127 Unexpected Incident

The taxi traveled two more blocks before signaling and pulling over to the curb. The woman known as "Sword Goddess" stepped out, right beside a breakfast stall where the aroma of freshly fried dough sticks filled the air.

After Wang Deli left the bus, he had sent over the woman’s file. Her nickname was "Golden Flower," and she had won over 60,000 RMB the previous night, bringing her total haul to nearly 80,000.

Golden Flower swallowed hard and glanced at the bag she was carrying. Her luck at the tables had been extraordinary; she had won several rounds in a row and naturally couldn't bear to leave, let alone take time to eat or even drink a sip of water.

Now, she was famished and parched, but the massive sum in her bag made her uneasy about eating. She approached the stall, saying, "Boss, two dough sticks, a bowl of soy milk, and a bowl of tofu pudding to go."

The man frying the dough didn't even look up as he shouted to the middle-aged woman behind him, "One bowl of tofu pudding, one order of dough sticks, to go."

"Boss, how much is that?" Golden Flower asked.

"Two yuan per dough stick, two for the pudding, 1.50 for the soy milk. That's seven-fifty total."

Having bought her breakfast, Golden Flower walked home, feeling satisfied. She turned right from the intersection onto a side road. It was only a little past six in the morning, and there were only one or two pedestrians on the road.

A motorcycle caught up to her. After tailing her for a while, it passed the pedestrians, and then the rider pulled over. A man got off and quickly sprinted toward Golden Flower. He kept his right hand tucked into his jacket, his eyes locked on her handbag.

At the intersection, a red light and a car blocking their path held Han Bin and Li Hui back. Li Hui honked, but the car in front wouldn't run the light. With no other choice, the two officers abandoned their vehicle and ran into the side road. Li Hui parked the car and followed Han Bin, giving chase to the helmeted man.

Golden Flower was walking along, carrying her bag in one hand and her breakfast in the other, when she suddenly felt a tug on her bag. She spun around to look.

"Ah! Robbery!" she screamed, clutching the bag with both hands.

The man in the helmet pulled with one hand, but he couldn't overpower her.

"You're asking for it," the man growled. He pulled an electric baton from his jacket and jammed it into Golden Flower's chest.

"Ugh!"

The electric shock left Golden Flower trembling, her grip loosened, and the bag was snatched away.

"Money over life," the man spat, kicking Golden Flower to the ground before running toward the motorcycle.

"Police! Stop!"

Such brazen behavior shocked Han Bin and Li Hui. The last time, the suspects had only robbed someone in a stairwell; this time, they dared to commit a daylight robbery on the street. The criminals were growing bolder.

The robber with the baton spotted the two officers and, hearing the word "police," faltered with the guilt of a thief. He hurried toward his accomplice, ready to escape on the motorcycle.

Both sides were racing against time. If the suspects managed to get away on the bike, Han Bin and Li Hui would never catch them on foot, and their entire operation would be a failure.

Han Bin had a flash of inspiration. He drew his service pistol and shouted, "Don't move! Police!"

The man with the baton was startled; facing a gun, he hesitated, his movements slowing.

"What are you waiting for? The police won't dare to shoot! Get on!" the rider urged. He often heard on the streets that police wouldn't shoot due to regulations, public scrutiny, and poor accuracy.

Realizing this, the robber with the baton scrambled onto the bike. "Go! Go!"

Li Hui arrived just in time, launching himself into a flying kick that struck the man. The motorcycle wobbled and tipped over. Li Hui rolled on the ground, kicked the electric baton away, and as the two robbers tried to scramble up, he tackled the one who had snatched the bag. They rolled into a heap.

The other robber rushed over to help his accomplice, raising his foot to stomp viciously at Li Hui’s head. A blow like that could easily knock Li Hui unconscious. It was their only chance to escape. As for the officer with the gun, he wasn't nearly as afraid.

"Damn you!" Han Bin, seeing the situation, lost his temper. He pulled the trigger, firing a shot, followed immediately by a second.

"Ah!"

The driver of the motorcycle was hit in the stomach and collapsed backward; his kick missed Li Hui entirely.

After the two gunshots, the surroundings fell into a dead silence. The thug struggling with Li Hui was stunned, losing all will to resist. Li Hui quickly pinned him to the ground and slapped on the handcuffs.

"Ah..." The wounded thug clutched his stomach, wailing in agony on the ground.

"Bin, thanks," Li Hui said, a look of gratitude on his face.

"Don't mention it," Han Bin hummed, though his right hand trembled slightly.

"This little bastard actually dared to assault an officer! Serves him right!" Li Hui spat, immediately formalizing the charge. He was determined—if he didn't pin an assault on an officer charge on this guy, he wouldn't be worthy of his uniform. He wasn't doing it for himself, but for Han Bin.

Han Bin pulled out a cigarette and let Li Hui light it for him. He took a few deep drags to calm his nerves; this was his first time shooting someone.

Just then, Zeng Ping and the others arrived at the scene. They were shocked by the sight, though the gunshots had already given them an idea of what happened.

"Are you two okay?" Zeng Ping asked, feeling a bit of self-reproach for not reacting faster. Tian Li and Zhao Ming were equally dazed.

"It's nothing," Han Bin shook his head. "It all happened too fast."

"Small matter, just a few scrapes," Li Hui said, his face darkening. "Though this punk on the ground almost kicked me to death."

"He assaulted an officer?" Zeng Ping pointed at the wailing man.

"Yes."

"As long as you're both safe," Zeng Ping said, turning his gaze to Han Bin. "You fired the shots?"

"Yes."

Zeng Ping walked over and whispered, "Call for an ambulance yourself."

Han Bin understood and dialed the emergency number.

"Come here, both of you, and tell me exactly what happened," Zeng Ping said with a frown.

Han Bin and Li Hui reported the incident. Zeng Ping nodded, summarizing, "The robber attacked Li Hui's vital spots. To protect his teammate, Han Bin fired a warning shot. The robber ignored it, so he fired a second shot, wounding him. Is that how it went?"

"Yes."

"Where did you aim the second shot?"

"The leg."

Zeng Ping breathed a sigh of relief and patted Han Bin's chest. "Are you alright? Don't let this give you any psychological trauma."

"I was a bit uneasy at first, but I'm fine now," Han Bin said with a wry smile. "I just need to practice my marksmanship more."

In truth, the situation had been too dangerous for a warning shot. Han Bin had actually fired twice, both aimed at the robber's chest—one had missed, and the other had struck the lower abdomen. As for the "aiming for the leg" story, unless at point-blank range, even 90 percent of veteran officers couldn't pull that off, let alone a rookie.

Still, for his first time, Han Bin had done well.