A few minutes later, suddenly, while we were still huddled around the computer desk, we immediately felt a beam of bright light shining through the window! Then we heard the roar of a helicopter propeller; it had come very close to the building, and the bright light was shining directly into our window!
Immediately, everyone started screaming and rushed to the windows, frantically waving and shouting outside. The helicopter had police markings. After pinpointing our location in the distance, the helicopter circled once and flew away.
Everyone was very excited, and someone even shouted, "That's it! The police will definitely come to rescue us first!!"
Even my expression relaxed a little, but when I looked back at Yang Wei, she was still sitting there without moving, her face showing no joy, but rather still very serious.
"What's wrong?" I walked over and looked at Yang Wei.
"I'm afraid...it's going to be very difficult." Yang Wei gave a wry smile. "Even if the police know we're here, how can they rescue us?"
“…Uh…” I was speechless for a moment.
Yang Wei lowered her voice and spoke to me in Chinese:
“I said before, hiding here, while temporarily safe, is tantamount to tying ourselves down! Even if the police know we're here and haven't been caught by the criminals, what can they do? The criminals have sealed off floors 61 and 62, all the elevators, all the exits! The police can't break through at all… If the police can break through to rescue us, they'd have to eliminate all the criminals… What good would that do us? The criminals have so many celebrities as hostages, is it even possible for the police to break through? You see… it's a dead end!”
I nodded, thought for a moment, and then said, "Perhaps... there is another way... Don't forget, this is the top floor. The police could probably land on the rooftop first, and then send SWAT officers to lower steel cables down from the outside of the building, break the tempered glass window of this room, and hoist us out from here!"
Yang Wei rubbed her temples helplessly, shook her head, and firmly rejected my idea: "That's absolutely impossible!!"
She glanced at the agitated crowd, her voice deepening: "Chen Yang, you know we're on the top floor, don't you think the criminals know that too? Theoretically, if the police could land on the rooftop, they could not only break the windows of our room to rescue us…theoretically, they could attack any room on this floor from the rooftop, including the lobby where the criminals are! Do you think the criminals would allow the police to land on the building's rooftop? Don't forget, before we ran out, one of those three white criminals, Jack, was ordered to guard the rooftop! With hostages in hand, the criminals could easily prevent the police from making any rash moves! It's that simple…even the most idiotic criminal would demand that the police retreat and create a buffer zone! They would also threaten the police, forbidding any police helicopters or personnel from landing on the rooftop…otherwise, if the police dare to land on the rooftop, I will immediately start killing the hostages!!" Yang Wei glanced at me: "If that's the case…do you think the police would actually land from the sky? Those hostages aren't ordinary citizens! Any one of them is a darling of the mass media!"
Part Two: The Road to Success, Chapter 146: Yang Wei's Premonition
As if to confirm Yang Wei's words, the police helicopter didn't return for a long time after it left.
Everyone crowded around the windows, looking down. Below, police lights were flashing, and the streets were packed with onlookers—all far beyond the police cordon, of course.
"Today is definitely going to be the craziest day in Hollywood history," old Bruce muttered to himself. He shook his head and muttered a curse under his breath: "FUCK!"
Another fifteen minutes passed, and some people began to get anxious: "Why haven't the police taken any action yet? Aren't they going to come and rescue us?"
The other two male guests who escaped with us began to curse the Los Angeles police for their slow efficiency, and said that if they escaped, they would strongly complain about the police's incompetence and also sue the security department of the Torch Tower to the point of collapse!
I have no doubt that the prominent status of these two male guests would enable them to do this... but the problem is, we are still in prison, so these words inevitably lack some conviction.
"Gentlemen," I called out, glancing at everyone, "pacing back and forth in such a hurry, you'd be better off sitting down and conserving your energy! Who knows when we'll get out of here!"
The two male guests gave me a disapproving look, probably because they were annoyed by the impoliteness in my tone. However, old Bruce supported me: "Chen is right, we need to calm down now!"
I sneered inwardly. Just moments before, when there was no hope of escape, these two guys were all timid and submissive. They were simply afraid, while Old Bruce and I remained calm, so they listened to us... But now, once there was hope of escape, these same people started putting on airs again.
I ignored them and sat down with Yang Wei and Lei Xiaohu. Yang Wei's face was still flushed, and I noticed that when she was silent, her brows were slightly furrowed, and she had an expression that seemed a little uncomfortable.
I asked her twice more, but she still insisted that nothing was wrong.
At that moment, the woman controlling the laptop finally shouted, "The police have news! They've contacted us!!"
Everyone immediately gathered around the computer.
"The other party gave me a website address, wait... oh, this is a video call." The woman quickly operated the computer, simultaneously turning on the built-in camera and microphone, and then adjusting the screen to its maximum resolution.
