Chapter 199: Butcher, We’ve Arrived in the Modu City—Aren’t You Getting Off?

The high-speed train slowly began to move.

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense, a stifling feeling of an oncoming storm hanging in the air.

But this was only true for Liu Yang and the others. In another carriage of the train, Su Ming remained unusually calm, quietly searching for the best moment to make the arrest.

Guo Ping, a soldier by training, was equally composed. Disciplined to his core, he was regulating his breathing, preparing to act at his peak condition when the time came for the operation.

As for the Butcher…

He felt no pressure at all. Leaning back in his seat, eyes half-closed in a false nap, he was calmly observing his surroundings to ensure his cover hadn’t been blown.

Yet every time he scanned the area, the Butcher would subconsciously overlook Su Ming and the other passengers in the carriage.

In his judgment, these were all just ordinary travelers—no longer threats, certainly not plainclothes officers in disguise.

——

Carriage No. 8.

Liu Yang, An Quan, Bai Yu, and the rest were all gathered near the door, ready to rush out at a moment’s notice and assist in the arrest.

Right now,

Liu Yang, panting heavily, wiped the sweat from his forehead and tugged at his collar, muttering with a faint grumble.

“Damn it.”

“I really need to start working out again. Just a short run and I’m already breathless. I couldn’t even keep up with Chief Su.”

“We’ll just have to wait in the other train unit now. Hopefully, nothing goes wrong.”

At that moment,

Liu Yang suddenly turned to Bai Yu and An Quan, as if something occurred to him, and quickly asked,

“Right—Detective Bai, Officer An.”

“When you passed through Carriage 5 just now, 11A was empty, right? I wasn’t seeing things?”

“If that’s the case, it pretty much confirms the Butcher is in Carriage 14. But Chief Su took off the micro earpiece, so we can’t get any real-time updates.”

“This is really…”

Before Liu Yang could finish,

Bai Yu spoke up, cutting him off with certainty and seriousness.

“Director Liu, there won’t be any surprises.”

“Ming-ge must have already spotted the Butcher and has disguised himself to lie in wait for the perfect moment to strike.”

“If that weren’t the case, I think Ming-ge would’ve put the earpiece back on and told us the target couldn’t be found, cancelling the operation.”

Just then,

All their phones chimed at once with the sound of an incoming message.

Without any hesitation,

Everyone immediately pulled out their phones. Upon seeing the new message from Su Ming, they all looked excited—yet there was a weight, a silent tension hanging in the air.

There was no doubt now.

Su Ming had confirmed the Butcher was aboard the train and had shared this intel with those waiting in the other unit, as well as Guo Ping, who was hidden in Carriage 9.

Liu Yang, still worried moments ago, finally relaxed. But in the next second, his expression sharpened, eyes glinting with the intensity of his younger years, voice low and resolute.

“Now, we just wait for the train to arrive in the Modu City and be ready to assist at any moment.”

“Thinking back, it’s just like we guessed—the Butcher chose a seat in the middle so he’d always have hostages around.”

“In this situation, we really do have to wait until right before disembarkation to make our move.”

“But no matter what, this arrest operation has to succeed. We’ve come too far to let anything fail now.”

His words

prompted everyone around him to nod in tacit agreement. Some clenched their fists slightly, ready to charge out as soon as the doors opened.

——

Carriage No. 14.

Su Ming was also leaning against his seat, feeling the train steadily picking up speed. He appeared to be looking at the front display screen, but in truth, his gaze never left the Butcher’s seat.

This train had departed from Jinling and made only a few stops along the way. The second-to-last station was Gusu, and the final destination was the Modu City.

The trip from Gusu to the Modu City took only 35 minutes.

Which meant…

When the train was just about to reach the Modu City, everyone in this carriage would begin to disembark. That moment might present the best chance to capture the Butcher.

Otherwise, with the level of caution the Butcher had shown so far, the moment he stepped off the train he’d likely blend tightly into the crowd again, always keeping someone nearby to take as a hostage if needed.

Su Ming narrowed his eyes, locking his gaze on the back of seat 5B, while mentally rehearsing the upcoming arrest maneuver.

He considered the Butcher’s height, weight, strength, and combat skills—all to determine the most precise and effective takedown move to subdue him within seconds.

The train sped up rapidly, the scenery outside flashing past like lightning.

Most of the commuters catching up on sleep had no sense of the passing time; a few faint snores could even be heard.

But for Su Ming, who was preparing for the takedown—and for the Butcher, who believed he was about to escape the dragnet—

Time crawled unbearably slow. Every second felt excruciatingly long.

Five minutes.

Ten minutes.

Twenty minutes.

——

The agonizing wait passed little by little.

The train, maintaining a steady speed, finally began to decelerate. The onboard broadcast chimed in with the arrival announcement.

[Dear passengers, the next stop is the final stop of this train: Modu City Station. Please prepare your belongings and do not leave anything behind…]

As the attendant’s voice echoed through the carriage,

Many resting passengers began to stir, packing their belongings and getting ready to transfer to the next leg of their journey.

At that moment,

A white-collar woman sitting by the window tucked her hair behind her ear and gestured toward the aisle, signaling for the Butcher and a nearby programmer to make way.

It was obvious she wanted to be among the first off the train to grab a good seat on the subway.

The Butcher gave her a cold glance, then shifted slightly to the side, allowing her to pass.

With the train about to arrive and freedom almost within reach,

He wasn’t looking to cause any unnecessary trouble. Besides, as long as the programmer next to him remained, he still had a potential hostage at arm’s reach.

As the white-collar woman exited her row, the programmer, sitting on the aisle, grew a bit restless too. He stood up, slinging his backpack—containing his laptop—over his shoulder,

Then stepped into the aisle, waiting for the train to come to a complete stop.

Su Ming also stepped forward a few paces, positioning himself behind the programmer before anyone else could. Now, he was only half a step away from the Butcher—the closest of all the passengers.

Still seated, the Butcher looked at Su Ming standing beside him, then glanced at the backpack slung over his shoulder. His expression didn’t change in the slightest as he lowered his gaze.

To him,

The potential hostage had simply changed from that programmer to an even more easily controlled university student.

“Beep———”

As the train came to a full stop,

The passengers in the aisle stirred all at once, while many others began standing up only now, gathering their luggage to get ready to disembark.

Su Ming remained standing in place, waiting for the programmer guy in front of him to take a couple of steps forward, leaving just enough space for him to move in and make the arrest.

At that moment—

The Butcher also picked up the briefcase beside him, a faint sense of excitement and anticipation stirring in his heart. Just as he was about to stand and finally escape the vast net closing in on him—

A voice, flat and emotionless, suddenly pierced into his ears.

“Butcher.”

“Modu has arrived—aren’t you getting off?”