Finally, with my feet firmly planted on solid ground, I felt a little more at ease. That feeling of being "flying through the air" was really unpleasant.
This floor seemed to be some kind of company office. We happened to fall into a very large office, which was also very exquisitely decorated. I put Lei Xiaohu on the sofa, and he forced a smile at me: "Uncle-Master, it seems we are still very lucky."
“You’re injured, so don’t talk.” I looked at the young man. “Don’t you like collecting movie props? When we get back, I’ll give you money and take you to the prop shops of those movie companies! I’ll buy you whatever you like!”
"Really?" Lei Xiaohu smiled weakly, then shook his head: "Let's talk about it later... We're safe now, but Miss Yang is still up there... She's sick... cough cough... You must be trying to rescue her, right? Unfortunately, I can't help you in my current state."
After resting for two minutes, the police finally arrived. Several fully armed officers rushed in, guns at the ready. We immediately raised our hands and shouted, "We are hostages! Hostages who escaped!"
After confirming our identities, the police brought a stretcher and carried Lei Xiaohu downstairs. As for me, a policeman gave me a blanket to drape over myself.
We were taken to the outside of the building on the ground floor, where at least three hundred police officers had gathered, along with some SWAT officers.
Lei Xiaohu's injuries were too severe. He had gritted his teeth and endured the pain while in mid-air, but after landing, he could barely stand. He was immediately taken away in an ambulance.
Two police officers came up to verify my identity and asked me a few questions, which I answered impatiently. They prevented me from going back into the building. Despite my annoyance, I shouted, "My friend is still inside!"
But the police still wouldn't let me pass. "Where's Officer Louis! I need to see him!" In my desperation, I barely managed to speak when I heard a familiar voice beside me: "Oh, Mr. Chen. It's so good to see you alive!"
I turned around and saw Officer Louis standing next to me. He was a bit fatter than he looked on screen, but still very strong, only his expression showed more helplessness and anxiety.
He came over and gave me a quick hug. I immediately said anxiously, "Officer Louis, I can't waste time here! My friend is still up there... She has asthma and is having an attack. I need to get her down!"
Officer Louis frowned. Before he could speak, the two officers beside him said, "Sir, please trust that we will take responsibility for rescuing your friend. Please leave these matters to the police..."
Officer Louis waved them away, and I followed him to a police car nearby. He then gave me a serious look: "Sorry. I don't have the authority to let you in! I'm responsible for your safety!"
“But you don’t need to worry about my safety. I can protect myself,” I said immediately.
“I know, Mr. Chen.” Officer Louis nodded. “Right now, it seems you possess abilities far beyond the average person, and I also believe you are no ordinary person. But don’t forget, I’m a police officer! I can’t possibly send someone like you to deal with a group of terrorists! Do you think that’s possible? Also, you’re a wealthy man. If someone like you dies, I’m afraid my superiors and I will be under tremendous pressure… If you die on the job, that’s fine, but if you survive and I let you go back in, and then something happens, I’m afraid no one can bear that responsibility… So, I understand your feelings, but I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do.”
“Officer Louis!” I stared at him, my face grim. “While we were inside, I trusted you completely. But now is exactly when I need your help! You saw what I’m capable of; I managed to escape! And I almost rescued a group of hostages! In that respect, my efficiency was probably much faster than your police force! Don’t you also hate those FBI bureaucrats? I know someone has to take responsibility for this. Someone will definitely have to take the blame. And now, if this stalemate continues, if it drags on, my friend might die inside!”
After saying that, I punched the car window, shattering it instantly. Luckily, my right hand was already bandaged, preventing further cuts.
My eyes flashed with a cold light! I gritted my teeth and said fiercely, "Officer Louis, I thought you were a good person. But let me tell you, I'm not! I'm not a good person! There's a woman inside right now, and that woman is very important to me! If she dies... or if she's even slightly harmed, I'll be furious! I might even go crazy! And if I go crazy, I'm afraid I might do something I can't even predict myself! You can stop me from going in... but you might as well try!"
After I finished speaking, I pushed open the car door and prepared to get out, but Officer Louis suddenly grabbed me and leaned over to close the car door again.
Police officers nearby heard the sound of me smashing the glass, and some people gathered around. Officer Louis shouted at them to leave.
“Mr. Chen.” He thought for a moment, then looked at me: “Judging from your anxious appearance, the friend and woman you mentioned who is trapped inside, is she your beloved?”
“…You could say that.” I nodded vigorously. “You’re a man too, so you should understand how that feels! If your wife or girlfriend were trapped inside, wouldn’t you go crazy?”
"I'd probably just grab a gun and charge in," he said with a wry smile.
