Infinite Ebullience
Chapter 1104 - 68: Bomb Girl

Chapter 1104: Chapter 68: Bomb Girl

The scale of the Hundred-Year Anniversary Celebration was grand, but those who attended were all notable figures from the upper echelons of society and business in the City of God, although there were representatives of the citizens, they were insignificant characters sidelined in corners, ignored and playing tragic roles.

By noon, Tang Zheng had already arrived at the Holy Angel Hotel with three hundred efficient policemen to maintain order, and because he was relatively new to his position, he was assigned the most arduous task—martialing the streets and protecting the perimeter.

Tang Zheng didn’t mind, and after delegating the tasks to his subordinates, he entered the hotel and, once again under the guise of patrolling, surveyed the surroundings to ensure everything was committed to memory.

At five in the afternoon, the setting sun was on the horizon, casting a brilliant fire across the sky. The Long Street in front of the hotel was already packed with citizens, including some hired to enhance the ambiance and some young people there to see the celebrities.

How could the Hundred-Year Anniversary Celebration not have performances? The celebrities, albeit reluctantly, were pressed to grace the event attended by powerful figures from both political and commercial sectors. Moreover, for better prospects in the future, they were also eager to mingle with these influential individuals; thus, the banquet was filled with stars, and those who were not privileged to receive an invitation spared no expense to acquire one.

At five-thirty, the official entrance began, but only relatively minor characters arrived at this time, even the reporters felt uninterested in taking photos or conducting interviews.

Yet, these minor characters did not see themselves as such. Dressed in formal suits, they walked with heads high and chests out, striding over the red carpet and into the hotel.

"Invitation," said Tang Zheng, dressed in a crisply ironed police uniform, standing in front of the hotel, checking the identity of each guest. By his side, there was a blonde woman in a backless evening gown, reportedly the top anchor from a television station, but obviously less significant than Tang Zheng.

Tang Zheng did not know that the police brass had intentionally set him up for embarrassment.

The female anchor, who finally got the chance to greet guests and talk to many influential people—an opportunity for her—found herself beside a stoic inspector. The guests were silent as if stricken with cold, hardly daring to chat, nearly driving her to fury.

"This is a celebration, not an interrogation room. Could you at least smile?" The female anchor complained softly. Tang Zheng was a newbie, so she did not recognize him and thought he was just some officer who had pulled strings to get there.

"My duty is to check their identities. If a criminal slips in, will you be responsible?" Tang Zheng coldly responded, handing the invitation back to the lady in front of him, "Go ahead."

It took a full half-hour before the atmosphere suddenly heated up when a renowned female singer stepped onto the red carpet.

Fans screamed frenziedly, and security personnel struggling to erect barriers to contain them.

Flashlights flickering, reporters spared no effort in capturing every action of the female singer.

The female anchor felt jealous of the singer’s popularity but soon became smug, seeing that the adjacent policeman still had an expressionless face and merely uttered the word "invitation" coldly.

The female singer’s face stiffened, feeling humiliated; being a person of her stature, she could have entered with just a word even without an invitation.

"You’re impressive," she said, watching the female singer storm into the hotel, her mood significantly improved.

"So many reporters, and you’re not afraid your schadenfreude might be caught on camera?" Tang Zheng’s remark instantly silenced the female anchor.

What followed was a busy period, with Tang Zheng relying on his excellent memory, checking each invitation, primarily to note who were the VIPs needing special attention later.

"How come you have an invitation?" Seeing Christina in a red evening gown and crystal high-heels, the female anchor, like a cat deprived of food, took a confrontational stance.

"Why can’t I have one?" Christina responded, looking sorrowfully at Tang Zheng, "Is a dinner invitation with you that difficult? You got promoted, and you don’t recognize friends now? We have been through a shootout together, after all."

"No time, I still have many villains to catch. Besides, make way; you’re blocking the other guests." Tang Zheng handed back the invitation to the female anchor, his gaze suddenly intensifying because he spotted a familiar figure among the crowd.

"You’re such an unromantic little officer. Our TV station’s beautiful leading lady is inviting you, and you just refuse?" The female anchor mocked Christina, but unfortunately, Christina was not someone to be trampled on.

"Aren’t you always longing to cling to a big shot? Here’s one right here, a rising star in the police force." The female reporter covered her mouth, giggling, "Don’t tell me you didn’t see it? No wonder they pulled you off the air after just a few days; having only looks but no substance really won’t cut it."

The female reporter did not give the female anchor a chance to retort, walking into the hotel.

"Bitch." The female anchor muttered under her breath, turning to Tang Zheng with a radiant smile, "Sorry, let’s start over, I am..."

"No need," Tang Zheng waved her off.

"Damn, I really misread the situation this time." The female anchor thought the reporter was joking, but seeing Inspector Phil shaking hands with Tang Zheng, encouraging him, she realized she had truly misjudged the situation and wanted to make amends, but Tang Zheng was unyielding.

The big shots always arrived last. After Inspector Phil went inside, there were hardly any people left on Long Street, as everyone was there to see the celebrities.

