"LOOK!" Lei Xiaohu pulled out something. This thing was roughly shaped like a miniature flashlight. Lei Xiaohu held it in his hand and twisted it gently, and a thin, long, very pale red beam of light shot out from one end, just like the infrared sights on a gun.
Lei Xiaohu laughed, "If I hold this thing and shoot it directly into someone's eyes, this concentrated beam of light, just a single red dot, will cause instant blindness... Do you know what this thing is? It's the secret tool Bond used in the latest 007 movie!" Then he sighed, seemingly regretful, "What a pity, these are just props. In the movie, Bond could unscrew this thing and use it as a timed grenade with a ten-second timer."
It seems this guy is a true movie buff. I chuckled and said, "The real Bond is still squatting in the lobby upstairs with his head in his hands."
There were originally dozens of hostages crouching in the middle of this large dressing room. When we made such a commotion, people jumped up and scattered in all directions. In the chaos, some people were even shot and fell to the ground. Now that Lei Xiaohu and I had dealt with all the terrorists, the hostages suddenly realized what was happening. Some of them were overjoyed and cried, running over and loudly asking if we were police officers and if we had come to rescue them.
I was still in a lot of pain and couldn't bring myself to talk to these people.
And it's important to know that the vast majority of these hostages are women, and they are either exceptionally beautiful supermodels or A-list Hollywood actresses.
These women—dark-skinned, white-skinned, brown-haired, white-haired—famous and unknown, beautiful, exceptionally beautiful… no matter how dignified, noble, beautiful, or elegant they usually appear in public… at this moment, after experiencing the terror of death, and immediately after being rescued, they would all become hysterical. So many women surrounding you, crying, screaming, and shouting… anyone would probably go insane!
I was in a lot of pain, and I could barely straighten my back. Of course, I wasn't in the mood to give these women a friendly look; what I was most worried about was Yang Wei and the others' current situation.
Seeing these women crying and screaming at us, I yelled, "Shut up!!"
Seeing that it wasn't having much effect, I could only pick up a pistol left behind by the terrorists from the ground, raise my hand, and fire a shot at the ceiling.
Bang!!
Sure enough, the gunshots silenced them, and the women looked at me with expressions of fear.
"Ladies, listen up!" I said coldly. "We're not police officers, nor are we here to rescue you! We're hostages just like you! We just escaped from upstairs! Now, I need you to be quiet!"
The women looked at me, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I pointed at Lei Xiaohu, meaning, "You talk to them."
I quickly unbuttoned my bulletproof vest, loosening my chest a little. Then I took another bulletproof vest from the terrorist's body and tossed it to Lei Xiaohu to put on.
Including the people we took out in this large dressing room, the terrorists on this floor have probably been completely wiped out by us! So I can finally breathe a sigh of relief now.
Fortunately, the terrorists upstairs probably won't be able to come down to provide support anytime soon.
The only thing to be careful about is that there might still be one or two remaining terrorists roaming around in other parts of this floor.
"Alright, now I need a few men to come out and help me." I saw several men in the crowd, probably the actresses' makeup artists or something. I saw that two of them were injured, and another actress had been hit in the calf by a stray bullet, and another male makeup artist had been grazed by the throwing knife I had thrown earlier.
I searched the room carefully and found a computer with footage from cameras in all the rooms on this floor. It was clear that all the security cameras on this floor had been taken over by terrorists.
I examined the corpses one by one and finally recognized the guy who had been fighting with me earlier. He was incredibly strong, and even after I broke his arm, he remained extremely violent and almost strangled me to death. He looked very familiar.
After a moment's recollection, I remembered. It was something I saw on Lamouchi's computer screen upstairs just now, when he was communicating with the terrorists on this floor. This person's face had appeared on the screen! Presumably, this person is the leader of the terrorists on this floor!
They are indeed very skilled!
I picked up the intercom from the ground; there was static coming from it, so I turned it off.
I had the makeup artists quickly bandage the wounds of the injured, then I led the way, with Lei Xiaohu bringing up the rear. Everyone else, including the wounded and those with sprained legs, was helped along as we ran quickly towards Yang Wei and the others.
Along the way, people's manners became apparent. Many people rushed to get outside, and I clearly became their leader.
Two of the top Hollywood actresses deliberately stayed close to me, probably because they felt safer there.
"Where do we go?" a beautiful woman beside me asked, sounding somewhat panicked. I knew this woman very well; she was a famous Hollywood actress, a stunning beauty with a large bust and a hot figure, frequently appearing on the covers of various magazines. However, at this moment, she looked terrified, her full, sexy lips tightly pursed. I could see her distrust of me, and simply said, "I know you're scared, everyone here is scared. But we have a chance to escape now; you just need to follow me."
My words comforted many people around me in this situation. These women are all very vulnerable. When faced with fear and helplessness, people most desperately hope that someone will stand up and take the lead.
And at that moment, I undoubtedly gave them a great sense of security.
