Chapter 10: Bluffing Through! Installing the Bomb!

Chapter 10: Bluffing Through! Planting the Bomb!

This is bad, really bad. Even if Su Chen possesses extraordinary skills, could he possibly deceive the security inspector right under their nose this time?

Look! The security officer standing beside the access control has already noticed Su Chen!

If anything suspicious happens here, they will act immediately.

Is the live-streamed manhunt about to end at its most thrilling moment?

Before the access control, Su Chen remained calm in the face of the female security inspector’s questioning.

“It’s water,” Su Chen replied.

He then twisted open the bottle cap and shook it gently. This simple action sent the viewers’ hearts racing in the live chat.

The female security inspector sniffed the air—no strange smell.

“If it’s water, then drink a sip, alright?”

She fixed her gaze on Su Chen.

At this moment, the message flood in the live chat reached a peak!

Everyone was eagerly wondering what Su Chen would do next.

“Is this liquid explosive? What severe effects would drinking it cause? Anyone knowledgeable, please explain!”

“Thinking about it, there’s no way this can be ingested; drinking it is basically a death wish!”

“Nitroglycerin—not only toxic but also easily absorbed by the body through skin and mucous membranes. Even touching it with your hand can cause poisoning.”

“But it’s also a medicine for relieving angina, used in tiny doses—no more than 0.5 milligrams per dose.”

“Overdosing leads to dangerously low blood pressure, unconsciousness, and even cardiac arrest.”

“So, holding it in the mouth without swallowing won’t help, right? Nitroglycerin is absorbed through the oral mucosa, perhaps even more effectively than swallowing!”

“Exactly!”

“This is terrifying! If it accidentally spills on the hand, is there no hope?”

“What will Su Chen do? Should he just give up or run?”

“That’s true. You can’t really gamble with life.”

Yet, much to everyone’s surprise, Su Chen showed no sign of panic when commanded to drink.

He simply nodded and said, “Alright, I’m a bit thirsty anyway.”

Then, lifting the large thermos cup, he took a long, smooth gulp and swallowed calmly.

The live chat suddenly went silent.

Viewers doubted their eyes, stunned into forgetfulness.

Meanwhile, the security inspector at the checkpoint was completely unaware of the danger.

Seeing Su Chen drink without any adverse reaction, she nodded and allowed him to pass.

What seemed like an utterly normal scene had, in fact, sent shockwaves through the entire online audience.

“Nothing happened? He’s fine? That can’t be—does that mean Su Chen isn’t carrying explosives at all?”

“Blame the production team for cutting live footage earlier. Something must have happened between the lab and the power distribution center!”

“But the bottle contains explosives, right? Why did Su Chen drink and stay unharmed? Am I the only one curious about this?”

“Anyway, he’s passed security. If he really has explosives, does this mean such things could happen in reality too?”

“Su Chen is basically sounding an alarm for us. After this, security at the entire power station will probably be upgraded.”

“Thankfully, this is just a show. If it happened in real life, that would be terrifying.”

***

Inside the power distribution center, Su Chen had already passed security.

Before leaving, he asked the female inspector, “It’s my first time here, and I’m a bit lost. Could you tell me where the Monitoring System Power Department is?”

“Let me see... After you pass the corridor, it should be on your left. It’s easy to find,” she said patiently, treating this somewhat directionally challenged student kindly.

“Thank you,” Su Chen replied, flashing his internship ID with a smile.

***

On the fourth floor, in the Monitoring System Power Department, the Energy Dispatch Office, and the Central Control Room.

The room was filled with machines wired up with countless cables—these controlled the entire southern district of the university city’s monitoring system power supply.

Destroying this control center would not only cut power to the official surveillance system across the region but also damage the video storage.

Su Chen casually locked the door, opened the thermos, and slipped his fingers inside to fish out a smaller glass bottle concealed within the water.

The thermos’ double-layer insulation had effectively obscured the small bottle from the X-ray at security.

Inside the bottle was a yellowish oily liquid, flowing slowly, exuding a faint aura of danger.

Nitroglycerin.

“Wow, so this is the trick!” the live chat viewers finally realized.

“Is this really feasible? I feel like I’ve just learned something bizarre!”

“Everyone watching this stream should probably be on file with the public security bureau now—they’ve learned something serious…”

“I’ve watched 200 episodes of Detective Conan, thought I knew all the criminal tricks, but apparently... there’s always someone better.”

