There was a hostage standing before the entrance of the bank. His hands and feet were bound by small but firm plastic locks, and there was a cash bag over his head.
The glass door of the bank opened and closed automatically. As long as someone got close to the door, it would trigger the sensor. Therefore, with the presence of this hostage, the glass door was always open.
Looking into the bank lobby from the street, at that moment, the police could no longer see any sign of the other hostages. In their sight, there was only one person standing before the door.
There were two dead bodies lying on the ground. One of them died at the front door. He was the hostage that the criminal with the machine gun had killed earlier; the other was collapsed next to the counter. His identity was unknown. The police had no idea whether the extra body was the hostage or not, and they had no idea how he died. In any case, their preliminary conclusion was that … it had something to do with the gunshots and explosions earlier.
With regards to the dead body of the criminal with the money and the area where the criminal with the gun was killed, they could not be seen from the outside.
"I believe you should have a pair of binoculars with you, Inspector," Feng Bujue said again.
Clapton had no idea what kind of game this criminal was up to. He only replied, "Yes, I do."
"Pick it up and look over the counter," Feng Bujue said.
Clapton did not put down the phone. He made a gesture and had the officer next to him pass him a pair of binoculars.
From where he was standing, he could see the whole counter. However, Feng Bujue had already hidden himself behind the counter, so naturally, he had taken the phone that was on top of the counter. "Can you see me?" He raised one of his arms so that his right palm was above the counter, and he waved it left and right several times.
"Yes, what do you plan to do next? Give me the middle finger? "Clapton asked back.
"Haha … Forgive me, but I can only show you my hand, Inspector." Feng Bujue laughed. "Since the glass door is still open, that means that your sniper can shoot through it. Even though I have the password to the safety vault as a bargaining chip, exposing my head to the scope of a rifle is a risk that I do not wish to take."
"Alright, what do you want? It has been almost twenty minutes since you locked the hostage inside the vault, and you still haven't told me … "
"I wish to give you a present, inspector." Feng Bujue interrupted Clapton.
The police officer was stunned. "You mean … you want to release the hostage at the door? Alright … I'll get my men to pick you up right away … "
"If your men dare to take one step closer, I will kill the guy at the door," Feng Bujue said.
"Then what are you doing?"
"I asked him to stand there just to keep the glass door open," Feng Bujue said with a smile. "That way, I can give you the present." As he spoke, a large square object slowly rose from the counter.
Clapton, who was holding the binoculars, could not believe his eyes.
"Here, it's one cubic foot of paper tied with a paper tape. It's worth twenty dollars." Of course, Feng Bujue wasn't using his hands to lift the object. Instead, he was using the levitation function of the [Anti-Gravity Catapult].
"What are you planning to do?" Clapton had a bad feeling about this.
"I want … to do this …" Feng Bujue said as he aimed at the perfect angle and fired the 'bomb of cash'.
The pile of cash flew over the hostage at the door and flew out of the bank at an angle. When it flew through the air, several hundred bank notes had already floated out from the bank. They attracted the attention of every police officer, reporter, and citizen on the street.
The bomb of cash drew a mesmerizing arc in the air and finally hit the wall of the building across the street. It exploded at a height of about three to four stories …
At that moment, a light breeze blew through the air. The cash … scattered down the street.
Five seconds, ten seconds …
The people did not take too long to react. When a few people from the crowd behind the police tape reached out to grab the money, the situation was already out of control.
Soon, only the area around the bank entrance that was cordoned off by the police cars was left unaffected. Within the radius of about ten meters, several hundred citizens and reporters broke through the police tape to pick up the money. Even the police officers who were supposed to stop these people had silently bent down.
"Hahahaha …" A maddening laugh came from the other end of the phone. "Dogs of capitalism! Have a taste of sugar-coated bullets! "
"Have you lost your mind? Do you know what you are doing? "Clapton could not hold it in anymore. He roared angrily," You are not a bank robber! You are a terrorist! Who are you? What organization do you belong to? "
"Haha … I am Bill Gates! The great communist warrior! " Feng Bujue laughed like a madman. "I have brought you the sincerest greetings from Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States, whose portrait is printed on the twenty-dollar bill!" As he said that, he sucked up the second 'bomb of cash' and fired it quickly.
After the second bomb of cash exploded, the street descended into chaos. After all … police officers were human beings, and the police of Gotham City was a high-pressure and high-risk occupation. Who could guarantee that they would not be tempted? Not long after that, even at the area around the bank entrance, quite a number of citizens had snuck in. Some of them bent down to search the ground, and some of them waved their hands in the air. Every one of them had quite a number of cash in their arms.
Other than that, since the cash was still quite new, they floated in the air for a very long time. It was as if someone had fired a colored cannon into the sky. The sky was filled with colorful paper, and the ground was filled with revelers. This caused the snipers who were at their positions to lose their purpose.