I cautiously led the way, certain there would be one or two more terrorists on this floor. But before we left the dressing room, I specifically checked the webcam monitor on the computer, and saw nothing.
It was only a short two-minute walk, but it made me incredibly uneasy. I had a feeling that something was about to happen...
Once I had figured out the direction and approached the other passageway leading downstairs on this floor, I suddenly raised my hand and said, "Wait!"
The door to the room ahead was just ten meters away. Suddenly, I stopped, gripping my pistol…
The large door stood there silently, without making a sound. My expression grew increasingly grave. Little Tiger came up behind me: "Uncle-Master, why did you stop?"
"No!" I gritted my teeth, my unease growing stronger.
“But the passage leading downstairs is right there…” Lei Xiaohu had only said this much when many people around her cheered. Some even ran towards it without thinking. The first person to run past me was a makeup artist, but I grabbed his arm and forcefully pushed him back, throwing him to the ground.
"No! Back off! Everyone back off!" I whispered urgently.
"What's wrong??" Lei Xiaohu was also startled by my appearance.
"It's too quiet!" I gritted my teeth. "If they were digging a tunnel, it wouldn't be this quiet!"
As if my premonition had been confirmed, the door suddenly opened just as I finished speaking, and four terrorists carrying submachine guns walked out!
The women around me immediately panicked and ran back, screaming. I raised my gun, ready to fight them, but suddenly my movements froze!
Inside the door, Ramuchi walked out calmly, a bead of sweat on his forehead. He was gently wiping his hands with a tissue, and I saw blood on his hands!
What made me freeze was... behind him, a female terrorist had one hand tightly around Jessica's neck from behind, and the other hand holding a gun, the muzzle pressed firmly against Jessica's head.
My mind went completely blank!
Lei Xiaohu was also stunned. He paused for a moment, glanced at me, and when he saw that I didn't move, he seemed to want to rush forward, but I grabbed him.
I took a deep breath and looked at Ramuchi.
Our eyes met in mid-air, and then, without warning, I dropped the gun on the ground and sighed, "Okay, you win."
Lamouchi didn't speak to me, but instead said in his gentle voice, "Everyone, crouch down and cover your heads, or my men will start shooting in three seconds! I don't care if any of you are Oscar winners!"
As he spoke, the terrorists on both sides simultaneously picked up their submachine guns and opened fire on the ceiling.
Amidst the rapid bursts of bullets and the terrified screams of women, some still tried to escape. This time, Lamouchi's men were truly ruthless. When the head of the female model who had run the furthest was suddenly blasted open by a bullet, a spray of blood, everyone fell silent instantly…
Soon, everyone crouched down, and many women were sobbing uncontrollably with fear. Only Lei Xiaohu and I remained standing there.
“You, sir.” Lamuch finally looked at me again, a strange smile on his face. His voice was calm, but I could hear a chill in it: “You did a great job… You almost ruined my plan… Well, just a little bit.”
“But you still won.” I shook my head and shrugged.
I'm involved in organized crime, and since things have come to this, I'm pretty straightforward about admitting defeat.
Frankly, what prevented me from moving was not that Lamouchi's men had held Jessica at gunpoint. Rather, it was that since Jessica had been captured, it was clear that Yang Wei's entire group was probably in his hands.
What I'm worried about is Yang Wei.
“But it really surprised me.” Lamouchi looked at me. “I never imagined that among Hollywood’s richest people, there would be someone like you.”
He curled his lip and said, "Throw the gun over here from where you're standing."
I did as he said, kicking the gun over. But he glanced at me again: "And what about the knife in your arms...you still have a knife in your arms, right? Throw it all over me. Oh, and you'd better be slow. Be gentle. I know your throwing knives are very good; one of my men died at your hands while I was up there...but I believe there's no throwing knife faster than a bullet in this world, is there?"
I gave a bitter laugh. I reached into my pocket and pulled out two short knives, the last two.
"So, you've captured all our men?" I asked.
“Yes.” Lamouchi nodded without hesitation, then smiled faintly, “I’m a very cautious person, so before this operation, I had already looked at the building’s blueprints. So, when you locked yourselves in that security break room, I suddenly remembered. There seemed to be another hole there that you could crawl down to. And unfortunately, I also remembered that there seemed to be two passages on this floor! Since you can come down, then I can come down too!” He winked at me, “Guess what I saw when I broke through the floor and came down from up there?”
I sneered: "What? You didn't see God, did you?"
“No, no, no, you see, you already know who I am. So you should also know that I don’t believe in God.” He grinned, a cruel smile playing on his lips. “I saw it; there was a group of people digging a hole in the ground down there… But perhaps your God really didn’t protect you, because when we came down from above, your accomplices were almost there, almost had dug through this layer of ground. That’s why I said, you were just a hair’s breadth away from succeeding.”
Lamuch casually tossed away the blood-stained tissue in his hand: "Alright, now, please come over here, and also the young man next to you."
