Chase and Kill

"You guys over here, you guys over there! Hurry up, we absolutely have to find the child that human traffickers abducted!" Ghost Head shouted, assigning tasks. His more than thirty subordinates each took responsibility for a building and began searching them one by one.

Someone quickly approached the residential area where Chen Nan was hiding, and he couldn't wait any longer. If he were trapped here by these people, he would have no chance at all.

He had to break out while they weren't settled yet; this was his only opportunity.

Chen Nan quickly headed downstairs, determined to leave before they reached this building.

Fortunately, he acted swiftly, and the residential area wasn't entirely sealed off. Thus, Chen Nan successfully evaded their line of sight.

The clamor seemed to fade behind him, and the main road ahead was now in sight. As long as he could get out of here and hail a cab, everything would be fine.

But just then, a guard by the roadside recognized Chen Nan.

"Hey kid, stop right there!" he yelled, simultaneously contacting others via his walkie-talkie. "Target sighted, he's fleeing west along Longhua Avenue!"

This shout was like a death knell. Chen Nan had nothing left to say; besides summoning the informants, his only option was to run for his life, all while trying to flag down a taxi.

The strange thing about these situations was how taxis always seemed to have this magical property: they appeared in front of you when you didn't need them, but when you truly needed one, not a single one showed up. It was just like love.

Chen Nan had no energy left to complain and could only run and hope for luck.

At the same time, he wasn't just running aimlessly.

To the west of Longhua Road was a district police station, similar to the local police substations under the Public Security Bureau on Earth, what we commonly call beat cops.

This was Chen Nan's first time seeking help from patrol officers, but it was only an emergency measure, his last resort.

He had no choice. No matter how much he distrusted others, in such a crisis, he had to trust the country's armed forces. At the very least, they wouldn't stand by and watch him die, right?

The pursuers were closing in rapidly. How could Chen Nan's short legs, belonging to a ten-year-old child, outrun adults who were used to fighting and brawling? In no time, they were less than fifty meters away.

At this distance, Chen Nan could no longer hail a cab. This wasn't like a movie scene where a taxi driver would heroically speed away as soon as someone started chasing the protagonist.

Facing this situation, it was uncertain if the driver would even open the door for Chen Nan.

Therefore, his only hope was the district police station.

Fortunately, it wasn't too far. Unfortunately, the thugs were already less than twenty meters from him.

Just as they were about to catch him, Chen Nan was helpless and could only send out the informants he had summoned to block their pursuit.

A total of five dogs barked and launched an attack on the pursuers. Passing vehicles and pedestrians watched the spectacle as if it were a movie, and with such an immersive, firsthand experience, they were all engrossed.

As for helping out, that was absolutely out of the question.

However, Chen Nan didn't blame the bystanders for their indifference. After all, the figures behind him looked fierce and menacing, clearly not to be trifled with. Who would risk their own safety?

It was only human nature.

The piteous cries of dogs echoed from behind. Tears welled up in Chen Nan's eyes, his fear replaced by grief.

He felt utterly shameless, colder-blooded than the onlookers, forcing innocent and weaker beings to sacrifice themselves for his safety. But what else could he do, being so weak?

Fortunately, the district police station was now visible. A single street separated them.

Without regard for traffic lights, Chen Nan lowered his head and dashed across the road, leaving his fate to chance.

Several cars that Chen Nan narrowly missed collided, drivers cursing loudly, and the entire street descended into chaos.

"Help! Patrol officers, help!" Chen Nan screamed at the top of his lungs. The threat to his life made his voice reach an inhuman pitch.

Due to the ensuing commotion, several patrol officers emerged and saw Chen Nan running towards them, with a dog by his side. The dog was rather timid and didn't dare to charge forward, merely running alongside Chen Nan.

"What's wrong, kid?" a patrol officer asked, stopping Chen Nan.

At Chen Nan's height, his line of sight only reached their waists. Something glinting on one of the officers' waists caught Chen Nan's attention.

It was a black handgun. Chen Nan immediately activated his phone's recording function and tucked it into his shirt pocket, the camera facing outward.

"These people are thugs, they want to kill me!" Chen Nan shouted, then moved behind the patrol officer.

More patrol officers gradually came out of the building, gathering to about ten in total.

Ghost Head arrived with his men and, seeing the patrol officers, sneered, "What, Old Blackie, you think you can interfere with me?"

