Chapter 25: The Mad Young Lord of Baize

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Madman Bai Zeshao

Night had fallen.

Gunfire erupted at Yaren Hospital, and the situation for Guo Xiaofei and his companions had grown dire. There were only six or seven of them, not only charged with protecting Director Wu, but also forced to fight on two fronts: they had to guard against the military police behind them while fending off the agents from the Special Services Division ahead.

With a soft thud, two more bursts of blood bloomed in the darkness—two of Guo Xiaofei’s comrades fell silently, slain by the agents.

“Brothers, forget everything else for now—focus all your firepower on that rescued Red operative!” Bai Zeshao had noticed Guo Xiaofei’s predicament, and so he fired toward the open ground. Upon spotting Director Wu still under heavy protection, he shouted the order.

“Understood!”

The gunfire grew even more intense. Soon, only Guo Xiaofei and the fiercely protected Director Wu remained. Guo Xiaofei’s bullets were spent; all he had left was a single grenade.

He glanced at the agents closing in from both sides and managed a resigned smile. Looking down at Director Wu, he muttered, “Brother, seems we won’t make it out tonight. But I’d rather die than fall into the hands of these dogs. So let’s keep this last one for ourselves…”

Inside the hospital, the shooting ceased. Outside, Zhou Shan and his men heard the silence but could do nothing—their ammunition was nearly depleted as well.

On the Special Services side, Bai Zeshao led the charge toward Guo Xiaofei’s position. Just as he was about to reach them, a grenade suddenly flew in from outside the hospital. Caught off guard, Bai Zeshao could only hurl himself to the ground, rolling aside.

When he regained his senses, he realized the Red operatives, previously at a disadvantage, were now rapidly advancing with the support of unexpected reinforcements.

No one knew where these reinforcements had come from—their firepower was overwhelming. The military police, taken by surprise, were quickly dispersed, and Zhou Shan’s group joined up with Guo Xiaofei.

“What’s going on?” Guo Xiaofei, still alive, asked Zhou Shan, bewildered.

“I’m not sure either. Let’s just get out of here. I suspect the main force from Special Services will arrive any minute,” Zhou Shan urged, scanning their surroundings.

“Let’s go!”

Seeing Guo Xiaofei’s group retreat, Bai Zeshao grew frantic. Forgetting his own safety, he jumped out and fired furiously at Director Wu. But the Red operatives would not let him succeed so easily; they quickly returned fire, forcing Bai Zeshao to dodge the hail of bullets.

Yet even as he twisted and ducked, Bai Zeshao would not relent, snatching every opportunity to fire at Director Wu. His mad persistence made even the Special Services agents behind him think he’d lost his mind.

Outside the hospital, on a dimly lit car, Zheng Zhibin watched the scene through his binoculars, intrigued. “Well, well, that kid really has no fear of death.”

“Chief, do you know that reckless fellow?”

“Not really, but I’ve seen him once—he’s good friends with Liu Xiaobing. I never thought he’d be this crazy, desperate for glory.”

“Should we give him a hand, Chief? After all, our aim is the same: to take out Wu Xiaoming.”

“No,” Zheng Zhibin replied with a faint smile. “It’s clear Wu Xiaoming has been rescued by the Reds, so our target has shifted. Tell the men to cover the Reds’ retreat, then pull out. Whatever you do, don’t give Special Services any leverage over us, or tonight’s operation will be hard to explain.”

“Yes, sir.”

With the Party Affairs Division intervening, the Special Services were completely suppressed. Bai Zeshao, unwilling to admit defeat, charged through the gunfire several more times, but was beaten back each time, forced to watch helplessly as Director Wu was spirited away by the Reds.

When the shooting stopped, Bai Zeshao, his body blackened and face streaked with blood, could only sigh and walk into the hospital. There, he ran into Wu Zhengke.

“Bai, are you alright?” Wu Zhengke asked with concern.

“I’m fine, but Director Wu was rescued by the Reds,” Bai Zeshao replied, shaking his head in frustration.

“Don’t worry—they won’t get far. After tonight’s heavy gunfight, orders have come down: the army, police, and military police have all been mobilized. Every road and checkpoint in Shanning is sealed off for a massive manhunt,” Wu Zhengke said with a reassuring smile.

He glanced at Bai Zeshao’s battered face and added, “Take care of yourself first—go get those wounds treated.”

“Yes,” Bai Zeshao nodded.

“Captain, you’re alright?” At that moment, Gao Debiao finally arrived in the hospital, a little late.

“Well, Gao, finished your dinner?” Wu Zhengke, who had nearly been killed, couldn’t suppress his anger at Gao Debiao, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

“Chief, I… I wanted to get here sooner, but the crossfire was too fierce—I simply couldn’t break through. Are you alright, Captain?” Gao Debiao stammered.

“Hmph, thanks to you, I almost got a bullet in the head from the Reds. Enough, don’t just stand there—take your men and hunt down those escaped Reds. And find out who those reinforcements were,” Wu Zhengke ordered briskly.

“Yes, sir.” Gao Debiao glanced at Bai Zeshao by Wu Zhengke’s side. He already knew Bai Zeshao had saved Wu Zhengke and said nothing more, turning to leave.

The next morning.

At dawn, Shanning’s streets swarmed with police and plainclothes officers. Checkpoints were set up at every intersection, inspecting passersby one by one. Surveillance teams were stationed at pharmacies and hospital entrances, and even the black market was under watch.

A tense atmosphere gripped the entire city. Yet, the results were underwhelming: not only were the Reds’ whereabouts undetected, but there was also not a single clue about the mysterious reinforcements from the night before. That group had moved with discipline, coordination, and overwhelming firepower—clearly not ordinary people.

Yet they left nothing behind. The Special Services could only seethe and intensify their search, hoping to uncover something.

Amidst this, Bai Zeshao, his ear wrapped in white gauze, appeared on the streets, joining the citywide manhunt. His status had changed dramatically—he was now the leader of the Third Action Squad of the Special Services.

His promotion came thanks to saving Wu Zhengke the previous night and his earlier capture of Wu Xiaoming, Director Wu. Wu Zhengke had decisively clapped him on the shoulder and elevated him.

“Chief Bai, where should we search?” Monkey offered Bai Zeshao a cigarette, flattering him as he asked.

“Dali, which area have we been assigned?” Bai Zeshao took a drag, asking casually.

“The southeast part of the city, near the Deyi Building—covering several streets: Xinyi Street, Nanning Road…”

“Alright, let’s go.” Bai Zeshao nodded and led Monkey, Dali, and Tiger toward the southeast.