The image flickered slightly, but then cleared up. I saw a serious-looking white man adjusting a camera lens. He was wearing a white shirt, had a shoulder strap, and a holster under his arm. Behind him was a street, with many police officers bustling about, their lights flashing. Judging from the sound, it was very noisy where he was.
Then, the man on the screen looked at the screen and said in a serious voice, "Hello, I am Win Lewis, the Los Angeles Police Department officer in charge of this hostage rescue operation. You can call me Officer Lewis! We are currently trying to rescue you, but first I need to know your current situation..."
Before he could finish speaking, the crowd gathered around the computer desk immediately began to clamor loudly. Some shouted questions about when the police would come to rescue them, while others complained and loudly accused...
I got impatient listening to this, walked over, and suddenly yelled, "Shut the hell up, all of you!"
Then I grabbed the two men, one in each hand, and pulled them aside. Standing in front of the computer, I snapped, "What nonsense are you spouting! If you keep this up, I'll shut you up!"
The scene of me leading everyone to escape in the lobby and fighting with the bandits still had some lingering power. The two men glanced at me with annoyed expressions, but finally fell silent.
The woman sitting in front of the computer glanced at me, and I nodded to her: "Let me speak! With so many of us, if each of us says one sentence, it won't be clear."
Then I immediately said to the screen, "Officer Louis! I think we explained the situation clearly when we called the police! There are twelve people here now, four women and eight men. One of the men was shot in the leg, but his artery wasn't damaged. We're temporarily out of the robbers' control and hiding in the security guard's break room on the 62nd floor. We've blocked the door with some heavy things, so we believe the robbers outside can't break in for now. We have no food, only a small amount of water. That's the general situation."
“Okay, thank you!” Officer Louis’s expression softened slightly, and he said slowly, “I still need to verify your identities.”
I took a deep breath and said quickly, "There's no time! There are twelve of us in total, three of whom are waiters and nine are guests! And... there's no time to confirm anything now... The laptop we're using was found in the security guard's break room, and it doesn't have a charger. The battery can only last for..." I glanced at the bottom right corner of the screen and said with a wry smile, "...only about half an hour... So we don't have time for nonsense, let's get past those complicated procedures! I just want to ask one thing, do you have a way to get us out of here now?"
"Sir, please trust that the police are working hard!" Officer Louis shouted. "Also, did you escape from the robbers? I need to know what happened inside..."
I understood that perfectly, and immediately said, "We're on the sixty-second floor. As far as I know, there were originally nineteen bandits on the sixty-second floor, all armed. Three of them were monitoring the rooftop entrance. The other sixteen were stationed at various entrances and exits in the lobby and outer corridors. Twelve were in the lobby, and four were in the outer corridors." I paused, thought for a moment, and said, "Of the twelve bandits who were originally in the lobby, I personally killed one when we escaped. Two others were injured by me and my friend, and are probably incapacitated. Please take these into account when you calculate the bandits' strength… In addition, all the hostages are in the lobby. Judging from their attire, I suspect they infiltrated the building dressed as waiters. All their weapons were smuggled in hidden in their food."
I thought for a moment and said, "That's all I can think of for now. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask." I glanced at the battery indicator on the computer screen again: "...28 minutes left."
“Thank you!” Officer Louis’s tone carried a hint of respect. “You are very brave, sir.”
He then asked me a couple more questions to verify some details I knew about the robbers. Finally, I asked, "I still want to ask, now that we're here, is there any way the police can rescue us? There's an injured person here... I don't know how long you'll be able to hold out against these bastards... Although we've bandaged up the wounded person and stopped the bleeding, I don't think he can hold on for much longer."
“We’re doing our best!” Officer Louis hesitated for a moment, then looked at me, gritting his teeth and saying in a low voice, “I think I’d better tell the truth… Well, just now, our men tried to get onto the roof, but the leader of the kidnappers immediately warned us that if even one officer stepped onto the roof, he would start shooting the hostages… Whether his threat was real or not, we can’t take the risk… I’m really sorry, so we can’t come to rescue you immediately… But I suggest you stay here, because it seems that your location is safe for now. We will draw the kidnappers’ attention outside, and they shouldn’t have the strength to force their way into your room.”
As expected... just as Yang Wei predicted.
Although I had expected it, I still couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. And the others behind him, upon hearing his explanation, were naturally even more disappointed! Some people wanted to scream and roar, but I silenced them with a cold look.
"...Twenty-five minutes left." I took a deep breath. "I think if possible, let's end our conversation here. To save battery, let's turn off the call. I suggest we talk every half hour, starting the timer now... Also, I hope you can have someone keep watch over your computers at all times, so that we can contact you immediately if we encounter any emergencies... because our battery is limited, while you don't have that problem."
"Okay!" Officer Louis gave me a serious look. "Take care! We'll do everything we can to get you out as soon as possible!"
