Back To The 80s-Chapter 55 - 54: Issue No.1

Shen Heng weighed his options and eventually decided to call Lu Zhanguo’s camp. Lu Zhanguo had returned the previous day and was currently in solitary confinement for a period of reflection.

Receiving the call, Guo Huaqiang was caught in a dilemma. If he let Lu Zhanguo out now, it could lead to a mistake. But if he were to assign someone else, no one in the entire team could match Lu Zhanguo’s marksmanship.

After thinking for just a couple of minutes, he went to look for Lu Zhanguo. As he opened the door of the confinement room, he saw Lu Zhanguo sitting against the wall with his eyes closed. Under his eyes was a patch of dark bruise. Cursing under his breath, Guo Huaqiang quietly said, "Zhanguo, there’s a hostage situation in T City, and the hostage is your younger sister."

The moment the words were spoken, Lu Zhanguo abruptly opened his fiery red eyes. His bloody eyes glowed like a wolf’s, giving Guo Huaqiang goosebumps.

"Give me a gun and a car," Lu Zhanguo demanded with unparalleled resolve.

Knowing that his attempt to dissuade Lu Zhanguo would be futile, Guo Huaqiang said, "Sure, wait here. I’ll get the gun for you."

Once Guo Huaqiang brought the gun and bullets, Lu Zhanguo ripped off a piece of his army green blanket, wrapped up the gun, and bolted out the door. When Guo Huaqiang emerged, hearing the sound of the car engine, the car was nowhere to be seen.

"Is the kid driving the car like a plane?" Guo Huaqiang thought to himself.

The journey expected to take three hours ended in just over forty minutes. From afar, Shen Heng saw a car approaching like an arrow, performing a graceful fishtail stop hundreds of meters away from the crowd.

Knowing that it was Lu Zhanguo, Shen quickly ran towards the vehicle.

Lu Zhanguo remained in the car, squinting through the car glass towards the second-floor loft, unable to see the situation inside.

Shen Heng opened the car door and got in, only to see Lu Zhanguo, just back from a mission, his vicious aura still intact, his eyes bright red. For a moment, Shen regretted his decision to involve Lu Zhanguo.

"Tell me what’s happening." Lu Zhanguo asked abruptly, his face void of expression.

Shen quickly put aside his thoughts and seriously explained, "There’s only one kidnapper, he has bombs on his body and surrounding him. The location he’s chosen doesn’t have a good vantage point for sniping. Besides, even if we could snipe, the woman is obstructing the view."

"Give me the map." This wasn’t any ordinary street map, but a detailed city defense map. Shen pointed to the location of the loft, "Within 800 meters across from the small window of the loft, there’s no building over two stories high. We can’t snipe from here."

Lu Zhanguo quickly scanned the map and pointed at a bell tower. "What’s the distance from that bell tower?"

"Over 1,200 meters. It’s impossible to snipe from there with our Type 81 rifles." Shen thought Lu Zhanguo had lost his mind. The thought was too risky, not to mention the effective range of the Type 81 rifle, the weather, and the breeze.

Lu was silent for a moment before instructing. "Get the police to lure the kidnapper towards the window as much as possible." Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed the blanket-wrapped gun and darted out. His agility reminiscent of a cheetah on the hunt, swift and agile.

Watching Lu Zhanguo’s leopard-like agility, Shen quickly ran towards Song Ming. He told Song Ming about Lu Zhanguo’s plan, and Song also hesitated. "Can we do it from this distance?"

"Lu Zhanguo won’t attempt something he’s not confident about. Let’s give it a try," Shen said, choosing to trust Lu Zhanguo.

Inside the loft, the kidnapper sat against the wall, with Gu Xiaobei sitting opposite him. Gu Xiaobei didn’t dare move. She comforted herself with the thought that according to TV shows’ logic, a sharpshooter would appear at the most critical moment to save the day.

From below, the police shouted, "The guy upstairs, listen up. Lao Biao is on his way. We need to see the safety of the hostage."

The impatient kidnapper came over, pulled Gu Xiaobei up, and pushed her to the window, shouting, "Get the money ready too."

Song Ming yelled back, "The money is prepared. It will be delivered with Lao Biao. Once he arrives and delivers the cash, state any other requirements you might have."

The kidnapper considened this. "Get me a car, filled up with gas."

Gu Xiaobei stood by the window, looking down at the police. Her eyes darted around, wondering if the sharpshooter who was supposed to rescue her had arrived. If so, where would he be hiding?

Lu Zhanguo had already sneaked into the third floor of the bell tower. From the window, he aimed his gun at the loft, and through his sniper scope, he saw Gu Xiaobei. Her hair was disheveled, and her face was pale, but not a hint of fear was present. Lu’s heartbeat slowed as he closed his eyes in concentration. He knew he would only have one shot; he had to make it count.

Song continued, "Lao Biao has arrived, and the money is ready. You can come out with the hostage."

Upon hearing this, the kidnapper pushed Gu Xiaobei to block the window while he prowled around the loft, concluding there was no sniper because he only saw single-story buildings. He then slowly exposed part of his head to look outside.

In the blink of an eye, a gunshot sounded. Gu Xiaobei felt something brush past her cheek, causing her to close her eyes in reflex.

The bullet penetrated the kidnapper’s right eye, and the hand around Gu Xiaobei’s neck suddenly loosened, causing him to silently fall back.

Lu quickly collected his gun and the spent shell casings, then like a nimble cheetah, rushed towards the loft.

Looking at Lu Zhanguo sprinting like the wind, Shen felt as though he was witnessing a miracle unfold before him.

Lu reached Shen, handed him the gun wrapped in the green blanket, then ran a few more steps and used his hands and feet to climb up to the loft. Then, he squeezed into the tiny fifty-centimeter window.

Not only Shen but even the surrounding police and bystanders were stunned by his agility.

Gu Xiaobei leaned against the wall, or more accurately, she seemed to slide down the wall onto the floor. She felt her legs give out in fear. Despite her attempts at bracing herself, her body couldn’t help showing its fear.

When Lu entered and saw Gu Xiaobei sitting there; her face pale, hair a mess, but no hint of fear in her eyes, he crouched down and gently touched her face, "Xiaobei..."

Gu Xiaobei opened her eyes in surprise and joy, flinging herself into Lu’s arms. "I knew my hero would come to rescue me."

Seeing Gu Xiaobei safe, Lu breathed a sigh of relief, patting her back, "It’s safe now. I’m here." He then carried Gu Xiaobei down the loft.

When he emerged carrying Gu Xiaobei, applause thundered from the crowd. Someone had started clapping, and the entire crowd joined in.

Bypassing everyone, Lu carried Gu Xiaobei directly to his jeep. Shen, clutching the green blanket-wrapped gun, followed them. Gu Xiaobei, other than a somewhat disheveled appearance, pale face, dirty clothes, and minor scrapes on her knees and elbows, seemed to be in good spirits. Notably, her eyes were bright - clearly, she hadn’t been crying. Shen inwardly sighed in admiration at how strong she was.