"And let me tell you, I'm not a good person! Let me be frank, I've killed people and handled guns! You're a police officer, and I think you should be able to find my information in a little while! My name is Chen Yang, and I'm the de facto ruler of the underground forces on the west coast of Canada! So I'm not some ordinary citizen! If my friend dies here, and I get angry, I'm afraid I'll drag many, many people down with her!!"
I was now making no attempt to hide my murderous intent! Officer Louis stared at me with a deep frown...
Finally, he sighed and said in a low voice, "I'm sorry. I still can't do anything... because I've already told you, I'm no longer in charge here. The FBI has taken over command, so I have no authority to let you in... although I understand how you feel."
Hearing this, my face turned cold. Just as I was about to turn and leave, Officer Louis lowered his voice and said, “However, the only thing I can do is provide you with some information… Listen carefully, right now, there are police on the first floor and on the fifty-ninth floor of the building. There are also SWAT personnel. Although the sixtieth floor isn't occupied by terrorists, our people have left it empty as a buffer zone. Unless it's absolutely necessary to launch a full-scale assault, our people won't go up to the sixtieth floor. What I mean is… if you want to get back into the building, you probably can't just walk in from the front. Because even if you force your way into the first floor, there are two fully armed and highly trained SWAT teams up there! You can't get past them. If you want to go back, you have to go straight up to the sixtieth floor! Understand?”
Go straight up to the sixtieth floor?
I frowned, thinking for a moment. But I was already very grateful to Officer Louis; at least he had done his best to help me.
He took something from the back seat and handed it to me: "This contains the architectural blueprints of this building. Take it with you; it might come in handy. This is the best I can do. As for the rest... I can only say, good luck."
I solemnly accepted his things. Carefully hiding them under the blanket so no one could see, I looked him in the eye and sincerely said, "Thank you!"
I then got out of the police car. After walking a few steps, a policeman came over and told me that someone was looking for me urgently. I went with them, only to see that it was Yang Wei's bodyguard, Hansen!
Seeing Hansen, who stood like a black iron tower, I was immediately filled with joy! I went up to him and gave him a big hug. After the hug, Hansen pushed me away, glaring at me coldly, his face icy: "Hey, so it was you who came down. I saw you hanging in mid-air from below... You're lucky to be alive, but I'm still very angry with you! You didn't protect my lady properly! If anything had happened to her, I would have taught you a lesson!"
I knew he said that purely out of loyalty to Yang Wei, so I wasn't angry at all. Instead, I punched him on the shoulder and took a deep breath: "Come on, Hansen, let's go in and rescue them!"
A glint of light flashed in Hansen's eyes, then he looked at me and asked, "Do you have a way?"
He led me toward the police cordon: "I drove here, and there are weapons in the back of the car."
On the way, I asked him, "Do you have any way to let the two of us skip the lower floors and go straight to the sixtieth floor? Because I'm afraid the police down there won't allow us to go in and rescue people ourselves."
"Go straight up to the sixtieth floor?" Hansen frowned and thought for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up: "I think, maybe I have a way... I just happened to bring some small toys with me, they're very useful."
I followed him out of the police cordon. We avoided the reporters outside; otherwise, as a hostage who had run down from above, I would probably have been surrounded by them immediately.
Hansen led me to a side street where his car was parked. There weren't many people around. It was a minivan, and he opened the trunk lid directly... As he pulled up the lid, I couldn't help but gasp!
Looking into the trunk of the van, I saw that the interior had been hollowed out and was filled with all sorts of weapons! Long guns, short guns, sniper rifles, and some small explosive devices. There were also things hanging on the sides; I could clearly see several individual rocket launchers! And a machine gun! (The kind of big thing Schwarzenegger used in Terminator!)
Part Two: The Road to Success, Chapter 152: Returning to the Tiger's Den
The Torch Tower is not the tallest building in Los Angeles, but it is undoubtedly the most distinctive among the city's high-rise buildings, with its torch-shaped top being particularly unique.
In particular, you can only fully appreciate the architectural features of this building if you are not looking up at it from the ground, but looking at it from another building.
At that moment, Hansen and I were standing on another high-rise building about 500 meters away from the Torch Building, on the 70th floor, quietly looking at the Torch Building in the distance.
This building stands about 500 meters away from the Torch Building, and its shape resembles the twin towers of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York. A horizontal staircase connects the two 79-story towers.
According to Hansen, this is the closest high-rise building to the Torch Tower, and among all the surrounding high-rises, only this building has a helipad on its roof. It also boasts the best vantage point facing the Torch Tower. At this moment, almost the entire building from the 65th floor upwards is packed with media reporters from various television stations around the world; it's impossible to know how many cameras are pointed at the Torch Tower across the street.
