He didn't barge in immediately but eavesdropped from outside. After a while, voices could be heard from within the house.
"Dad, that was too close. I think I was being followed."
"What? Are you sure?"
"Those two people looked like police!"
"You idiot!" a man roared, followed by the sound of something being violently thrown to the ground.
The child seemed to have been hit. Liu Yuning and I couldn't stand it any longer and yanked the door open, weapons raised, shouting, "Police! Freeze!"
The man was the same height as Huo Deyun, whom we were pursuing. It seemed this guy was indeed here!
"Don't come any closer! Or I'll kill him!" By this time, Huo Deyun had produced a hidden weapon and held it to the child's neck!
"Huo Deyun, you can't escape! Our backup is almost here!" I had pressed the button on my wristband.
"Hmph, I didn't expect to be brought down by a child. But how did you know my real identity?"
"The long arm of the law. The child just called you 'Dad,' and you could still do this to him?"
"Hmph, he's not my child. I just picked him up off the street. You've been tricked!"
"No matter how he came to be, he still has deep feelings for you. Don't you see that?"
"Don't talk to me about feelings. I was ruined by this very thing in the past. Now I know everything is fake. Only the ability to kill and endless money can change my life!"
"Huo Deyun, you murdered the Fo Hongde family and even broadcast it live. Do you know the widespread panic you caused in society?" Liu Yuning cursed.
Huo Deyun burst into laughter. "I've killed far more people than that. They were just performers in my broadcast art. What's the big deal? The child in my hand once helped me perform. I broke into his home and killed his parents right before his eyes. He resisted me at first, but in the end, wasn't he completely subdued by my personal charisma?"
Hearing this, the boy showed no resentment. Instead, he cooperated with Huo Deyun as his hostage.
"Back off, or I'll kill him right now!"
Huo Deyun had a professional-looking assassination hidden weapon on his wrist, reminding me of the killing tools in Assassin's Creed. I raised my hand and gestured with my gun, "Huo Deyun, don't be rash. We're backing off!"
We had to cooperate with him for now; otherwise, this guy was capable of anything.
We exited the wooden house, and he quickly followed, bringing the child out with him.
"Don't follow me!" Huo Deyun tried to turn and flee with the boy, but we immediately pursued.
"I told you not to follow!"
"We're not following you, we just want to see the child!"
"Hmph, don't try to fool me. If you keep following me, I'll kill him immediately!"
"Do you dare? He's your last bargaining chip!"
Huo Deyun was stumped by my question and stopped near the wooden house. He burst into laughter again. "Do you think I'm alone with just one hostage?"
With that, he snapped his fingers in front of us. Soon, a girl emerged from behind the wooden house. She looked about sixteen, wearing a uniform from Fuming Hope High School. She had a delicate oval face with a straight nose, and she looked infatuated with Huo Deyun. As soon as she appeared, she stood by his side!
"Girl, come here. Huo Deyun is a bad person!" Liu Yuning tried to persuade her.
But the girl shook her head and said, "No, he is my master. I am an actor in his broadcast art!"
"What?" Both Liu Yuning and I were momentarily unable to comprehend the girl's meaning.
Huo Deyun patted the girl's shoulder, giving her a signal. The girl immediately explained, "I've been with Master for several months. I've been taking care of him during this time. Who are you? I won't let you hurt him!"
"Listen to us, we are police officers, here to arrest Huo Deyun!"
"Arrest? Huo Deyun is a good person, why would he attract the police?"
"No! He has killed many people!"
We kept explaining to the girl, but she seemed to be deaf to everything.
"You better leave now and don't hurt my master, or I'll fight you with my life!"
The girl said, clenching her fists, looking as if she was ready to fight us. Her posture suggested she had some training.
I calmly analyzed, "If you resist now, you'll become Huo Deyun's accomplice. Have you considered that?"
The girl guarded herself warily. "I don't care. Anyone who is against Master, I will not let them go!"
"Oh? Is that so? You think you can fight us with your skills!"
Just as I finished speaking, the sound of sirens filled the air. Backup had finally arrived. Countless SWAT officers and detectives emerged with weapons, surrounding the area. Liu Yuning immediately pointed her weapon forward, "Huo Deyun, accept your fate. You can't escape this time!"
Huo Deyun didn't reply. The girl turned to him and said, "Master! We're surrounded!"
"You damned cops, do you think I'll surrender? Look at what I'm wearing!"
Huo Deyun pulled open his jacket, revealing several TNT bombs hidden beneath. This guy was truly an explosives expert. I suspected he was the one supplying all these broadcast bombs himself.
Seeing so many TNT bombs strapped to a small man, everyone gasped in shock.
With the amount he was carrying, if they were detonated, none of us would escape. We would instantly be turned into a bloody pulp.
"Don't be rash! Huo Deyun, let's talk this through!" Li Fan aimed his assault rifle at him.
"Get out of here! Get away from this place, or I'll kill this boy first and then detonate the bombs on me!" Huo Deyun was emboldened, holding a controller in his hand and gesturing with it in front of us.
That was the detonator for the bombs on his body. The bombs would explode if it was triggered.
I realized I had to get his controller and rescue the boy.
But how?
As the SWAT team advanced, Huo Deyun cursed again, "Didn't you hear me? Get lost!"
As he spoke, he lightly nicked the boy's skin with the hidden weapon. Blood instantly flowed from his flesh, staining his collar.
However, the boy showed no sign of resistance, standing obediently in front of Huo Deyun.
The SWAT team hesitated, unsure whether to obey his command. I exchanged a look with Li Fan. He waved his hand, and the SWAT officers took a few steps back. Then, in the next second, the girl suddenly pushed off the ground with her feet, grabbed a SWAT officer's arm, and snatched his gun away!