Mastering the Sword Manual, sweeping across the globe

"Go and resign!"

36. The Top of the City

Excerpt 1: "Holy crap! Is this the real Fast and Furious?!"

The person who filmed the video appears to be using a dashcam from a private car; the time stamp shows it was taken yesterday morning.

In the video, a dark gray figure is seen speeding through the middle of a slightly congested street during the morning rush hour at an astonishing pace.

In the gaps between the slowly moving traffic, figures darted swiftly, sometimes lightly touching the hood of a car to propel themselves forward, and sometimes flashing past between buses and cars.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps between the tall buildings, casting shifting patterns of light on his rapidly moving figure. His movements were so fluid they were almost dance-like, possessing a violent beauty that defied the laws of physics.

comment:

"My God!! Is this guy out of his mind???"

"What new movie trailer is this? Just for that parkour design, I have to buy a ticket!"

"The dashcam footage shows a time around 7 a.m., and the location seems a bit like Ping'an Avenue in Y City?"

"Damn it, did the action choreography get zero in both physics and biology? This speed... even Usain Bolt would have to yell 'Hey bro, wait for me!'"

"Am I the only one who thinks this is dangerous? I almost scraped against a car! (But it was definitely cool)."

"Reported for dangerous driving (doge emoji)"

Clip 2: "The Man Who Appears in the Street"

The person who took the photo is suspected to be using a surveillance camera from a roadside shop or taking it casually with their mobile phone; the angle is slightly off.

A figure emerged from the street corner, facing several slow-moving vans that nearly blocked the road. With light steps, the figure deftly pushed off a nearby lamppost, launching themselves into the air in a graceful arc, passing directly over the vans.

After landing, the figure used the top of the fire hydrant for leverage, turned slightly, and darted into the next alley like a cheetah, all in just two or three seconds.

comment:

"That's hovering?! Newton must be turning in his grave!"

"Fire hydrant: I was terrified."

"With skills like that, it's a shame she's not participating in the Olympics (serious face)."

"They're using wires? I can't see any wires..."

"Someone posted something similar yesterday, could it be the same person?"

"Location: Furong District! I think I saw him! He's incredibly fast!"

Excerpt 3: "The Wedding Car Adventure" (Published by XX Wedding Planning - A-Jie)

This clip is much clearer; it was accidentally captured by a wedding photographer.

The original footage showed a smooth, trailing shot of a luxurious wedding car decorated with flowers slowly moving down the street, with the silhouettes of the bride and groom happily embracing in the foreground (their faces have been blurred), and a bustling street scene in the background.

Suddenly, a blurry but agile figure "cut" into the frame from the right, moving quickly along the low awnings and air conditioner units of the shops along the street. The figure looked somewhat unreal in the sunlight and the reflection of the shop windows. Just as it passed the side of the wedding car, it seemed to turn its head and glance at the flower-covered car. The profile of its face flashed by in the backlight, and then it accelerated and disappeared into the alleyway on the left.

The entire "intrusion" took less than five seconds, yet it created a dramatic contrast between the slow, happy wedding car and the bustling scene.

comment:

"Give the photographer a bonus! This shot is amazing! It's got a cinematic feel to it!"

"Happy wedding! And... what was that just now???"

"It looked like a large bird flew by... Am I seeing things?"

"Is this guy rushing off to save the world? He's even letting a wedding car procession pass him?"

"I must say, this unexpected appearance in the photo is actually quite cool. I suggest the newlyweds accept this 'Fast and Furious' blessing!"

"Only those in the same industry know that this wasn't a staged photo! I was in the shop next door at the time!"

Segment 4: "Dancers at the Top of the City (4K High Definition)" (Posted by: Photography Enthusiast - Old Cat)

This is a long shot that was clearly filmed using professional equipment and is extremely stable.

The photographer appears to be on an open-air observation deck of a high-rise building or on their own high-rise balcony.

Looking down from above, the rooftops of the old town stretch out in a jumbled mess, with tiles, solar water heaters, and clotheslines creating a chaotic skyline.

Suddenly, a figure appeared on the edge of the rooftop of a six-story building in the distance. Without any running start, the figure leaped up from the spot, crossing the nearly four-meter-wide gap between the buildings, and landed steadily on the opposite rooftop.

Immediately afterwards, amidst the varying heights of rooftops, water tanks, and billboards, figures ran and jumped continuously, their movements a powerful and precise combination, far more breathtaking than any parkour video.

The most breathtaking moment came when, as he leaped again toward the roof of another, slightly shorter building, a white dove, startled from nowhere, fluttered its wings and flew past him at a parallel position. The graceful leap of the man and the gliding trajectory of the dove, against the backdrop of the azure sky, created a brief yet incredibly harmonious and unexpectedly beautiful scene.

comment:

"!!!!!!!!! What did I just see???"

