Insights Chapter 139: Darkness

Chapter 139: Darkness

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Nighttime, Northeast corner of Penang. This is Penang’s industrial area. Starting from thirty years ago, according to urban planning, Penang’s factories were all constructed around here. Penang Battery Factory, Penang New Energy Automobile Factory, Penang Solar Power Plant, and the largest one among them belongs to Penang Chemical Plant.

The entire Penang Chemical Plant has over ten thousand employees, with fixed assets worth over a billion yuan. Here, they mainly produce industrial chemicals like hydrochloric acid, caustic soda, as well as some rare chemical products in cooperation with domestic and foreign partners.

The chemical plant operates in shifts, non-stop day and night, with people coming and going. Several smokestacks stand tall, occasionally emitting white smoke.

At this moment, as the sky darkens, it’s the time for getting off work. Several buses from the chemical plant have already parked in their spots. The bus driver, Su Qinlong, opened the door as usual to welcome the off-duty workers.

His bus was the newest and most luxurious among the fleet, and its daily route passes through several high-end residential areas. Because the bus is convenient, many leaders in the factory even gave up driving themselves, preferring to take this bus to and from work for convenience.

Those factory leaders don’t need to punch in or out like ordinary employees, and they often leave work earlier than the others. Gradually, people got on the bus one after another, chatting, discussing recent news and gossip from the factory, and some were engrossed in their phones.

Just then, a man wearing a hood, mask, and armed to the teeth, stepped onto the bus. The people on the bus didn’t notice the unwelcome guest among them, except for the driver Su Qinlong. He was about to ask who the person was when the man pulled out a knife and pressed it against Su Qinlong’s neck, his voice hoarse, “Close the door and drive.”

The icy blade touched his skin, almost piercing it. Su Qinlong looked up and saw a pair of blood-red eyes. Su Qinlong realized who the hijacker was. With trembling hands, he closed the door and started the engine.

“Why are we driving? Who are you?” The people on the bus finally reacted. Deputy factory manager Dong Zhiming stepped forward, and the man took off his mask, revealing a fierce scar on his face. His eyes gleamed with malice as he mercilessly thrust the knife towards Dong Zhiming’s neck…

Another person rushed forward and was also stabbed, falling to the ground. A few passengers happened to be near the door, about to board the bus, when they saw the sudden start and the terrifying scene inside. Subconsciously, they chased after the bus, waving their hands, trying to stop it. But the bus drove straight ahead, breaking through the parking barrier, and headed towards the city.

“Call the police! Call the police!” A driver from a nearby vehicle ran down, “I saw it, the one who hijacked the bus and injured people just now was Lan Baochang!”

—

Penang City Bureau, 6:05 PM. Ten minutes ago, the officers at the City Bureau were already prepared for emergencies. Several SWAT vehicles were fully armed and ready downstairs.

In the command center, elite officers from various teams and leaders had filled half of the hall. Just now, they received news of a carjacking at the chemical plant, and this incident was classified as a level-S emergency.

Secretary Cui sat in the front row, making calls. From his words, it was clear that the situation was extremely serious. “Understood, we are investigating the relevant situation and striving to minimize casualties.”

Director Ding personally commanded, “Gu Yanchen, go with the SWAT team. If necessary, use sniper means to eliminate the hijackers. Make sure to prioritize the safety of the hostages to the maximum extent.”

Gu Yanchen followed the SWAT team downstairs, passing by Shen Junci. Their eyes met. They both knew that this might be the final counterattack of the Hetu Trading Association, so the situation was definitely not as simple as just a carjacking.

Thanks to Huo Lei’s early tip-off, otherwise, the police wouldn’t have responded so quickly. The atmosphere in the command room was tense.

Deputy Director Dong stood up and walked a few steps, standing in front of the big screen. He cleared his throat, “Everyone, just now, a serious kidnapping and hijacking incident occurred in our city. Penang is now in a state of emergency. Please follow all commands and arrangements from the leaders.”

Then he played a surveillance video on the big screen.

In the footage, a bus crashed out of the parking area, breaking a barrier. People attempted to intercept it, but the vehicle continued despite the obstacles.

“Just a few minutes ago, a former employee of the Penang Chemical Plant hijacked a bus leaving work. He used a knife to injure several workers on board. Now, he’s forcing the driver to take the bus towards the city center.”

Deputy Director Dong played another short video, a recording secretly made by one of the hostages on the bus and uploaded online.

