Red Light

Attack

TW: Violence

Nie Mingjue was sitting with his second cup of coffee. He had lost count of how many times he had made his announcement, but he was pleased. It had worked.

With one exception.

A group of thirty some odd men had shown up. Milling around in the parking lot. One stood out. Yelling about how the hospital was somehow leeching off the community.

Nie Mingjue's eyebrows had pulled into a frown.

"What the hell is that asshole talking about?" he muttered.

He pulled out the walkie-talkie.

"We have a possible rioter who is trying to rally his little mob to take on the hospital. If they move toward the hospital, I will fire a warning shot after attempting verbal de-escalation. Roger?"

"Roger that. Alerting the Chief."

"Roger."

Picking up the bullhorn, Nie Mingjue cleared his throat.

"Good evening!" he announced and grinned. Secretly, he delighted in the jumps from the crowd. The nervous looks as they tried to figure out where the voice was coming from.

"Due to the unusual circumstances this evening, anyone who is injured may approach the Emergency Room with only one escort. We thank you in advance for complying."

Watching through Xīnyuè's scope, he scanned the group below. From what he could tell, he probably intimidated half of them.

'Thirty down to fifteen or so isn't too shabby.' he thought.

The leader was working himself up into a frenzy. Gesturing wildly at the hospital as he spewed vindictive nonsense.

The Inspector had listened to enough.

"Excuse me. Any attempts to rush the hospital or force an entry will be met with active resistance. There is a good chance you will be injured. You have been warned." The entire speech was delivered in a threatening growl.

People began to anxiously scurry away, wanting no part in 'active resistance.'

There were a few who stayed though. Undeterred.

"I have a small group of approximately twelve people. I am not in the mood to deal with this shit. I will shoot a single round as a warning. Roger."

"Mingjue, it's Steve. Are you sure that's wise? Roger."

"Possibly not, but it should decisively end the situation." Mingjue paused and rubbed his forehead. "If it makes you feel better, I will wait for forward movement. Send a message down to lock the ER doors. We don't know if they're armed. Roger."

"Already done and agreed. Forward motion receives a warning shot. Roger."

"Roger that." Nie Mingjue was watching carefully. He wasn't necessarily trigger happy, but his little brother was in this hospital. He'd taken care of Huaisang since his birth. He wouldn't let there be a breach that could possibly bring larger crowds. Crowds the few officers available wouldn't be able to hold back.

He was simply observing the people below when he heard the first gunshot. His walkie-talkie went off.

"I thought you were going to hold off?" Steve Chen's voice was anxious and loud.

"It wasn't me! We have a shot fired in the hospital! We have an active shooter! I repeat, we have an active shooter!"

Another shot was heard. It was dim but had an echo that spoke of empty hospital halls and not the open air.