“200 episodes aren’t enough; I’m going for another 200!”

As the viewers debated, Su Chen wasn’t idle.

He removed his smartwatch, disassembled the signal receiver and vibrator, and set it to incoming call strong vibration mode.

The vibration device served as the trigger for the liquid explosive.

Once the vibrator was attached to the glass bottle, a single call to his smartwatch could instantly detonate the bomb.

But since this was a show, Su Chen wouldn’t actually blow up the power station; the vibrator and nitroglycerin were kept separate.

The production team was not foolish—they understood their roles and provided feedback.

Having finished, Su Chen slung his backpack on and hurried back to the elevator, leaving the power distribution center.

Everything felt remarkably routine, and even Su Chen was surprised by his own composure.

There’s a saying: after watching over a thousand films, you realize there are no truly strange things in this world.

Having examined over a thousand case files, perhaps Su Chen had unwittingly become an expert in crime.

***

On the first floor lobby of the power distribution center.

Cyber police expert Duan Yu arrived swiftly with two colleagues.

In one afternoon, he had connected the surveillance networks for Jinling City’s Central, South, and North Districts.

Now, only the university city remained.

“Officer Duan, you’re here!” Huang Tao, the director of the distribution center, greeted the ‘Manhunt Premiere’ production team’s arrival with a large entourage.

He smiled warmly at Duan Yu.

“These are colleagues from the monitoring department. If you need any cooperation, we will assist wholeheartedly!”

While speaking, Huang Tao scanned the area, hoping to spot cameras for a quick cameo.

Unfortunately, the micro spy-eye technology was silent, invisible, and shot in high definition from all angles—he couldn’t detect any filming traces.

Duan Yu nodded calmly.

“I am currently applying for access to the university city’s surveillance footage. I’ve contacted the Monitoring Administration Bureau and now require your dispatch authority and equipment support.”

“I intend to centralize all the university city’s surveillance feeds in the expert group office at Jinling City Police Headquarters and link them with our facial recognition SkyNet program.”

He glanced at his cyber police colleagues, who immediately understood and pulled out prepared materials and laptops, presenting them to Huang Tao.

Huang Tao nodded enthusiastically.

“Officer Duan, rest assured, we will assist you with the fastest deployment possible.”

“Our department is renowned for strict and efficient management. In the past five years, no security incidents have occurred. Our system maintenance ranks among the best nationwide.”

“Especially in security settings, we have set up access control and additional safety monitoring points in every critical area, staffed by security and inspection personnel on dual shifts. Not even a fly can get through.”

“We guarantee no mistakes during the manhunt.”

His words addressed Duan Yu but were clearly intended for the cameras too, a subtle display of pride.

His confident tone carried a hint of modesty.

Yet the live chat’s tone differed greatly from his expectations.

“Director Huang, still in the lobby? Your backyard is on fire!”

“Uh, I wonder how Director Huang would feel if he knew a bomb had just been planted in his control room.”

“He’d definitely be stunned…”

“Now I understand why Su Chen planted the bomb—to ambush Officer Duan right here!”

“Though dangerous, this is clever—like a martial arts duel using lime powder to blind the opponent’s eyes. Taking out the network’s information sources first will surely impair the expert group’s operation.”

“But there are still many elite members in the expert team who haven’t acted yet. I wonder how Su Chen will handle them!”

***

While the chat buzzed, Duan Yu and his team arrived at the elevator to the fourth floor.

Huang Tao pressed the button ahead of them; the elevator descended, and the doors slowly opened.

To their surprise, someone was already inside.

A young man in a black hoodie, wearing headphones, head bowed, engrossed in his phone.

Apparently absorbed in a video, the young man exited the elevator, strode through the crowd, and passed right by Duan Yu without noticing the famous cyber police expert.

Duan Yu frowned slightly, feeling the young man seemed familiar.

He glanced sideways.

But the young man’s bowed head and baseball cap concealed his face.

Beside Duan Yu, Huang Tao clicked his tongue.

“Officer Duan, don’t mind him. He’s probably an intern from some department.”

“Kids these days, always glued to their phones, not even watching where they walk... Come on, Officer Duan, let’s get in the elevator and get down to business.”

Hearing this, Duan Yu, eager to proceed with his plan, said nothing more and followed Huang Tao into the elevator.