"Ignore the money! Stay at your post! "Clapton grabbed the loudspeaker next to him and roared," Watch the bank entrance for me! Do not let your guard down. "
Regardless of whether we admit it or not, most people in this world are the same kind of people — when people pick up money, they pick it up; when people cross the street, they cross the street; when people spit on the ground, they spit on the ground; when people go to Yasukuni Shrine to commit arson, they think about it and go smash a Japanese car on the street.
But there are a small number of people in this world who are the other kind of people. Perhaps normally, they would also cross the street or spit on the ground, but at the most crucial moment, they would be able to hold their ground.
At that moment, more than half of the police officers at the bank entrance were still guarding their posts. They were highly focused. They ignored the rain of cash and tried their best to maintain order while paying attention to the movement inside the bank entrance. These people knew very well what they should be doing. If they all went to grab the stolen cash and allowed the robbers inside the bank to escape, then the consequences would be even worse.
"Do you like my present? Mr. Police Officer. " Feng Bujue's voice came from the phone again. "It's not over yet …" He said as he fired the third stack of cash. After that, he said, "The warm-up is almost done. Let us play a guessing game." He paused. "Now, I will release some of the hostages, and among these hostages, there are some of my partners."
Is there something wrong with this man's brain? Why would he voluntarily tell me something like this? Clapton thought to himself. Could it be … he is using this opportunity to betray his partners?
"The situation on the street is very chaotic. The snipers will not fire at the area around the bank entrance, and the police cars will not be able to drive out. Therefore, if you let your guard down, my partners will blend into the crowd and escape. "Feng Bujue had been guiding the three robbers earlier, but now he had started to guide the police officers.
Clapton was not an idiot. There were only two possibilities why the man would say something like that. Either this' John Doe 'was trying to harm his friends, or he was trying to set up some kind of scam. There was no third possibility. If there was one, then he would be digging his own grave …
"Is the tactical team on the street behind the bank still at their original position?" Clapton whispered to the person next to him.
"Yes, they have been monitoring the place. There has been no strange movement. The iron bars on all the windows are still intact, and there has been no sign of anyone moving inside the rooms," one of the officers replied.
"Are you sure there are no other exits from this building? Like the ventilation pipes or the sewers? "Clapton asked again.
"There is an exit from the ventilation pipes on the roof. The snipers have been keeping an eye on it. So far, no one has managed to climb out from there. Other than that, even if the robbers have managed to climb up to the roof, there is no way down from there. "
Hearing that, Clapton lifted his head to look. The rooftop of the building before him was about seven to eight meters above the ground. If they jumped down, even if they did not die, they would be crippled. The two buildings next to them were about three to four meters away from this rooftop. Furthermore, there were railings around them. The possibility of the robbers jumping onto the rooftops of the other buildings after running up could be eliminated.
"Humph … I would like to see how you plan to escape from me …" Clapton thought to himself.
"Alright, officer, the hostages are coming out. You'd better be ready," Feng Bujue said on the other end of the phone. "After you have identified my partners, you can call me back." Then, he hung up the phone again.
At that moment, a few shadows jumped out from the other side of the counter. They also had cash bags over their heads, and their limbs were tied together.
"After the hostages come out, remove the bags from their heads, but do not untie them. Bring them all to the side and temporarily keep an eye on them." Clapton's mind was still quite clear. He had already started to come up with a plan for the officers around him. "Listen, you have to be careful of each of them. They only look like they are tied up … Do you understand? Who knows, one of them might suddenly pull out a gun and shoot at you. "
On the other side, Feng Bujue acted like he was directing traffic. He hid under the counter and said, "Yes, yes, guys, it's that way. Just like I told you earlier, jump eight steps forward and then turn ninety degrees to the left. Yes, line up and come out one by one. When you hear the person in front of you jump a few meters away, follow him. Being too hasty will only cause you to trip."
With Feng Bujue's direction, the hostages hopped toward the door one by one in an orderly fashion.
"Hey! Winston, you can leave now. "Feng Bujue then shouted at the hostage who was standing at the door.
The position and direction that this Mr. Winston was standing and facing had been adjusted by Feng Bujue before he opened the door. He had also given the order that if Winston dared to take even half a step forward, he would shoot him. He had to wait for him to give that order before Winston could jump forward.
At that moment, Winston, who heard the order, felt like he had been pardoned. The few minutes that he had been standing at the door felt like years to him. Finally, he was free, and that made him cry tears of joy.
But after he jumped out of the bank, what welcomed him was not a blanket, an ambulance, or concerned greetings, but …
"Sir, please come over here." An officer opened the bag of cash on Winston's head, but he did not undo the shackles on his hands and feet. Instead, he dragged him to the side and had him sit on the ground. Then, two other officers came over to look at him cautiously.
"What are you doing? I am a hostage! "Winston screamed.
"Please cooperate with us, sir. The robbers might be trying to sneak out among the hostages," one of the officers replied.
"What is the meaning of this? Are you suspecting me? "
"For now, we cannot confirm anything. This is for your own safety, sir."
