A Sharp Edge Emerges From The Mist Chapter 32
byA passionate kiss after a heated argument
Inside the abandoned chemical plant, time seemed to be swallowed up by the rusted steel and solidified darkness, moving extremely slowly.The night vision device showed a strange world of green light. Twisted pipes, collapsed cement components, and overgrown grass all together formed a silent maze.
The special operations team led by Lin Jianfeng infiltrated into the edge of the factory like a ghost. According to the predetermined plan, they quietly occupied several key commanding heights and hidden places.The low and concise reports of each team’s arrival came from the headphones, like a slight vibrato on a tight bowstring.Her gaze was like a falcon, through night vision lenses, repeatedly scanning the several directions where Shen Qingwu might appear – the dilapidated passage at the front entrance, a collapsed wall gap on the side, and the lonely two-story building that used to be the control room in the distance.
The positioning signal on Shen Qingwu’s body moved steadily, getting closer and closer.Her breathing came through the monitoring channel, steady, but slightly faster than usual, with a hint of suppressed tension.
Ten fifty-eight.
On the second floor of the small control room building, behind a broken window, there was a faint light that flickered and then went out.Not a flashlight, more like the fluorescence of some kind of electronic screen.
“Target B (Wang Youcai) may be on the second floor of the control room.” Lao Lei’s voice sounded in the earphones, as calm as ice. “No other large-scale heat sources have been found, but there are suspicious stationary heat sources on the bottom floor of the small building and behind several abandoned storage tanks around it. It is suspected of an ambush.”
“Received. Group A (Lin Jianfeng’s main attack group) approaches the control room in a roundabout way as planned, Group B (sniper and fire support group) locks the ambush point, and Group C (peripheral blockade group) remains vigilant to prevent the target from escaping or external reinforcements.” Lin Jianfeng quickly ordered, in a very low voice, “Attention, protect the safety of the informant (Shen Qingwu) first, do not exchange fire unless necessary, follow my instructions.”
“Understood!”
Eleven o’clock sharp.
From the direction of the main entrance of the factory, there was an extremely slight sound of high heels stepping on the gravel.One after another, it was extremely clear in the dead silence.Then, a slender figure appeared in the background outlined by the broken door frame and slightly illuminated by the light pollution of the distant city.
It’s Shen Qingwu.
She was alone, wearing the charcoal gray suit and skirt she wore during the day, and a long black windbreaker. Her long hair was a little messy by the night wind.He was holding a small black briefcase in his hand.She walked slowly but at an unusually steady pace, looking directly at the small control room building in the darkness ahead, as if there was something she had to face there.
Lin Jianfeng’s heart suddenly tightened.Even though she knew this was part of the plan, even though she believed in Shen Qingwu’s courage and preparation, seeing her step into this obvious trap alone, the heart-wrenching feeling was still so strong that it almost suffocated her.She tightened her grip on the gun in her hand, her knuckles turning slightly white.
Shen Qingwu walked to the open space below the control building and stopped.She raised her head, looked at the dimly lit window on the second floor, and said loudly, her voice echoing in the empty factory area: “Vice President Wang, I’m here. I brought the things. Where is what I want?”
There was a brief silence.
Then, the door to the second floor of the control room was pushed open with a creak.Wang Youcai’s figure appeared at the door. He was wearing a thick down jacket and a hat. His face could not be seen clearly, but his body was bloated and his features were obvious.He also held a document bag in his hand.
“Mr. Shen, you are indeed on time.” Wang Youcai’s voice was a little wavy, with a deliberately low hoarse tone, “Come up here, it’s ‘safe’ here.”
Safe?Lin Jianfeng sneered in his heart.The confirmation from Group B came through the earphones: “Behind the storage tanks on both sides of the control room, one armed person was confirmed on each side. There is another person in the shadow on the side of the small building. Three people in total. No signs of rape were found.”
Three people… plus Wang Youcai, four.No, there may be more.Lin Jianfeng glanced at other possible hiding spots around the small building.Shen Qingwu did not hesitate, carrying the box and walking into the dark entrance of the control room on the first floor.
Her locator signal began to move upward.
Lin Jianfeng spoke into the microphone and ordered in an almost inaudible voice: “Group A, follow me. Group B, lock the ambush personnel downstairs, listen to my signal and take action at the same time. Group C, stay outside.”
She jumped out of her hiding place like a cheetah, using the cover of night and the cover of grass to silently and quickly approach the back of the small control room building.Two team members followed closely behind.Lao Lei led another group to outflank from the other side.
Control room on the second floor.
The room was large, empty, and full of dust. There was only an old wooden table in the center, and a camping LED lamp was lit on the table, emitting a cold white light.Wang Youcai stood behind the table with a smile that was a mixture of greed, nervousness and malice.Behind him stood two expressionless strong men, obviously bodyguards.
Shen Qingwu walked in, his eyes swept across the room and landed on Wang Youcai’s face.”Vice President Wang, what a big battle.”
