The Devil Doctor's Spicy Love

Chapter 510: Smoke signals

The Public Security Bureau had returned to its usual rhythm after the weekend. Phones rang without mercy and somewhere in the distance, Tang Haitao’s voice was already echoing across the offices, lecturing an unfortunate rookie.Jia dropped her bag onto her chair with a sigh.

"Home sweet home~"

A cup of coffee slid across her desk. She caught it instinctively.

"Welcome back, Inspector Song," Huojin grinned. "How was your vacation?"

"It wasn’t a vacation."

"No?"

"It was just busy."

"Hm." His grin only widened. "Busy enough to disappear from the Bureau for three whole days? After a certain someone’s birthday?"

"I applied for leave."

"You did."

"So?"

"But your leave application lacked important details."

Jia narrowed her eyes. "...Such as?"

"The educational purpose."

"What educational purpose?"

Huojin coughed into his fist dramatically. "Advanced anatomy."

Jia stared at him.

"Or what Yang Mingshen calls - Exploring bodily functions~"

"..."

"...You deserve to be punched."

"I merely admire people who dedicate themselves to lifelong learning," he popped a few chips into his mouth, his smile ever so merry.

A file flew straight at his face, and Huojin caught it while laughing.

"Violence! Police brutality! Against your own officer!"

"You started it."

"I absolutely did."

She rolled her eyes before switching on her computer.

Yet despite herself...

A tiny smile tugged at her lips.

Huojin immediately noticed. "There it is."

"What?"

"The smile."

"What smile?"

"The ’certain devil doctor has completely ruined my best friend’ smile."

"I don’t know what you are talking about."

"Really?" He leaned forward to her desk. "Then why have you looked at your phone four times since sitting down? What does this evidence suggest, bestie?"

She instinctively looked down. Her phone was indeed lying beside the keyboard.

"...Habit," she coughed.

"Uh-huh."

"It is."

"So you are not waiting for Dr. Yang to message you?"

"No."

As if almost on cue - her phone vibrated. Huojin slowly lowered his gaze towards the screen. Then back to Jia.

She cleared her throat. "...This is just a coincidence."

Huojin laughed so hard he nearly fell off his chair. "You two are disgustingly cute now."

"We are absolutely not cute."

"Then terrifyingly adorable."

"That sounds even worse," she grimaced.

Before Huojin could continue his relentless teasing, a shrill alarm echoed through the floor. Every conversation came to a hard stop. An emergency dispatch notification flashed across the large monitor. Priority One Incident, which the duty officer answered immediately.

"Criminal Investigation Bureau."

The expression on his face changed within seconds and he stood abruptly. He covered the receiver and turned towards Jia.

"Inspector Song."

She was already on her feet. "What happened?"

"It’s an emergency call from Yang Lifecare Hospital."

Yang Lifecare...

One of the Yang family’s flagship hospitals. Her heart skipped a beat.

The operator continued speaking rapidly through the phone. The duty officer’s expression darkened further.

"There are multiple casualties. Possible armed patient inside the hospital."

"Patient? Are you sure it’s a patient?" She blinked.

The officer listened for another few seconds.

"Yes, it’s a patient gone rogue. They are requesting immediate police intervention. He has already hurt two security officers.

Mingshen’s thought crossed her mind, but she knew he wasn’t at this particular hospital today. Without another word, she grabbed her service pistol from the drawer.

"Huojin."

"Aye aye captain."

—

Sirens tore through the morning traffic as two police vehicles sped towards Yang Lifecare Hospital. Jia sat in the passenger seat, fastening the strap around her bulletproof vest while Huojin drove.

"What do we know?" she asked.

Huojin glanced at the information arriving on the in-car terminal.

"Male. Forty-three years old. Admitted to the psychiatric ward two days ago."

"Diagnosis?"

"Acute psychosis with violent tendencies."

Jia frowned. "He was restrained?"

"Apparently."

"So how did he overpower two security guards?"

"No idea."

Her fingers tapped rhythmically against her thigh. Something didn’t add up.

A psychiatric patient suddenly escaping restraints wasn’t impossible. But hurting multiple security officers, seizing control of an entire hospital floor and forcing the staff to call the Public Security Bureau...

It felt too organized. Too sudden.

The car screeched to a halt outside the entrance. Doctors, nurses and patients flooded out through the evacuation route, many clutching one another in panic. Some were crying. Others were frantically calling their families. A young nurse rushed towards Jia the moment she spotted the police.

"Inspector! Thank God..."

Jia caught her gently by the shoulders. "Calm down. Start from the beginning."

The nurse nodded repeatedly, struggling to steady her breathing.

"He was quiet all morning. The doctor had just finished his rounds when suddenly he attacked him."

"With what?"

"A metal IV pole."

Huojin exchanged a quick glance with Jia.

"How is the doctor now?"

"He is in surgery..."

"What happened next?"

"He then somehow got hold of the security office keys."

Jia’s brows knit together. "Security office?"

"Yes! Then he locked down the entire third floor."

"How?"

"The electronic controls..." The nurse swallowed. "He knew exactly where everything was."

Jia paused. "He knew?"

"Yes."

"He had been admitted only three days ago."

"So how would a psychiatric patient know the location of your hospital’s security control room?"

The nurse opened her mouth, but no answer came.

Huojin’s expression gradually lost its earlier ease. "That’s some good questions we need answers for."

A uniformed security supervisor hurried over, his forehead drenched in sweat.

"Inspector Song. The suspect has barricaded himself inside the old administrative wing."

"The old wing?" She repeated.

"That section has been awaiting renovation. Most departments have already relocated."

"Then why hasn’t he come out?"

"We don’t know."

"What are his demands?"

The supervisor hesitated. "None."

"No demands?"

"He hasn’t asked for money."

"Transportation?"

"No."

"A lawyer?"

"No."

"What has he done since locking himself inside?"

The supervisor looked increasingly unsettled. "It’s unclear at the moment, but we can see smoke coming out of the room."

Their eyes widened. "He is setting the room on fire? Does he want to burn down the whole building or what?"

She slowly looked towards the upper floors where black smoke curled from a shattered window.

"Any family?" Huojin asked.

"None."

Jia straightened her back. "Well then, let’s ask the patient himself why he is so hell bent on setting beautiful day to fire?"