We proceeded towards the basement, the darkness below was absolute, rendering the interior completely invisible. The staircase here seemed intentionally designed, remarkably smooth and not at all rugged. Otherwise, in such an environment, a single misstep could have proven fatal for both of us.
As I noticed the stairs were quite long, feeling as if they would never end, it became apparent the basement was dug quite deep, and not recently. I wondered if it was an old air-raid shelter from the past.
Upon descending, we saw wooden barrels and boxes scattered in various corners, which further solidified our belief it was an air-raid shelter. However, compared to other shelters we had encountered, this one felt more profound. The interconnected rooms suggested many people had once occupied this space.
It was known that during the War of Resistance, Chinese towns and cities were frequently subjected to air raids by Japanese fighter planes. Many times, when the alarm sounded, citizens would immediately seek refuge in air-raid shelters. These shelters were preserved after the war and have remained to this day.
We ventured deeper into the shelter, our guns never leaving each other’s sight. Suddenly, a muffled sound came from above, as if someone had just pushed that massive urn back into place. We both looked up behind us simultaneously. But by the time we climbed back up the stairs, we found the iron plate had been closed!
Someone was outside!
They had locked us inside the air-raid shelter.
Liu Yuning shouted, “Guan Shansong, is that you? You’ve got some nerve, daring to assault a police officer!”
“Die!” Immediately, through a small hole in the iron plate, a corrosive gas began to flood towards us. I grabbed Liu Yuning’s hand, pulling her back. We retreated from the stairs to the lower level, having practically tumbled down in our haste.
After we had somewhat recovered, Liu Yuning cursed, “Was that pesticide?”
“Indeed. It seems they want us dead! Perhaps we shouldn’t have come down so quickly.”
“If others were with us, the situation would be the same. Now, we just have to get Xiahou and the others here quickly!”
As I replied, I reached for my phone, only to find there was no signal. Annoyingly, the radio communicator was also dead.
Although I had already sent out a distress signal for backup, if the pesticide dissipated quickly, we might meet our maker before help could arrive.
I said, “There are three ways pesticide can enter the human body: first, through the skin; second, through the mouth and nasal passages. If it’s through the skin, symptoms usually appear in two to six hours. If it enters through the mouth or nose, it can take effect in as little as ten minutes to at most two hours.”
“Then let’s find something to cover our mouths and noses!”
Liu Yuning spoke as she acted, but the pesticide was increasing, slowly spreading towards us. Fortunately, in a room not far away, we found a faucet and some cloth.
We wet the cloth with water and quickly covered our mouths and noses. However, even with this, we might still be finished unless help arrived soon. It was all up to them. Yet, I refused to sit idly by. Even though I knew we couldn’t open the iron plate, I again went back up. I slammed my fists against the iron plate several times. There was no sound from above. If it was indeed Guan Shansong, they had likely already left.
While the urn itself wasn't heavy, combined with the weight of the iron plate, the situation was entirely different. It was impossible for the two of us to push open the iron plate under the weight of the urn.
Frantically, I drew my police baton and struck it back and forth below, the sound of metal clanging against metal. Liu Yuning pulled me back from behind, “Don’t do that. Do you think your arms can match an iron plate?”
“Are we just going to wait here to die?!” As soon as I finished speaking, I felt something poke down at us from above with an iron rod. Fortunately, I dodged quickly enough, or my entire body could have been pierced!
I suddenly retreated backward, but due to inertia, I almost fell down the stairs again. Fortunately, I managed to stabilize myself. With someone above relentlessly poking with an iron rod, we couldn’t linger upstairs. By this time, the pesticide had spread even more, filling the air around us. Liu Yuning and I huddled together, wondering if this was truly the end.
Would our careers as criminal investigators conclude here?
Would everything come to an end?
I suddenly remembered Gao Mingqiang and couldn't help but call out his name.
Mingqiang! We might be dying!
Somehow, I thought I heard him shout, “Don’t talk nonsense, you still have a long road ahead of you!”
Because of his words, there seemed to be other movement on the stairs above. The urn was pushed aside again. I heard sounds of a struggle, followed by a burst of gunfire. Finally, a moment of quiet descended, and then the iron plate was opened once more.
In fact, by then, Liu Yuning and I had already fainted. I felt the figures of Xiao Yuande and He Jinghui hurrying down. He Jinghui was extremely anxious, his feet seemed to barely touch the ground, as if he were half-suspended, kicking rapidly. He quickly found me.
He carefully helped me up, calling out ‘Young Master’ several times. Seeing I had no reaction, he hurried to take me to the hospital.
After arriving at the hospital, I don’t know how much time had passed before I regained consciousness. The first thing I did upon waking was to ask about Guan Shansong’s condition. However, Xiao Yuande informed me that the person at the courtyard was not her at all.
I became curious, “Then who was it?”
“I don’t know how to explain it. It was Liao Ziyu, Quan Yingzhen’s colleague.”
“What? How could she…”
“She deceived us. We have already brought her to the interrogation room. In the air-raid shelter, we found a lot of blood and hair, all belonging to the deceased, including Liao Ziyu’s. This woman is also an accomplice. This case was a three-person operation,” Xiao Yuande explained.
So that’s how it was. In our investigation, we had overlooked Liao Ziyu. When she spoke to us then, we thought she was genuinely heartbroken. Looking back, she was definitely feigning grief, putting on a show for us.
No wonder Sherlock Holmes once said, never jump to conclusions until the very last moment of a case, otherwise, the truth that eventually surfaces often leaves people utterly astounded.
I was now finding it hard to believe the truth. Due to the wet towels hindering the absorption of the pesticide, both Liu Yuning and I were not severely affected. After a period of recovery, we could basically be discharged. Upon returning to the Provincial Department, the first thing I did was to find Liao Ziyu.