Chapter 73: The Interrogation Room Ambush

Not many zombies roamed the police station. Besides a few thugs and delinquents, there were occasionally one or two individuals in police uniforms. It seemed not all officers had been confined to the holding cells.

With Qiao Xia consistently aiming for the neck, the zombies he encountered stood no chance. Each one met its end with a single, decapitating strike from his blade.

The scene was utterly horrific, reminiscent of a slasher film—the kind that would make children weep.

Yet, after an initial period of slight discomfort, Qiao Xia himself was gradually growing to relish the satisfying thrill of severing necks.

‘No wonder Duan Yulan had been so fond of it before,’ he mused.

‘And those Titans from that certain series, they too had to be struck at the nape of the neck to be truly defeated.’

‘Even cats are subdued by gripping the scruff of their neck!’

Who wouldn’t prefer a method that could swiftly conclude a battle?

However, when facing zombies who also clutched weapons, Qiao Xia could no longer simply aim for the neck. He had to rely on nimble, ‘snake-like’ footwork to maneuver, waiting for the opportune moment to launch his attack.

From Duan Yulan’s steadily decreasing verbal instructions, Qiao Xia surmised that his growth rate was quite impressive, at least enough to spare her constant admonitions and guidance.

****

Subsequently, as Qiao Xia relentlessly cleaved through zombies, he successfully navigated the police station’s corridors. Turning right, he soon arrived at the interrogation rooms.

He couldn’t fathom what the architect had been thinking; the interrogation rooms in the police station were built one after another. To reach the detention cells further back, one had to pass through several of these interrogation rooms.

This design made Qiao Xia secretly grumble. Even if the zombie virus hadn’t erupted, such a convoluted route to and from the detention cells seemed like an egregious waste of time.

However, existence implies reason.

Perhaps the police station’s detention cells had previously been mere ornaments, with criminals being directly transferred to prison after apprehension. The cells might have seen little use, perhaps even serving as storage rooms in normal times.

It was only during the initial outbreak of the zombie virus, when the number of ‘red-eyed’ individuals committing crimes surged, that the police station repurposed the detention cells to house these disruptive and violent patients.

With various possibilities swirling, Qiao Xia ceased his internal complaints. Instead, he focused on leading Duan Yulan toward the first interrogation room, raising his hand to turn the doorknob and push the door open.

Immediately, a shocking ambush occurred.

Had Duan Yulan not reacted with lightning speed, pulling Qiao Xia to the right to dodge, the basin of crimson blood that had been flung directly at them would have completely drenched Qiao Xia.

Observing the left side of the room, now splattered with blood, Qiao Xia’s brows furrowed. He instinctively knew this was human blood.

With zombies rampant everywhere, the presence of such a large quantity of animal blood in a police station was utterly illogical.

Therefore, the answer was undeniably clear.

This was human blood.

Given the sheer volume, if it all belonged to a single person, that individual must have succumbed to fatal blood loss.

‘Damn it! Not attacked by zombies, but ambushed by someone else instead!’

Thinking this, Qiao Xia seethed with anger, desperate to drag out the perpetrator behind this petty trick and teach them a harsh lesson.

‘Wait a minute, at a time like this, who would pull such a stunt?’

‘Could it be what I’m thinking…?’

“This is a specially constructed trap, and it wasn’t a random act. Rather, it targeted a specific individual. Look, the mechanism on the door allows for remote control of the basin’s tilt, selectively spilling the blood. Judging by the situation, the culprit must have control over the police station’s surveillance, allowing them to monitor every movement within at all times.”

Just as Qiao Xia was silently pondering the identity of the person who had set him up, Duan Yulan had already walked to the interrogation room door. After a few quick glances, she immediately summarized the situation.

Upon hearing her words, Qiao Xia instantly knew who was behind the ambush.

Ding Ce.

The psychopath who had vandalized the community’s plants. Simply because Qiao Xia and Grandpa Li had stopped his destructive behavior, he had harbored a grudge, leading him to plot for a week to exact revenge on them.

If not for Qiao Xia’s ‘golden finger’ premonitions, according to the original trajectory of the foreseen events, he would have been unable to escape death, his head smashed by Ding Ce’s club.

After Ding Ce had been sent to the police station, Qiao Xia hadn’t given the matter another thought.

Yet, he hadn’t anticipated that Ding Ce would be causing trouble again now.

‘How utterly despicable!’

“I believe I know the person who designed this trap. Because I sent him to the police station a few days ago, he’s seeking revenge on me. However, I didn’t expect that after the police station fell, Ding Ce wouldn’t choose to leave immediately, but instead continued to hide here.”

As Qiao Xia spoke to Duan Yulan, he followed closely behind her into the interrogation room. He quickly scanned his surroundings, noticing nothing but overturned tables and chairs.

He then looked up at the door opposite, which led to the next interrogation room.

However, knowing Ding Ce’s petty and vengeful nature, Qiao Xia harbored strong doubts about the safety of the subsequent interrogation rooms.

“Understood. From now on, just tell me if you need my help.”

“Okay.”

Listening to Duan Yulan’s words, Qiao Xia felt a small surge of gratitude. He was immensely relieved that she hadn’t interrupted his training to directly take over, finding her understanding truly comforting.

From this perspective, Duan Yulan was indeed thoughtful and sensible!

Although Ding Ce had emerged as a stumbling block on their path, Qiao Xia felt there was no need to be overly anxious.

Now, with a blade in hand, he could slaughter all treacherous dogs in the world.

So, this minor situation was manageable.

Next, he would unleash his full might. Once Ding Ce was dragged out, Qiao Xia would retaliate fiercely! How dare he try to harm him in the shadows?

Filled with anger toward Ding Ce, Qiao Xia wasted no more time. He gripped his blade, opened the door to the second interrogation room, and prepared for the impending battle.

But he found nothing.

The second interrogation room was empty, save for a mess of scattered traces.

Subsequently, when Qiao Xia and Duan Yulan opened the door to the second interrogation room, they didn’t immediately arrive at the third. Instead, they found a short, hundred-meter corridor, at the end of which a large door bore the number ‘3’ painted in red.

‘Damn it, this police station looks so strange! The architect’s thought process is truly unlike that of ordinary people!’

‘Did they watch too many weird things, leading them to create all these flashy, impractical designs? It’s making my mission to rescue the Fat Police Officer feel like crossing five passes and slaying six generals, almost as arduous as the Journey to the West.’

Qiao Xia continuously grumbled to himself. He then reached the door of the third interrogation room and immediately reached out to twist the doorknob.