The camera captured the interior of the bus, not fully occupied. There were about a dozen leaders and employees on board. The camera turned, showing the aisle of the bus, where two or three people lay, covered in blood, their condition unknown, and no one dared to help them.

Next to the driver stood a man wearing a hat, who took off his mask, revealing a scarred face. The man held a knife in his right hand, with something tied to his chest.

Deputy Director Dong zoomed in on the man’s face, paused the video, “The suspect’s name is Lan Baochang, 29 years old. He used to work at this factory. Three months ago, he was seriously injured in an accident. As for Lan Baochang’s motive, we found some materials he posted online.”

“In his description, three months ago, there was a serious chemical leakage accident at the factory due to equipment malfunction and negligence. Lan Baochang risked his life to close the gate during the accident, preventing serious consequences. However, he suffered disfigurement and some residual effects from burns. According to Lan Baochang, during the subsequent handling by the factory, the leaders, fearing punishment for inadequate safety measures, destroyed relevant surveillance footage and falsely reported the serious accident as a minor one, only compensating him partially through work injury insurance.

“Due to disagreement on the severity of the work injury, Lan Baochang and the factory leaders failed to reach a settlement through negotiation and took the matter to court. However, due to lack of key evidence, there has been no outcome so far. It’s inferred that he might be taking the hostages and committing these acts of violence as revenge against the factory leaders. At 5:00 PM today, Lan Baochang sneaked into the factory parking lot. The factory’s buses are scheduled based on residential locations. Lan Baochang chose a bus that passes through several residential areas where factory leaders reside. He boarded the bus when everyone was getting off work and then proceeded to force the driver and injure several people.

“According to information from the hostages, Lan Baochang is carrying dangerous goods on him, which may cause explosions and fires. He’s holding the driver hostage, and his current destination is unknown. In response to this emergency, all medical, police, and firefighting forces in the city are on standby.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Junci furrowed his brows slightly. If what Lan Baochang said was true, then he harbored immense hatred, making this a revenge plot with dire consequences. He speculated that Lan Baochang might not even intend to survive. The cleaning company might have exploited this aspect in their plan. Thinking this, Shen Junci felt a bit worried about Gu Yanchen’s situation.

He sent a message to Gu Yanchen, “Stay safe.”

After a moment, Gu Yanchen replied, “Understood, currently discussing tactics with the SWAT team.”

Deputy Director Dong briefly summarized the situation, and the command room entered full alert mode. Someone monitored the real-time location of the bus and communicated with the SWAT team. Some were checking the information and data of the hostages inside the vehicle. Due to concerns about potential casualties, the medical examiner’s team was also left behind.

“Has the exact number of people on the bus been confirmed?”

“There are a total of 17 people, including the driver and Lan Baochang. Among the passengers, there are 6 females and 9 males. Currently, four people are injured. We are waiting for the factory to provide the specific list.”

Suddenly, Shen Junci heard a call from a team led by Shao Zhen’en, “Medical examiner Shen, police cars are ready downstairs. Director Ding said he wants to take a qualified medical examiner to the scene. Come with us.”

Once an accident occurred, it would be too late to rush over.

Shen Junci replied, “Alright,” and hurriedly followed the police car downstairs.

In the command room, several leaders remained solemnly seated, holding a meeting in front of the large screen. Secretary Cui said, “We still need to try our best to contact Lan Baochang. Can we get through to him on the phone? See if we can negotiate or appease his anger.”

Just then, a police officer said, “We called one of the employees’ numbers, and the person handed the phone to Lan Baochang!”

Secretary Cui hastily took the earpiece, “Lan Baochang, hello, I am the head of the supervisory team, Cui Shihui. You can tell me any requests you have. We will definitely provide a solution that satisfies you!”

A sound like rubbing sandpaper came from the other end, “I have no requests. I want these people, all of them, to die.”

Then, the call was abruptly ended.

Director Ding took a deep breath, frowning, “He doesn’t want to live. He wants these people to accompany him in death.”

With a knife and dangerous goods, Lan Baochang was thoroughly prepared, leaving no chance for those on the bus to survive.

The officers continued to report relevant information, “Lan Baochang is agitated. He smashed two mobile phones on the bus, and we have lost contact with the people on board. We are trying to access the signal from the onboard surveillance.”

Seeing this situation, Director Ding frowned, and Deputy Director Dong was at a loss. Several minutes later, the situation inside the bus was projected onto the large screen in the command room. Lan Baochang stood at the front of the bus, holding a knife to the driver’s neck. In just a short while, it seemed that the number of injured passengers had increased.

