You went on a blind date and presented an A-level wanted criminal as a meeting gift?

The next morning.

Jiangcheng City Public Security Bureau, Major Crimes Unit Office.

The air was no longer filled with the usual relaxed feeling after solving a case; instead, it was thick with a suffocating sense of oppression.

Su Qingge sat at her desk, holding a cup of coffee that had gone cold, her delicate eyebrows furrowed tightly.

The body encased in concrete that was unearthed from the Cloud Tower yesterday weighed heavily on everyone's hearts like a boulder.

That perverted killer was not only cruel in his methods, but also had an absurdly strong ability to counter intelligence.

Just then.

"Beep beep beep—!"

In the entire Major Crimes Unit office, all the computer screens suddenly flickered at the same time.

Immediately afterwards, the original office system interface disappeared instantly, and a black window popped up forcibly!

It's not just the Major Crimes Unit.

At the same time, all the major TV stations, online live streaming platforms, and even the large LED billboards on the streets of Jiangcheng City were forcibly hijacked by a mysterious hacker force!

An anonymous email link with a blood-red gear icon automatically opened on all screens, transforming into a high-definition live stream.

"What's going on? What are the cyber police doing?! Cut off the signal right now!"

Director Lu Zhenhua stormed out of his office, roaring loudly.

However, it cannot be cut off at all.

The hacker's skills have clearly reached the world's top level. The signal source has been encrypted through countless overseas server jumps, making it completely untraceable.

Everyone could only focus their attention on the live stream.

The image shows a dimly lit, dusty, and cobweb-covered interior space.

Looking at the mottled brick walls and huge wooden beams around it, it seems to be an ancient building that has been around for quite some time.

In the very center of the picture, there is a dilapidated wooden chair.

An elderly man with gray hair and reading glasses was tightly bound to a chair by a thick hemp rope.

The old man had a rag stuffed in his mouth, his eyes were filled with terror, and his body was trembling slightly.

What's most chilling is!

Directly above the old man's head hung a mechanical hammer made of countless rusted gears and heavy cast iron!

That heavy hammer must have weighed at least several hundred kilograms, and its bottom was covered with sharp steel nails that gleamed with a chilling light in the dim light.

Connected to the weight was an extremely complex set of pulleys and a tightly taut hemp rope.

In the lower right corner of the screen, there is a red countdown timer: [59:59].

One hour!

"This...this is that old clock tower on the outskirts of the city, abandoned for a century!"

An experienced detective recognized the figure at a glance and exclaimed in surprise.

However, Su Qingge seemed to have been struck by lightning, and froze on the spot.

She stared intently at the bound old man on the screen, and the coffee cup in her hand fell to the ground with a "crash" and shattered.

"Old Wang..."

Su Qingge's voice trembled violently, and her eyes instantly reddened.

"Qingge, do you know the hostage?"

Director Lu turned his head and asked.

"He was my mentor at the police academy... Judge Wang!"

Su Qingge gritted her teeth, tears welling up in her eyes.

Judge Wang was an upright and honest man who presided over countless major cases and was a leading figure in the Jiangcheng judicial community.

Who would have thought that after his retirement, he would be kidnapped by this heartless "engineer" and used as a prop for live-streaming murders!

"Everyone, get your gear ready! Target: abandoned clock tower on the outskirts of the city! Hurry!"

Su Qingge wiped away her tears and rushed out of the office like the wind.

The sound of sirens instantly echoed throughout the city.

More than a dozen police cars sped along the road, rushing towards the outskirts of the city.

However, some people are faster than them.

Li Mingyu happened to be patrolling the suburbs with several police officers from the security team today.

Upon seeing the live stream on his phone, this guy's eyes immediately lit up like two light bulbs.

"Holy crap! My chance to make a big contribution has arrived!"

Li Mingyu was so excited that he kept slapping his thigh.

Previously at the Cloud Tower, he was brutally beaten to the ground by Lin Chen, and he almost lost his position as the captain of the security team.

If he can get there before the Major Crimes Unit and save Judge Wang, that would be an incredible achievement!

Then let's see who dares to look down on him!

