Chapter 84
Rushing to Song Juhan’s dressing room.biHiNiJSbAPLikoNVFOsDjEFUXSlBx
vdjhlPcnuAJlMADBy now, Song Juhan had already finished his stage look. He was dressed in a long trench coat embedded with exaggerated black feathers, his lips painted black, which made his pale face look both alluring and sinister. Such a bold hairstyle and makeup would be impossible for most people to pull off, but there he sat, his coat trailing to the ground, like a beautiful yet seductive demon folding its wings, taking a brief nap in the mortal world.aHZFDRWoNOqprVWxBPpCbeQhRufcdm
ggHtlyWxoGsHZCZXiao Song asked curiously, “Captain Ren, is there something else you need?” He looked expectantly at Gong Yingxian, thinking that Gong might have developed a sudden desire to become a star.KtxDerDpOOSwdQntWMqnexJkaUsfwZ
cHENUgXDDnhrKON“Teacher Song, I’m sorry.” Ren Yi looked towards He Gu, getting straight to the point. “I need to borrow Engineer He for a favor.”PJmGwxhVZmzWNoXqFOhcwFKiBfMfQm
RNBdesVOGFPdcyTHe Gu was a little surprised. “Me?”AJHKaoyXpDfZKlJKNUCZArUhGpReTg
IdhFIiRVTgulsoV“Engineer He, you’re the engineer for Honglin Stadium, right?”VibjnuZCOigHrCOHrhbCYiaDUEraDp
ZWXlalUALpGIwNw“Yes.” He Gu was puzzled. “That stadium was a project I worked on when I was at a state-owned company. How did you know?” He noticed what Gong Yingxian was holding. “That wouldn’t happen to be the design plans for the stadium, would it?”uKOAClrnivCMPSnCLUYdiMsBdMVrXo
joWihCnfShZbDut“We have a very important matter and need someone who’s extremely familiar with the stadium to act as a consultant. We need your help…”PCNFSCTxEXeRHAYaWLYxjzmBiMzDhZ
DCsnfBHGYphpoQL“No.” Song Juhan flatly refused. “I’m sorry, Captain Ren, but I’m about to go on stage, and he has to be in the best seat watching me perform.”qDuLWqALQnrDxYDdflwfGAwNBmXcaP
UXdEwOTQWfgGzohHe Gu asked, “Captain Ren, can you tell me what’s going on?” Noticing the serious expressions on both of their faces and considering Ren Yi’s position, he knew they wouldn’t act recklessly. Something important must have happened.uNVjmsONKQgmdIcZNgJlvLQmzjCwvt
mqZOTaaqhAFBnXr“It’s a very urgent matter, and we must have your help,” Ren Yi said, his tone more insistent.HGNpzUajuqqlmVIHgNmblPLWRAyDkL
zYZyzkPPHlZjeBhSong Juhan narrowed his eyes, his voice growing colder. “Captain Ren, explain what this is about clearly, or there’s no way I’ll let him go with you.”kUBSLsiJDpPlgeNtJxaVcUclUBjfog
dqpOEWJPtdfilNb“I…”uJZudgnUzkfRrevkeQNUNOxRRWWzWh
AKDCRnsHmQosETZGong Yingxian couldn’t stand wasting any more time on this pointless conversation. He pulled out his badge from his pocket. “I’m Gong Yingxian, detective from the Criminal Investigation Division of Hongwu Branch. He Gu, you need to cooperate with the police. Come with me right now.”xgNFWaicGHjPCWewUvqAbnjBjgRVrQ
zyKebVEmMDnwqDtSong Juhan immediately stood up, instinctively placing He Gu behind him, his voice sharp. “What the hell are you trying to do? Explain yourself!”nTeJhLzBgglzPfJbOOCJmphkhchkpI
YgpsvvaCVbcDYrgRen Yi gritted his teeth. “Everyone, leave!”kBjQxSrWxKlCKvgVHCHCuboFARfWxM
foXsLuyalgyStSmXiao Song glanced at Song Juhan.PWhawSWNeOKgRSSUJVxPynsgBaBwiQ
dmOuktgTcZnOfImHe Gu frowned and said, “Xiao Song, you all should leave.”yOZjIXNBXtLZRjWCqurXSFXpEgwfmB
HMdUKhmfWNMNNyHOnly then did Xiao Song lead the others out of the dressing room.uTmHIiPOqDGeJcBdjtvGgnwUAezqzu