“Be careful, Mr. Shen.” Wang Youcai rubbed his hands, “Those things in your hands… are deadly. I don’t want to be invited to tea by the police after the transaction is over.”
“What I want is the complete investigation report of my parents’ accident that year, as well as the list of people behind you who instigated you to embezzle compensation and create false accounts.” Shen Qingwu put the black briefcase on the table and opened it.Inside are several thick stacks of documents, “This is what you want. Regarding the land compensation link of the ‘New City Project’, detailed records of all your illegal operations, including fund flows, forged signature samples, and… overseas joint account information between you and a relative of a retired leader.”
Wang Youcai’s eyes suddenly lit up, and his greed almost overflowed, but he quickly restrained himself and signaled a bodyguard behind him to step forward to check the documents.
The bodyguard glanced through it briefly and nodded to Wang Youcai.
“Mr. Shen is so happy!” Wang Youcai grinned and pushed the document bag in his hand, “Part of what you want is here. The rest… I will give it to you when we leave the Shuangcheng safely.”
Shen Qingwu picked up the document bag and flipped through it quickly.His face gradually darkened.”Wang Youcai, are you kidding me? These are just insignificant meeting minutes and old news that have been made public! What I want is core evidence!”
“Core evidence?” The smile on Wang Youcai’s face turned ferocious, “Mr. Shen, do you think you can walk out with the ‘core evidence’ now that you are here?” He took a step back suddenly, and two bodyguards immediately stepped forward and blocked him, with their hands touching his waist.
“Today, you and your so-called ‘evidence’ have to stay here!” Wang Youcai said fiercely, “It’s only because you are too greedy and ignorant! It would be great if everyone is in peace, but you insist on investigating and revealing the truth! Then don’t blame me for being cruel!”
Almost at the same time as he finished speaking, two short gunshots with silencers were suddenly heard from downstairs, as well as the muffled groan of a heavy object falling to the ground!
The expressions of Wang Youcai and the two bodyguards suddenly changed!
That’s it now!
Shen Qingwu slammed the document bag in his hand into the face of the nearest bodyguard. At the same time, his body retreated sharply and his hand reached into the inside of the windbreaker!
But the other bodyguard reacted very quickly and punched Shen Qingwu in the face!Shen Qingwu turned her head to dodge, her movements already a little sluggish, and the wind of the fist grazed her cheek, causing burning pain.
At the critical moment——
“Bang!”
The window glass in the control room shattered!A black figure swept in like a gust of wind, kicked in the air, and kicked hard on the chest of the punching bodyguard!The bodyguard screamed, flew out and hit the wall!
Lin Jianfeng landed and stood firmly in front of Shen Qingwu, firmly protecting her behind him.The gun in his hand was pointed coldly at the remaining bodyguard and Wang Youcai.
“Police! Don’t move!” Her voice was like ice, exploding in the empty room.
Wang Youcai was stunned, and his face turned as pale as a sheet of paper.He didn’t expect that the police would come so quickly and so accurately!
The kicked bodyguard struggled to get up, and together with another bodyguard, they looked fierce and seemed to want to resist.
“The people downstairs have been dealt with.” Lin Jianfeng’s voice was emotionless, “You want to try too?”
At the same time, Lao Lei rushed up from the stairs with his team members, and the muzzle of his gun instantly locked onto everyone in the room.”Put down your weapons! Put your head in your hands!”
The two bodyguards looked at each other, looking at the dark muzzle of each other’s guns, and finally let go of the hand that was touching the weapon, and slowly raised it.
Wang Youcai’s legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground, muttering incoherently: “No…it’s not me…someone instigated me…it’s…”
“Shut up!” Lin Jianfeng shouted sternly and motioned for the team members to step forward and take control.
The crisis is temporarily over.But Lin Jianfeng’s heart has not completely let go.She quickly turned around and looked at Shen Qingwu behind her.
Shen Qingwu leaned against the wall, panting slightly. There was obvious redness and swelling on one side of his cheek, which was the mark of being rubbed by the wind of the fist just now.Her windbreaker was torn open during the evasion and movement just now, revealing the special protective vest underneath.Her eyes were a little distracted, as if she hadn’t fully recovered from the life-and-death situation just now, but when Lin Jianfeng turned around, her distracted eyes quickly focused, became extremely bright, and locked tightly on Lin Jianfeng’s face.
In those eyes, there was the lingering fear of the aftermath of the disaster, the shock of seeing Lin Jianfeng’s sudden appearance, and a deeper emotion that was almost gushing out.
Lin Jianfeng took a step forward to check the injuries on her face.”Are you okay? Where are you injured?”
Just when her fingers were about to touch Shen Qingwu’s cheek, Shen Qingwu suddenly grabbed her wrist!The force was so strong that Lin Jianfeng was stunned for a moment.
