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The basement.
Fearing there might still be people down here, Dong Xuebin crept around and pushed open the remaining doors one by one, not even skipping the restroom.
One room...
Two rooms...
Three rooms...
Everyone was gone. They were all upstairs or outside.
Dong Xuebin's gaze sharpened. He walked to the stairway and glanced up, about to head upstairs, when his ears suddenly twitched. He caught a faint sound behind him—footsteps. Were there still some of them in the basement? Dong Xuebin instinctively reached for the gun at the small of his back and spun around. He froze for a moment, only to see Hou Qing, Xiao Wang, and Brother Xu emerge from a room and walk over from the corridor. Hou Qing gripped her gun in both hands, while Xiao Wang supported the injured Brother Xu. The three stood in a line.
"Why are you here?" Dong Xuebin asked quietly.
Hou Qing forced a smile. "My shooting may be mediocre, but I can at least give you some support."
"No. You said it yourself—it's too dangerous." Dong Xuebin shook his head. "I can handle it alone. Get back, now."
But Hou Qing did not move. "We already talked it over. We can't just watch you take this risk alone. You saved my life. Even if I lose it here, I won't have any regrets. Xiao Wang and Xiao Xu feel the same way. Besides, we're Public Security officers. Criminals should be the ones avoiding us—when do we avoid criminals? Heh, you're willing to risk it all. Are we not?"
Can you compare yourselves to me? I'm not afraid of bullets. Are you?
"No way. Every one of you is injured. You'd only get in the way up there." Dong Xuebin deliberately made his words