Chapter 173: Searching for a New Breakthrough, the Phone Left Behind by Bomber

Behind him, flames shot into the sky, and fragments from the explosion scattered in all directions.

The searing heat wave seemed to chase the tail of the speeding car, only to be scattered by the gusts created by its velocity.

The entire scene—like something straight out of a movie—left the police officers stationed at the bridgehead, who witnessed Su Ming’s silver sports car darting toward them, in stunned awe.

Their hearts surged with excitement and exhilaration—he had truly managed to accomplish something nearly impossible in under three minutes.

Of course—

It wasn’t just those in the public security system who saw this jaw-dropping moment.

Many car owners and passengers who had been forced to stop on either side due to traffic control, as well as residents in the apartment buildings flanking the bridge, all witnessed it with their own eyes…

That silver sports car that had shot out from the sea of fire, flashing like a meteor.

Countless people near Liangxi Bridge quickly took to social media to share what they’d just experienced, uploading footage of the terrifying, almost unbelievable explosion.

In just a few short minutes—

The shocking blast that had occurred in the dead of night was already going viral across the internet.

That seemingly impossible moment, straight out of fiction, made every viewer of the video instinctively think of one word: hero.

This was the true meaning of a race against death—a brave soul charging into danger to protect the lives and property of the public.

—

Once he’d left the range of the explosion’s heatwave—

Su Ming eased off the accelerator slightly, slowing the car down. With one hand on the wheel, he pressed the button on his earpiece with the other, and calmly said:

“Chief Lin, mission accomplished.”

“The full extent of the damage to Liangxi Bridge is still unclear, but it shouldn’t be too serious. I’ll head back first to check on Director Gao and Rose’s condition.”

In fact—

Su Ming had initially considered throwing the bomb into the river, to further minimize damage.

But after a few seconds of careful thought—

He completely abandoned the idea. In a race against time, driving at a speed comparable to a bullet train, there was no guarantee he would even make it in time.

Slowing down just to toss the bomb from the passenger seat into the river, then accelerating again to escape the blast radius—

That entire sequence of actions would take at least thirty seconds by rough estimate.

In other words—

He might not have even had time to complete those steps before the countdown hit zero, resulting in nothing but a fatal explosion.

So tossing the bomb from mid-bridge while in motion was, without a doubt, the faster and safer option.

Of course, if safety were the only concern—

Simply continuing straight ahead without drifting back would have been even safer.

But in that case… Su Ming would’ve had to take a huge detour, spending at least half an hour to cross the river via another bridge before returning to the Red Rose Beauty Salon.

Right now, with the conditions of Director Gao, Rose, and Bomber unknown, and the Gusu Xiangcheng Criminal Investigation Unit conducting simultaneous arrests—

Although the outcome of that operation remained uncertain, time was undoubtedly the most critical factor.

Should the worst happen, he’d need to quickly identify the next breakthrough to dig deeper into the drug trafficking organization.

So, since he had confidence in his plan, returning the same way was clearly the optimal choice.

—

On the return trip—

Although Su Ming deliberately eased up on the gas, he still maintained a speed of about 80 km/h.

Within safe limits, he reached the beauty salon in the shortest time possible.

As the engine’s deep roar approached from afar, every officer at the scene instinctively turned to look at the silver sports car rolling in.

Having personally witnessed the earlier chaos, they were well aware of just how dire the situation had been.

Even calling it a narrow escape from death—a high-speed race with fate—wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Their respect for Su Ming’s courage and ability was heartfelt. After all, not just anyone could have picked up that black duffel bag containing a bomb.

Getting out of the car, Su Ming exhaled deeply, his face calm. Spotting Lin Tian and Xu Changsheng speaking with a doctor who had arrived in the support vehicle, he quickly walked up.

“Chief Lin, Brother Sheng—”

“What’s the situation now? Director Gao… is he okay?”

While learning about Rose and Bomber’s conditions was important for further cracking the drug ring—

To Su Ming, Gao Chao’s life was more important.

Even if something had happened to Rose or Bomber, they could still spend more time tracking down other members and leads.

But if someone as pure and dedicated as Gao Chao—a true criminal investigator—suffered irreversible harm during the mission, it would be an immense loss for Liangxi City’s entire public security system.

Lin Tian, having just finished speaking with the support doctor, turned to Su Ming with a slightly relieved tone.

“Luckily, Bomber hit from the side, and Director Gao was wearing his seatbelt.”

“He’s unconscious for now—his left arm and left thigh are both badly crushed and completely fractured, but the doctor says there’s no danger to his life. He needs to be rushed to the hospital for surgery.”

“But still, thank god… Director Gao, seriously…”

Though Lin Tian didn’t finish that last sentence—

The emotion behind it was clear—part fear, part exasperation, and deep respect.

After a brief pause—

Lin Tian continued:

“Rose was also saved by Director Gao—at least temporarily. But she hit her head hard in the fall, causing a severe concussion. There might even be internal bleeding.”

“So she also needs emergency surgery. Whether she pulls through depends on her luck… or maybe on ours.”

“As for Bomber,” Lin Tian sighed and shook his head, gesturing toward the nearby body bag, his brow furrowed.

“After the first crash, the steering wheel shattered a few of his ribs. Then during the second impact, two of those ribs punctured his lung, causing a hemopneumothorax.”

“There was so much bleeding from his chest it was unreal. By the time we finally dragged him out of the car, he’d already stopped breathing.”

“Once the ambulance arrived, the doctor hooked up an ECG and immediately pronounced there was no point in attempting resuscitation. With a condition like that, he wouldn’t have made it to the hospital in time anyway.”

Hearing this outcome—

Su Ming felt a wave of helpless frustration. They had just found a critical breakthrough, only for it to end like this.

Still, one thing to be grateful for—

Gao Chao’s life wasn’t in danger, and Rose still had a chance for surgery. Once she regained consciousness, they could try questioning her for inside information on the drug trafficking ring.

After this suicide attack, she would likely no longer be as tight-lipped as before.

But whether she would wake up at all—or how long it might take—remained uncertain. There was also still no word on the arrest of Poison, and it was unclear whether Director Liu’s team would catch him first, or if the hidden cartel members would execute him before that.

Both leads would require time—but they couldn’t afford to waste time waiting around for uncertainties. They had to start digging for a new breakthrough now.

The next second—

Su Ming suddenly recalled a small but crucial detail he’d noticed earlier.

Just now, in the back seat of Bomber’s modified off-road vehicle, aside from the black duffel bag, he had also spotted a phone specifically used for internal communications…