Accidental Hero: The Rookie Who Outshines the Force - Chapter 79

A moonless, windy night.

Only the ceaseless chirp of crickets broke the silence of the wild.

Lu Cheng’s phone had long since vanished from his pocket, and the earpiece had lost signal.

Now, he had no way to contact Fan Wanqing. He was alone, navigating the dark alleys by himself.

He wiped the dust and grime from his face; sweat mixed with dirt trickled down.

As long as he could see the path ahead, nothing else mattered.

The moonlight flickered across the ground. Lu Cheng followed the faint purple glow in the distance, moving cautiously.

He lifted his feet high to avoid tripping over rocks or mud.

The chase felt promising—the gap between him and the purple light was closing. Less than three kilometers now.

Ahead, Ma Kuixiang had no idea someone was relentlessly pursuing him. He walked casually, unaware of danger.

…

Meanwhile, backup from the Economic Crime Division finally arrived.

Six massive off-road SUVs and five smaller vehicles stormed into the forest.

Zhu Yaojie and Wang Xiaolong were loaded into the cars.

On the SUVs, squads of fully armed SWAT officers descended, moving in formation toward Fan Wanqing, awaiting instructions.

At the same time, the local traffic police set up roadblocks at key intersections around Xinguang Village, led personally by Captain Ding Gaofeng.

But the Economic Crime team warned—the suspect would most likely avoid main roads.

Still, even a small chance couldn’t be ignored.

“The suspect fled east along a rural path.”

Fan Wanqing immediately jumped into the passenger seat of an SUV, ordering her team to follow. She would personally direct the pursuit.

A convoy raced along dirt roads!

The SUVs quickly located car one, circled past it, and continued onward.

Dirt roads twisted unpredictably east to west, forcing the team to split up and search each path.

One vehicle even ended up in a rice field—but luckily, the dikes were low, and the SUV’s high clearance allowed it to reverse out.

After five or six kilometers eastward, they finally found car two.

But Lu Cheng was nowhere in the vehicle. His phone had slipped into a seat gap, and he was gone.

Fan Wanqing’s heart skipped. That kid hadn’t run on foot to chase them, had he?

Come on! Two legs chasing four wheels? How much had he drunk?

Even if he caught up, his M64 would be out of ammo. How could he take down both the car and its occupants?

A creeping sense of unease settled in Fan Wanqing.

Following the direction of footprints, several SUVs pushed on.

…

Three kilometers.

…

Two kilometers.

…

One kilometer.

Lu Cheng sprinted at near full speed. At moments like this, his stamina was terrifying.

The gap closed visibly, rapidly catching up to the target.

When he was about 500 meters from the Fujianese man, Lu Cheng slowed slightly, gasping to regulate his breath.

Moonlight shimmered across the branches, and the night wind swayed shadows like struggling spirits.

Cowards would wet themselves in such darkness.

But these two were fearless.

One was a villain, possibly worse than any ghost.

The other was a righteous police officer, whose mere presence would make ghosts obediently recite their ID numbers.

Ma Kuixiang paused on a rock, thinking to hide in a nearby village until the coast was clear, then retrieve his belongings from the city and flee Jianghai.

He stood, dusted off his pants, and prepared to continue.

Out of habit—or paranoia—he glanced behind him.

Just then, moonlight broke through, illuminating a sudden human-shaped silhouette.

Lu Cheng’s face darkened. Damn luck. Previously, it had been pitch black. Now the moon emerged at the worst possible moment—and Ma Kuixiang happened to glance back.

The two figures, separated by hundreds of meters, froze.

“Who… who’s there?”

At first, Ma Kuixiang thought it was a scarecrow, a protruding rock, or a broken tree. Anything but a person.

People scare people to death.

Lu Cheng remained silent, waiting for the right moment and gathering strength for a single, explosive dash.

Ma Kuixiang felt a chill run down his spine.

Instinctively, his hand reached for the gun at his back.

An M1911—smuggled foreign goods—15,000 yuan well spent.

He knew full well the crimes he committed would land him years in prison.

He wasn’t about to surrender quietly; this gun was his last lifeline.

Lu Cheng squinted, noticing Ma Kuixiang’s hand move toward his waist.

Pupils narrowed. A gun!

Ma Kuixiang pulled the slide.

Lu Cheng immediately dropped into the tall grasses along the dike, disappearing behind trees and shadowy foliage.

Ma Kuixiang charged, only to find the spot empty.

He couldn’t tell if this was a stalker or a would-be robber.

Either way, a threat was a threat. He didn’t mind giving it a taste of lead.

Earlier, he hadn’t fired—too far, bullets wasted. And gunfire could attract unwanted attention.

Now, the target was gone, hiding somewhere.

He jumped down and searched, but the moon hid behind clouds, leaving the world black.

Lu Cheng stayed just outside gun range, safe.

“Come out! I saw you!”

Ma Kuixiang called blindly, scanning grass and trees. His skin was scratched by thorns, and he cursed fiercely.

Lu Cheng followed the moving purple light, constantly adjusting his distance.

Suddenly…

Plop, plop!

Rain began to fall, small at first, then growing heavier, almost like hail.

Sheets of water poured down, masking the sound of his footsteps.

He was in darkness; Ma Kuixiang was exposed.

The rain hid him. The night grew darker. The perfect moment for an ambush.

Lu Cheng crept closer to the purple light.

At ten meters, he crouched, hands searching the ground, and grabbed a fist-sized stone.

He hurled it at the purple glow.

Smash!

“Ah—!”

Ma Kuixiang screamed as a sharp pain shot through his left shoulder. The bastard had thrown a rock!

“You little bastard! Come out!”

He raised his gun blindly into the blackness.

…

Meanwhile, the SUV patrolling the dirt road was battered by mud and rain, visibility almost zero.

Even specialized off-road vehicles bounced violently on the uneven path.

Fan Wanqing gripped the handle tightly, eyes fixed ahead.

Suddenly, she shouted, “Stop!”

Ahead, a red SUV was abandoned on the roadside.

Ignoring the heavy rain, the officers jumped out, flashlights raised, and inspected the vehicle.

The left rear tire was destroyed, the rim cracked and deformed, pockmarked with bullet marks.

Fan Wanqing was stunned. Lu Cheng had actually hit the tire.

That aim…

The flat tire had forced the Fujianese to abandon the vehicle and flee.

But Lu Cheng?

Had he continued the pursuit?

The downpour washed away all footprints.

Fan Wanqing’s heart sank. More than catching the Fujianese, she now worried about Lu Cheng’s safety.

While the entire Economic Crime team was at a loss, only Lu Cheng was out there chasing relentlessly.

For a young officer, achieving this level of determination and skill was extraordinary.