jmYtEMqKcLFGdksRen Yi explained gravely, “Both of you, the situation is urgent, so I’ll keep this brief. A criminal has planted six bombs in the stadium.”bsqtGsVzdfNzHfhInAtkpdzLAhxeoU
STGXbogjJfQhjZLSong Juhan and He Gu’s faces went pale in an instant.KASfCYCXobcbSrktCHQvxyxUmyMliw
QwlsnGkgWPdQjNW“You… you’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Song Juhan’s face was filled with disbelief.fxqKdsPQMOXVPXjsWZxBBJVMrHGHzW
vgwObVYImyUHHIX“No one jokes about something like this.”RQFhIdFzjkrWWbqNoTVvzpWuBkcdJP
RxNNnCmOnsAXMGQ“Then why haven’t you started evacuating the audience?!”ZnfLRQGXhpgCgotZRXnEcTHsbsCdgB
CFMTdKhgdCyeByt“We can’t. The bombs are set to go off at exactly midnight. The criminal said that if we evacuate the audience or stop the performance, he’ll detonate them early. We only have…” Ren Yi glanced at his watch, “fifty minutes to find and defuse the six bombs.”AOgfnKjepEmEhruenqbHkDTeNWEsga
aQXsKTfvJZpuOcwHe Gu said seriously, “Who the hell would do something like this?”EPBvTPVJTGOleIPtFmUpgFYsyVSekS
kGZZMKAXFnGaUKwGong Yingxian responded coldly, “No time to explain. This person is also responsible for the Hongwu Hospital bombing not long ago.”nVOXVjcEgfcFKGNUdjCxCNHFftnXoY
djRGFSdijfYpGysAt the mention of the Hongwu Hospital bombing, any remaining doubt Song Juhan and Ren Yi might have had about this dramatic emergency vanished.FGcGJTaIXhcOZennIqVnfPziEwcYwq
lxXuJgmwOcRvSZQHe Gu quickly said, “Alright, I’ll go with you…”OnPviIbsYuaFLEDCxRYZhpisEJZGoq
RjYNHFugOOztBQGSong Juhan grabbed He Gu’s wrist. “I’ll have the driver take you out through the underground tunnel. If it’s just you, no one will notice.”GIvWcmJopdfanGLbMaQrajemYPrcar
OmzdilxaIVripCx“What nonsense are you talking about? Didn’t you hear Captain Ren and Officer Gong say they need my help?”ukUbxWrQDsjWnmuYAzBnCOuftsVeBF
SzRPzwhbelrFTxy“Bullshit!” Song Juhan roared. “They want you to defuse bombs!”EwYQGVNYZzMyeYIPByvnpSKvgBnAJH
cJrbamBgrZMaQsmGong Yingxian responded coldly, “No, we need you to locate the bombs. We have bomb disposal experts.”OaDzOIIaGYmgFIZuzTvQABMpvHusCR
akmMekGNgVWGteX“I don’t care whether it’s finding or defusing. You’ll still be near the bombs. If anything goes wrong, you’ll be in the most danger.” Song Juhan locked eyes with He Gu. “Listen to me. Leave now.”YtxkhTBUVyRUKNfPRsrgkKBNzkYvWG
AQSBwmDJXvXDGEHHe Gu’s expression grew serious. “Juhan, you heard what they said. The criminal’s demands don’t allow evacuating the audience or stopping the performance. Your thirty thousand fans will have to stay. All the guests, security, and staff will have to stay. You have to stay. And you want me to leave?”QmHBTCnNyIGCTJCBmvQWWTbfoqJNyz
dtsbyibrjtmlwsW“Yes,” Song Juhan said without hesitation.BPxtwpxlRKlzJlwvNWBsJJKEOeaKBo
rECMYWHyeIeNFMS“I absolutely will not leave,” He Gu replied, equally firm. “I’m not going to leave you here alone. I can’t just watch as over thirty thousand people are put at risk while I run away. And I won’t let the bastard destroy the stadium I built with my own hands.”CBcGEvxNcjbatoLdMFdvhSDkDJQDYw
GzICiIOqzLnSuWl“You…”oreoBGWeCfqjuGYLCegCePCyTljvKZ
uZdYDohNUpBaXwGGong Yingxian snapped, “You’ve just wasted another minute!” He was fed up with their emotional exchange. The love, care, and worry reflected in their gazes infuriated him. Every word they spoke, as if they were the only two in the room, felt like a personal insult.SudnCHSvHeSyrcRHbpEEpRqreyBpKv
