What? You're a notorious bandit? What a coincidence, me too!

[This is not a studio-produced work (the author's name cannot be changed), and it is not an AI-generated work.]

[The Most Exciting Time of 2026]

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"Brother, I'm just an ordinary citizen with a grandson to take care of at home. Please let me go."

Lin Chang'an leaned against the mottled brick wall, the muzzle of his gun pressed against the temple of a rural woman.

The woman was so frightened that she trembled all over, tears and snot streaming down her face.

Lin Chang'an didn't speak, but wiped the raindrops dripping onto his face with his sleeve.

He was thin, his face was tanned dark, his eyes were sunken and bloodshot, his stubble was thick and coarse, and his jacket was covered in oil stains and smelled of a foul odor.

Over the years, he has been like a stray dog, hiding from the police, running from south to north, never having a good night's sleep or a good meal.

"Lin Chang'an, you are surrounded. Release the hostages and try to get leniency." The voice came from outside the house through a loudspeaker.

A bitter smile appeared on Lin Chang'an's lips.

lenient treatment?

After so many years on the run, his hands are stained with blood and he has committed countless crimes. He is a true bandit. How could he possibly be treated leniently?

He knew he had failed today.

"I want to see my wife, Fang Qingzhu, and my son!"

Lin Chang'an roared outside, his voice hoarse like a lone wolf cornered, "Tell them to come see me, or I'll kill her!"

As he spoke, he pressed the gun against the landlady's head again, and she screamed in fright.

There was a moment of silence outside, followed by a response.

"I can help you find the hostage, but please remain calm and do not harm the hostage."

"I'm only giving you one hour," Lin Chang'an shouted hoarsely.

He hid behind the old woman without showing his face, knowing that there must be a sniper hiding on the opposite rooftop, locking onto him with a scope.

Time passed second by second.

Finally, the loudspeaker outside the door started playing again.

"Lin Chang'an, Fang Qingzhu is here."

Lin Chang'an's heart skipped a beat as he heard a familiar yet unfamiliar female voice coming from the loudspeaker.

"I'm here, Lin Chang'an. Stop hurting others and turn yourself in."

It's his wife, Fang Qingzhu!

Lin Chang'an's eyes instantly reddened.

He turned his head slightly and carefully peeked out from over the landlady's shoulder.

In front of the police car, a woman stood in the rain, wearing a red raincoat, her face showing a hint of anxiety.

Lin Chang'an looked at the haggard woman. Over the years, the woman had suffered countless hardships and pains because of him.

His eyes revealed a look of self-blame and regret.

Back then, he was bewitched and followed others into robbery. After his first successful robbery without being caught, he got a taste of the sweetness and couldn't stop, sinking deeper and deeper into crime.

He committed more and more crimes, and the scale of those crimes grew, eventually turning him into a notorious criminal.

Later, when the incident came to light, he was placed on an A-level wanted list and wanted nationwide, forced to live in hiding like a stray dog.

During his many years on the run, what he missed most was his wife and son, but he couldn't go to them.

It wasn't until the last two months, when he kept coughing up blood, that he realized he had been seriously ill for years and didn't have much time left.

He wanted to see his mother and son one last time before he died, so he tried every means to travel thousands of kilometers back to his hometown.

He never expected that he would be targeted by the police as soon as he returned, putting him in a desperate situation.

"Chang'an, turn yourself in. Don't make another mistake."

The woman under the rain was biting her lip, her eyes filled with what seemed like rain or tears.

Lin Chang'an looked at his woman, feeling a pang of pain in his heart.

Suddenly, he felt a sweet taste in his throat, and a mouthful of blood welled up inside him, which he forced down.

"What about the others who are in a comfortable middle-class situation?"

Lin Chang'an glanced at the police cars in the distance but didn't see his son.

The woman avoided answering.

"Turn yourself in."

"Where is he? Why isn't he here?" Lin Chang'an roared, his arm tightening unconsciously, causing the older woman to struggle.

"I want to see him."

"Xiaokang is dead!" The woman suddenly burst into tears, tears gushing from her eyes like a gushing spring.

"He's dead?"

Upon hearing this news, Lin Chang'an felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and the world spun around him.

"That's impossible, how did he die?"

Lin Chang'an shouted excitedly, his pistol circling around the older sister's head.

"You're lying to me, you must be lying..."

【boom! 】

Before Lin Chang'an could finish his question, a loud bang was heard.

A bullet, like a bolt of lightning, struck him precisely between the eyebrows.

A tremor entered his head, and Lin Chang'an's vision went black. He felt a void in his mind, and his consciousness was like a kite with a broken string, falling into the bottomless darkness.

With his last glance, the woman's sorrowful expression in the rain was etched deeply into his soul.

"Qingzhu...son, I'm so sorry!"

These were his last thoughts before he died.

……

In a daze, Lin Chang'an's tumultuous life as a ruthless bandit flashed before his eyes like a fleeting glimpse.

Everything flashed by like pages being turned in a book.

Until a loud, resounding bell rang out, deafeningly, he gasped for breath and abruptly opened his eyes.

The first thing he smelled was a mixture of cheap gasoline and mold.

Then the sound of raindrops hitting the roof reached his ears clearly.

Crackle, crackle.

It sounded similar to the sound from under the awning in front of the house earlier, but it also seemed different.

Shouldn't he be dead?

He was just shot in the head by a sniper; there's no way he could have survived.

But I could clearly hear the sounds and smell the odors.

He tried to move his fingers, then raised his arm, seemingly able to move it.

His vision then returned, and he found himself in a dilapidated bread truck.

"What's going on!?"

Lin Chang'an pinched his thigh hard, and a sharp pain shot through him instantly, making him gasp.

Then he noticed that his face felt tight, as if something was constricting it.

I reached out and touched it; it was a mask!

He's already dead, so why is he wearing a mask?

Just as his doubts began to grow, a muffled gunshot rang out from outside the window.

"Bang!"

Lin Chang'an's pupils contracted slightly, and he shuddered. He subconsciously reached for his waist, only to find it empty.

He bent down and cautiously looked outside.

Two dark figures, one fat and one thin, suddenly appeared from the jewelry store diagonally opposite.

The two women were carrying black bags and, like him, were wearing masks.