldn't take you either. Hurry up and get out of the way!" The passenger and driver both stared at me in disgust. I couldn't really blame them. After running around for so long, my raincoat was caked in mud, and my face was pale and swollen from the rain. I looked rather terrifying.

"Did you hear him? I'm not taking you. Get lost!"

Seeing my hand jammed through the gap, my fingers gripping the glass with no intention of leaving, the driver grew even angrier. "If you don't leave right now, I'm calling the cops."

He rolled up the window, pinching my fingers so hard it sent a jolt of pain through them. "Psycho, get the hell away!"

The fingers are connected to the heart; the pain shooting from my fingertips only made my mind clearer. I was fleeing for my life. Right now, I was a wanted murderer!

"I'll say it one more time. The place I need to go is Miyun Mansion," I said, my expression completely calm. Beneath my raincoat, the black hair formed by resentful Yin energy was already churning.

"Can you not understand human speech? I told you to fuck off! I'm not taking you!" The driver ruthlessly rolled the window up the rest of the way. He wanted to see my fingertips crushed, hoping I would scream in agony, but he was disappointed.

Tangled black hair drilled into the car through the narrow gap. The glass was suddenly covered in black lines—it was hard to tell if they were cracks or strands of hair.

"What the hell is this?" the driver cried in panic. Immediately after, he witnessed an even more terrifying sight: a second human face surfaced on my shoulder.

"From the very beginning, I wasn't asking for your permission. I only told you where I wanted to go. You'll take me whether you want to or not."

The Fate Ghost transformed into black hair and swarmed into the car. The driver and passenger shrieked in terror, but it was completely futile.

The black hair devoured their vital essence. I threw them both into the back seat of the taxi and prepared to start the car.

Perhaps because I had lingered in the middle of the road for too long, the patrolling police noticed me. Two police cars started heading my way.

"Still a step too slow," I muttered. I glanced back at the driver and passenger, a hint of murderous intent in my eyes. The two of them were trembling, too terrified to speak a single word.

"When the police cars get here, the moment you see the officers step out, run straight into the alley. Don't look back. Even if the police order you to halt, do not look back." The black hair slithered across their bodies as if it had a life of its own. "If you look back," I added coldly, "you will die."

I took off my raincoat and made the driver put it on. When I had left the old man's shop, I'd brought along a few raincoats of different colors, so I pulled another one out and handed it to the passenger. Just as they finished putting them on, the police cars arrived.

"What's going on? Why are you stopped here?" The two police cars parked right next to the taxi, one in front and one behind. An officer stepped out of one of the cruisers, his hand resting on his lower back.

'Reaching for a gun?' I turned my head slightly, watching the scene unfold through the rearview mirror. 'Looks like they're getting serious.'

Not daring to waste any time, I commanded the Fate Ghost to force the driver and passenger out of the car.

An ordinary person would undoubtedly be terrified out of their wits upon seeing the Fate Ghost. Combined with the atmosphere of the rainy night, that horror was magnified infinitely.

Threatened by me, the two of them obediently complied. Compared to the police, this unknown entity was clearly far more terrifying.

Throwing open the car doors, the two bolted for their lives.

"Stop right there!" The first officer gave chase, while the police in the other car hurriedly stepped out, calling for backup as they charged into the deep alley.

"Have fun playing around," I muttered.

I started the taxi. Without caring about the police car blocking the way, I slammed the gas pedal and rammed right through it.

'The Jiangcheng city district has around four hundred active-duty police officers. Including those transferred from various counties and districts, their total force should be around two thousand to twenty-five hundred. Since they're securing eight locations simultaneously and patrolling the entire city, if they spread themselves that thin, that number of people is far from enough to catch me.'

'I wasted too much time earlier making phone calls and exchanging items. The police have likely already locked down this area. I just saw one of the officers send a signal to the station, so backup should arrive within ten minutes. To save time, they'll definitely take the main roads. It looks like I'll have to weave through the side streets and escape this zone as fast as possible.'