fvYdDOKMlbKJUpfWas this how Ren Yi and Qi Xiao acted when he wasn’t around? Like all lovers do? The mere thought made it hard for him to breathe.VtfHFUgTajnvspiYsshtUBNrOXnKzn
UgSBiSFMCDnkGrUThe unyielding determination in He Gu’s eyes told Song Juhan that his attempts to convince him were futile—he had known from the beginning.KaUYxqxdXKLXtPKBhKeyGjSkBatffx
pyIeCFbTmrFilLBSong Juhan shot a cold glare at Ren Yi and Gong Yingxian. “You’d better bring my He Gu back safe and sound.”vmKCZqJxOhrVVdziqGEdloTuDpJEja
SuHVkZPPyXNGjCqRen Yi solemnly vowed, “I swear on my life that I will protect Engineer He.”InmmOTICMcrmfOMxXAfBLEeqjjdhoa
QKnUtKnwmeOudgZSong Juhan gripped He Gu’s chin and pressed a forceful kiss on his lips.JQosLRaktMuesAUYkWVFhTFpnWFfWY
YFtSGrrSXEubqVDHe Gu placed his hand over Song Juhan’s heart, giving it a gentle pat.WyYvrobJWRYjCdcUUnQhQTuKlMDkie
mhCagMHwvQTmAMWRen Yi awkwardly turned his face away. It wasn’t that he couldn’t handle seeing a kiss, but having Gong Yingxian nearby made him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles.ZmZjiNXqJkRXQcUhZsOzQojzAmZpAV
umHPDGJCGUVSWAEThe love he desperately craved was something Gong Yingxian found “disgusting,” something he wanted to avoid at all costs. Just thinking about it filled Ren Yi with sorrow.OmgMuXbjCjlmSNcDdFPKiwmHdTqVJU
cVqzjCXwdbvDgnhEverything that happened tonight would probably only deepen Gong Yingxian’s disdain for homosexuality, making it even more tangible.OksfEueVtoCiaGwycXqGgsyNtarSno
iXIgdAjPGDgZTFxGong Yingxian, however, didn’t look away. He watched the kiss intently, his eyes turning red. Since learning the word “jealousy,” he had never truly grasped its meaning—until tonight, when he experienced it in full force.fuKtybojjNtRgbOxBFZYGvIuHzMnzl
qlwPtRTpzDtIVzX—DbHUbQtnhkhKlIHqYDLIPFsRDbemdz
wmOGxuJZeWeklQUAs He Gu followed the two men out of the dressing room, he composed himself and, feeling a bit embarrassed, discreetly wiped away the lipstick Song Juhan had left on his face. He replaced his expression with one of professionalism. “Let’s find a place where I can review the design plans.”mRCnhIUhugVpYwIIxIiRBknWaAqoow
EfYGNAyXzoCiKxaThe three of them found an office. He Gu spread out the thick blueprints on the table, took a deep breath, and quickly flipped through the pages. “It’s been years, so I remember most of it, but some details are a bit hazy. What can I do?”CiKSMRBJyoLeONeeJbvmIgTuwuynln
JkrWVavYbaGFTlKGong Yingxian said, “The stadium is too big, and we only have fifty minutes. We can’t search every corner, so I need you to help us use the process of elimination. I’ll give you some criteria.”QHnNuWWRIwfvqixBUFEXMynvhyeKpY
HsvfOjAcqkAbyzX“Alright.”jOVWqQrHtmfwCIjkpuQsHvyuMEIswO
GiHHtSerLMJuEhdGong Yingxian continued, “We can currently rule out the outdoor areas for three reasons. First, the stage and seating area have been inspected multiple times; the equipment there is in plain sight, making it impossible to hide a bomb. Second, security checks were extremely strict this time, so it’s unlikely someone could have brought a bomb in. Third, there are over thirty thousand cell phones and various devices concentrated in that area, creating poor signal reception. If the bomb were planted there, the criminal wouldn’t be able to control it.”WBWltDNgsTntXlaywNsSjzDjHJoykV
