The black cars ignored us and drove away. I quickly ran to Gao Mingqiang's side and forcefully patted his head. The guy was dazed, looking at his broken wheelchair, and suddenly became enraged, as if the thing broken was his wife!
He broke free from me, picked up his gun, and crawled on the ground towards a flicker of fire. At that moment, several more black cars drove out. They rushed out from inside a repair shop across the road from the detention center. Then, explosions echoed from the vicinity. It was then I realized that the explosions were caused by black cars crashing directly into the repair shop's walls, and then igniting inside the vehicles!
These desperate criminals had completely lost their minds to free He Qing!
Just then, I saw an armored vehicle emerge from the inferno. He Qing extended his hand and gestured to me several times: "I'm sorry! Brother, things didn't turn out as you planned. Perhaps even God doesn't want me to die. Believers! It's time to reap!!"
The people in the black cars, who had stopped running, were now escorting the armored vehicle. As it sped onto a side road, they raised their weapons and fired at Gao Mingqiang and me!!
Bang bang bang!! Gao Mingqiang used his body to shield me and was immediately shot several times!
Although I narrowly escaped being killed, my arm was hit. Gao Mingqiang, with blood gushing from his mouth, looked at me and said, "Team Leader, I still prefer to call you that. Deputy Director is too high a title for you. It feels like years have passed since we graduated. I’ve forgotten, when did we start this journey!"
"Mingqiang, don't say any more!"
Bang bang!!
Gao Mingqiang was shot several more times. He shoved me hard: "They're over there. There are a few cars we can use as cover. Don't sacrifice yourself here because of me. Remember, the Sin Punishers Team can do without me, but not without you. Do you know what that wheelchair really is? It was actually used by my mother before. I just modified it later. My mother had mobility issues from her feet too. It was only after I earned money that I could help her recover..."
After saying these words, Gao Mingqiang took his last breath. I pulled his body and hid beside a car amidst the hail of bullets. At this moment, countless SWAT officers rushed in. Li Fan and his team, under the cover of shields, surrounded the repair shop. I knew that the reason these people were causing trouble here was to create an opportunity to intercept the vehicle transporting He Qing to the detention center.
When I arrived here and saw a police car overturned on the road, I realized what had happened on the road at that moment. There was no time to check the road surveillance now. Gao Mingqiang's sacrifice had actually calmed me down. Following Li Fan and the others, I charged into the repair shop and engaged in a fierce gun battle with the bandits.
This time, we were locked in a stalemate with the bandits for over two hours before we finally killed them all. When they all lay on the ground, we went to Gao Mingqiang's side. Seeing that he had held his service pistol tightly in his hand until his death, the members of the Sin Punishers Team couldn't help but shed tears.
I knelt beside Gao Mingqiang, completely forgetting the pain in my arm. I had no sensation at all. With my other hand, I gently closed Gao Mingqiang's resolute eyelids. "Rest in peace, Mingqiang. We who remain in the Sin Punishers Team will continue on this path! I believe that one day, we will utterly destroy the Polaris International Criminal Organization. They are crazy, but we are crazier. They are cunning, but we are ten thousand times more shrewd. Evil will not triumph over good. Justice may be delayed, but it will never be absent!
This time, we didn't capture a single criminal. They all fought to the last moment. Even if there was only one left, with a single bullet remaining, they still resisted to the end.
These people were definitely suicide squads of the organization. Moreover, I noticed they were different from the black-clad men before. Based on their attack methods, I believe they were foreign mercenaries.
The scope of this organization is too vast. After taking away the bodies of those criminals, we will begin investigating their identities. Subsequently, Xiahou and others also went to the traffic management bureau to retrieve the road surveillance footage from that time.
We brought Gao Mingqiang's body back. According to his service, he was eligible for burial in the police cemetery. The ceremony would be held a week later. Gao Mingqiang's family claimed his body. Li Fan had already led a considerable number of people to track He Qing. For now, we would focus on investigating the repair shop.
This place had been abandoned for a long time. The organization must have chosen this location because of its environment to attract our attention. When we arrived, we found that the place had been ramshackled beyond recognition. There was no investigative value whatsoever. After conferring with Li Fan and colleagues from the traffic management bureau, they indicated that He Qing had escaped very quickly, changing vehicles at several intersections. His whereabouts were now unknown.
The road surveillance footage had captured him transferring vehicles multiple times. However, at the final stretch, he blended into the crowd and boarded an unknown vehicle, causing the pursuit to lose its target. These people were well-prepared, and they had stationed their men at different intersections. As soon as the opportune moment arrived, they would escort him by car, much like a relay race.
To this day, Pierce (He Qing) has escaped an unknown number of times, and we still can't apprehend him. Although he escaped from the detention center this time, we will surely arrest him.
Despite my past relationship with He Qing, I will show no mercy. I have seen his true colors, and such a person is not worthy of pity.
The Information Department and the traffic management bureau will continue to monitor He Qing's movements. At Gao Mingqiang's memorial service, my colleagues and I offered him the wildflowers he loved the most from the mountains. Looking at the solemn hearse, we observed a few moments of silence. Witnessing our comrade sacrifice himself for the cause of criminal investigation like this, never to return, the members of the Sin Punishers Team shed tears.
Everything felt like a dream. No one had ever imagined that an excellent detective like Gao Mingqiang would leave us.
At that time, if it weren't for him, I probably would have been the one having a memorial service now.
Gao Mingqiang, who was covered in wounds, had his appearance meticulously restored by the forensic team. He lay in the coffin, appearing extremely peaceful, natural, and serene. If not for the pallor on his face, one would think he was merely sleeping. A faint, contented smile even lingered on his lips...
After offering our flowers, it was time to escort Gao Mingqiang to his final resting place. We remained by his side throughout the entire ceremony.