48: Chapter 48 Xie Qingshang's Intuition, A Counterattack

"Rewind it, play it again."

Xie Qingshang sat inside the command vehicle, his eyes locked onto the screen.

He was clutching half a piece of bitter dark chocolate in his hand, his fingernails tapping rapidly against the tabletop.

On the screen, the limping old man was trembling as he walked past the checkpoint.

He looked like nothing more than a pitiful man whose spine had been crushed by the weight of life.

"Captain, we've watched this three times now. There's no issue here."

The technician beside him yawned and rubbed his bloodshot eyes.

Xie Qingshang didn't speak.

He lunged forward and snatched the mouse away.

His fingers clicked rapidly, freezing the frame at the exact moment the old man's foot touched the ground.

"Look at his center of gravity."

Xie Qingshang's voice was low, laced with a morbid sense of excitement.

He used a pencil to point at the tiny angle on the screen.

"Although he's limping, every bit of force he exerts is extremely precise."

"His torso doesn't sway; his core is as steady as a mountain."

"This isn't the gait of a cripple; this is the force-exertion technique of a top-tier martial artist."

Xie Qingshang bit down hard on the chocolate in his mouth, the bitterness exploding across his palate.

The veins on his temples throbbed slightly.

"This isn't some old man at all."

"He is Qin Feng!"

Xie Qingshang stood up abruptly, his movement so violent that he knocked over the coffee cup beside him.

"Everyone, assemble at the city entry checkpoint immediately!"

"That old man is a fake! Pursue him!"

A chorus of chaotic acknowledgments came through the radio.

...

At this moment, thirty meters underground.

Jianghai City Subway Line 3.

The train emitted a dull roar as it sped through the tunnel.

The carriage was packed with commuters heading to work early.

Everyone was looking down at their phones, their faces filled with indifference and exhaustion.

Qin Feng leaned against the carriage door; his disguise as an old man was already half removed.

"Brother, are we really going to do it here?"

Pei Ji crouched beside him, clutching a black snakeskin bag tightly to his chest.

He lowered his voice, his eyes full of panic.

"The police have probably already figured it out."

Qin Feng tilted his head slightly, a faint smile appearing on his face.

He reached up and peeled off the fake beard on his chin with a gentle motion.

"What is there to fear?"

"A place like this is a blind spot where they would never dare to open fire."

Su Tang was applying makeup using the reflection on the carriage window.

She wiped away the large moles on her face and redefined her sharp eyeliner.

"Brother Feng, there are a few little tails following us."

Su Tang lowered her voice, her gaze sweeping toward the connection between the carriages.

Those were two plainclothes officers pretending to read newspapers.

But the veins bulging on the backs of their hands as they gripped the papers betrayed their inner tension.

Qin Feng sneered.

He casually pulled a loose-fitting black hoodie from his bag.

"Pei Ji, change your clothes."

"Su Tang, get ready to enter the scene."

At that moment, the subway announcement played.

"The train is about to arrive at the Convention and Exhibition Center Station. Passengers, please prepare to disembark."

Qin Feng's eyes lit up.

That was the turning point he had calculated.

...

"Blockade! Blockade all exits!"

Zhao Shanhe roared frantically in the command hall.

On the screen in front of him, the red dot of Subway Line 3 was rapidly approaching the target station.

"Second Squadron of the Armed Police, guard all the turnstiles for me!"

"Any suspicious man you see, take them all down!"

"Qin Feng is on this train; he won't be able to escape!"

Xie Qingshang stood at the edge of the platform.

Behind him stood dozens of fully armed SWAT officers.

Black gun barrels were aimed at the slowly decelerating train.

The air seemed to have frozen.

No one dared to breathe.

There was only the piercing screech of the subway brakes.

"Screech—"

The doors opened.

Xie Qingshang clenched his fists, his gaze like lightning.

But the next second, his expression stiffened.

As soon as the carriage doors opened.

A crowd of young people in bizarre costumes swarmed out.