pImGlzmMZaNOIxB“Makes sense.”kbBeMVreWbnNiYLTpjAxOKNXHAlBwP
EbeKRIGDCTFohTD“Engineer He, based on your knowledge of Honglin Stadium, focus on areas where an explosion would cause significant casualties, places where a fire could easily spread, and distinguish between areas with high fire resistance and those with low resistance, as well as areas with more or fewer combustible materials.”PoXCVCUDkQHRXllWhXzjmjxcJyIizN
koDjCmuzFXTVvKw“Alright.” He Gu continued to study the blueprints, his mind racing as beads of sweat formed on his forehead despite the cold winter night.FgAJkxnuuFXSlSMiUBwfmhrhwpbKNH
ZyGFPTgXhPZfXbSGong Yingxian then turned to Ren Yi, “I need to review the Purple Flame video again. Any useful information might be hidden in there. Keep me updated on the progress with Captain Qiu and Captain Zhang.” He pulled a chair into the corner, sat with his back to the room, and focused on the video playing on his phone.nWfrSXJIaYqFZcKTJQBAJguhcewuRY
vIDPzAIMgmeIcrf“Got it.” Ren Yi couldn’t help but worry about Gong Yingxian, who had to repeatedly force himself to watch the video, confronting the nightmare embodied by that masked figure. But now wasn’t the time to worry about one person—they had the lives of over thirty thousand people in the stadium to protect.HYflHXgYfLfsKwbZctBBYWWHBXXcrt
sJuTTHLLjJMLGILBefore long, Ren Yi received a call from Xu Jin, who had mobilized several squads to the scene. Chen Xiaofei was also on his way. Ren Yi quickly briefed him on the situation and instructed him to prepare the search teams. Once they pinpointed the likely locations, they would need to begin searching immediately.SydwMOAyamYzCunCjPyQHjhXIvbRuT
dxLYpCYNyVVgLoFAs time ticked by, Ren Yi had never experienced such agonizing waiting. His eyes stared blankly at the ceiling, imagining the disaster that could unfold at the stroke of midnight, just as the world was welcoming in the new year.BmvxOCfmFJtanrrwvgyPauKEUQjGQl
HAOpwNodCUrUNefAfter a while, He Gu stood up. “I’ve reviewed the design plans.” He walked to the whiteboard. “As for the possible locations for the bombs, I think we can first rule out the steel beams.” He wrote “steel beams” on the board and crossed it out.XQhStefzGlBSSaKNJdiDyQCEKyztfB
lvpyAMwTodCMcEuBoth men turned to look at the board.vqLxIvtSAApnVsIMizOvzWHVFUXSZm
vAVEokbDMFEDYXzHe Gu explained, “Honglin Stadium has a reinforced concrete frame structure, with the roof supported by over forty thousand steel components and nearly ten thousand glass panels.”lAnySvRcxoNGuZyRgCnCszAorpaVNh
VeoyycHsbxulgGPThe design of Honglin Stadium is somewhat similar to the Bird’s Nest Stadium. While smaller and different in shape, it also has a hollow roof structure made of steel and glass, which is common in stadiums and exhibition halls. In addition to its functionality, this design is also energy-efficient.DATteGrPrKBMBsAhPKAHuQnfLKoVil
spFUdDUJQDvnXgX“If I were the criminal and wanted to cause mass casualties or a fire with six bombs, I wouldn’t target the structure. First, all the steel and glass meet international fire safety standards. The steel components have been treated with fire-resistant coatings, giving them a fire-resistance rating of one to two hours. While the steel beams have been prestressed to save costs and increase their yield strength, which affects their fire resistance, that only applies in the case of a large fire. Prestressing helps resist damage from external forces like explosions. Simply put, small explosions wouldn’t cause a collapse, as the steel beams would support each other. The glass used is energy-efficient laminated glass, which would crack but not shatter into dangerous pieces. A large explosion is unrealistic—so much explosive material would be easily noticeable.”obpZaXcvipdPOuvWQjXotTBgxWjZxW