The police set up a roadblock ahead, intending to intercept the vehicle. But before it was fully arranged, the bus forcefully crashed into it and broke through the checkpoint.

The bus was moving fast, and the front had already been damaged in several places. There were a few instances where it narrowly missed pedestrians, making everyone tense.

Director Ding asked, “How much longer until the bus reaches the city center?”

“About half an hour.”

Secretary Cui said, “We must stop the bus at all costs.”

The leaders urgently discussed. They devised several plans, but each was rejected one after another. The most dangerous aspect was the dangerous goods hanging in front of Lan Baochang. Based on their shape and size, experts estimated their explosive power to be extremely high. Once detonated, the explosion could ignite a fire, threatening the lives not just of those on the bus but possibly extending to a radius of tens of meters.

The entire bus was like a moving bomb, making everyone anxious.

Deputy Director Liu said, “I suggest forcibly intercepting it.”

Director Ding hesitated, “But what about the people on the bus…”

If an explosion occurred, the passengers on the bus would likely have little chance of survival.

Secretary Cui sighed, “In any case, we must not let this bus reach the city center. If it causes an explosion and a fire, the casualties and losses will be more than just these dozen or so people.”

Director Ding pondered for a moment and then said solemnly, “Let’s use snipers first and have the special forces attack. We must not let the situation deteriorate any further!”

Just as the leaders relayed the orders, suddenly all the computer screens went black. The entire command room plunged into darkness. A power outage. This situation caught the police off guard, and everyone was in an uproar.

Secretary Cui anxiously asked, “Why is there a power outage?”

Someone took out their phone and turned on the flashlight to illuminate the room. The power outage wasn’t limited to the City Bureau. Looking out the window, the entire city was shrouded in darkness.

A nearby officer exclaimed, “We’re in trouble! There’s no phone signal!”

“We can’t contact the officers on the scene.”

Director Ding felt a cold sweat breaking out on his back and hastily ordered, “Activate the backup power! Find any possible way to communicate with the scene!”

A modern city relies too much on electricity. Once that power is gone, everyone suddenly becomes deaf and blind. They couldn’t ascertain Lan Baochang’s destination or anticipate what terrible events might occur. Traffic lights went out, and traffic jams began to form on the roads. Only the bus hijacked by Lan Baochang, following a pre-planned route, continued unimpeded toward the city center.

With its densely packed buildings, skyscrapers, Penang government offices, police City Bureau, and large shopping malls, wherever the bus exploded, it would be a catastrophe. This could become the darkest night in Penang’s history.

—

All the lights suddenly went out. Everywhere people looked, darkness prevailed. The entire city seemed to have fallen into the mouth of a giant beast, with its lights devoured by the night. The special forces’ vehicles were the first to depart. Gu Yanchen, who was discussing strategies with Captain Wang, noticed the power outage and frowned as he looked out the window.

Shen Junci, who had just set out in a police car, also noticed this and wanted to send a message to Gu Yanchen but found that his phone had no signal. 

Yu Shen, who had just come out of the digital center, was stunned, gazing somewhat blankly at the ink-like sky. 

Huo Lei, sitting in the interrogation room, looked up. There seemed to be a black vortex on the ceiling. She realized that Clear Water’s plan had begun.

Li Zhongnan, riding his bike toward Penang Shopping Mall, saw all the lights in the city suddenly go out. He gazed ahead with determination, and the lights of Penang Shopping Mall, though momentarily dimmed, soon lit up again, as if indicating the way for him.

Inside Penang Shopping Mall, emergency power was activated after the blackout. Mu Yuwei was enjoying a luxurious dinner at the table, while Ding Yueran hugged his laptop, sitting silently on the sofa. Zhen Jiaxu stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out at the serene Penang.

The entire city beneath his feet seemed to have plunged into an endless abyss, with only scattered lights from vehicles.

Zhen Jiaxu smiled, “Those fireworks will shine even brighter in such darkness.”

He had tampered with the power plant, ensuring the blackout would last at least an hour. The blackout was just the second step. The madman Lan Baochang, like a death warrior, drove the vehicle towards its destination. He would be like a sharp blade, plunging into the heart of the entire city.

Zhen Jiaxu didn’t know that as he looked down on the city, not far behind him, Ding Yueran, sitting quietly, had lifted his head slightly, a cold smile playing at the corner of his lips.