Chapter 28: The Cornered Beast

Sun Ping’an had barely finished speaking when a gunshot rang out, causing the sedan to grind to a halt.

Xu Manchun was caught off guard, followed immediately by a flurry of gunfire. Panic-stricken, Sun Ping’an scrambled to the back seat, pulling his pistol and pressing the barrel against Xu Manchun’s head to use her as a human shield. With his two bodyguards flanking him, he had no intention of exiting the vehicle. He resolved that the moment his men were taken out, he would execute Xu Manchun without hesitation.

In the trailing car, the four agents were quickly dispatched by the Hurricane Squad. Inside Sun’s sedan, the driver was struck by a single bullet to the head, fired by the squad’s deputy leader, Xing Jun. Within a minute, the only people left at the scene were Sun Ping’an, who remained hunkered down in the car with his hostage, and two remaining agents from the No. 76 branch.

Realizing he was surrounded, Sun Ping’an huddled behind his two subordinates, pressed his gun harder against Xu Manchun’s head, and shouted, "Listen up out there! If any of you dare to come any closer, I’ll blow this woman’s brains out!"

Trapped and surrounded, Sun Ping’an was consumed by rage and confusion. The mission had been planned by Ding Moqun with such extreme secrecy that even the Special Higher Police had been brought in to assist with the transport of the "prisoner" to the execution grounds. With so many decoys and diversionary tactics in play, how could they have pinpointed his location so accurately? It appeared these people had been lying in wait in a pre-planned ambush.

"Damn it, this makes no sense!" he thought. Ding Moqun had only issued the orders after Dao Yan and Ma Shangcheng had left. Even if there had been a leak, the Military Statistics Bureau agents couldn't possibly have prepared an ambush here in advance. Unless... unless Ding Moqun wanted him dead! But that was impossible; he was Ding Moqun’s right-hand man.

Unable to fathom the situation, Sun Ping’an fell into a state of near-manic agitation. *Wait... could it be that Ding Moqun wants his nephew-in-law to take my position, and that’s why he’s trying to get rid of me?*

At this thought, Sun cursed under his breath. It was the only logical explanation. Otherwise, the Bureau agents would never have been waiting here. While this was the main route to Tilanqiao Prison, it was exactly for that reason that the Japanese military police frequently patrolled the area. The Bureau would have to be insane to stage an ambush here.

"Ding Moqun, you spineless bastard!"

Hearing Sun’s whispered curses, Xu Manchun was stunned. *Is our Military Statistics Bureau really this capable? They actually set an ambush here!* Despite having already resigned herself to death, her eyes sharpened, and her mind began to race. How should she navigate this situation?

***

Hearing the shouts from inside the car, the squad leader, Lao Tao, raised a fist to signal the team to halt, then gestured to his deputy, Xing Jun, and Li Dongsheng. After they nodded, Xing Jun caught the rifle tossed to him by Lu Bu, finding an optimal position to cover the rescue. Li Dongsheng stepped forward cautiously, shouting as he moved, "You are surrounded! The men you brought with you have already been dealt with. Listen, surrender and you might live; persist in this futile resistance and you’ll only find death."

"Besides, don't you want to know why we were waiting for you here?"

Sun Ping’an couldn't care less. If Ding Moqun hadn't sold him out, he’d write his own name backward. Xu Manchun took a deep breath, and noticing this, Sun jabbed his pistol into her head, growling, "No tricks! If I’m going to die today, you’re going down before me."

"Section Chief Sun," Xu Manchun said calmly, "it’s clear you’ve been betrayed by your own people. You’re at the end of the line—are you really going to keep throwing your life away for the Japanese?"

Irritated by her words, Sun glared at her. "Shut up, or I can't guarantee this gun won't go off!" He then shouted to the outside, "I don't care why you’re here! I just want to leave. You want to save her, right? Let me go, and she’s yours!" He signaled to the agents on either side of him. The two men, pale and visibly terrified, nodded.

Just then, Li Dongsheng’s voice rang out again: "Listen carefully, those inside the car. Surrender now, and we guarantee you won't be killed. This is your final warning! You know we can't stay here forever. I’m counting to three—if you don't get out and surrender, there’s no point in wasting any more words. I’m sure 'Canary' understands our predicament."

Inside the car, a faint, relieved smile touched the corners of Xu Manchun’s mouth. Seeing her expression, Sun Ping’an nearly snapped. *Why is she so willing to cooperate?* He thought. *You want to die, fine, but I haven't lived enough yet! Is this supposed to be a negotiation? What’s with that look of heroic sacrifice?* Sun sighed internally, genuinely unnerved by her demeanor. Looking at the trembling agents beside him, he realized they were on the verge of turning on him.

"Three..."

***

As Lao Tao finished counting, Sun Ping’an took a deep breath, preparing to speak, but froze. *Wait, why did the count change?*

Bang!

The car door was suddenly ripped open; Li Dongsheng had been creeping toward the vehicle while they talked. As Lao Tao reached the count, Li Dongsheng seized the moment, yanked the door open, and dragged the agent sitting next to it out. In a flash, a bullet struck Sun Ping’an dead in the head, while Lu Ming, standing a short distance away, fired his weapon to eliminate the other agent inside.

Xu Manchun was saved. It had been a highly successful psychological operation, demonstrating the seamless coordination of the Hurricane Squad. After Li Dongsheng slit the throat of the agent he had pulled from the car, Xing Jun approached with his rifle.

Xu Manchun took a deep breath, stepped out of the car with steady composure, and offered a sincere smile to her colleagues.

Meanwhile, on the road to the western suburbs, Dao Yan was racking her brain to find a way to intervene. She couldn't afford to take risks. She had worked too hard to reach her current position; if she exposed herself for the sake of the "Canary," not only would Mao Shu’s years of effort go to waste, but there was no guarantee she could actually save her. The Bureau rarely engaged in such losing trades. *Are we really just going to watch the Canary be executed?* Dao Yan felt utterly distraught.

When she finally arrived at the western suburbs, she prepared to scout the terrain, hoping against hope for a chance to rescue the Canary. But the agents from the Special Higher Police were already waiting. Seeing the arrival of the No. 76 delegation, a communications officer ran over and began jabbering away in Japanese.

Ma Shangcheng turned to the silent Dao Yan, looking completely bewildered. "Section Chief Dao, what is he saying?"

Dao Yan’s heart tightened. It wasn't just Ma Shangcheng who was confused—she was too. But unlike him, she understood the language: the Japanese officer was ordering them to return to the No. 76 headquarters immediately.