A Bad-Hearted Doctor is Unbearably Beautiful - Chapter 53

In an instant, the door was blasted inward, collapsing as fragments of the frame scattered. Iron shrapnel, sharp as razor blades, tore through the room, and the acrid stench of gunpowder flooded the space.

As rolling clouds of dust and smoke filled the air, the aftershocks of the blast wave continued to ripple outward, leaving a single light fixture on the ceiling swaying precariously.

In his dazed state, Shen Zhao felt a violent ringing in his ears. The massive vibration stripped him of his hearing; the world before him looked like the static-filled screen of an old, broken television. He coughed, choked by the white smoke billowing from the doorway.

Behind that white haze, several figures appeared to be standing.

Is it… Lu Xiao? Is he here?

“Ready—”

At Lu Xiao’s command, the demolition team led the way behind bulletproof shields. Lu Xiao’s broad, powerful silhouette stood firm amidst the haze of war. His black tactical gear was coated in soot and debris from the explosion. His eyes were sharp, scanning the room frantically for any sign of Shen Zhao.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The moment Lu Xiao entered the room, several bullets whistled past his helmet, narrowly missing his ears. Through the thick white mist, he heard the dull thud of lead embedding itself into the floor behind him.

“Dammit, they’re in a hurry to die!” Lu Xiao’s mouth curled into a lopsided, grim smirk. A second later, he dove behind cover to advance.

The three officers reacted with lightning speed, using the chaotic environment as concealment. Since they couldn’t clearly pinpoint Shen Zhao’s location, no one dared to return fire into the room.

The kidnapper in the white suit raised his gun and tilted his head. He whispered to Shen Zhao, who was still lying on the bed: “Look, they’ve arrived.”

The man’s movements—chambering a round and swapping magazines—were incredibly fluid. He stared coldly toward the doorway. As the dust settled and the residual heat of the blast lingered, the entire space transformed into a bullet-riddled battlefield.

Lu Xiao spotted the man in the white suit, who was tilting his head in a silent provocation. Without a moment’s hesitation, Lu Xiao charged toward him.

Before he could close the distance, his heart was gripped by a sudden terror.

The kidnapper had Shen Zhao pinned in a death grip. He held a pistol flush against Shen Zhao’s temple, his thumb poised to cock the hammer. His laughter echoed from behind the mask, continuous and laced with utter madness.

“Don’t!”

Lu Xiao’s heart skipped a beat. His finger instinctively brushed against his own trigger, ready to put a round through the man’s head at any moment.

“You’re faster than I expected~” the man laughed softly.

“Let him go!” Lu Xiao’s gaze was as sharp as a blade. Sweat began to drip from beneath his tactical helmet.

“By your leave?” The man’s eerie, porcelain-white mask reflected the cold light of the room.

In the next heartbeat, the kidnapper twisted his lower body and threw himself backward, pulling Shen Zhao with him. They crashed into the surgical bed, sending it toppling over.

Glass vials shattered, and experimental equipment splintered across the floor. The overhead surgical lamp slammed into the ground. Seizing the opening, Lu Xiao fired a shot at the kidnapper’s side.

Bang!

The man rolled away with practiced ease, and Shen Zhao collapsed on the opposite side.

In the split second Lu Xiao’s eyes darted toward Shen Zhao, a gunshot rang out from the kidnapper’s hand. Lu Xiao dropped to the floor, using the overturned surgical bed to shield his torso. As he ducked, a bullet grazed his shoulder, sending a spray of blood into the air.

Lu Xiao let out a muffled grunt. He leaned against the bed for cover and tested the mobility of his shoulder.

Sensing his opportunity, the kidnapper scrambled back to Shen Zhao, hauling him up by the armpits. He paused to adjust his white fedora, which had nearly flown off during the roll.

Shen Zhao appeared to have hit his back during the fall. Combined with the dizziness clouding his mind, he had lost all sense of balance; his body swayed violently after only two steps.

“This weak?” The man glanced at Shen Zhao. “I certainly can’t let him take you away.”

He dragged Shen Zhao toward the exit. One of the demolition team members was lying in wait by the door; he raised his weapon, aiming it directly at the kidnapper.

“Watch out!” Lu Xiao roared, terrified that a stray bullet might strike Shen Zhao.

The kidnapper seemed entirely unconcerned by the man in front of him. As he stepped forward, he hooked his toe under a chair and kicked it directly at the officer. As the chair splintered upon impact, the SWAT officer’s leg was sliced open, leaving a deep, bloody gash.

The officer flinched instinctively. In that window, the kidnapper lunged. He delivered a brutal downward elbow strike before twisting the officer’s arm into a joint lock. He squeezed the officer’s palm with crushing force, making the gun slip from his hand.

Bang!

Lu Xiao fired from behind. The bullet grazed the kidnapper’s arm, and a crimson stain immediately bloomed on the white suit.

As Lu Xiao gave chase, a flashbang with the pin already pulled rolled to his feet.

In an instant, a blinding white light and a deafening explosion assaulted everyone’s senses. The light was like a sharp dagger, piercing the eyes of everyone in the narrow room.

Taking advantage of the brief chaos, the man threw Shen Zhao over his shoulder and sprinted out of the room like a madman.

“Dammit!” Lu Xiao’s expert marksmanship was useless now. The kidnapper was in full stride, and Shen Zhao’s body was swaying precariously over his shoulder.

With a roar of fury, Lu Xiao grit his teeth and took off in pursuit.

A black business van suddenly swerved onto the road from nowhere. The kidnapper hauled Shen Zhao toward the moving vehicle. Just as Lu Xiao felt his lungs were about to burst from the sprint, the man tossed Shen Zhao into the van. Lu Xiao lunged, his hand locking onto Shen Zhao’s shoulder!

“You’re still dreaming!” The kidnapper’s voice turned icy. As he spun around, a dagger slid from his sleeve, thrusting straight toward Lu Xiao’s chest.

A spray of blood splattered across Shen Zhao’s face!

The pain of the stab made Lu Xiao lose his grip. The kidnapper hauled Shen Zhao into the vehicle and slammed the door. The van floored it, its tires screeching against the pavement as it tore away into the distance.

Lu Xiao pressed his right hand firmly against the wound to staunch the bleeding. Using his left hand to prop himself up, he struggled off the ground and ran for the car used by his two teammates. The two vehicles engaged in a high-speed pursuit along the desolate suburban roads.

The black van sped through the night. In the distance, a sliver of light was beginning to break across the horizon.

Lu Xiao leaned halfway out of the pursuing car, his gunshots sounding like claps of thunder in the dark. From the windows of the speeding van ahead, a black muzzle emerged, returning fire with several heavy rounds.

Shen Zhao leaned weakly against the back seat. He squeezed his thigh with all his remaining strength, forcing the pain to keep him conscious.

Did I… fail to escape after all?

A sickly laugh sounded in his ear: “You really think… they can catch up?”

Shen Zhao forced his eyes open just a crack. He looked at the madman in front of him, his fingers slowly sliding toward the surgical scissors he had managed to hide in his waistband during the chaos…