The one nicknamed "Old Blackie" was the one who had spoken to Chen Nan earlier.

He sneered, "Ghost Head, don't cause trouble without looking at the ground. This is a public place, show some respect for the law."

Ghost Head's eyes widened. "Are you out of your mind? Don't you know how important that child is? If you know what's good for you, get out of the way!"

However, more and more civilians were gathering. Under these circumstances, how could the patrol officers stand by and do nothing?

If they did, the front-page news tomorrow would be about them, the patrol officers.

The repercussions would be too severe; Old Blackie couldn't afford them.

He could only say forcefully, "No one can defy the law. Get out of here immediately! If you escalate this, you'll regret it!"

Ghost Head's eyes glinted with malice. Chen Nan, watching from behind, sensed trouble. As expected, Ghost Head waved his hand, and his men charged forward.

"You dare assault an officer?" Old Blackie shouted indignantly.

He had just drawn his pistol and hadn't even had time to fire a warning shot when his wrist was struck by a baton, sending the gun flying.

Chen Nan immediately ran over and scooped up the handgun.

The gun felt heavy, but he didn't know how to use it.

The police and the criminals started fighting. Not only were the patrol officers outnumbered, but their combat ability was also no match for the muscle-bound thugs like Ghost Head, especially with their beer bellies.

Several patrol officers were quickly taken down. Chen Nan immediately sent his informants, had them snatch a handgun from one of the patrol officers, and then quickly fled with the weapon.

After knocking down all the patrol officers, Ghost Head spat on them and shouted, "Chase that kid!"

Having dealt with the patrol officers, the criminals' eyes turned red, and they set their sights on Chen Nan's backside, giving chase.

Chen Nan ran while fiddling with the handgun, but he had no idea how to use it! It was driving him crazy.

Suddenly, his vision flickered, and the AI System appeared.

Chen Nan slapped his forehead, cursing himself for being so foolish. He then carefully examined the information in his eyes and figured out how to use the handgun.

The AI System, based on the structural principles of Earth firearms and by analyzing the external structure of this handgun, provided a theoretical method of use.

Therefore, this method of use might not be entirely accurate.

However, Chen Nan followed the prompts and managed to disengage the safety.

Then, he turned around and aimed at the people behind him. The AI System displayed various prompts to assist Chen Nan with his aim.

He pulled the trigger, and with a "bang," Chen Nan fell backward onto his rear.

This caused the surrounding civilians to scream in terror and scatter. Ghost Head and his men immediately ducked and covered their heads.

However, none of them were injured.

Even with the AI System's help, Chen Nan had aimed as accurately as possible. Unfortunately, the recoil of the gun was too great, and the bullet flew wide.

But Chen Nan could see that the AI System was prompting him, indicating that it was evaluating the gun's recoil, his body's strength, and other factors, and would consider these elements in the next aiming session.

The scare from the single shot made Ghost Head and his men hesitant to advance. But seeing that he had missed, Ghost Head shouted, "He's just a kid! Even with a gun, there's no need to be afraid. He can't aim properly. All of you, charge!"

The criminals began to charge forward again.

Chen Nan immediately got up. At this point, the distance between them was about seventy to eighty paces. At this range, it was difficult for someone who had never used a gun before to hit a target.

However, Chen Nan steadied his breathing, gripped the handgun with both hands, and began to aim again. His phone was still recording everything.

The AI System calculated, and the virtual crosshairs landed on the head of the first person.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

After firing twelve shots, all twelve of the charging men had their heads blown open, a gruesome spectacle of blood splattering and brains bursting.

Twelve bodies fell to the ground. Ghost Head and his men stopped in their tracks, paralyzed by the threat of death.

They dared not move, but after a moment, Ghost Head suddenly shouted, "That gun only holds thirteen bullets! He fired one shot and killed twelve of our brothers. His gun is out of bullets!"

Even so, who would dare to risk it?

Chen Nan, however, had his own plan. He dropped the handgun and immediately fled into the distance, pulling out another one from his chest.

"Chase him!" Ghost Head yelled. With more than ten men remaining, they followed in pursuit.

Dark clouds began to gather in the sky, and soon, raindrops the size of soybeans started to fall, washing away the blood and brains on the ground.

A flash of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating Chen Nan's cold eyes.