"The pigeons are so well coordinated... Wait, is this really not special effects?!"

"This core strength, this sense of balance, this distance... can humans achieve this?"

"A real-life Assassin's Creed???"

"Old Cat's filming is amazing! But the content... shouldn't we call the police?"

"It's breathtakingly beautiful, but also terrifying... If this happened, it would definitely make headlines."

"Am I the only one who thinks that he and the pigeon had a kind of free and cool vibe at that moment?"

……

Segment 5, segment 6, segment 7, segment 8...

Temporary command center.

The air felt like solidified asphalt, heavy and viscous, making it almost impossible to breathe.

On the huge electronic screen, video streams, map tracks, data analysis, and constantly changing communication records from different sources are displayed in separate sections.

At this moment, almost all the operators were consciously or unconsciously avoiding the central main screen, or only daring to glance at it quickly with their peripheral vision.

On the main screen, several of the clearest and fastest-spreading "city parkour" clips are played side by side.

The commander stood in front of the screen, his back to everyone.

He stood ramrod straight, like a javelin driven into the ground, but the lines of his shoulders were taut.

The incandescent light shone on the back of his neck and his short stubble, giving it a cold, hard sheen.

No one spoke; only the low hum of the machines and the occasional, extremely restrained tapping of keyboards could be heard.

Everyone could feel the almost palpable rage and the oppressive atmosphere of frustration spreading from the commander.

Segment 9:

The camera is positioned in a fixed spot, with the lens slightly tilted upwards, aimed at the living room.

A middle-aged man wearing a light gray executive jacket and with his hair neatly combed sat on the sofa, his face pale and sweating, speaking incoherently to the camera.

With his back to the camera, standing in front of him was a young man with a well-proportioned build, wearing a dark coat.

Only his back was visible.

But that figure was all too familiar to everyone in the command center!

That casual stance, that slightly tilted head as he listened, those hands casually tucked in his pockets—even if he turned to ashes, everyone would still recognize him!

What's most infuriating is that this bastard didn't even change out of that damned outfit!

"Report!" A communications officer suddenly looked up, speaking rapidly, "We've found Zhou Mingyuan, the person linked to the 'Dongfeng Lane case,' the one in the video!"

"Where?" The commander turned around very slowly.

"Room 502, Building 3, Old Mechanical and Electrical Dormitory, Danguiyuan Subdistrict, Tianfang District. It's a house registered under his mother's name. The elderly woman now lives in the countryside and rarely comes back," the correspondent reported, looking at the location information on the screen.

What's the situation now?

"The colleagues who arrived earlier have entered, along with two doctors. A preliminary examination of the external injuries has been conducted..." The correspondent flipped through the on-site briefing that had just been synchronized with the report, "The right little finger has a severe compression injury, accompanied by an open fracture and local tissue necrosis... consistent with the video content. Apart from this, no other obvious recent external injuries were found on the body surface."

"anything else?"

"And..." The correspondent took a deep breath, seemingly finding the following information hard to believe: "The doctor... the doctor has conducted further observations on Zhou Mingyuan's overall condition, and the situation... is very strange."

“He kept his eyes open and remained seated, but he did not respond to any external stimuli—including touch to the wound—he did not move on his own, and he did not even blink.”

"Vital signs are stable, breathing, heartbeat and blood pressure are normal, and nerve reflexes are extremely weak and slow but not completely absent."

"The most... inexplicable thing is that during a tracking test that required minimal conscious cooperation, it was found that his eyeballs exhibited extremely small, but real, trajectory movements after a long delay."

At this point, the communications officer looked up at the commander, his voice hoarse: "The doctor's initial opinion is... all his organs are functioning normally, but he seems to have lost all ability to actively sense and move."

"However, the eye movements indicate that his consciousness should be clear, but it was completely 'locked' inside his body, unable to express or control himself."

"..."

In the command center, the silence was so profound you could hear a pin drop, followed by a series of distinct gasps.

Even the most senior members of the operation changed their expressions instantly.

They are not afraid of vicious criminals, nor of complex and dangerous scenes, and are even somewhat prepared for death.

But the state described in the briefing at this moment—consciously trapped in an immobile body—unexpectedly pierced their usual perception of risk.

Can you imagine?

You know where you are, you might be able to hear the sounds around you, and feel the discomfort in your body, but you can't move even a finger, can't turn your eyes, can't make a sound, and can't even close your eyes to escape.

Your consciousness is like being imprisoned in the deepest, quietest solitary cell, and the cell is your own intact but out-of-control body.

Time flows through it, and every second can be stretched into endless torment...

This is more terrifying than any bloody scene.

