Chapter 769: Chapter 410: Showdown at the Critical Moment!

Upon hearing these words, the officers instantly tensed up, a silent tension swiftly spreading through the team.

Everyone instinctively lowered their heads, uniformly starting a final equipment check.

Whether the gun’s safety was off, if the magazine was fully loaded, if the handcuffs were attached to the back of the waist, and if the walkie-talkie channel was clear.

Every action was as practiced as breathing, yet carried an extra weight compared to usual.

The young Li subconsciously touched the gun holster at his side, quietly unzipping it and pressing his palm tightly against the cold grip.

Not far away, a motorcycle lay deserted, slumped sideways at the edge of the weed-strewn mountain path, its body caked in mud, like a silent yet piercing alarm.

All eyes instinctively focused on the winding trail leading into the mountain, half-hidden by wild grass.

There was no need for explanation; everyone understood the gravity of Wan’s recent deduction.

Wu Guang was likely led into this forest, filled with overgrown branches and obscured vision.

Wan raised a hand with a forward gesture, taking the first step.

The entire team moved forward silently like an undercurrent, no one speaking, no one coughing, even footsteps were almost swallowed by the thick fallen leaves and soft soil.

The air suddenly felt frozen, only the rustling sound of the wind through the treetops and the suppressed, short breaths of the team could be heard.

They carefully avoided dry branches and loose stones, each step as light as a cat, bodies staying in a half-crouch position.

Two meters, three meters, four meters... The team pressed slowly and resolutely into the depths in silence, each meter seemingly stretched out over time, every second palpably marked by heartbeats pounding heavily in their chests.

At about a hundred meters in, Wan suddenly stopped at the front, raising a fist abruptly.

Everyone froze in place, as if a pause button was pressed.

Through the sparse yet chaotic forest ahead, a suffocating scene crashed into view — under a crooked old pagoda tree, Wu Guang was hanging by rough rope from a low branch, feet dangling, body swaying slightly with the wind.

His eyes were shut, head limply resting on his chest, arms tied behind his back, shirt torn, and face visibly bruised.

Even more startling, a young man in black was standing with his back to them, directly in front of Wu Guang.

His figure was thin, yet exuded an aura of danger, clutching a cold-glinting knife, the blade pointed straight at Wu Guang’s chest.

He was constantly barking something in a suppressed but agitated voice, shoulders heaving with the sentences, each gesture taut as a bow, filled with a tangible threat.

Wan quickly sidestepped behind a large tree, swiftly scanning the surroundings.

After confirming no other accomplices were within sight, he immediately pulled out his phone and pressed a speed dial button to call Jiang An.

At that moment, Jiang An was sitting alone in the office, spread out in front of him were documents related to Wu Guang’s disappearance and satellite terrain maps of the West Mountain Region.

His fingers unconsciously tapped the desk repeatedly, his gaze moving swiftly between different marked points, the whole person like a bow drawn tight.

The moment the phone rang, he almost instantly answered, pressing the receiver tightly to his ear — days of sleepless nights had left his voice hoarse, yet his tone was as sharp as a knife: "How’s it going? Have you found him? What’s the situation now?"

He lowered his voice but couldn’t hide the tension in his words: "Hello, Mr. Jiang!"

"We’ve found him! About a hundred meters into the mountain, under an old pagoda tree, the suspect is threatening Wu Guang with a knife, requesting immediate support!"

On the other end, Wan’s voice was taut, like a string about to snap, speaking rapidly but making every effort to keep his sentences clear.

"Mr. Jiang, the situation is very dire!"

"We are currently in the West Mountain South District of the city, specifically near the abandoned trail at the foot of the southern hill."

"Wu Guang is suspended under an old pagoda tree on the slope, life or death unknown."

"And less than 100 meters directly ahead of me — that unknown man is standing there, holding a knife, shouting continuously at Wu Guang, his emotions extremely unstable!"

Jiang An’s brow furrowed tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white with the force of gripping the phone.

He lowered his voice, tone serious and urgent, each word as though quenched in cold steel: "Wan, listen to me: you must maintain a safe distance, do not act rashly."

"The suspect is armed and agitated, any provocation could push him to extreme actions against Wu Guang."

"Stay put and keep him under surveillance, remain concealed, I’ll report this to Mr. Li immediately and lead the support team myself!"

As soon as the call ended, Jiang An shot out of the office like an arrow leaving the bowstring, striding rapidly down the hallway as if swept by the wind.

While moving swiftly, he quickly dialed Mr. Li’s private number, concisely and gravely reporting the emergency situation on site.

Immediately, Mr. Li issued an emergency order through the internal channel, commanding the city’s riot control SWAT team to assemble immediately.

The entire action was swift and decisive, with no hesitation whatsoever.

Within 10 minutes, Mr. Li was in the garage, and Jiang An right behind him.

The entire SWAT team was fully armed and precisely assembled, an aura of deadly determination emanating from them.

Several police cars surged out the city’s gates like a steel flood, racing towards West Mountain with breathtaking speed.

minutes later, the convoy arrived at the foot of the mountain.

The mountain road was winding and secluded, the surrounding silence only broken by the residual hum after the engines shut down.

Mr. Li raised a hand to signal a stop, and everyone could see from afar that the advance team’s vehicles were quietly parked by the forest path.