Yang Wei thought for a moment. Her hair was a little messy, but her expression remained relatively calm. However, her eyes were uncertain, filled with doubt: "Chen Yang, if the other party is just a simple robber, then I think we are safe now. The walls around this place are very thick; they couldn't possibly break through. The door is also blocked, and the only entrance and exit is the ventilation duct above. However, this ventilation duct entrance and exit can only be used by one person at a time, which is advantageous for defense. As long as we don't fall asleep, it's unlikely they'll be able to climb in from above. If they want to break in head-on, it will take them at least some time... and these..." The robbers don't have time for this kind of civil engineering work. They have to guard the hostages, negotiate with the police, and defend all the entrances and exits on this floor. They don't have the extra manpower and resources to force their way in, and they don't have the time either. So, under normal circumstances, we might be able to achieve a special kind of 'balance' with the robbers... that is, mutual non-interference! As long as we don't hinder their criminal activities, they won't waste time dealing with us. After all, we are a group of unarmed people. And they have enough hostages.”
I looked closely at Yang Wei, and based on my understanding of her, I sensed that there was something else behind her words, as if she was holding back something. However, her analysis was agreed upon by the others.
“That’s right, ma’am.” Old Bruce immediately agreed, but then he thought for a moment and said, “However, I personally feel that simply staying here is not enough to guarantee our safety. We need to find a way to contact the outside world and let the police know that we are here, so that perhaps the police can send someone here to rescue us first.”
"How do we rescue them?" I frowned. "Don't forget, this is the 62nd floor. Although we are safe here, we have essentially trapped ourselves here. If the police can reach the 62nd floor, they will have already taken care of the bandits outside. We can easily walk out on our own."
Old Bruce glanced at me, pondered for a moment, and slowly said, "Well, I'm not sure what methods the police can use. But at least we need to let the police know we're here! That's essential... Does anyone still have any communication equipment? Good heavens, did you all hand over your cell phones?"
Everyone else fell silent. Judging from their embarrassed expressions, it seemed that they had all been in fear after being threatened and had obediently handed over their phones.
“There’s a telephone in this room, but the line has been cut,” old Bruce sighed. He then glanced at me. It was clear that although there were a dozen or so people here, everyone else, regardless of gender, looked terrified. Old Bruce only looked at me differently. In a sense, it was me who led everyone to escape.
“Hey, young man, I think we need to plan some things carefully.” He looked at me seriously, then his gaze swept across the room as he slowly said, “As you all know, I’ve starred in several Hollywood superhero movies and often play a cop, so I’ve read a lot of scripts… and many of those scripts are based on real events. Clearly, the criminals in those movies have taken so many hostages, intending to demand the password to open those glass cases from the police. Based on my estimation, they’re likely to be in a standoff with the police for a while… I can’t be sure how long, but it certainly won’t be short…”
I looked at him in surprise. He smiled at me, his tone tinged with self-deprecation: "Hey, I'm a good actor. To play a role well, I also research some details of life. For example, if I play a police officer rescuing hostages, I will also read a lot of police cases. So I know more... You see, I'm a good actor."
The last joke made me laugh, and the atmosphere lightened a bit, but Bruce's next words plunged everyone into silence...
Part Two: The Road to Success, Chapter 145: Stalemate
"Based on the information I've reviewed, generally speaking, the more hostages the criminals take, the longer the standoff will last... So, I hope everyone doesn't expect to be rescued after just two or three hours! Or that the hostage situation outside will end after two or three hours... Based on my guess, the stalemate outside could easily last for two days! And those hostages... sigh, their identities are all too sensitive! You could say that any one of those people outside, every move they make, is under the scrutiny of the world's media, so the police are unlikely to, and dare not, take any strong measures, so the situation will remain deadlocked for a very long time..." "We..." He glanced at us and said in a low voice, "There are about a dozen of us here, some of us are injured. We have no medicine, no food... and most importantly, no water! We can hold on without food, but without water, we'll all be dehydrated and weak by the end of the day! And when we're all weak, will the bandits outside attack us? Nobody knows for sure. And this injured man is still bleeding and needs treatment... I don't know if he can hold on for another day, but the situation outside could easily drag on for a day... or even longer!"