37 Rampant

Perhaps to break the uncomfortable silence, a middle-aged man with many epaulets cleared his throat to the side and slightly behind the commander: "Any progress on the case at the intersection of Zhongshan Road and Biange Lane this morning?"

The person called on immediately stood up, picked up his tablet, and began to report: "Report! The scene was basically cleared at 5:58."

"The injured person, Liu, has been sent to the First Municipal Hospital for emergency treatment by ambulance. The initial diagnosis is severe crush and tear fractures of both thumbs with foreign body impaction, and a deep circumferential contusion of the left upper arm. There is no immediate danger to his life."

"Bloodstains, footprints, and items left at the scene—including a folding table, some cash, and the packaging of a ring—have all been secured and retrieved. Surveillance footage from the surrounding area has been retrieved and is currently being analyzed. Interviews with cleaning workers at the scene and in the vicinity are underway..."

The rapid response team was very organized, reporting on each and every matter in great detail according to standard procedures, from receiving and responding to the alarm, sealing off the scene, treating the injured, securing evidence, investigating the surrounding area, and conducting technical reconnaissance. This demonstrated their solid work and orderly progress.

He said a lot and did get a lot done.

But to the seasoned veterans in the command center, the subtext of those lengthy reports boiled down to just a few words: no substantial progress.

They couldn't find the person, couldn't piece together the whole story, and couldn't even extract any useful information from the witnesses.

Perhaps even the heavens couldn't bear to see this dull stalemate continue, for just then, another liaison officer responsible for communications across different areas suddenly looked up, his voice urgent:

"Report! Situation detected in the East District!"

The commander's gaze suddenly shifted: "Speak."

The liaison officer quickly read out: "The Cheng Tung District Police Station received a report from security at 8:13 a.m. today that a violent incident had occurred inside the office building of the Liberation Dispatch Office and that shooting may have been involved. The station's command center immediately dispatched nearby police officers to handle the situation. The first batch of officers arrived at the scene at approximately 8:45 a.m. and brought the situation under control."

"Preliminary on-site investigation and interviews have confirmed that Zhao Dezhu, the deputy head of the company, was violently attacked in his office, resulting in facial soft tissue contusions, loss of multiple teeth, and mild concussion symptoms. He has been sent to the hospital for treatment and is not in life-threatening condition."

"The on-site investigation revealed a 9mm standard pistol bullet embedded in a bookshelf in his office, which matched the shooting described by the complainant. In addition, a simple homemade shooting rig and other items were found at the scene."

"Based on the analysis of evidence at the scene, the victim's statement, and some surveillance footage, the suspect is a young male wearing black-rimmed glasses and a dark coat. His physical characteristics and behavior pattern are highly consistent with the 'target' we are currently pursuing. The suspect's route in and out of the office building is concealed, and the specific method is still under investigation."

"Currently, the investigation work, including securing evidence at the scene, interviewing personnel, and retrieving surveillance footage from the surrounding area, has been fully launched. The relevant information has been communicated to all cooperating departments."

The commander looked up and asked coldly, "The report was filed at 8:13, and the officers arrived at 8:45... Did the people from the East City Branch crawl there? What were they doing up there?!"

The liaison officer read the follow-up with a forced smile: "The report mentioned... the first to receive the internal call to the command center was the duty room of the district office. It was during the morning shift handover, and the emergency response team responsible for the area... was in a hurry when they set off and did not notice that the walkie-talkie battery was dead, resulting in a temporary loss of contact with the command center after they set off..."

"The walkie-talkie is out of battery?" The commander's voice was as cold as ice. "Heh heh heh... The entire emergency response team forgot to bring their cell phones too?"

The liaison officer, sweat beading on his forehead, had no choice but to continue reading: "...On the way to the scene, the lead vehicle...suffered an unexplained breakdown on the main road about 1.5 kilometers from the incident location. Subsequent vehicles attempting to detour or tow it also...successively stalled or lost power, wasting valuable time..."

"Several vehicles broke down at the same time?" The commander's face showed an almost absurd anger. "Did the convoy of the East City Branch all drive out of the junkyard?!"

At this moment, the middle-aged coordinator who had asked the question earlier seemed to remember something and whispered, "Didn't we recently launch a special campaign called 'Clean and Frugal Conduct'? It emphasized reducing the operating costs of official business."

"The department's logistics department has issued fuel cards to a certain designated gas station and requires drivers to refuel there as much as possible... Recently, many drivers have privately reported that after refueling at that station, their vehicles have become less stable, with more instances of idling vibrations, weak acceleration, and even stalling on the road."

"..."

The commander's chest rose and fell slightly, the veins on his forehead throbbed faintly, every muscle on his face was taut to the limit, and the storm in his eyes was almost tangible.