Deputy chief Yan continued to knock on the door. "Wang Xu, Wang Xu, are you inside? I'm here alone and unarmed. If you don't believe me, you can take a look through the window."

Deputy chief Yan shifted over to the first row of windows. He lifted his clothes to show the other party that he was not carrying a gun. Lin Qiupu and the others were nervously guarding the passageway by the school gate. Lin Qiupu asked Wang Xu’s teacher, "Is there any conflict between these three children?"

"I don't know much about this."

A female student came out of nowhere and said, "Uncle policeman, I know that Liu Dong and Ma Fei often bully Wang Xu. I saw them press Wang Xu’s face into the sandpit on the playground several times after school. He was also forced to play 'Aluba'[1] or something. It was clear that they were bullying him. I warned Liu Dong several times that if he were to bully Wang Xu again, I’d tell the teachers, but he would just say it was just them playing around.”

"Why?"

"I don’t know either. Maybe it’s because of Wang Xu’s family difficulties. The boys in the class always laugh at him and make jokes about him... Teacher Li, have you noticed that every time class starts and Wang Xu gets up to read texts or answer questions, everyone just laughs?"

The teacher said, "This... I don't know much about this. Was that the case?"

Lin Qiupu informed deputy chief Yan of the situation through the radio and deputy chief Yan replied, "I understand."

At this time, the curtains of the first row of windows moved a bit. It seemed like someone was sneaking a glance inside. Then, the door was pushed open slightly. Lin Qiupu reminded, "Be careful!"

"Relax, it's okay."

Deputy chief Yan entered the classroom and saw that several desks were overturned and blocked the teaching podium like a fortress. A boy was on the ground, wailing while covering his bleeding stomach. The other boy was holding a pistol in his hands, trembling with adrenaline.

The window glass on the side facing the playground had a hole left by a bullet.

Deputy chief Yan said, "I’m the deputy chief Yan of the Public Security Bureau. I have come to negotiate with you. If you have any requirements, you can tell them to me."

Wang Xu just panted and didn't speak.

"I'm here to help you, I know they often bully you and tease you while the teacher doesn't care about this matter either. But look, you have made them pay a terrible price now. After this incident, I believe that nobody in the class would dare to bully you again. You should calm down. If we take this child to the hospital now, we can still turn this around. You are a minor. As long as the person isn’t dead, you won’t have to bear criminal responsibility. If this drags on and there’s a death, things won’t be easy. Okay?”

Deputy chief Yan tried to move forward, but Wang Xu raised his gun and shouted, "Don't come over!"

This was a small strategy for strict negotiation. As long as the other party spoke, it didn’t matter what they said. "You’re finally willing to speak. Tell me, what exactly do you want?"

"Would you give me anything I wanted?" Wang Xu asked.

"We can negotiate."

"How about this? Let my dad out of prison."

"What happened to your father?"

"He was arrested by the police for attempted robbery. He’s been in jail from when I was in elementary school until now! If it were not for this matter, why would I be bullied? All the other children have both their parents, but I don't!”

Saying this, Wang Xu was agitated.

"Calm down. Calm down." Deputy chief Yan soothed. "We can't process this matter immediately. You still have one year until you’re an adult. You should know that the public security bureau, prosecution office, and courts are independent of each other... Of course, I can call the prison now right now and communicate with them, but you also need to accept a condition of ours. Let this child go to the hospital first. We really can't drag this on anymore. Dragging it on would be bad for everyone."

"Call now!" Wang Xu shouted.

"Okay, I’ll call them..." Deputy chief Yan took out his phone and dialed Lin Qiupu's number. He said deliberately, "Is this the city prison? ... I'm Yan Zheng from the Public Security Bureau. Right now there’s a situation..." He held a hand over the phone and asked Wang Xu, "Your father's name is...?"

"Wang Dahai."

Lin Qiupu said over the phone, "The SWAT team has arrived. They’re just outside the classroom!"

Deputy chief Yan glanced at the window and continued, "Is there a prisoner named Wang Dahai there? How long is his sentence? ... Oh, really?"

Lin Qiupu continued, "In addition, the child who was taken to the hospital has died as the bullet pierced the heart."

"I see." Deputy chief Yan said, "I want Wang Dahai to come out now. You can handle the formalities yourself... Send someone to send him to the sixth middle school."

Lin Qiupu asked, "Do we really have to do that? If we do, cough once. If we don’t, cough twice."

Deputy chief Yan coughed twice. "Okay, do it as soon as possible!"

Then, he hung up the phone and said sincerely to Wang Xu, "The formalities are getting processed over at the prison. I think your father will be released in a few hours. I’ll let him come to see you, okay?"

Wang Xu expressed doubt. "Did you really make the call?"

"Why should I lie to you? If I lie to you, you can kill me with one shot."

"Adults always lie!"

"I’m different from those adults. Since I said I’d come to help you, I really came to help you... Wang Xu, you can see your father in a few hours, but this child can't wait for a few hours. You need to let him go first. Let’s wait here slowly, okay?”

Wang Xu hesitated. The gun muzzle lowered down slowly. Besides the screams of the boy who was shot, the classroom was silent. The screams seemed weaker than before. He had lost too much blood and his face was getting pale.

Deputy chief Yan decided to call out loudly, "Wang Xu, don't be silly any longer. He’ll die soon! If you continue to hesitate too long, you won’t be able to turn back! Do you want to be like your father?"

"But..." Wang Xu's lips quivered. "But if I let him go, you’ll arrest me."

"If I say so, that’s that. No one will rush in to catch you. Or, how about this? When you let him go, I will be your hostage, okay?"

Exchanging hostages was also a commonly used strategy in negotiations. Deputy chief Yan thought that as soon as he got close, he would immediately grab the gun. Then, the matter would be resolved.

Because of frequent negotiations, snatching guns at close range was his forte. The opponent this time was just a thin child. He was confident that he could easily take the gun.

Deputy chief Yan urged, "Hurry up and decide. We have already agreed to your request. Now, it’s up to you to fulfill your promise."

The boy on the ground begged, "I'm in so much pain... Please... I don't want to die!"

Deputy chief Yan said, "Look at him. If he dies, how painful would his family feel? If you let him go now, your family can be reunited and so can his family. Is it not good for everyone to have a happy ending?"

Wang Xu turned towards Ma Fei, "Why did you have to bully me?! Why?!"

Ma Fei cried, "It won't happen again... I swear... I swear!"

Deputy chief Yan continued to guide the scene. "Now that he’s suffered this loss, how can he bully you in the future? You’re the boss now and you have the final say! Hurry up and let him go!"

Wang Xu's eyes were shaken. He raised his head and asked, "If he dies, do I have to go to jail?"

"Yes!"

"Then, is Liu Dong dead?"

Yan Jing pressed the radio and pretended to ask. Then, he smiled and said, "My subordinate said that he has been rescued and is out of danger..."

Wang Xu's eyes widened. "You lied to me!!!"

The next second, deafening gunfire came from the classroom and everyone outside was stunned in fear.

1. I believe it’s a slang term, but basically it’s when a group of kids grab another kid and turn their body horizontally. Then they open the victim’s legs and run the victim’s vulnerable sex organs into a pole, tree and the like. Kids be ruthless.