Winston did not know what else to say. He was about to grumble when he saw the rain of cash and the crowd around him. "Hey! What is going on? You have tied up a law-abiding citizen here, but you are turning a blind eye to these robbers? "
…
Five minutes later, all twenty-nine hostages were outside the bank. And after the last hostage jumped out, Feng Bujue once again lowered the electronic shutter door of the bank.
Then, the interrogation and identification of the hostages' identities started anxiously.
After the initial questioning of the hostages, Clapton received a series of information that shocked him.
"Alright, alright, ladies and gentlemen … please be quiet," Clapton said. Clapton said. "Let me explain the situation … Initially, there were three bank robbers, and they were all killed single-handedly by a hostage. And that person was a tough man with anti-human tendencies, a high intelligence, and a courteous demeanor …"
"Yes." "That's right." "Yes," the hostages replied at the same time.
"He did not have any accomplices, and he has not harmed any of you. No one is trapped inside the vault," Clapton added.
"Yes … no." "That's right." "In a way, he saved us."
Clapton laughed drily. "It sounds like he has become a hero. Then, can anyone explain to me why this John Doe would play these tricks with the police?"
"Perhaps he is worried that you might mistake him as an accomplice of the robbers." "Yes, just like us, he is trapped here for your interrogation." "That's right! Let go of me now! I want to file a complaint against you! "
"Fine, I will confirm his physical appearance one last time with you … Asian, short black hair, wearing a purple suit, correct?" Clapton asked.
After getting an affirmative answer, he walked to the phone and called the number again.
After it rang five times, Feng Bujue picked it up. "How can I help you, officer?"
"Kid, I do not know who you are and what you are up to," Clapton said. "But you are in big trouble."
"Haha … what kind of trouble?" Feng Bujue laughed. "I am all ears."
"I know you are not one of the robbers, and the fact that you killed those three people could be explained as self-defense. In fact, you could even say that you did something righteous, but …" Clapton said. "After you killed them, you continued to hold the hostages and used them to threaten and toy with the police. You even tossed a large amount of cash from the bank onto the street. That is no different from a bank robbery."
"Then … please tell me, Inspector Clapton." Feng Bujue asked, "Am I a hero or a criminal?" His voice suddenly turned very strange. "That answer is very important. Please think about it." Clapton nodded.
"Open the door and come out to surrender. We will talk after we return to the station." Clapton did not answer Feng Bujue's question. Instead, he said, "Now that you no longer have any hostages, if you do not come out, we will force our way in through the front door."
"Answer my question, officer." Feng Bujue ignored the man's request and replied in a more serious tone.
"Of course you are a criminal! Who do you think you are? "Clapton barked." Quickly open the door and surrender. "
"Hmm …" Feng Bujue groaned. "Is that your answer … Hmph … Interesting, very interesting." He thought about it for a few seconds and then said, "Okay, I will open the door in a minute."
The roller door slowly rose. The scene behind the door looked similar to the last time it was closed.
"Raise your hands and come out from behind the counter," Clapton said into the phone.
"Haha … I refuse," Feng Bujue replied.
Clapton had had enough of the man. He raised his hand and signaled for his subordinates to go in and arrest the hostages. At the same time, he tried to distract Feng Bujue from his position on the phone. "Haven't you had enough fun yet? I do not wish to see another person lose their life today. "
Four armed police officers rushed in through the front door. They spread out and surrounded the counter.
Clapton held the phone in one hand and a pair of binoculars in the other as he observed the situation. When he saw his subordinates approach the counter, his heart jumped to his throat. He was afraid that Feng Bujue would put up a resistance and start a gunfight.
But to his surprise, what happened next was …
The four officers looked behind the counter with confusion on their faces. One of them reacted faster and immediately said into the walkie-talkie on his shoulder, "Sir, there is no one here."
"What?" Clapton asked out of instinct.
On the other end of the phone, Feng Bujue laughed. "Haha … Why don't you take a guess as to what happened after the door was closed?"
"Quick, search the place. He must still be inside that bank! He must be hiding somewhere! "Clapton was not afraid that Feng Bujue would overhear him, so he ordered into the walkie-talkie.
"Humph … Are you sure?" Feng Bujue scoffed coldly.
Clapton turned to the other end of the phone and said, "I am still calling the counter …"
"You can transfer the call, can you?" Feng Bujue said with a smile. "When I said that the dead man's phone had run out of battery, I was lying to you. His phone still has plenty of battery. I am still holding it in my hand."
By now, Clapton was starting to realize what was going on. The man had covered the hostages' heads, tied their hands and feet, and then said something like 'I have an accomplice hiding among them'. To put it bluntly, it was all a ruse to buy time.
Clapton thought to himself. Everything that he had done and said earlier was linked to one another until he closed the door that time … He knew very well that after that, I would be able to find out everything from the hostage. All of his lies and actions would be exposed before my eyes. And what I still do not know … is what he did in the time between the door being closed and the door being opened …
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