"Hey, handsome, are you free tonight?" A few accompanying ladies, smitten by the dashing Tang Zheng, extended an invitation.

"I’m not free." Tang Zheng still refused, then handed them the invitations, stepped over the yellow barrier, and walked towards Long Street.

"You guys are becoming too much. Did you do the Black Fox Prison incident?" The old man in the suit stood in front of the sewer, seemingly looking at something else, and, noticing Tang Zheng stepping in, his brow furrowed into a chuan character.

"What right does one, who summons demons, have to preach to me?" Tang Zheng hoped the celebration would get a bit chaotic, but he didn’t want it to spiral out of control—the old man was clearly the biggest risk factor.

"Ah, you disappoint me so much." The old man shook his head and walked toward the hotel.

Tang Zheng didn’t stop him, knowing that provoking him might derail the plan he hadn’t yet implemented.

After taking the old man’s invitation, the female anchor’s demeanor immediately turned respectful. She even quickened her pace, escorting him into the hotel for a way.

"Who is he?" Tang Zheng asked.

"The mayor! Can’t you tell? No wonder, he’s the most low-profile one, rarely appears on television. It’s always his secretary appearing instead, hmm, it’s been about ten years now," the anchorwoman excitedly explained. "You don’t know how chaotic this city used to be, it’s only thanks to him that it’s improved so much."

"I’ll stand guard here, you go enjoy the banquet." Seeing the anchorwoman repeatedly looking back, eager to get inside, Tang Zheng relented.

"Really, you’re so kind." The anchorwoman tip-toed joyfully and pecked Tang Zheng on the cheek, then ran towards the lobby.

Yu Manli and her group, dressed in police uniforms, came over without encountering any obstacles.

"Where’s Dantai?" Tang Zheng called over two officers to guard the door and walked further in with the others.

"On the left," Teng Yuangxiang pointed out.

Dantai was dressed as a waiter, in trousers and a waistcoat with a butterfly knot, carrying a tray with champagne, mingling among the guests.

Some high-society women, seeing the handsome Dantai, even initiated conversation, completely unaware that he was a terrorist plotting to kidnap everyone there.

Dantai walked over to Tang Zheng and handed him the tray.

"The time isn’t ripe yet, you could flirt with those ladies a bit," Tang Zheng joked, taking a glass of champagne from Dantai.

"I saw some Japanese; they might act sooner," Dantai frowned at Tang Zheng and whispered, "Should we have the police arrest them?"

"Asakura Sakura isn’t so foolish, we need to be wary of the Americans," Tang Zheng sipped his champagne just as the performance segment began, with singers taking turns showcasing their vocal talents on stage.

"I’m talking about the Americans," Dantai said, unable to linger too long without drawing attention. "Stick to the original plan."

"Boss, good evening." Lawyer Martin had also gotten an invitation and upon seeing Tang Zheng, squeezed through the crowd to greet him respectfully. "This woman is very popular, if you’re interested, I can contact her for you."

"Aren’t you a lawyer? Since when did you start pimping?" Tang Zheng looked Martin up and down, who had really changed for the better, dressed in a fitting suit with a buoyant look, and a face full of self-satisfaction.

"Hehe, anything for you, boss. I am wholly devoted," Martin declared his loyalty, not forgetting who had given him everything recently.

"Not interested." The female singer on stage was the same woman who had spoken at the hotel entrance earlier. Tang Zheng was about to leave to find Anna when something unexpected happened.

The female singer was halfway through her song when a middle-aged man suddenly rushed onto the stage and grabbed her.

The security personnel, shocked, started to approach to tackle him, but the man tore off his waiter’s uniform, revealing a bomb strapped to his body.

The guests screamed and frantically retreated, fearing being blown up.

"What happened?" Pang Meiqin noticed Tang Zheng’s amused expression.

"An acquaintance from before," Tang Zheng smiled. The man was the same one who had killed a youth at the cinema earlier. "There should be a little girl too."

Indeed, just as Tang Zheng finished speaking, a young girl carrying two old suitcases walked towards the stage. Two security personnel attempted to intercept her, but she calmly set down her suitcases, lifted her white dress decorated with yellow flowers, revealing pure white underwear and slender legs. However, even some perverts had no mood to linger, for strapped to her thighs was a large quantity of explosives. The timer and the red and green wiring were enough to make anyone’s scalp numb and those nearby immediately retreated and dodged.

The girl shrugged her shoulders, let her skirt fall, took out a lollipop, peeled off the wrapper, and popped it into her mouth, nonchalantly carrying the suitcases toward the stage.

"She’s got nerves of steel," Teng Yuangxiang remarked sarcastically, not liking the girl stealing the limelight.

The girl placed the suitcases on the stage, shouted ’Heave ho’, braced her hands on the stage, and jumped up. She then squatted down, opened the suitcase, and took out an AK74. She even calmly removed the clip to check it before pulling back the bolt to load the gun. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it and give it a monthly ticket on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)