Of course, with such excellent terrain, the police couldn't possibly let it pass. Several floors of one of the twin towers of the complex were completely requisitioned by the police, and countless snipers were already positioned in the best spots, ready to strike.
On the rooftop helipad, there are helicopters belonging to several media outlets and television stations, as well as police helicopters. Since there are two buildings, they've temporarily been divided into one for police use and one for media use.
In this respect, the United States is quite open-minded, allowing the media to freely interview and report on such matters.
Hansen and I each had a large travel bag at our feet, filled with various firearms and equipment. We roughly checked the time. Then Hansen took out two walkie-talkies, adjusted them in his hands, and then took out a miniature signal collector-like device from his bag, which he also adjusted on the ground.
Then his eyes lit up, and he said, "Hey, look what we heard..."
He gently adjusted the sound in his headphones while fiddling with the miniature signal collector. He explained, "This is an eavesdropping device. Within a hundred meters, I can intercept the signal of anyone using a walkie-talkie… It can also effectively jam and disrupt them. This is not a civilian product." As he spoke, he frowned and listened intently, saying, "Okay… I see… um…"
I know. He must have overheard something. Sure enough. After Hansen took off his headphones, he glanced at me and said, "Breaking news, our plan may have changed. You see, the police just agreed to the terrorists' demands. They said they'd agree to send media reporters into the building to interview the terrorists on the spot... In twenty minutes, a TV station will send reporters by helicopter from the top floor of this building to the Torch Building. The helicopter will land on the top floor of the Torch Building..."
I squinted: "You mean..."
Hansen said calmly, “What I mean is, we might be able to split up. I’ll stay here and jump directly into the 60th floor of the Torch Building. And you, try to sneak up to the roof. Whatever you do, whether you sneak in or use violence, you can take that helicopter and land on the top rooftop of the Torch Building.”
I nodded immediately, we checked our watches, and then agreed on a time to take action.
I picked up the large canvas bag at my feet, walked out of the room, and then went up the fire escape.
The top floor of the building had already been reserved for the media, and their staff wouldn't allow me to take the elevator directly to the top. I climbed down the fire escape stairs to the floor below the top floor in one go, and then slipped into the building through the fire exit door.
This floor was also packed with media people! What was originally a floor with mostly idle office space was now filled with reporters from various media outlets. It had been transformed into numerous reporting rooms. Black, white, and Asian people—they were all there.
Countless people wearing badges from various world-renowned media outlets walked back and forth on this floor. No one seemed to notice me.
After observing the situation, the only problem seems to be that it's likely a result of compromise. The rooftop helipad of this building is monopolized by the three largest media outlets. Only personnel from these three outlets can access the single access point to the rooftop terrace. These three media outlets are CNN, NBC, and a local Los Angeles television station. And the access point is guarded by staff from these three media outlets; anyone without a work badge is absolutely not allowed to enter.
I walked around this floor. Everyone here was very busy. Many staff members were running back and forth carrying various equipment. The rooms facing the Torch Building were filled with countless large cameras and video cameras, all pointed at the Torch Building. And the numerous rooms that had been turned into live broadcast studios were also filled with a lot of media reporting equipment.
I even saw many famous and top reporters from various media outlets at the scene.
Finally, my patient search paid off. I heard someone shout, "Jack, go get that spool of cable! We're about to board the plane! Damn it, you idiot, if you daydream again, I'll have the boss fire you! Now, go find that spool of cable and take it to the rooftop!!"
I looked in the direction of the sound and saw a middle-aged man in a shirt, who looked like a manager, scolding a fat man. To my surprise, both of them were wearing name tags, and the badges on them identified them as belonging to the local television station! They were also one of the three media outlets with the right to use the rooftop helicopter!
I immediately followed him discreetly. The fat man seemed quite annoyed by the scolding, muttering curses all the way. When he entered a room that was being used as a temporary storeroom, I glanced around and immediately slipped inside after him.
The room was empty. The fat man was facing me, searching through a tangled mess of cables. He picked up a roll of cables, turned around, and glared at me: "Hey! Who are you! This is Los Angeles TV station...you..."
That was the end of it. Before he could finish speaking, I slapped him on the neck, knocking him unconscious. Then I started stripping his work clothes off.
This guy was quite fat, and his work clothes were a bit too big for me, but it made do. I took off his name tag and hung it around my neck, and then I deliberately found a baseball cap to wear, pulling the brim down a little. That way, when I lowered my head slightly, people couldn't see my face very clearly.
I carried the roll of cable the fat man had found in one hand and my own canvas bag in the other. I quickly left the warehouse and strode towards the passageway leading to the rooftop.
The passageway was guarded by a joint team of personnel from three media outlets that owned the rights to the rooftop helipad. I passed through the gate without any hindrance and went out.
After all, security for media organizations isn't very tight. And with so many media people in the building, they can't possibly know everyone.