"So, do you have any good ideas?" I asked old Bruce.
Although he was just an actor, not the invincible hero in the movie, his composure and courage in this situation still provided a lot of psychological support for everyone… The deeply moving and wise heroic figures he portrayed offered even more comfort at this moment.
“We need to gather some food.” Old Bruce looked at me and then slowly said, “Alright. Now I’ll start assigning tasks, if no one has any objections.”
Seeing that no one spoke, he nodded and looked at me: "Young man..."
"My name is Chen Yang," I said with a smile.
“Alright, Chen!” Old Bruce, following Western custom (first name first, last name last), addressed me as Chen, using my first name. “Chen, in this security guard break room, besides the room we’re in now, do you see that door inside? There’s another room there, a changing room. It’s probably where the security guards change into their uniforms every day before they start their shift. I need you, this lady, and a few other ladies to go to that room. I don’t care how you do it. Try to open all the lockers! Pry them open, smash them open, whatever. I want you to search every single locker carefully! Those are the security guards’ lockers; there might be some personal belongings inside. Try your best to find what we need… food, water, medicine… anything! Even just a piece of bread, even just a band-aid!”
"OK." I nodded and accepted his request.
"Alright. The rest of you gentlemen, let's set things up here a bit more. Look, there are two more cabinets over there. I need two men to help me move those two cabinets over and block the door! Guys, our lives depend on this door! So we have to reinforce it as much as possible!" With Old Bruce's shout, the other two men also managed to stand up and perk up.
I gave Lei Xiaohu a wink, signaling him to stay outside. Yang Wei, Jessica, Old Bruce's female companion, and I then headed towards the dressing room. Another woman was tending to the injured waiter. Although she was dressed elegantly, in this situation, everyone had largely set aside social status; she seemed quite humanitarian.
The locker room door was locked. I pushed it twice but couldn't open it, so I took a few steps back, then leaped up and kicked the door open. Luckily, it was a simple lock.
The changing room inside wasn't large, only about twenty square meters, and the floor was a bit damp. There were no windows in the room, and it contained four rows of metal lockers.
The room was small, and you could see the end of it at a glance. Apart from these cabinets, there was really nothing to search. The only hope was to open these cabinets and see what we could find.
I casually twisted the handle of the cabinet in front of me a few times, and as expected, all the cabinets were locked. I sighed and was about to look for tools to smash them... Hmm, Lei Xiaohu still has a fire axe, right?
"No need," Yang Wei called out to me. Then she took a brooch from the bodice of her evening gown, untied the pin, and handed it to me: "Do you know how to pick locks?"
I shook my head. I've never done that.
At this moment, Old Bruce's female companion, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up: "I can give it a try."
We all looked at her, and the girl shrugged: "Oh, when I was at home, I used to sneak into my father's liquor cabinet and steal his liquor. So what? Don't look at me like that. I'm twenty-two years old, and I'm of legal drinking age."
I smiled and said, "Don't misunderstand, it's up to you now, Miss."
Yang Wei immediately handed the brooch to her.
"Don't call me Miss, please call me Monica." She had a very sweet smile, brown hair, and a great figure; she was a very charming and beautiful woman. No wonder old Bruce liked her so much.
Sure enough, this girl named Monica was very skilled. She quickly opened three cabinets, and Yang Wei and I immediately started rummaging through the contents.
Ever since the incident tonight, Jessica has been somewhat distracted. From escaping the chaos to now, she seems terrified and hasn't said a word. While Yang Wei and I were already starting to search the cabinets, Jessica was still standing there in a daze.
Seeing that she didn't move, Yang Wei walked over and gently patted her. She seemed to react then, glanced at Yang Wei, and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Get to work! There are lots of cabinets here, we need to find what we need... I know you're scared right now... Everyone's scared, including me! But we have to overcome our fear! At least we're safe now, much luckier than those people in the hall! So, please stop spacing out, concentrate, and work hard! If you want to survive, you'd better put your fear aside for now."
Yang Wei's tone was firm. Jessica's confusion lessened slightly. She looked at Yang Wei for a moment, then whispered, "I understand." She quickly walked past Yang Wei and began inspecting the third cabinet.
