Cao Yang scanned the room and saw Xia Dongdong tied to a chair, a rag stuffed in her mouth.
Only two men stood near the door, their attention fixed outside, unaware of the window.
Cao Yang quietly climbed in. Xia Dongdong's eyes widened in relief, as if seeing a savior.
"Shh…" Cao Yang gestured for her to stay silent.
He carefully untied the ropes binding her.
His movements were so silent, not a sound escaped. But it was useless — he was too close. A casual glance and they could have spotted him.
"Cao Yang!" one shouted, lunging at him.
Bang! Cao Yang kicked, sending him flying several meters.
"Cao Yang's back! Cao Yang's back!" the other yelled, alerting the remaining men.
Within moments, a dozen or twenty men surged into the fourth-floor room, surrounding Cao Yang and Xia Dongdong.
"Move!" Cao Yang drew his gun, aiming at them.
Chen Hao stepped forward, his gaze icy. "Are you damn cops?"
Cao Yang smirked coldly, saying nothing — at this point, arguing wouldn't convince anyone.
"Shoot them! If they survive, our whole village's done!" Chen Hao commanded with a wave.
Bang!
Cao Yang fired first. A spray of blood erupted from Chen Hao's thigh.
"Ahh!" Chen Hao clutched his leg, collapsing in pain.
"Still standing? Kill him!"
A swarm of villagers charged.
Cao Yang's shot was meant to intimidate, but these people were hard-headed.
Most were armed with iron rods, machetes, and hammers.
Bang! Another man went down, clutching his stomach, pulled away by companions. Still, the crowd pressed on.
Cao Yang grabbed an iron rod, engaging in brutal hand-to-hand combat.
Though outnumbered, the confined hotel corridor worked in his favor. Only a handful faced him at any moment; the rest had to wait.
Bang! Sparks flew with every clash.
Those who met his steel rod felt their arms numb, pain in their hands, some losing their weapons entirely.
Bang! A strike to a man's shoulder shattered bone and tendon.
One man after another pressed forward; Cao Yang fought harder, gradually forcing the crowd toward the stairwell.
"Block the elevator!" Cao Yang instructed Xia Dongdong.
She wedged a chair in front of the doors, halting access temporarily.
"Assist me!" he called.
"How?" she asked from behind.
"Grab a gun. If someone sneaks up, shoot."
"My gun was taken by local cops."
Cao Yang shot her a glare. She read it perfectly: you're a total idiot.
He abandoned the idea of assistance, pushing the crowd down the stairs with full force.
As they tried to descend, Cao Yang realized more reinforcements had arrived. He couldn't see the total number, but the mass of black-clad villagers stretched as far as the eye could see.
Chen Yao Dong had personally arrived, bringing over two hundred people, including teenagers and some women. They weren't directly involved but had family members in the counterfeit operations. If the two intruders escaped, their families' security was compromised.
Seeing Chen Hao wounded, Chen Yao Dong's fury boiled over.
"You have all these people and still can't catch two?"
"Dong Shu, that kid's tough," someone said.
"Useless!" Chen Yao Dong roared.
"Chen Jun, lead your men upstairs!"
Chen Jun nodded, several grabbing double-barrel shotguns.
Their commotion alerted nearby townsfolk. Windows lit up as people emerged to watch.
Two police cars, lights flashing, arrived — the town chief personally leading.
"Dong Ge, what's happening?" the chief asked, in his forties and familiar with Chen Yao Dong.
"Nothing, we can handle it ourselves," Chen Yao Dong waved him off.
"But I heard they're from the provincial bureau?"
"No cops here!" Chen Yao Dong raised his voice, startling the chief.
"They're just outsiders, caught trying to abduct children. We're catching traffickers!"
The chief didn't believe him, about to warn him to stop, but Chen Yao Dong cut him off.
"Old Wang, if I go down, so do you. Don't interfere!"
Chief Wang hesitated. He didn't fully know what Chen Yao Dong had done, but he had some suspicions. Chen Yao Dong had bribed and entertained them before, and with county connections, the chief didn't want to confront him.
He turned to disperse the onlookers.
"Go home! Nothing to see, just catching traffickers in Tashe Village!"
"Call for backup!"
Cao Yang roared. Seeing the crowd swell, even he, the "iron man," felt the pressure.
Xia Dongdong panicked as well, quickly taking out her phone. She had already tried the police; in a village like this, they were powerless. She called her father instead.
Xia Zhengming, deep asleep with his wife, was jolted awake by the ringing.
"Who's calling so late?" his wife grumbled.
Dazed, Xia Zhengming picked up the phone and recognized the caller. "It's Dongdong."
"Hello?"
"Dad! Help! I'm trapped in a hotel in Xianfeng Town, surrounded by hundreds of thugs!"
The urgency in her voice, mingled with the sounds of shouts and gunfire, painted a terrifying picture in his mind.
"Keep the line open," Xia Zhengming instructed.
Without asking details, he hung up, dressing quickly while dialing another number.
"Hello, Shanwei City Public Security Bureau?"
"This is Xia Zhengming from the provincial bureau. Get your director on the line immediately."
He hung up and called again.
"Old Qin."
"Old Xia, what are you doing at this hour?"
The voice on the other end sounded annoyed, but Xia Zhengming's priority was his daughter.
"Old Qin, urgent situation. Deploy the Shanwei City Armed Police to assist me immediately."
"Armed Police? For what?"
"A mass incident in Xianfeng Town, Shanwei!"
"I haven't received reports. Follow protocol."
"My daughter is there! Her life is in grave danger!"
"I'll arrange immediate action."