Immediately after the call ended, I switched my computer to power-saving mode. After the screen went black,
I didn't care what the others behind me were complaining about. I walked over to Yang Wei and sighed, "Just as you thought."
Yang Wei shook her head, frowning as she pondered something, and remained silent.
I glanced at Jessica; she looked visibly helpless. She had come with me. But it was obvious that I was closer to Yang Wei and Lei Xiaohu; we even spoke in Chinese. Jessica sat beside me, somewhat lost and bewildered.
I smiled at her and said, "Jess, come sit down here. We need to conserve our energy and rest for a bit."
Although I smiled calmly, I wasn't at ease inside...
The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive. After being contacted by the police, everyone had initially felt a surge of hope, but now that hope had been dashed, it was inevitable that people would feel down.
Even old Bruce couldn't help but look a little frustrated.
I took out a cigarette and offered it to him: "Want one?"
He glanced at me, thought for a moment, and said, "Well... I've quit smoking... but anyway, thanks." He took the cigarette, and we lit it together before walking to the window. Together, we looked down at the countless flashing police lights in the nearby streets.
"This scene looks familiar, doesn't it?" I looked at him. "Several of your movies feature similar large-scale scenes."
He seemed to chuckle, then shook his head. "Unfortunately, I'm not a real superhero... we're just actors." His expression then became somewhat comical. He took a sullen drag on his cigarette, then said with a hint of helplessness, "Look, just now in the lobby, there was a whole bunch of The Flash, Spider-Man, and all sorts of 007 superheroes gathered. But in a scene like this, they still had to obediently raise their hands and squat on the ground. Movies are movies after all; nobody can have murderous intent in their eyes, or punch through a wall." He looked at his somewhat overweight body and laughed, "Look at me, my waistline has gotten much thicker now. Asking me to act in those action movies anymore would be a bit too much."
Then he looked at me and said, "Tell me about yourself, Chen. I'm quite curious about you... those two moves you made just now..." He gestured and then laughed, "They were really impressive."
I suddenly remembered. Old Bruce seemed to be a guy who was very interested in Chinese Kung Fu. I had seen some similar reports before, and then I laughed and said, "I practiced some martial arts when I was a kid."
"Hmm..." He looked at me and said, "You have a pretty good appearance, and you also know kung fu. You have the potential to become an action movie star in the future."
I chuckled and flicked my cigarette ash: "Me? Acting in movies? Forget about that... I've never heard of a film company boss starring in his own movies... Well, at least not in Hollywood, but quite a few have in Hong Kong."
Bruce chuckled… Actually, this tough guy on screen had a very gentlemanly smile: “Oh, sorry, I almost forgot who you are. By the way, I also saw the news; I heard you bought a film company. Are you really planning to make movies?”
“Yeah, if I were to invest in making a fifth Die Hard movie, would you be interested in starring in it?” I asked him, half-jokingly. He thought for a moment, then patted my shoulder. “I don’t want to make any more movies in this series. But if you’re really planning to make a movie, you can contact me. As long as my schedule isn’t a problem…” He winked at me, then held out his hand. “Now, I think we’re friends… So, as a friend, I’d like to say: Welcome to Hollywood. Of course… we have to get out of here safely first.”
I shook hands with him firmly.
Then he chuckled. He whispered, "Hey, I saw you came with Jessica. She's quite the beauty."
I shook my head: "Yeah. We're just friends."
I'm very satisfied. Establishing a good relationship with Bruce Willis is a fantastic thing for me... First of all, I love his movies, and he's one of my favorite actors. Being friends with my idol is incredibly pleasant. Secondly, he's a veteran Hollywood star with a vast network of connections! Being friends with someone like him will be extremely helpful for my future career! Whether he appears in my company's movies or not... it's a valuable asset!
We chatted by the window for a few minutes, then Yang Wei called out to me. Old Bruce and I nodded and went over.
"Chen Yang, I have something to tell you." Yang Wei sighed, her eyes serious.
"What's wrong?" I saw Yang Wei's expression and had a bad feeling.
“I… I’ve been thinking about it, and I feel like tonight’s events are a bit too suspicious.” Yang Wei shook her head: “The robbers outside… they seemed very professional, with guns, bulletproof vests, and an organized group. Moreover, they all obeyed their leader’s orders, acted calmly and efficiently… all of this makes me feel that they are not ordinary robbers… or even top-notch robbers probably don’t have this kind of quality!”
What are you trying to say?
"What I'm trying to say is, things aren't that simple." Yang Wei seemed unsurprised, lightly pressing one hand to her chest, then forced a smile and said, "Chen Yang, I've analyzed a few suspicious points; perhaps you'd be interested..."
