Chapter Twenty-Four: Sacrificing Oneself to Save Others

Chapter Twenty-Four: Self-Sacrifice

Inside the hospital.

Compared to the fierce firefight raging outside, both the corridors and the rooms within the hospital seemed eerily quiet. In one of the wards, Bai Zeshao glanced at the expressionless Wu Zhengke and tentatively asked, “Captain, do you want to move to another room for safety?”

“No need. In fact, I think we should move this useless fellow elsewhere, let the Reds who come to rescue him find nothing, and meanwhile we’ll set up an ambush. That way, however many come, we’ll kill however many of them,” Wu Zhengke replied with a sinister smile.

“Captain, I actually think it makes no difference whether we move this fool or not. Look at him—he’s already a cripple. Once the Reds exhaust all their efforts to rescue him, only to find they’ve brought back a useless man, wouldn’t that be even better?” Bai Zeshao hurriedly offered his own suggestion upon hearing Wu Zhengke’s words.

Since the Reds had mobilized such a large force tonight to save their man, they would surely stop at nothing to get him back. But if Wu, the factory director, were moved, they’d have to search for him, which would inevitably lead to heavier casualties and perhaps even total defeat—a scenario Bai Zeshao was unwilling to see, especially for an undercover agent like Wu.

“You have a point. I’d like to see how those peasant Reds perform. Still, we need to strengthen the defense of this ward,” Wu Zhengke said, as he called the two guards by the door into the room.

Suddenly, the glass in the ward shattered violently. Three figures burst in without hesitation, raising their guns and firing immediately. Caught off guard, Bai Zeshao and his three companions scrambled for cover.

But even so, one of their squad, slow to react, fell directly into a pool of blood. The small room was instantly filled with the roar of gunfire, and as time passed, another three or four figures climbed in through the window.

“We’ve found Director Wu!” At that moment, Bai Zeshao heard a shout from the intruders and instantly realized that these were Reds.

“Alright, prepare to withdraw!” Guo Xiaofei shouted, but his hands never stopped moving. Bullets poured out relentlessly, pinning Bai Zeshao’s group so that none dared lift their heads—they could only fire blindly in the direction of the attackers, desperately hoping the Reds would retreat quickly.

Footsteps thundered down the corridors—the rest of the security squad, having heard the sudden gunfire, were racing toward the ward, their heavy, chaotic steps echoing in everyone’s ears.

“Hurry up, move faster! The enemy reinforcements are almost here!” Guo Xiaofei urged, watching as Director Wu was just being lifted off the bed.

Bai Zeshao knew that once the security forces broke in, the Reds would not only fail to rescue their man, but everyone inside—himself included—would likely perish. Anxious, his eyes darted around the room. Spotting the bright light bulb, he quickly fired a shot.

The bulb shattered, plunging the room into darkness just as the security forces burst in. In the chaos, Bai Zeshao shouted, “Don’t shoot—our captain is still inside!”

But his warning was a moment too late. Muzzle flashes erupted in the darkness, bullets spraying everywhere, the small room erupting into utter chaos. Meanwhile, Guo Xiaofei and his team moved even faster.

“Damn it! These bastards are going to get me killed!” Wu Zhengke cursed in frustration, then shouted toward the door, “Get a flashlight—don’t let those Reds escape!”

When the flashlight finally flickered on, Director Wu and the Reds were already gone. By the window, as Guo Xiaofei—the last to leave—spotted Wu Zhengke among the crowd, he fired a shot before disappearing down the rope outside without waiting to see the result.

“Watch out!” Bai Zeshao shouted, flinging himself sideways and knocking Wu Zhengke out of the way. The bullet grazed his ear, a bead of bright red blood slowly dripping onto the floor.

Wu Zhengke, shaken, patted the dust from his clothes before looking at Bai Zeshao lying on the ground. Relieved, he said, “Xiao Bai, thank you—you saved my life. You idiots, get after them! Don’t let those Reds get away!”

“Yes!” The security squad rushed out of the room in pursuit.

“Captain, I’m going too,” Bai Zeshao said, ignoring the burning pain in his ear as he got up and hurried after them.

“Xiao Bai, you’d better treat your wound first.”

“I’m fine,” Bai Zeshao replied, frowning. “Captain, instead of letting them take away a cripple, wouldn’t it be better to let them go home empty-handed? If they’re here to snatch someone, why not give them a corpse instead?”

“Good,” Wu Zhengke said approvingly, impressed by Bai Zeshao’s ruthlessness and resolve.

“I’ll go now,” Bai Zeshao said, racing toward the hospital’s exit. He was indeed anxious. He had originally thought that if the Reds failed to break through quickly, they would retreat. He hadn’t expected them to use a diversion, storming straight into the ward and successfully rescuing Director Wu.

This turn of events introduced many uncertainties. If Director Wu was saved by the Reds, with time he would surely find a way to communicate, allowing his cover as a secret agent to remain intact and causing even greater harm in the future. That was why Bai Zeshao was so desperate to catch up—to eliminate Director Wu.

As he burst out of the hospital, the security forces were already engaged in a firefight with Guo Xiaofei’s group. The two sides were locked in a stalemate, with each surrounding the other.

Outside the hospital, Zhou Shan and the rest of the Reds held their positions. At the entrance, military police stood guard. Inside, Guo Xiaofei’s team was sandwiched between them, with the security squad and Bai Zeshao’s group at the innermost position.

In this deadlocked situation, the security forces were not especially anxious—it was their territory, and they knew reinforcements would arrive quickly. But the Reds were feeling the pressure.

“Old Zhou, what do we do? The enemy’s firepower is overwhelming and we’re almost out of ammo,” one of the team members outside the hospital asked anxiously.

“We have no way to retreat now—Old Guo and the others are still inside. If we pull back, they’re as good as dead. We have no choice but to fight it out. Tell everyone not to save their ammunition,” Zhou Shan said, pounding his fist against the wall of cover.

“Yes, sir!”