Chapter 8 007: The Shootout on the Streets

Elantra charged madly in Ye Chen's direction. Ye Chen was entirely focused on lunging at the gunman in black, completely unaware that Elantra was barreling toward him from the side. By the time he noticed, the car was already right in front of him.

Damn!

Ye Chen exclaimed, and simply threw himself onto the car, bracing with both hands, leaping into the air, and rolling and scrambling from the hood all the way to the rear. Dizzy and spinning, he heard the black Elantra screech to a halt. Ye Chen straightened up again.

"Get in!" The burly man in black in the passenger seat waved at his wounded companion.

That man’s eyes lit up and he quickly dove into the back seat. The driver slammed down on the accelerator, belching a cloud of thick black exhaust that nearly choked Ye Chen.

Coughing violently, Ye Chen wasted no time and sprinted after the car. The street was crowded, but the car sped recklessly down the pedestrian walkway, sending bystanders scattering in panic.

"Oh my god, was that gunfire just now?"

"Someone fired a gun in broad daylight?!"

Everyone was stunned by what had just happened. In the middle of the day, and right on Jianghuai City’s busiest South Gate pedestrian street! People hurriedly took out their phones to call the police. Meanwhile, Li Ruo, who had been at the center of it all, was utterly dumbfounded. She had clearly seen the criminal point the gun at her, had seen his fierce, twisted face. In the instant that bullet whistled toward her, thoughts of death flashed through her mind. She could almost see the hooks of death looming before her.

"My god!" Li Ruo’s vision blurred. Having brushed so close to the gates of hell, she acutely sensed the preciousness of life. Dizzy and trembling, she fumbled through her bag for her phone and hastily dialed Lin Ziwen.

She had set out intending to enjoy a leisurely weekend, even disguising herself carefully and donning a pair of oversized sunglasses. Yet, unexpectedly, she had still been discovered.

"Damn it!" Ye Chen pushed his speed to the limit. The other side must have realized he was pursuing them, fleeing even more frantically. The Elantra shot ahead, Ye Chen giving chase on foot.

Damn!

Ye Chen gritted his teeth and forced himself even faster. Onlookers were speechless—was this even human? Who could chase a car on foot? People stopped in their tracks to stare.

Just then, a trendy young man on a Merida mountain bike was coming toward him, headphones in, eyes closed, enjoying a leisurely weekend, oblivious to the chaos erupting around him.

Seeing the black Elantra about to vanish from sight, Ye Chen made a snap decision, yanked the young man off the bike without a word, mounted it, and pedaled furiously. His legs were a blur, the wind whipping his hair. The crowd was shocked by his speed.

"Hey, hey..." the young man stared wide-eyed, exclaiming, "What the hell is this world coming to? Someone’s robbing a bike in broad daylight?!"

"I’ll return it later!" Ye Chen shouted back without looking, pedaling like mad.

And so, an astonishing scene unfolded on the road: a bicycle weaving through traffic, overtaking more than a dozen cars in a row. Some drivers, realizing they’d been passed by a bicycle, craned their necks to check, looked at their speedometers, and almost popped their eyes out. Sixty kilometers an hour? That was insane!

Ye Chen tore forward on the bike at sixty kilometers per hour. Such a speed was nothing for a car, but for a bicycle, it was simply inhuman, beyond the limits of possibility.

The Elantra’s driver, after a burst of acceleration, believed he’d shaken off his pursuer. He relaxed, pulled out a cigarette, and was just about to light up when he glimpsed Ye Chen gaining on them in the rearview mirror. Startled, he dropped the burning cigarette in his lap, frantically grabbed the wheel, and floored the gas, finally widening the gap.

The car soon exited the pedestrian street and reached a major city avenue where a red light stopped traffic. Ye Chen, who had all but given up hope, suddenly saw the red digits counting down, and a surge of strength welled up inside him.

To hell with it!

He increased speed again, grateful the trendy youth’s Merida bike was sturdy—any ordinary bike would have fallen apart by now. The speed far exceeded any bicycle’s design limits, but the titanium frame held firm. Merida was indeed a top brand.

As the red light’s numbers ticked down, Ye Chen pedaled desperately. If there were a speedometer, it would have shown over seventy kilometers per hour by now. The Elantra idled at the light, the driver nervously checking the rearview mirror, honking impatiently as Ye Chen closed in.

The light flashed twice and turned green. The cars started to move, and the Elantra accelerated away. But Ye Chen, already at full speed, leapt off the bike as he approached, lunging straight at the Elantra. The driver stomped the gas, and Ye Chen managed to grab the rear bumper.

At that moment, police cars charged in from the opposite lane. They had received reports of gunfire at South Gate pedestrian street—no small matter. If word got out, it would tarnish Jianghuai City’s reputation. Thus, multiple police and riot squads responded swiftly.