"Let's go! Charge with me!"

Li Mingyu stepped on the gas and, with a few of his men, arrived at the foot of the abandoned clock tower in just ten minutes.

The main entrance to the clock tower is a heavy, rusted old wooden door.

There was a large padlock on the door.

"Brother Li, the door's locked. Should we wait for the bomb disposal experts from the Major Crimes Unit to arrive? What if it's a trap?"

One of the young police officers was a little intimidated.

"Wait for what! By the time they arrive, it'll be too late! The hostages are in imminent danger; we're racing against time, don't you understand?!"

Li Mingyu was completely obsessed with taking credit.

He took two steps back, then suddenly took a running start and kicked the dilapidated wooden door hard with his big foot!

"Bang!"

The wooden door had been in disrepair for many years and was kicked open by Li Mingyu.

"Hahaha! See that? There's no trap. Come with me to rescue them!"

Li Mingyu waved his hand triumphantly and strode across the threshold.

however.

The instant he kicked open the wooden door.

Behind the hinge, a thin, transparent fishing line was instantly snapped.

"Click".

An extremely faint mechanical clicking sound echoed in the empty ground floor of the clock tower.

Immediately afterwards, everyone in Jiangcheng who was watching the live broadcast witnessed a scene that terrified them!

The countdown timer in the bottom right corner of the live stream, which originally had over forty minutes left, suddenly started flashing wildly!

[59:59] instantly became [03:00]!

【02:59】!

【02:58】!

Three minutes!

The countdown was forcibly shortened to three minutes!

At the same time, a shrill, metallic laugh, altered by a voice changer, blared from the loudspeakers inside the clock tower.

"Hehehehe..."

"Stupid police officers, you really are as brainless as ever."

"I have already redesigned the mechanical structure of this clock tower."

"That door is the first weight on the entire gravity balance."

"Your violence disrupted the building's mechanical balance, triggering the tension sensors."

"Now, there are only three minutes left in the countdown."

"The mechanical hammer will be in free fall in three minutes."

"Your beloved judge will be turned into a fresh pile of minced meat!"

"Enjoy this final piece of art! Hahaha!"

The laughter on the radio abruptly stopped.

Li Mingyu stood at the door, still in the position of kicking the door, completely dumbfounded.

He felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, his legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground, a faint stench emanating from his crotch.

"Oh no... I've messed up terribly..."

Li Mingyu's face was deathly pale, and his whole body was trembling like a leaf.

"squeak--!!!"

Just then, Su Qingge finally arrived with the convoy from the Major Crimes Unit.

When Su Qingge rushed out of the car, she saw Li Mingyu slumped on the ground, and then looked up to see that there were less than two and a half minutes left on the big screen.

She felt a sudden darkness before her eyes and almost fainted.

"Li Mingyu! You good-for-nothing beast!"

Su Qingge was so angry that she drew her sidearm, wishing she could shoot this idiot dead.

"Where's the bomb disposal expert?! We need to think of something!"

Director Lu was sweating profusely and shouted loudly.

Several bomb disposal experts rushed forward with their equipment, but after only one glance at the intricate pulley system and gear structure overhead, they shook their heads in despair.

"Chief, this won't do! This isn't an ordinary bomb; it's a purely mechanical trap!"

"Every rope and every gear here is interconnected."

"If you cut the wrong wire or touch the wrong gear, the hammer will come crashing down immediately!"

"Three minutes isn't even enough time to analyze the structure diagram; there's simply no way to crack it!"

despair.

A deep sense of despair gripped the hearts of every police officer.

As Su Qingge watched her mentor struggling desperately on the screen, tears streamed down her face like beads from a broken string.

Was she destined to watch helplessly as her mentor died in front of her?

At this critical moment!

"boom--!!!"

Suddenly, a roar like that of a wild beast came from the distant horizon!

A black Audi RS7 tore through the morning mist.

With a screeching sound of tires, the RS7 executed a flawless drift and came to a steady stop in front of the clock tower.

The car door opened.

Lin Chen, dressed in casual clothes, walked down with a cold and sharp gaze and steady steps.