By the time the SIU arrived at the scene, the sun had begun to dip, bleeding warm hues of amber and rust across the edges of the town and casting long shadows over the square.
Sirens cut through the evening in sharp waves, red and blue lights slicing through the fading gold like spilled ink. Officers flooded in from every direction, efficient, relentless—cordons snapping into place, villagers questioned, exits sealed. The sleepy town that had resisted them moments ago now sat firmly under control.
At the center of it all, Zhou Kai knelt in the dirt, wrists cuffed behind his back, shoulders slumped, head bowed—not in remorse, but in the unmistakable weight of a man who had finally run out of places to hide.
From a short distance away, Feng Tian watched the scene unfold from beside the vehicle.