"Charge! There's an autograph session with VV-sensei at the comic con today!"

"Oh no, my wig is crooked! Help me fix it!"

Hundreds of young people dressed as anime characters rushed toward the turnstiles, cheering.

Colorful wigs, giant plastic heavy swords, and dazzling stockings.

Xie Qingshang's line of sight was completely disrupted.

"Captain, how are we supposed to search them?"

A SWAT officer looked at the "Hulk" running toward him, not knowing where to point his gun.

"Get out of the way! Don't block the road!"

A fat man wearing a Zhu Bajie mask crashed through the police blockade, running at full speed.

That was Pei Ji.

He still had half a steamed bun stuffed in his mouth, his eyes showing a manic intensity that was a genuine performance.

...

Qin Feng walked through the crowd at a leisurely pace.

He casually swiped a silver fox mask from a nearby stall.

With a click, the mask snapped onto his face.

It covered the face that would have driven every policeman in the city into a frenzy.

He wore a loose, baggy cloak with an unsharpened katana strapped to his waist.

He looked exactly like a middle-schooler heading to a comic con.

System notifications flooded his mind.

"Ding! Detected that the host successfully used 'crowd cover' to mislead the police!"

"Shock Value +100,000!"

"Xie Qingshang's blood pressure is rising; the point multiplier has doubled again!"

Qin Feng whispered to himself.

His gaze swept over Xie Qingshang not far away.

Xie Qingshang was grabbing a poor soul dressed like Ultraman, checking the person's face repeatedly.

His complexion was terrible, like a trapped beast.

"Officer Xie, take your time searching."

Qin Feng parted his thin lips under the mask, his voice barely audible.

He walked with a light step, even casually helping a coser behind him adjust the giant wings on their back.

"Thanks, brother."

The coser thanked him happily.

Qin Feng waved his hand and walked toward the exit without looking back.

At the turnstile.

A young SWAT officer, sweating profusely, blocked Qin Feng.

"You, take off your mask!"

The officer's voice trembled slightly.

Qin Feng stopped and tilted his head to look at him.

He slowly raised his hand, his fingertips gently stroking the edge of the mask.

The movement was extremely slow, carrying an elegant sense of threat.

The surrounding cosers stopped, thinking this was some kind of impromptu performance.

"Why are you filming? Get out of the station quickly!"

Another veteran officer rushed over and shoved the young SWAT officer aside.

He looked at Qin Feng with disgust.

"What time is it, and you're still playing around with this nonsense?"

"Get lost! Don't stand in the way!"

Qin Feng was speechless.

He bowed slightly, performing an extremely gentlemanly salute.

"Very well, Officer."

He chuckled, and under the gaze of the police, he slowly swiped his card and exited the station.

When his figure completely disappeared into the sunlight on the surface.

Inside the station.

Xie Qingshang turned his head abruptly, staring fixedly at the disappearing black silhouette.

A strong sense of dissonance rose in his heart.

"The one with the fox mask! Stop!"

Xie Qingshang rushed toward the turnstiles regardless of everything.

But a team of "Navy Headquarters Admirals" blocked his path completely.

"Officer, can we take a photo together?"

A girl with smoky makeup grabbed Xie Qingshang's sleeve.

"Get lost!"

Xie Qingshang shoved her aside and rushed to the exit.

Outside.

The sunlight was blinding.

The streets were full of bustling pedestrians.

Where was there any shadow of the fox mask?

Only a playing card with a grinning face lay quietly in the center of the steps.

It was the Jack of Hearts.

In the sunlight, the clown's eyes on the card seemed to pierce through the void, looking at him mockingly.

"Qin Feng!!!"

Xie Qingshang let out an angry roar at the empty street.

The pencil in his hand, which had been sturdy, snapped into powder at that moment.

He knew.

In this cat-and-mouse game, he hadn't even managed to touch a single hair on his opponent.

And the other party had already planted the first bomb in the heart of this city.