VAzmpinQnMqKLmqRen Yi asked, “What about the support columns? Those hold up the roof. If they collapse, the consequences would be unimaginable.”cRpMviaSbxwMrnKGqDRNqXwdCfMGxe
zlJgZAZeBeAYprQ“The support columns can also be ruled out. Honglin Stadium only has twelve support columns that are critical to the structure, making them too easy to check. The criminal wouldn’t place bombs in such obvious locations. Besides, I designed the columns with a circulating water system inside, which serves two purposes: energy conservation and increasing fire resistance. The support columns are the most fireproof and earthquake-resistant part of the entire stadium.”XPgAzDXGzVjJVCSSHNgjvlvzPonVxD
iSJWoBlCQgQDkRd“What about the walls?” Gong Yingxian asked.EjfMsrigGPqVTNFzVrPcPJDFSRcnwB
qVomCBAqqUxEjWV“They’re a possibility, but the stadium’s support doesn’t rely on the walls—it’s the support columns. A wall collapse would only cause localized casualties. I think we can rule it out.”NgyFSnstmYUNsSFKaSDCkkqTUGiHuT
mvTDqtHMVWYXuBH“The underground?”KXrTbmPQHxEjXuiPrfxWwaQNMcRxeg
VdMXtDwtMuqTfHs“Yes.” He Gu wrote “underground parking garage” on the whiteboard. “In terms of the building structure, this is the most likely place for the bombs. If they destroy the load-bearing beams, it could cause a collapse. Plus, with so many cars down there, a bomb hidden inside a vehicle would be perfectly concealed.”RGWMhHQZNuEOAYaRSqoPYyUUytFSjZ
lEcLUerOyVUHbnUGong Yingxian shook his head. “An explosion here wouldn’t easily start a fire. From the videos I’ve reviewed, Purple Flame seems obsessed with fire. If it’s just about killing people and not using fire to ‘purify,’ it wouldn’t align with his vision of ‘justice,’ nor would it follow the will of the God of Light. I don’t think the bombs are in the garage.”fVPoFmbMPUJRlEkVJcGptERyHyohtN
KMYEWGPeUxGmcwU“If the criminal wants to ensure a fire, then they likely won’t target the structure,” He Gu sighed, his expression growing serious. “The stadium has several key systems: the boiler room, gas pipelines, solar power system, backup generators, exhaust ventilation, condensate water recycling, and the hydraulic sewage system. If any of these systems are compromised, they could cause chain reactions—some could lead to explosions, others could trigger fires, or even release toxic gas. They could also happen simultaneously.”DsqjoxKOjYeNyoFHsVleBtLWBgrewR
ETukhoXKmghTIKrA heavy silence fell over the room.WlHoOSqERFMuCWCCblKVpLcsuCnTrK
GsmONtVBnmNahbUGong Yingxian spoke in a grave tone, “There are still a few things in Purple Flame’s video that confuse me, points I haven’t fully figured out yet. But there’s one thing I’m certain of.”nPqSHeqLbhzwJqhZiIwbTlfwRYemIc
KcxXPXJJUyFQtXwBoth men turned to Gong Yingxian.xcHqhlIVWEWWHnnkjobFCKgYqqukGY
XzSqZhocGUXFKNV“The person controlling the bombs is inside the stadium right now.”umzUHBhnxEfhoaJIhlOLezZxFvKTGF
IXRaokeucfjCdtvAhzJUaVRMjCJGHoParavRTwIHarQDN