Little Octopus - Chapter 10
Chapter 10
But the turning point came unexpectedly. My eldest uncle pulled several strings before he finally managed to contact our commando unit.
She had been abducted in front of my parents and forced into a van with no license plates.
The kidnappers were intimately familiar with the city’s surveillance layout. They had managed to evade almost every camera, making them nearly impossible to track.
By the time the van was finally located in the outskirts, there was only a small amount of blood inside. It was all hers.
My father had been in a car accident while trying to give chase; he was still in the hospital.
The team received a video clip. It was filmed inside a jolting vehicle, showing her unconscious.
The other side made a demand: they wanted to trade her for someone-a key member of a drug manufacturing ring we had captured previously.
We were fairly certain this person was the one who had gone missing during the last Joint Narcotics Case.
We put all our effort into locating their exact position while fast-tracking the inter-agency paperwork to pull the designated prisoner out of the detention center.
But the kidnappers soon sent a second video.
The captain wouldn’t let me watch the second one.
I knew what that meant. It meant something terrible must have happened to her.
I thought of the undercover narcotics officer I’d seen before-every bone in his body crushed, his skull caved in, the skin flayed from his legs.
“Is she still alive?” My voice trembled so much it didn’t sound like my own.
“…She’s alive.”
As long as she was alive, it was enough. As long as she was alive, we could get through anything.
Little Octopus, stay alive.
Wait for me!
You have to wait for me!
“Found them! In the primeval forests along the China-Myanmar Border.”
“Can we get an exact location?”
“We’ve narrowed it down to a five-kilometer radius.”
“Keep narrowing it. Team One, move out with me.”
The captain didn’t tell me I couldn’t go, because he knew he couldn’t stop me.
By then, eighteen hours had passed since she was taken… We boarded a helicopter and sped forward for about an hour before reaching the coordinates.
(Note: A military helicopter traveling at top speed for one hour covers approximately 350 kilometers.)
The target area was narrowed down to one kilometer.
Not knowing exactly where they were, we had to search every inch of the ground upon landing.
A kilometer isn’t much on a plain, but this was a primeval forest.
The towering trees provided them with endless cover.
Fortunately, the drug traffickers didn’t play cat-and-mouse with us for long.
Before long, we found an abandoned wooden shack beneath an ancient tree.
She was there.
I looked at the shack, my heart thumping painfully.
Little Octopus, I’m here. Just wait a little longer.
The captain told me to treat this as a standard hostage rescue and not to let personal feelings sway me.
The hostage had to be rescued; the target had to be taken alive.
As the sniper, I immediately took the high ground and set up my Type 88 Sniper Rifle.
Through the scope, I finally saw her.
She looked nothing like she usually did.
This time, she was like a broken doll, held in front of the criminal as a shield. Her clothes were so torn they were unrecognizable. Her hands were bound behind her back, her shoulders were bruised and swollen, and her body was covered in horrific scars and blood.
A dagger pressed against her neck, carving a deep, blood-red mark.
My hands were shaking slightly.
She hadn’t moved in a long time.
I spoke into the comms. “…Hostage condition is poor. Requesting permission for immediate termination of target.”
“Dayu, negotiations are underway. We will get the hostage out! Hold steady, do not fire…”
“Hostage condition is poor…”
“Calm down! Dayu! Follow orders!”
Cold sweat rolled down from my forehead and into my eyes. It stung fiercely, but I didn’t dare blink, let alone reach up to wipe it away.
My scope remained locked on the target, not relaxing for a single second.
In six years and through hundreds of missions, this was the most terrified I had ever been.
The criminal’s mouth was moving. I was lip-reading.
He said to give him the man and the goods, and to arrange for their departure.
The captain agreed to everything.
Zhang Xiao’s head suddenly lifted slightly.
She was looking for me!
She was looking for me!
As she moved, the knife against her throat abruptly tightened, and a trail of blood immediately appeared on her neck.
“Captain! Tell Zhang Xiao-tell her I’m here! Tell her she has to hold on, we’re going home soon!” I roared desperately into the comms.
“Copy that!”
However, before the captain could speak, I saw her head slump heavily to one side through my scope…
Please! She just fainted…
For the first time in my life, I, a lifelong atheist, prayed to the heavens.
But the heavens seemed to hold a grudge against me for not believing in Jesus or Buddha.
Her body was wheeled out, covered by a white sheet.
Her expression was peaceful, as if she hadn’t suffered much before she died.
But the autopsy report told me otherwise. My Little Octopus was covered in whip wounds; her eardrums were ruptured; several patches of skin had been sliced from her back; she had vaginal tearing… and her body contained a lethal dose of heroin…
Facing her pale, quiet face, the forensic doctor squeezed my shoulder and asked me to cover her with the sheet to see her off. But the strength had left my entire body; I didn’t even have the power to lift that simple white cloth to preserve her final dignity.
She had called me before she was taken. The last WeChat message she sent me was: [Yu Chenghuai, I’m so scared. Please come back quickly.]
But she never even got to hear my reply: [Don’t be afraid. I’m here.]
Little Octopus, I’m sorry. It would have been better if you had never met me.
Little Octopus, I’m sorry. I failed to protect you.
I used to be proud that my duty was to protect the world.
But now, my world has shattered.
