I recall that when we were trying to apprehend a suspect, another major case suddenly emerged, forcing us to divert our attention to investigate. The current scene brought that incident to mind.
Several police officers, along with some armed police, had entered with us. Many passengers were holding their heads with their hands, crouching on the ground and trembling with fear. Some children had already started crying uncontrollably.
Despite our encirclement, these individuals showed no fear. Instead, they casually took hostages from those around them. Two of the women even put on menacing expressions and opened fire on us with assault rifles!
These people were equipped with such weapons. In a split second, I lunged towards Liu Yuning. Amidst the chaos, several SWAT officers were hit, but the officers nearby immediately returned fire!
The continuous bangs of gunfire echoed through the departure hall. Many of the bandits were killed on the spot. In the confusion, the bandits used cover to drag some hostages backward, hiding in the aircraft maintenance hangar near the departure hall. Seeing them retreat in that direction, Li Fan, who was with us, asked, "Where are they going?"
"The aircraft maintenance hangar? There are many machines there. If a fire breaks out, it could detonate at any moment!"
"Damn it, they're intentionally causing chaos! Not everyone should stay here. He Zu Chang, you should go find Guo Da Fu. We'll handle this!"
"No, these hostages will be in grave danger. I am needed here more than arresting Guo Da Fu. Besides, Liu Yuning and the others can handle it."
Li Fan had no choice but to accept my stubbornness. He quickly led many officers into the aircraft maintenance hangar after the criminals. The area was vast, as it needed to accommodate several aircraft. It was filled with parts and machinery that we couldn't understand. Originally, there were a few maintenance workers here, but before they could react, they were taken hostage by the criminals.
By estimation, there were still over 20 bandits. During the earlier chaos, it seemed a portion of them had dispersed and fled. They were likely scattered in other parts of the airport.
I said through the comms, "All units, please note, there are still many criminals inside the airport. If you discover them holding hostages, you must prioritize the safety of the hostages. Do not act impulsively!"
"Received!" The officers responded in unison. By this time, we had approached the aircraft maintenance hangar. Just as we were about to enter, the massive metal door began to slowly descend.
Several SWAT officers fired at the door. The bullets hit the top of the door, but they couldn't stop its descent. Soon, the aircraft maintenance hangar door was closed. Li Fan and the others cursed. From inside, the bandits' curses could be heard: "If you don't want these people to die, leave the airport immediately. Get as far away as possible!"
"Are you Guo Da Fu's people?" Li Fan asked.
"We don't know any Guo Da Fu. We're here today just to cause trouble. What's wrong? Can't we?"
"Ridiculous. Don't act like you have no connection to Guo Da Fu. We just happened to be here on a mission today, and you appeared. Is this a coincidence?"
"It's a coincidence. You're overthinking it. I'll say it again: if you don't leave, not one of these hostages will survive. Their lives are in your hands right now!"
Li Fan was about to say something more, but I pulled him back. I shouted towards the aircraft maintenance hangar door, "I really don't know how much Guo Da Fu has paid you to risk your lives for him. Don't you think that's foolish?"
My attempt at provocation had no effect. A sharp female voice came from inside: "You speak eloquently. Do you think we would risk our lives for one person? He's not worthy of it. I can tell you, we are acting under the will of a team, or rather, a belief. Our mission is to kill. We get 10,000 for each kill, and it increases to 1 million for ten kills!"
"Don't be impulsive! If you really do this, do you think you'll have a chance to leave here? The entire airport is surrounded by police. We've deployed over five hundred police officers this time. You can't escape!" I tried to persuade them.
"Don't try to scare us. Even if you deployed five thousand officers, we wouldn't be afraid because we have hostages, and a lot of them. Just wait and regret it!"
I could hear the woman's incredibly arrogant and confident tone, as if she were the leader of the group.
"Madam, you are quite capable to make so many people follow your instructions. Let me guess, what did you do before? You weren't the woman by the boss's side? And then your boss died, and you inherited his position?"
Li Fan looked at me in surprise, not understanding what I was trying to do. I had tried negotiations in previous cases, and he had witnessed my effectiveness. Naturally, he wouldn't say anything. However, because my way of speaking was always so unexpected, this time was no different, leaving him unsure of my intentions.
He could never have imagined that my words would render the woman speechless. I even overheard what sounded like quiet sobbing from inside.
After about two minutes, the woman spoke again: "It seems you are the famous Detective He. I don't know how you figured it out, but you're right. My husband is indeed Guo Da Fu. I don't know where he is; he's been missing for a few days. We heard from someone that you would be setting up a cordon here today. I thought, could it be that you've found Guo Da Fu's location? So we came here. Even if I can't see him, I must ensure he leaves here safely! That way, my mission will be complete. I can't let him be captured!"
"Since he is your husband, you should think of him. Given his situation, there's still a chance to be spared. If you truly want to help him, it's not by helping him escape, but by helping him surrender! If I'm not mistaken, he's actually by your side right now!"
At my words, several exclamations of surprise came from inside. Li Fan, standing next to me, was also dumbfounded. He never imagined that the person we were trying to arrest would be right here!
Another period of silence followed. The woman seemed to have come to terms with it and replied, "It seems you are truly a detective, Mr. He Sheng. But I don't understand, how did you know?"
"During the shooting earlier, I noticed everyone else seemed to be protecting you. A man was constantly following behind you. Not only do I know he is Guo Da Fu, but in the past, you were likely the real leader. You're a strong woman, and Guo Da Fu has no status at home. Furthermore, Guo Da Fu is injured, isn't he? Let me explain directly: I saw his left shoulder trembling, and blood seeping out. He was hit by an officer in the chaos. Given his injuries, if he's not sent to a hospital, he probably won't last long."