“Captain, there’s something up ahead!” Inside one police car, a female officer pointed out Ye Chen clinging to the back of the black Elantra. “That’s the suspect vehicle!”

“Turn around and pursue at once!” The captain of the criminal investigation unit—a short-haired woman—remained calm and focused, locking her sharp gaze on the Elantra and issuing orders on her radio for surrounding units to close in.

Sirens blared, red and blue lights flashed, and traffic parted as small cars pulled aside to let the police through. The Elantra’s driver, seeing the police in pursuit, panicked, swerving desperately left and right.

The traffic police joined the chase as well. The departments were closely linked and, faced with a crisis, worked together seamlessly. Moreover, the lead officer today was Jianghuai City’s famous beauty.

“Vehicle 5937, pull over immediately! Vehicle 5937, pull over immediately!” The police loudspeaker blared, but the Elantra continued its wild flight, ignoring the warning.

The road was pandemonium. The Elantra hurtled forward, the driver’s eyes darting between the road and his rearview mirror as police and traffic officers gave relentless chase.

Suddenly, there was a loud knocking on the passenger-side window. The man in the passenger seat turned, just as the glass shattered under a steel-hard fist. A hand shot inside, locking around the man’s throat.

Crack!

A clear, sharp sound. The man’s head lolled to the side—dead. The driver nearly died of fright, jerking the wheel in an attempt to dislodge Ye Chen from the roof with a series of S-shaped turns.

“Captain Zhang, look!” The female officer pointed at Ye Chen atop the car. “Who is that?”

“Unclear for now.” Zhang Yantong shook her head, her expression grave. The situation was critical. “Fire a warning shot!”

“Yes!” The female officer hesitated, then drew her sidearm and fired into the air.

But the warning shot did little—the driver kept fleeing, heedless of the police. Ye Chen, one-handed, dragged the passenger out by the throat and tossed him from the moving car. The body tumbled across the pavement, and a fully loaded, eight-wheeled dump truck thundered by, unable to brake in time. The massive, multi-ton vehicle ran right over the man in black. More vehicles followed, unaware of the body, crushing it repeatedly until nothing remained but a bloody pulp.

Vomiting erupted among the witnesses. The gruesome remains were enough to leave anyone off their food for a month—red and white matter mixed with filth, brains splattered, the skull shattered to fragments, nothing remotely human left.

“Vehicle 5937, pull over immediately!” The police loudspeaker roared without pause.

Ye Chen clung to the car roof, one hand gripping the edge. Luckily, his arm was long enough. With his left hand, he grabbed the driver’s hair and yanked hard, roaring, “Stop the car, dammit! I said stop!”

“Aah!” The driver cried out in pain and slammed the brakes. The Elantra screeched, fishtailing as its tires burned black streaks into the cement, the acrid smell filling the air.

Police cars surrounded the Elantra in an instant. The female officer leapt out, furious, handcuffs gleaming coldly as she strode toward the car.

Ye Chen, still clutching the driver’s hair, pummeled him with his fists, shouting, “Damn you, trying to run, are you?!”

Each blow cost the driver a tooth, his face swelling until he looked like a pig’s head.

“Police!” The female officer rushed over.

Catching a glimpse of the man in black in the backseat, shaking with a gun in hand, eyes bloodshot with fear, Ye Chen felt a chill run down his spine. He realized with horror that he had overlooked a crucial threat. If that man had fired at any point during the chase, Ye Chen would have been finished. A cornered man is dangerous—how much more so one with nothing left to lose?

The arrival of the police sent the gunman into a panic. He raised the weapon, aiming at the female officer charging toward him. Ye Chen’s pupils dilated.

“Watch out!” he shouted, releasing the driver’s hair. Kicking off the ground, he launched himself at the officer like a bolt of lightning.

She froze, panic flashing in her eyes as Ye Chen crashed into her, just as the gunman fired.

Bang!

A sharp report. The officers gaped in shock.

An attack on a police officer!

The thought flashed through everyone’s mind. The bullet struck Ye Chen in the back, blood spraying, but he had already tackled the female officer to the ground, his hands landing on something soft, his lips pressing firmly against her rosy mouth. Teeth clacked against teeth.

Damn it!

Whoever said a first kiss was sweet or romantic? This damn first kiss—he was sure his teeth were about to fall out! Ye Chen was inwardly frantic, pain lancing through his back, followed by a burning sensation.

The female officer’s eyes went wide in shock. She’d never expected her first kiss to be stolen in such a way. For a moment, her mind went completely blank, her thoughts short-circuited.

Bang!

Another gunshot. Zhang Yantong, first to recover from shock, raised her pistol and fired at the gunman in the back seat. The bullet struck him dead between the eyes. In such a situation, there was no choice but to fire in self-defense. The subsequent report would be fully justified.

“Help him!” Zhang Yantong shouted.

At once, a group of officers rushed forward.