“Lin Jianfeng!” Shen Qingwu’s voice carried an extremely suppressed tremor. It was no longer cold or calculating as usual, but full of fear, anger, and an emotion that was close to collapse. “Who asked you to come?! Who asked you to take such a risk?! This is not part of your plan! You should be commanding outside! You should…”
She was incoherent, and tears welled up without warning, spinning in her eyes, but stubbornly refused to fall.”Do you know how dangerous it was just now?! Do you know if you had come a second later, or if the bullet had missed a little bit… you… you…” She couldn’t continue, she just held Lin Jianfeng’s wrist tightly, her fingers turning white from the exertion, and her body was shaking slightly uncontrollably.
That’s not blame, that’s fear.It is the fear of seeing the most important person involved in danger for himself and possibly losing the other person, which is huge enough to destroy the sanity.
Lin Jifeng looked into her eyes, seeing the tears rolling in her eyes and the panic that was almost overflowing. All the explanations and comforts he had prepared were blocked in his throat.My heart felt like it was being held tightly by an invisible hand, making it sore and painful.
She held Shen Qingwu’s cold and trembling hand with her backhand, pulled her into her arms and hugged her tightly.
“I’m sorry.” Lin Jianfeng whispered in her ear, his voice hoarse, “But I can’t watch you alone in there. I can’t take any risk of losing you. Plans can be changed, orders can be disobeyed, but nothing can happen to you.”
Simple, direct, without any gorgeous rhetoric, but like a heavy hammer, it hit Shen Qingwu’s heart hard.
All the pretense, all the strength, all the cold shells honed in the darkness were completely shattered at this moment by this hug and these words.
Shen Qingwu couldn’t control it anymore and buried his face deeply into Lin Jianfeng’s shoulder. Tears burst out and soaked Lin Jianfeng’s collar.She was no longer suppressed and let out a low, suppressed cry, like a child who had been wronged and finally found support.
Lin Jianfeng held her tightly, feeling the trembling of her body and the burning of her tears, and gently pressed his chin against the top of her hair.Surrounded by team members who were cleaning up the scene and escorting suspects, the air was still filled with dust and the faint smell of gunpowder smoke.
But this small space, this tight embrace, seems to be isolated from all danger and noise.
After an unknown amount of time, Shen Qingwu’s crying gradually subsided, leaving only slight sobbing.But she didn’t let go, but held her tighter.
Lin Jianfeng didn’t move, but tightened his arms.
After another moment, Shen Qingwu slowly raised his head.Her eyes were red and swollen, her face was stained with tears, her hair was messy, and she looked a little embarrassed, but her eyes were exceptionally clear and bright, like stars washed by tears.She looked at Lin Jianfeng’s face close at hand, and at the eyes that were staring at her calmly and intently.
Then, as if she had made some kind of determination, she suddenly stood up on her tiptoes, held Lin Jianfeng’s face in her hands, and kissed him fiercely!
This kiss was without any structure, with the salty taste of tears, with lingering fear and fear, and with an emotion that was as hot as a sinking boat, so hot that it was almost desperate.She sucked Lin Jianfeng’s lips hard, and the tip of her tongue clumsily but persistently tried to pry open her teeth, as if she wanted to confirm the other person’s existence in this way, confirm the reality of that moment, confirm… that they were both alive and still by each other’s side.
Lin Jianfeng was stunned for a moment by her sudden and fierce kiss, but then, a more turbulent emotion surged up from the depths of her heart, instantly overwhelming all her reason and scruples.She tightened her arms and trapped Shen Qingwu deeper in her arms. She turned from passive to active and responded to the kiss enthusiastically.
Lips and tongues intertwined, breaths mingled.All the words, all the explanations, all the worries and fears were melted into this intense and almost brutal kiss.
Everything around him seemed to disappear.Only each other’s hot breaths, frantic heartbeats, and the tearful taste of life and death exchanged between lips and teeth were left.
This even more intense kiss that broke out after a heated argument (if Shen Qingwu’s crying questions were considered an argument) had nothing to do with romance or even lust.
It is a kind of confirmation, a brand, and the most primitive and direct emotional catharsis after surviving a disaster and regaining something.
As if to say: We are still alive, we are still together.
That’s enough.
After a long time, the two of them separated with gasps, their foreheads touched, their noses touched, and their breaths blended.
Shen Qingwu’s cheeks were red, either from lack of oxygen or from embarrassment, and his eyes were watery but surprisingly bright.
Lin Jianfeng looked at her and couldn’t help but raise the corners of his mouth, revealing a tired but extremely real smile.
“Next time…” Lin Jianfeng whispered, gently wiping away a little moisture from Shen Qingwu’s lips with his thumb, “Don’t take risks alone again.”
Shen Qingwu looked at her and smiled. That smile lost all its coldness and pretense, leaving only pure relaxation and… love after a disaster.
“You too.” She said softly, her voice still a little hoarse, “Next time… don’t make me worry like this again.”
The two looked at each other and smiled, hugging each other tightly amidst the mess on the ground and the smoke that had not yet dissipated.
The fierce kiss after the fierce argument (questioning) did not solve any problems, but made some things become clearer and more unbreakable.
The world outside is still full of dangers, and the battle is far from over.
But at least at this moment, they confirmed their feelings for each other and their determination to go on together.
More powerful than any oath.