There were twelve lockers in the entire changing room, and it took us more than half an hour to check them all.
These lockers were indeed full of things: clothes left behind by the security guards, personal belongings. There were even some personal photos pasted on the mirrors inside the lockers, as well as men's cologne, razors, and leather shoes... but no weapons whatsoever.
I sighed, knowing that finding weapons in these private lockers was highly unlikely.
Fortunately, we found other places and a small amount of food...
In locker number two, we found a small bag of cookies and half a sandwich that had clearly been bitten but was later wrapped in plastic wrap. We also found a bottle of milk, approximately 600 ml, in locker number six.
Finally, they found a makeshift first-aid kit in locker number nine. Inside was a bottle of alcohol swabs and a pack of bandages.
Yang Wei found the first aid kit and immediately handed it to Monica, asking her to go out and give it to Old Bruce to help the wounded man.
"Six hundred milliliters of milk, a small bag of biscuits, and most of a sandwich... that's not enough for twelve people." I sighed. "It's a pity. Food isn't a big deal; an ordinary person could go hungry for two days without much trouble. But water is a different story... If a person doesn't drink water for a day, they probably won't be able to survive."
Yang Wei suddenly smiled, glanced at me, and said, "Well, if it's just water, I have a way."
She raised her hand and pointed to the ceiling...
My eyes lit up immediately!
That's a fire alarm sprinkler head on the ceiling!
“I saw it outside just now; there are these showerheads in both rooms… actually, every room has one! It seems we have more than enough drinking water, so there’s nothing to worry about.” Yang smiled and said, “We just need to find some containers to store the water. We can turn on the showerhead in one room now and leave the other room running for when we need it.”
We immediately went outside and discussed it with Old Bruce. He looked at Yang Wei with a hint of admiration: "Miss, your idea is brilliant. Let's use one showerhead for now! The wounded soldiers' wounds need cleaning, and we... we're all very tired and thirsty. We need to rest and replenish our fluids first. Let's leave one showerhead for when we need it." We discussed it and decided to use the showerhead in the changing room... because once the showerhead is turned on, it can't be turned off (unless the water in the pipe runs out), and after being sprayed with water, the room would be unusable.
We gathered up everything we could find, even taking out the glass lampshade of the floor lamp and turning it upside down, which could be used as a water container.
The ladies stayed outside, while Old Bruce, Lei Xiaohu, and I went into the changing room. I climbed onto a locker and took out a lighter I'd gotten from another man. I lit it and held it under the showerhead for a few seconds… immediately, sensing the heat, the showerhead slammed down with water…
I took the glass lampshade from old Bruce, rinsed it clean underwater, filled it with water, and handed it to him. Then, suddenly remembering something, I pulled a pack of cigarettes from my pocket, threw it out of the room, and sighed, "Damn! Luckily, if it had gotten soaked, I wouldn't have been able to smoke it."
Then I called Lei Xiaohu over, and the two of us rinsed ourselves thoroughly under the ceiling shower... We had just crawled through the ventilation ducts and experienced an explosion; we were covered in black ash.
Lei Xiaohu, like me, simply took off his outer clothes. We rinsed ourselves in the water for a while before we were clean. Lei Xiaohu even cupped his hands and poured water into his nose and mouth repeatedly, then sneezed violently to wash the grime out of his mouth.
Finally, we took turns opening our mouths under the showerhead to drink some water for a while... After a full ten minutes, the water in the showerhead gradually dried up.
When we came out of the room, we were both soaked to the bone, but we looked much better than when we were covered in soot.
Old Bruce stood at the window, drew back the curtains, and looked down...
"Did you hear that?" He gave a wry smile.
Everyone shut their mouths and listened intently...
Faintly. It seemed like I could hear the faint sound of police sirens outside...
Everyone gathered at the windows and looked down, seeing countless police cars parked below. The entire street nearby was cordoned off by police… and no one knew how many officers had arrived.
"It seems the criminals inside have started negotiating with the police," Yang Wei said slowly.
Everyone fell silent for a moment, and old Bruce sighed, "I hope this matter will be over soon."
Ten minutes passed, during which there were loud banging sounds coming from outside. Although the banging only lasted for about half a minute before stopping, the people inside were still quite frightened.
