Chapter 278: This Madman!

The Jiang family was my sworn enemy, eager to eliminate me as quickly as possible, but my investigation and deductions showed no connection between Lu Xing and the Jiang family. The person backing the Jiang family had nothing to do with the Two-Faced Buddha either. My feud with the Jiang family originally started over Ye Bing. As we clashed back and forth, they eventually crossed my bottom line by stealing the Underworld Live Show's data. That was when I finally dropped all pretenses.

'Did Lu Xing go to seek the Jiang family's protection? I hope I'm just overthinking it.'

The raging downpour had its downsides. It severely hindered my Chasing Eye, and the crash of rain and thunder dulled my sharp five senses.

I drove the police cruiser all the way to Century New Garden. The landmark building stood tall in the rain, radiating bright light even in the dead of night.

Given my status as a wanted fugitive, I didn't want to linger. Compared to the light, I much preferred the cover of darkness right now.

But before I could drive away, the Mother Insect inside the Black Wooden Box turned its head, suddenly acting extremely excited.

I looked in the direction it was facing. Strangely enough, it was pointing squarely at the main building of Century New Garden.

'Is Lu Xing really hiding inside?'

Century New Garden wasn't a broadcast location, nor did it have any connection to the Eight Characters Divine Fiends. What was he doing here?

Slowing the car, I circled around to the main entrance of Century New Garden. The pouring rain obstructed my vision, so to get a clearer look, I drove right up to the doors of the main building.

Rolling down the window, I peered inside. Over a dozen cars were scattered across the Century New Garden parking lot. There were Spykers and Lamborghinis worth millions, but there were also Hyundais and Volkswagens priced around fifty or sixty thousand.

Seeing the massive disparity in the value of these cars, I froze for a second before the realization hit me. 'Crap, it's a trap!'

I had been to Century New Garden before. As one of Jiangcheng's premier five-star hotels, its parking lot was practically a luxury auto show. Wealthy out-of-province businessmen coming to negotiate investments always chose to stay here.

In other words, this place was the face of Jiangcheng. Why would ordinary sedans worth forty or fifty thousand be casually parked right on the face of the city?

I spun the steering wheel, immediately throwing the car into reverse to change lanes and escape.

Bang! A gunshot suddenly rang out from within Century New Garden—without warning and incredibly decisive.

I jerked my head around. Rows of car headlights flicked on all at once, and the focal point of all that glaring light was me.

The sudden brilliance nearly blinded me. Shielding my eyes with one hand, I hurriedly jerked the wheel.

As the car spun halfway around, I glanced at my surroundings and suddenly realized my escape route had been entirely cut off. Police cars, stripped of their flashing lights and sirens, poured out of the alleys and side streets.

'Crap!'

Smooth sailing up until now had made me a little too arrogant. I had actually dared to speed through the city center in a hijacked police car. My original intention was good—I wanted to catch Lu Xing as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, I had severely underestimated the Jiangcheng police force. Compared to five years ago, their officer training and technological equipment had undergone a comprehensive upgrade.

Like ghosts in the rainy night, the police cars silently closed in on me, radiating a suffocating pressure.

"Class-A wanted suspect Gao Jian! You are surrounded! Drop your weapons and do not attempt senseless resistance! Step out of the vehicle immediately!"

Following the gunshot came the police broadcast. The voice over the megaphone was slightly distorted by the heavy downpour, but I still recognized it instantly.

I had met the man speaking before. It was the armed police captain, Chen Feng's father—Chen Jianguo.

"Raise your hands and step out of the vehicle immediately! Do not attempt senseless resistance, and avoid unnecessary casualties!"

The police cars drew closer and closer. The left, the right, and the road behind me were completely blocked off.

Sweat and rain slid down my face. Tapping my fingers against the steering wheel, I didn't shut off the engine as Chen Jianguo demanded.

Step out and surrender? What a joke. If I stepped out now, I really would become Lu Xing's scapegoat. I would be formally pinned with the serial murders from five years ago, essentially guaranteeing my death. I might even just get sniped by Lu Xing in the confusion.

'I haven't lost yet. There has to be a way.' My mind raced, my teeth biting into my lower lip until it bled.

"Step out of the vehicle immediately! Cease your resistance!" The police cars parked ten meters away, with armed officers using the vehicles for cover as they aimed their sidearms at me.