The wind was strong on the rooftop of the building, and the helipad was large enough to accommodate two large helicopters at the same time. But at that moment, I saw only one helicopter parked on the helipad. It was a helicopter with the logo of the local Los Angeles television station on it.
I immediately understood why a small local TV station could share a rooftop helipad with two media giants… because neither CNN nor NBC are local. The local station, however, was the local power! And they even owned the helicopters; no wonder they could share the rooftop with the two giants on equal footing.
The rooftop was full of people from three media outlets. I'd only taken a few steps carrying a bunch of cables and a canvas bag when a man with a name tag came over and glanced at me. He saw the cables in my hand and yelled, "Good heavens, your cables have finally arrived! Hurry up, you, I'm talking to you, get this stuff onto the plane right now!! Damn it, I really don't know how people from your TV station work!"
I quickly pretended to follow his instructions and jogged to the helicopter. The helicopter was empty, and the cabin was divided into three rows. The first row was naturally for the pilot and co-pilot. The second row had two rows of seats facing each other, and it had the most space, directly facing the cabin door. The third row was at the back, and the space was a bit cramped. It was filled with cables and tools. After I crawled into the cabin, I immediately pulled on the third row of seats, and they lifted up easily. There was space underneath the seats, and although it was cramped, it was just enough for a person to curl up and hide underneath.
Just as I was about to crawl inside, I heard a voice suddenly come from behind me: "Hey, you!"
I turned around and saw a man wearing a CNN badge walking over. He glanced at my badge and immediately gave me a disdainful look. He then tossed me a bag and said, "Hurry up and put these things away. Damn it, you guys are so slow! Hurry up! Phil is almost done with his makeup!"
After saying that, the man left on his own. I breathed a sigh of relief and quickly crawled under the third-row seat. There was still a lingering smell of engine oil in the back of the cabin.
I lay curled up underneath, with a pile of tools and cables around me providing cover.
About five minutes later, I saw several people crawling into the cabin from under the last seats. First, it was the pilot and co-pilot, then several media personnel. One of them sat in the seat in front of me. From where I was lying on the floor, I could see a pair of slender, straight, and beautifully shaped legs of a woman in high heels, her legs elegantly placed side by side. I then heard the media personnel in the cabin talking; they seemed somewhat nervous. After all, they were going to interview some vicious terrorists.
Then I heard a very pleasant woman's voice: "Hey guys, don't worry so much... just treat it as a normal interview. Those terrorists are human too. Even if they're evil, they're not necessarily more terrifying than that hostage situation at the Russian theater."
Immediately, these people fell silent for a moment, and then someone burst out laughing: "That's right, Phil is right. Last time at the Russian Theater, we were able to go in and conduct live interviews with those terrorists. This time shouldn't be a problem either."
No sooner had he finished speaking than someone mocked, "Ha, Luke, that sounds nice. Last time you were so scared you almost peed your pants, you couldn't even hold the camera steady."
The helicopter hovered in the air, its rotors roaring. The men exchanged a few loud words, then I noticed their voices suddenly fall silent. With a jolt, I knew what was happening. The helicopter was landing!
I've returned to the rooftop of the Torch Building!
The propellers gradually came to a stop, and after the roar subsided, the people in the cabin also stopped talking. Then, I saw people standing at both bottom doors, and one of them shouted, "Get out! Everyone!"
I heard the sound of a gun being cocked. And the voice... it sounded familiar. After thinking about it, I realized it was Jack, the leader of the three white men.
Unlike Ramouche, who was a terrorist, this Jack is the real "bandit."
"Hey. Don't be nervous, we're all reporters, we don't have any weapons. Please relax. We'll cooperate." It was still the woman named Phil's voice, and it was indeed very confident. It carried a sense of composure... In this respect, it was quite similar to Yang Wei's temperament.
Thinking of Yang Wei, my heart warmed instantly, and I couldn't help but touch something I kept close to my shirt pocket... It was a respirator for asthma, Yang Wei's medication, given to me by Hansen. We both had Yang Wei's medicine on us; whoever found her first could save her immediately!
People in the front row started getting off the plane.
This was the most dangerous moment for me! Because the third row where I was hiding was where their live-streaming equipment for the interview was located. I saw hands reaching out from the front row, carrying away the rolls of cables, cameras, and various other things that had been covering me…
Fortunately, I was still hiding under the seat, otherwise I would probably have been exposed immediately!
Just as I was feeling uneasy, I suddenly heard Phil exclaim "Ouch!" and then, with a thud, a microphone fell right in front of me! Then, a pair of slender hands reached out, and I saw a woman bend down to pick up the microphone…
Then I saw a woman's face, white, blonde, probably under thirty, very beautiful...