Everyone understood that the people inside were unarmed. If the armed bandits outside broke in, they would all be helpless and forced to surrender.
It was already past 10 p.m., so we decided to divide the food among ourselves.
Yang Wei, Jessica, Monica, and another woman who escaped shared the bag of cookies.
The other seven of us men shared the sandwich with a bite taken out of it… damn it, I probably got less than half an ounce.
The injured waiter, however, received the treatment due to a wounded person. He drank about half a bottle of milk.
A little while later, we noticed that police helicopters started circling around the building... and two more helicopters were circling in the distance, probably filming news for some media or television station.
Suddenly someone had an idea. We found an A4 sheet of paper on a table in the room, wrote the three big letters "SOS" on it, and stuck the paper on the window.
This move immediately gave everyone a lot of hope, including old Bruce. Everyone seemed very excited, but Yang Wei remained calm and seemed to have no reaction.
She sighed, then gave me a wry smile in Chinese: "The glass in these buildings is reflective, and it's even coated with a brownish-black tint for sun protection. From the outside, the glass appears dark... And it's nighttime now. A small A4 sheet of paper is impossible to see from a helicopter hundreds of meters away. So it's just a little comfort for everyone; it probably won't do any real good."
She spoke to me in Chinese, clearly not wanting to dampen morale. And here, the only ones who could understand Chinese were me, Yang Wei, and Lei Xiaohu.
Xiao Hu shrugged nonchalantly, showing no signs of discouragement.
I noticed that Yang Wei's complexion wasn't quite right; her face was slightly flushed, and she didn't look well. I couldn't help but sit down beside her and gently asked, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Did you get hurt earlier?"
After I finished speaking, I quickly looked her up and down, from head to toe. I didn't find any injuries on her body, so I breathed a slight sigh of relief. I then reached out and touched her forehead, and found that her body temperature was normal.
Yang Wei was slightly embarrassed by what I did, but then she straightened up, shook her head, and dodged my hand: "I'm not hurt, you don't need to worry."
However, I could clearly feel that her breathing was different from usual when she spoke.
"Are you... are you really alright?" I still had some doubts.
Yang Wei suddenly blushed and whispered, "You...you shouldn't get so close to me..." Her breathing became even more rapid.
Then it dawned on me... Hmm, could it be because she's shy?
Just as everyone was getting ready to rest, suddenly, I heard someone shout excitedly, "Hey!! Look what I found!!!"
This is the lady whose name I don't know. She was the one who suggested writing "SOS" on A4 paper and sticking it on the window. After that, she seemed a little bored and started flipping through the table.
With a loud shout, everyone looked at her, only to see her pull out a small laptop from her drawer!
I was stunned, immediately. Everyone else reacted! Yang Wei's eyes also lit up!
"How come we didn't notice this earlier!" I blurted out. "Didn't you search the table when you came into this room first?"
Old Bruce blushed slightly and explained, "We searched the place just now, but we didn't find anything."
The woman then laughed and said, "Look, no wonder we didn't notice earlier... this drawer has two layers! There's a sliding compartment inside... this kind of design is actually quite common, it's just that everyone was in a hurry and didn't notice it. Oh, look, there's also a wireless network card here!! This computer can connect to the internet!"
When the laptop was turned on, everyone cheered.
Yang Wei was the most careful after all, and she reminded her, "Watch the battery level... Have you found the charger? It seems like there's only one computer, right?"
Indeed. The woman searched for a while longer, then looked up helplessly: "No charger... Hmm, the staff probably forgot it here when they left for the day. But... Hmm, the battery indicator shows fifty minutes left! That should be enough for us to contact the police!"
Everyone seemed to see a glimmer of hope! Instantly, everyone's faces lit up! Monica and Jessica, in particular, burst into tears of joy!
The woman operating the computer immediately logged onto the internet and called the police. After operating the system for a while, she said, "Okay! I not only logged into the Los Angeles Police Department's online emergency system, but I also spoke to one of my online friends, told her about our situation, and asked her to call the police department immediately!"
"Did you tell them where our room is?" Old Bruce's eyes gleamed.
"I told you!" the woman exclaimed excitedly!