Chapter 156: I Have to Go Up and Find Her!

“Crash! Crash!”

Under the forceful shockwave of the explosion, all the glass windows on the side of the 101 Sky Hotel closest to the fireball shattered.

Downstairs, Ye Qing and his two companions, who had just slipped into a room on the 23rd floor under the cover of night, suddenly felt a chill at the back of their heads and necks.

Cold wind whipped up the blackout curtains and white sheer drapes by the floor-to-ceiling windows, making a howling sound, as icy raindrops pelted in with a crackle.

Seeing the sudden burst of blinding daylight outside accompanied by a thunderous boom, the three exchanged wary glances.

From the hallway outside the room, they could hear hurried footsteps.

Judging by the sound, there were quite a few people stationed outside.

“What the—” Zhao Pengfei gaped for a second. “Could it be that those two helicopters that just took off exploded in midair?”

Sun Jingtao shook his head, frowning tightly. “No, that was a shockwave from a large amount of explosives detonating together. But why would those explosives go off in midair? That’s a mystery.”

As he spoke, scattered flames rained down from the sky, hissing as they fell into the water below.

“Thud!”

A charred, tattooed, and scorched severed arm crashed through the window, landing right at Ye Qing’s feet.

Ye Qing’s brow darkened. “Brother Tao, something must have happened to Jiang Yan! I have to go up and find her!”

He turned and strode quickly toward the door, but Sun Jingtao grabbed him. “Hold on, Ye!”

“?” Ye Qing frowned in confusion.

“We’re on the 23rd floor. Jiang Yan’s on the 30th. Even if we want to go up, we’ll have to fight our way there. If you just charge out like this, you’ll be riddled with bullets,” Sun Jingtao cautioned, shaking his head.

Zhao Pengfei chimed in, “Yeah, Ye, don’t rush.”

Ye Qing clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and his gaze sharpened. “Then we’ll fight our way up!”

“This floor is the entrance to their base. There are a lot of guards. I’ll go check it out first.”

As Sun Jingtao spoke, he quickly moved to the door and pressed his ear against it.

Ye Qing and Zhao Pengfei, weapons in hand, quietly followed.

Sun Jingtao listened intently for a moment, then straightened up. “From the footsteps, it sounds like they’ve gone upstairs. I’ll crack the door and check. When I count to three, Ye Qing, open the door. Watch the corners—don’t let them ambush us.”

“Got it.” Ye Qing and Zhao Pengfei nodded in unison.

Sun Jingtao took a deep breath and slowly, quietly turned the doorknob.

It was pitch black outside.

Fortunately, they were all wearing the night-vision goggles Jiang Yan had given them, so they could see everything clearly.

Sun Jingtao quickly surveyed the scene outside.

The building was cylindrical in shape.

The elevators and stairwells were in the center, with rooms circling the outer edge.

Right now, the hallway was eerily quiet—you could hear a pin drop.

Sun Jingtao slowly raised his hand. “One, two, three—”

Ye Qing opened the door, and Sun Jingtao, shotgun at the ready, charged out first.

Zhao Pengfei followed, with Ye Qing bringing up the rear.

“Who’s there?!” a voice called from the corner.

Sure enough, there was a sentry—a bald young man with a large earring and a submachine gun, hiding behind a big ceramic vase near the elevator.

“Pfft—” Wearing his night-vision goggles, Ye Qing took aim and fired, then dashed toward the source of the voice.

His pistol was fitted with a suppressor, so the shot wasn’t loud.

“Aaagh—” But the man’s scream of pain was.

Luckily, before he could finish yelling, Ye Qing was on him, pinning his body and covering his mouth.

His shot hadn’t been perfect—it hit the man’s shoulder.

Now, warm red blood was gushing from the wound.

Sun Jingtao and Zhao Pengfei scanned the area warily, then hurried over, guns trained on the man’s head. “Where are the others?”

Dragging him into a room for questioning wasn’t realistic, so Sun Jingtao kept his voice low.

“They—they went upstairs.” The man’s submachine gun had already been deftly taken by Ye Qing.

Noticing the walkie-talkie still blinking on the man’s chest, Sun Jingtao threatened, “Radio them. Find out what floor they’re on. If you say a single wrong word, I’ll blow your head off!”

“Boss, I can’t reach them. Our signal’s been jammed. We can only contact people on the same floor,” the man stammered, eyes full of fear.

Ye Qing kept a tight grip over his mouth, only loosening it slightly for him to speak.

Seeing that he didn’t seem to be lying, Sun Jingtao switched tactics. “Tell me! Which floor is your control center on? And where are the women and children being held?”

“I—I don’t know.” The man’s eyes darted, then he shook his head fiercely.

“Pengfei, cover his mouth.” As Ye Qing spoke, he pulled out a sharp dagger.

“Okay.” As soon as Zhao Pengfei covered the man’s mouth, Ye Qing drove the blade into the bullet wound.

As the wound widened, the fabric around it grew wetter with blood.

The bald man shuddered, sweat beading on his forehead.

“If you want to live, nod. Otherwise, I won’t mind digging the bullet out for you,” Ye Qing said slowly and coldly.

The pressure was suffocating.

The man glanced at the dagger in Ye Qing’s hand, terror in his eyes.

Before Ye Qing even started twisting the blade, the man frantically nodded. “The boss—they’re on the 30th floor. The prisoners—they’re at the suspended pool on the 24th floor.”

“All of them?!”

“Mostly.” The bald man grimaced in pain and despair, gritting his teeth. “Some are on the 31st floor, in the mezzanine. But those… those have been ‘selected.’”

“Selected? What does that mean?”

“I—I don’t know. I’m just a grunt…”

“How many people are being held?”

“Maybe… a few hundred…”

“That many? Where did they come from?”

“Several high-rise communities, and an aviation complex—lots of flight attendants and stewards…”

Hearing this, Sun Jingtao and Ye Qing frowned and exchanged glances.

They pressed for more details, then Ye Qing finished the man off with a swift stab.

“Pengfei, do you know how to shoot?” Ye Qing asked, picking up the newly acquired submachine gun and glancing at Zhao Pengfei.

“No. Ye, you keep it. If you give it to me, I’ll just waste bullets. I’m better with this.” Zhao Pengfei hefted his fire axe.

“Alright.” Ye Qing looked at Sun Jingtao.

Sun Jingtao waved his hand. “Let’s go upstairs.”

The three of them crouched and quickly slipped into the stairwell beside the elevator.

There was a fire door here as well.

They carefully pushed it open. The spiral staircase beyond was completely empty.

But when they looked up, they were stunned."