"Oh no, isn't that Zhao Mei? She's about to drown!" a nearby officer exclaimed.
I knew this was a scene Du Qitai deliberately orchestrated, wanting us to watch Zhao Mei die!
I quickly grabbed my phone and dialed Liu Yuning's number. I wondered if she had found anyone yet, but my calls went unanswered. My heart sank. Could she be in trouble too?
I didn't have time to ponder. After instructing a few officers to secure the scene, I immediately drove a police car towards the mine. Upon arrival, I noticed several police cars outside.
My first instinct was to head towards a tunnel in the mine. I found no employees there; everything was eerily quiet. In the dead of night, I ventured alone into the dark mine shaft.
Even my footsteps sounded unnaturally loud. I pulled out my flashlight and cautiously moved forward, my nose and ears twitching, using my keenest senses to guide me. I wished my eyes were as sharp.
After what felt like an eternity, I heard a rumbling sound of flowing water. I figured I would soon reach Zhao Mei's location. I ran, reaching the end of the mine tunnel where I found a door. Pushing it open with force, the thunderous noise of water became even more pronounced.
I looked up to see a massive stone pillar, surrounded by steel walls. Water was gushing out of a trough below, and I could see the water level rising rapidly. At this rate, the person in the water wouldn't last five minutes.
I rushed forward and saw Zhao Mei struggling in the water near a metal plate at the edge of the trough. I jumped into the water, intending to free her, but she was bound by several iron chains and locks.
Without bolt cutters or a saw, I couldn't break them open!
I had no idea where Liu Yuning and the others were. As I was pondering what to do, a figure emerged from a platform above. Clad in heavy armor, his appearance immediately reminded me of Du Qitai's attire in the Silent Tourist Area.
"Du Qitai, is that you?"
"Heh heh, Detective He, I didn't expect you to actually come. The next game has begun. You've seen the situation around you, haven't you? This was originally a reservoir. A clear stream flowed through the mine to supply the employees, but now it's been taken over, or rather, occupied by the organization. Your task is to rescue Zhao Mei within five minutes. You can see that as time passes, the water level rises, and there are several unopened switches around here!"
As Du Qitai spoke, he picked up a sniper rifle, squinted at a metal plate not far away, and pulled the trigger!
With a deafening bang, several water pipes above me burst, and simultaneously, more water poured into the trough below. I also witnessed Liu Yuning and He Xin bound to the central pillar.
How could this be? Wasn't He Xin at the police station?
And how did Liu Yuning get captured?
I ran to the pillar. Liu Yuning and He Xin were in a similar predicament to Zhao Mei; though bound in different spots, they were all within the trough.
The water level continued to rise, drenching us all as water columns hit us. Our clothes were instantly soaked, and torrents of water poured down from above.
"Is that you? He Sheng, don't mind us, just go!"
"How could I leave at a time like this? I will save you all!"
"There's no chance. Didn't you hear him? Only five minutes, and now there's probably only about four left. If I don't go, I'll drown too!"
"Haha, yes, He Sheng. There are three women here, two of them are your darlings, and the other is a hostage. If you can't save all three of them today, you'll suffer forever and never be able to stand up again! I just love seeing you in utter despair! Hahaha, it's so entertaining!"
Du Qitai cackled maniacally like a madman. I didn't know what to do. Suddenly, my eyes felt an excruciating pain, as if they were tearing apart. A hellish heat emanated from my pupils, until they finally focused on one spot. I suddenly saw a TNT bomb attached to Liu Yuning's head!
It had a countdown timer, exactly like the remaining time, with only 3 minutes and 34 seconds left.
"Hahaha, Detective He, do you see? You're all doomed today. From now on, there will be no more Punishment Team in this world. Goodbye! I'm leaving. Do you hear that? The sound of the organization's armored vehicles approaching outside!"
Du Qitai shed his armor and fled. Although I wanted to catch him, I couldn't.
I looked around. The ticking countdown of the bomb was like a giant hammer pounding against my heart with every second.
"Hurry up and go! He Sheng, while there's still time!" Liu Yuning urged.
He Xin also said, "Yes, Father, you can't abandon the Punishment Team for the sake of us two. The team can do without us, but it can't do without you!"
"Stop talking. If you all die, what's the point of me being here?"
"But you are the only hope for the team!"
"No, you are my hope!"
"Officer He, I'm not afraid either, but you must leave. I don't want to drag you down!" Zhao Mei said nervously at this moment.
I shook my head. Suddenly, I spotted a lever above. I didn't know if it would work, but I had to take a gamble. I estimated it would take thirty seconds to climb up. I immediately started climbing, moving as quickly as possible. Several times, I nearly fell because parts of the ladder were missing. I had to be extremely cautious to reach the top.
The moment I pulled the lever, I found it incredibly heavy. With all my strength, I couldn't budge it!
Damn it. I thought climbing up desperately would give me a sliver of hope, but the result was this.
Looking down at the women waiting for me, I exerted myself again with all my might. This time, the lever moved, but the water jets around us intensified. It turned out this switch controlled the water flow!
Despair washed over me as I thought of returning to their side to face the final minute. After climbing down, I heard the sound of dense footsteps outside. I initially thought it was the organization's people finding me, but then I saw that the ones rushing in were members of the Punishment Team and a large contingent of police officers. Xia Hou, Gao Mingqiang, and Yuan Hezheng had all arrived. The bomb was less than a minute from exploding!