Several terrorists had surrounded me, with so many guns pointed at me. Even if I were God, I probably couldn't escape. I cooperatively raised my hands, indicating that I had no intention of resisting. One of the terrorists kicked me hard in the leg, and I almost fell to my knees in pain, but I forced myself to endure it.
"No, no, no... no." Lamuch shook his finger. "Don't be so rude. Look, there are so many ladies here. Besides, this gentleman is a brave warrior. Warriors should be treated with the courtesy due to warriors."
He slowly walked to my side, looked me up and down, and suddenly raised his fist and punched me hard in the left cheek!
That punch was really hard! My body staggered from the impact, and then at the same time he punched me hard in the stomach. I immediately bent over, panting heavily.
Lamuch looked down at me and said, "You've taken care of all my men on this floor, haven't you? Hmm... I'll tell you something. The person in charge of this floor, Okan... he's my brother, my own brother!"
To my surprise, Ramuchi did not shoot me dead immediately as I expected, but instead forced me into the room.
I saw it. Inside the room, everyone, including old Bruce, was crouching on the ground, with two terrorists standing beside them pointing guns at them.
I saw Yang Wei immediately. Her face was flushed, her breathing rapid, and she sat slumped on the ground, a pained expression on her face. One hand was tightly clutching her chest. Seeing me, Yang Wei's eyes held a hint of helplessness and a trace of guilt.
I nodded to her, then immediately went over and gently helped her up: "What's wrong?"
"I'm sorry," Yang Wei said with difficulty, "it seems there was a mistake in my calculations."
I stopped her from speaking and hugged her with one arm, only to find that her body was already very stiff, as if she was in some kind of pain, but she was forcibly enduring it.
Lamouchi's voice came from behind me, tinged with surprise: "Oh dear... it seems I was wrong. I thought this Miss Jessica was your woman... Hmm, I've already seen the guest list for tonight. Your name should be Chen Yang, right? Chinese, the owner of a film company... Heh heh, but you're much more powerful than those Hollywood heroes. You know what? Just now, an action movie star was crying and begging me to spare his life."
I ignored him. Instead, I held Yang Wei in my arms. She was very light, her face contorted in pain, her breathing rapid, and she was clutching her chest tightly, looking as if she was in great distress. Her forehead was covered in sweat, her face flushed, and she gripped my hand tightly with one hand, gritting her teeth as if she wanted to say something.
“I…” came the voice of the woman who was old Bruce’s companion, Monica, from the side: “I think I know what’s wrong with her… She’s probably having an asthma attack. I have an older sister who has it.”
I glanced at Yang Wei, who was having some difficulty speaking. She just looked at me and nodded vigorously.
My heart sank: "You have asthma? Do you have any medication with you?"
Yang Wei shook her head, a bitter smile on her face.
She's only wearing a dress, so there's nowhere on her body she could possibly have the medication. I remember she had a handbag with her tonight; she must have had the medication in it. Unfortunately, I don't know where that bag is.
"Is your medicine in your handbag? The yellow one?" I asked anxiously. Yang Wei nodded.
“I think if we don’t have any medicine, giving her some warm chocolate might help,” Monica said to me. “That’s what my sister did. It worked very well… but she’s in a dangerous situation right now. If we don’t give her her medication in time, she’ll go into shock and suffocate!”
I immediately stood up and looked back at Lamouchi.
"How are you, my hero?" Ramuch looked at me calmly. "Look, your woman is in danger now. Do you need medicine? I think you must have forgotten something."
He picked up the walkie-talkie and said a few words. Then, quickly, someone dropped a handbag through a hole in the ceiling. It was the yellow handbag Yang Wei had brought that evening… but there was a footprint on it, as if someone had stepped on it.
I quickly grabbed the handbag from the ground, opened it, rummaged around inside, and pulled out a plastic respirator...
However, the respirator had cracked into three pieces! It was completely damaged!
"Oh, look at this, what a pity." Lamuch smiled and said, "This bag was trampled by someone when there was chaos in the hall during your escape."
I clenched my fists, stood up, and stared at Lamouchi through gritted teeth: "Tell me, what exactly do you want?"
Yang Wei had already closed her eyes. She had no other choice at the moment. She just gripped my wrist tightly and pressed her body against my leg.
"Aren't you going to kill me?" I smiled—God knows, I don't even understand how I could still smile.
“I haven’t killed many people, but I never kill without a reason.” Ramuch beckoned to me with his finger: “Come, my hero.”
He casually told his subordinate, "Get this lady a cup of hot chocolate. I remember they should have that upstairs."
He casually walked past me, came to the window, and then waved to Lei Xiaohu.
In this situation, I had no choice but to walk over to him and stand beside him, with Lei Xiaohu standing behind me.
The sound of sirens could still be heard in the distance. More than an hour had passed since the incident began, and more and more police officers, fire trucks, ambulances, and other vehicles were gathering below.