"Bang—"
"Bang—Bang—"
A huge explosion erupted from the southeast corner of the second floor, followed by two more, sending the guests who had just escaped scrambling in all directions.
The entire building shook. Circuits on every floor shorted, all lights went out, and the elevators stopped.
The screams of the guests trapped inside rose one after another. They all felt wronged, never imagining that attending a banquet would lead to a terrorist attack.
Qin Xinhong, her belly protruding, held tightly onto Song Shi's hand. They stood behind the crowd, afraid to push forward but anxious nonetheless.
"Mom, are we going to die here today?" Qin Xinhong asked uneasily.
"Don't be afraid, it will be alright. Your father will bring people to rescue us. Your uncle is downstairs too; he'll surely catch those terrorists," Song Shi said, hugging her, ostensibly to comfort her, but also to comfort herself.
However, the floor was shaking violently, and even she felt their hope dwindling.
The stairwells were blocked, making it impossible for them to escape. Rescue would be too late, bombs were exploding, the entire building could collapse, and they would all be buried in the ruins...
Qin Xinhong felt even more despair. She caressed her swollen belly, having finally managed to protect her child, only to face a terrorist attack.
"Grandma, Godmother, everything will be alright. Trust Yu He and Great Uncle, they will surely find a way to resolve this!" Qin Jincheng said with conviction.
Yu He could bring him back from the dead, so she should be able to save everyone else!
She had asked him to expose the true face of the Huang family, so there must be a plan and strategy.
Otherwise, if they couldn't handle it, they would all die together!
Qin Xinhong and Huang Shi were somewhat moved by his firm tone. Yes, Yu He was still downstairs. She was so clever; she would surely have a solution!
Below the Di Yi Hotel, in the southeast corner.
Qin Yongchao stood at the command center, his gaze fixed on the direction of the second floor.
The explosions had shattered the windows, and debris rained down. Steward Qin quickly shielded him with an umbrella.
"Master Qin, it's dangerous here. Please move back. Don't worry, we will control the terrorists, prevent further explosions, and minimize casualties," said Chen Yongyue, the on-site commander.
"Thank you for your hard work," Qin Yongchao nodded but remained in place.
Chen Yongyue looked at Steward Qin. "Please ask your family head to leave quickly."
Steward Qin nodded and persuaded, "Family Head, everything will be alright. Master Seven is blessed with great fortune; he will surely return safely."
To outsiders, Qin Yongchao appeared concerned about the situation at Di Yi Hotel. Only Steward Qin knew that he was most worried about Qin Beiting, who was fighting inside.
Everyone had always assumed the family head disliked Seventh Master Qin. In reality, after every argument with Seventh Master Qin, he would drown his sorrows in wine.
He cared deeply but didn't know how to express it; their meetings always seemed like a clash of swords.
"Why should I care if he lives or dies? I'm worried about the tens of thousands of lives inside, and about Hong'er and the others who are trapped," Qin Yongchao glared at him, chiding him for speaking out of turn. But as he turned to move to the safety zone, he couldn't help but glance back at the second floor.
Seeing this, Steward Qin kept his silence, patting his own mouth. "I shouldn't have spoken."
"Retrieve all surveillance footage and thoroughly investigate who planted the bombs," Qin Yongchao added.
Steward Qin replied, "Yes."
Meanwhile, in the opposite coffee shop, Huang Shi was leisurely sipping her coffee. Watching the panicked crowd across the street, she felt no empathy whatsoever. Instead, she waited for another explosion, for the entire building to be blown to smithereens.
Letting so many dignitaries be buried with her would be letting that brat off too easily!
However, after a long while, as the smoke from the southeast corner of the second floor slowly dissipated, the explosion she anticipated never came.
What was going on?
Huang Shi put down her coffee cup and took out the remote detonator for the timed bomb.
The countdown was stuck at 00:01 and wouldn't move. A red malfunction light illuminated.
"How could this happen?"
Huang Shi frantically pressed the detonation button, but the planted bomb showed no reaction.
This was a custom-made, state-of-the-art timed bomb. And to ensure its success, she had even requested a circuit that couldn't be disarmed. Why wasn't it exploding?!
If it didn't explode, how could all the evidence be destroyed?!
"Huang Ying, you are suspected of planting bombs, causing panic, and disrupting social order. You are also involved in attempting to murder others. Please come with us for an investigation."
At this moment, Chen Hao, accompanied by two officers, approached Huang Shi. After showing his badge, he waved his hand, and his subordinates immediately moved to apprehend her.
Seeing that the situation had gone awry, Huang Shi splashed coffee at them and turned to flee. However, she was apprehended by two police officers guarding the exit and taken away under the glare of media cameras.
Simultaneously, Yang Lin, who was enjoying a vacation by the sea, and Qin Yonghao, who was hiding among the crowd watching the scene, were also taken away by the police.
It turned out that the explosions earlier were from human bombs.
Fortunately, the renovation materials used in Di Yi Hotel were all fire-resistant. The explosions only destroyed the walls and corridors; apart from the burnt-out electrical circuits, no fire broke out.
Lu Yiming led his team in a sweep from outside, apprehending all the mercenaries and ensuring no further explosions. Then, firefighters and medical personnel quickly entered to rescue and evacuate the people.
"Everyone, please don't panic. The timed bombs have been disarmed, and you are all safe. Please do not crowd; wait for rescue and evacuation in your current positions."
All the guests let out a collective sigh of relief, some even emotionally embracing those around them and cheering.
"Mom, it's over. We're safe. They did it!" Qin Xinhong said, tears streaming down her face.
"Yes, it's over, it's over. Great fortune follows great disaster," Song Shi also shed tears of emotion.
Qin Jincheng was also excited. "I told you, Great Uncle and Yu He would definitely be able to stop the explosions! They came today to expose Huang Ying's true face!"
His voice was loud enough for everyone nearby to hear, causing an uproar.
This was the second time Qin Jincheng had miraculously survived a disaster. Having escaped death, he felt a sense of admiration for Yu He. Without holding back, he spoke freely:
"Don't be fooled by Huang Ying. The terrorists were arranged by her. The bombs were definitely planted by her people. She wanted to kill everyone in the Qin family so her son could become the next Qin family head!"
His words were met with some belief and some disbelief.
Planting bombs at one's own birthday banquet was an act of sheer madness and social retaliation!
But ultimately, the bombs were disarmed, and everyone cheered: "Seventh Master is mighty, the Anonymous Divine Doctor is mighty!"
...
In stark contrast to the jubilant atmosphere here, the situation in the broadcasting room was grim.
Lu Yiming led his team in continuing to clear the scene and inspect bomb-prone areas.
As soon as he reached the machine room, he saw Qin Beiting emerge urgently from inside, holding Yu He with a heavy expression.
Yu He's eyes were closed, devoid of life. Her left arm, hanging limply, was severely burned by something, and blood flowed onto the floor, a shocking sight.