I nodded, and then listened to Yang Wei continue:
"First of all, their target seems to be those jewels... But what puzzles me is... as you saw, these people split into two groups. The three white men are one group. The guy who leads them, Jack... I think he's more like a typical robber! Because in the way he looks at those jewels and diamonds, I see greed, I see real greed, a desire to possess them... That's the normal expression!! And that Lamouchi, he... I don't know how to say it... Anyway, he's so calm! So calm that he doesn't seem like a bandit at all. I don't know if you noticed, but from beginning to end, he didn't even glance at those diamonds more than a few times, as if he had no interest in those treasures worth tens or even hundreds of millions."
I thought for a moment: "Perhaps...perhaps that's just how he is. Leaders usually have to remain calm and rational, so this might not be surprising."
“Hmm!” Yang Wei nodded. “At first, I thought so too. An excellent leader must be good at controlling his emotions. In this respect, I initially thought Lamouchi was just an excellent leader; he simply controlled his emotions. But later I realized something was wrong… Even though Lamouchi is the leader and he can control his emotions… have you noticed that even his subordinates, those dozen or so robbers, didn’t seem to have much interest in the diamonds? There wasn’t any greed in their eyes.” Then she smiled bitterly. “Normal people, seeing so many diamonds and so much jewelry, would involuntarily take a few more glances, and might even show desire in their eyes. But these people had absolutely no interest… If you say that these robbers’ quality is comparable to that of strictly professional soldiers… that’s obviously impossible!”
I also fell into deep thought, and slowly said, "Go on..."
Yang Wei took a deep breath and continued, "Secondly, I carefully analyzed their action plan... Look. For this exhibition, the 62nd and 61st floors of this building were the activity areas. They controlled these two floors, but instead of immediately trying to seize the jewelry, they patiently controlled the hostages, set up defenses and security, and controlled the security cameras... This is clearly a posture of preparing to hold their ground here!! Moreover, they blocked all the exits, leaving only the rooftop as their only route! If it were an ordinary person, perhaps they wouldn't think anything of it... But don't forget, you and my family both have underworld connections! I know the rules of the robbery business very well! Excellent robbers, no matter what they do, will always prepare a safe escape route for themselves! And usually, they'll leave more than one escape route! They would never put themselves in such a desperate situation like they did! But if they aren't excellent robbers... yet these people are so well-mannered..."
"Anything else?"
“And… there’s a third point!” Yang Wei smiled wryly: “The third point is us!! We did manage to seize the opportunity to escape… but to be honest, don’t you think it’s been a little too quiet since we hid in this room?”
"What do you mean?" I looked at her.
Yang Wei's face was grim: "What I mean is... their behavior is far too passive. Look. They know we're hiding here. It's true, this is the security guard's rest room, and all the spare keys are stored here, so this room is very secure. The doors and walls have embedded steel plates; it might be difficult for them to break in... But don't forget, it's only 'difficult' to break in, not 'absolutely impossible'! My original calculations were that they would at least make some effort in their anger, try to break through head-on, and only give up in the end. But now you see... from the moment we came in until now, they've been almost completely unprepared." "Well, they just symbolically banged on the door a few times and then ignored us. Don't you think that's too unusual? They didn't even try!" Yang Wei took a few deep breaths and slowly said, "I think this unusual situation can mean two things: First, they are very familiar with the layout of this building! So even though we're hiding here, they're not worried about what will happen to us... Second, they don't care at all that we're hiding here! Or rather... they think that by hiding here, we've essentially trapped ourselves, we're still their hostages... and they don't even need to send anyone to guard us hostages..."
I opened my mouth, but couldn't say anything.
But Yang Wei hadn't finished speaking yet!
"Fourth point... According to the original schedule, the jewelry will be taken out of those blast-proof glass cases at 10 PM tonight! And then worn by those Hollywood actresses... Do you think that since these thugs are capable of infiltrating... wouldn't it be much easier if they chose to make their move after the operation started at 10 PM? By then, the jewelry will have already been taken out, and it will be at least a hundred times easier for them to steal these diamond jewels from the Hollywood actresses' bodies and necks than from the blast-proof glass cases, right?"
I changed color!
Yang Wei's expression was grim: "So... I think these people probably weren't here for the jewelry at all!! Or rather, those three white men led by Jack are probably legitimate robbers... while Lamouchi and his men probably have other motives!"
Part Two: The Road to Success, Chapter 147: A Glimmer of Hope
Is there another purpose?
Naturally, four words immediately popped into my head... terrorist?!
"Those people, including Lamouchi, seem uninterested in jewelry because they are a group of extremely dangerous individuals ready to carry out terrorist attacks at any time... Only these terrorists who are 'ready to die' would not be interested in these material possessions!"
This is Yang Wei's analysis.
And after taking those four points she just mentioned together, the whole story becomes pretty clear!