I didn't dare move a muscle. Back in the police academy, I had heard about the standard deployment formations for the armed police. "Three squads, one point"—meaning that if three armed police squads were deployed together, they were guaranteed to be accompanied by a long-range sniper. Right at this very moment, my head was likely sitting squarely in a crosshair. Any sudden moves, and my brains would be blown out.

In this clash with Lu Xing, it seemed I was a step behind once again. He must have realized early on that Mr. Gu had planted a Gu on him and knew I was tracking him. Beating me at my own game, he had exploited Qiu Ren's ability to disguise himself and manipulate the Mirror Ghost to infiltrate the police force, setting up this trap for me.

Thanks to his deception, the police likely believed I was the one who shot the officer at the convenience store too. They had cleverly redirected the hostility, pinning everything squarely on me.

The police were still blasting commands. Once they lost their patience, I would likely be shot dead right on the spot for publicly resisting arrest and assaulting an officer.

I felt hesitation and panic, but rising above them was the superhuman calm I had tempered through countless broadcasts. 'I can't step out of the car. I haven't lost yet. It's not time to give up.'

Left, right, and behind—I was completely boxed in. My only remaining avenue of escape lay directly ahead.

The disguised police cars inside Century New Garden slowly started their engines. They weren't moving quickly; the occupants were primarily auxiliary police and members of the Jiang Family Security Team.

'I have to punch through before they close the net.' The veins on my hands bulged against the steering wheel, snaking up my arms like vipers. 'I saw a few of those luxury cars back when I attended Jiang Chen's wedding banquet. Are the Jiang family members here right now too? Maybe they're standing up high in that building looking down on me like a pathetic ant.'

I had never felt this calm before—so calm that it even surprised me. It felt like a flame burning deep within a frozen sea, continuously flaring in a defiant bid to fight the entire ocean!

I reached out and patted Bai Qi's head, helping him buckle his seatbelt. I fixed my eyes on the main entrance of Century New Garden.

'Boxed in on all sides, hundreds of guns aimed at my head... they probably think this is the deepest despair I've ever felt.' Bloodshot veins crawled across my eyes. My current state was bizarre—a contradictory, almost sickly sensation. I was locked in a state of calm madness. I knew exactly how disastrous my next actions would be, yet my mind was meticulously calculating and refining each step of the process.

Two or three seconds later, a complete strategy to break the stalemate formed in my head. It was an utterly deranged plan—a headfirst dive into the deepest trenches of the abyss.

"You are surrounded! Drop your weapons and do not attempt senseless resistance! Step out of the vehicle immediately!"

Chen Jianguo's voice was broadcasting from inside the building. Etching the location of their command post into my mind, I shoved the Black Wooden Box back into my pocket. Glancing at the luxury cars in the parking lot one last time, a slow smile crept across my face. 'Surrender? I'm not handing my fate over to you. A confession extracted through coercion holds no weight. I'm going to catch the criminal with my own two hands and show you idiots what true justice is!'

I jerked the steering wheel hard and slammed my foot on the gas. In full view of the shocked crowd, I tore straight into Century New Garden, ramming my police cruiser directly toward the first-floor lobby!

"Stop him! Quick! Stop him!"

Gunshots, shouts, and the sounds of collisions erupted behind me. I didn't care about any of it anymore. I ignored the stray bullets whistling past my ears, ignored the shattering windows, and ignored the flying shards of glass that sliced bloody trails across my face.

'Faster! I have to break through!'

It happened in a flash. Just seconds ago, they had been stressing over how to coax me out of the vehicle and debating whether or not they should execute me.

Who could have guessed I'd be so deranged and decisive? Without a single ounce of hesitation, I chose the most direct form of resistance imaginable.

"This madman!" Chen Jianguo's sharp intake of breath was faithfully broadcast over the megaphone. The pursuing police, as well as the Jiang family members hiding inside the building, must have heard it loud and clear.

Bang!

The police cruiser smashed right through Century New Garden's four-meter-wide glass welcome doors! Glass shards rained down like a crystalline blizzard, the deafening crash temporarily drowning out the gunfire.

"Bai Qi, up the stairs!"

I rammed the car right up to the emergency stairwell. Without even bothering to wipe the blood dripping down my forehead, I tore off Bai Qi's seatbelt.