In that split second, she saw me, and I looked at her! We were both staring at each other…
It was a very strange moment. Just when I had given up hope and despaired... I almost rushed out on the spot and decided to fight for it, hoping there might still be a glimmer of hope...
However, to my complete surprise, the woman only showed a flash of extreme surprise in her eyes before her expression immediately returned to normal!
There were no screams or gasps as I had expected. She simply stood up calmly, and I heard her steady voice say, "Alright, let's go inside and get to work."
What I was even more grateful for was that she actually pretended to do it on purpose and casually closed the cabin door for me!
Bang!
As the cabin door closed, the cabin fell silent once more.
The pilots of the helicopters ahead were no longer in the cockpit. They had already disembarked and were being guarded in a corner of the rooftop by Jack's men.
I finally breathed a sigh of relief. My forehead was already covered in sweat, and my back was soaked with sweat as well.
I slowly shuffled out from under the seat, but didn't dare straighten up, remaining prone on the cabin floor. Then I pulled my canvas bag out from under the seat.
I cautiously peeked out, leaving only my eyes visible above the cabin window, peering outside.
There were only three people on the rooftop: Jack and her two henchmen.
The reporter named Phil and his group had already reached the rooftop entrance, where Lamouchi's men, armed with guns, led them inside. Then, the iron gate to the rooftop entrance closed.
To my left, two pilots were ordered to sit on the ground near the side of a huge central building ventilation shaft. Two white thugs stood three or four meters away from them, looking around.
Jack, on the other hand, leaned against the iron gate of the entrance, looking rather bored. He held a gun in one hand and a cigarette between the other, and his expression seemed rather gloomy.
I started to feel a little conflicted.
Because the positions these three men are standing in are very disadvantageous to me! Jack is standing on the left side of the helicopter, while his two henchmen are standing on the right side.
These three people are positioned on either side of me, so no matter which side I attack from, I'll inevitably be caught in a pincer movement...
My plan is not to cause too much of a stir so soon!
I took a deep breath, my mind racing, and finally gritted my teeth. I unzipped my canvas bag and pulled out a grenade. Then, gently and carefully, I opened the cabin door—the side facing the two bandits and the two pilots.
I kept my eyes fixed on them, and while the two thugs were looking around and not in my direction, I quickly threw a grenade at them, skimming the ground...
Rolling, rolling, rolling...
The grenade rolled rapidly across the ground as the two thugs cautiously looked around. Suddenly, they heard a sound from the ground… and then, to their horrified surprise, saw a grenade roll right in front of them…
"Grenade!!!" With a shout, the two thugs ran to opposite sides almost simultaneously, collapsing to the ground at the same time!
Meanwhile, Jack, who was leaning against the aisle, reacted quickly! He threw away his cigarette, grabbed his gun, and charged forward! As for me, I had already swiftly opened the cabin door and jumped off the plane while the two thugs were on the ground, then quickly circled around from the nose side of the aircraft…
The two thugs lying on the ground behind me immediately spotted me! One of them shouted, "There's someone on the plane!"
I had already reached Jack's side and leaped at him, pinning him to the ground! We rolled and wrestled on the ground for a few moments... No wonder he was a notorious, extremely ruthless guy wanted by over a dozen states; this guy was huge and incredibly agile.
Finally, I punched him hard in the armpit, and Jack groaned in pain as my gun was pressed against his forehead.
"Don't move, Jack, or I'll blow your head off!" I said coldly.
Jack immediately gave up struggling; he wisely chose to give up resistance.
"Stand up slowly, slowly!" I pressed the muzzle of my gun firmly against his forehead, and then we both stood up. I immediately pushed Jack in front of me.
Jack's two men reacted quickly. Their first reaction wasn't to rush over, but to swiftly run to the two helicopter pilots and press their guns against their heads.
Jack breathed a sigh of relief, then chuckled coldly, "Hey kid, who are you? A cop? Or a secret agent? I have two hostages! You'd better put me down first! Otherwise... you can't just stand by and watch your hostages get killed right in front of you, can you?"
I laughed even colder and said without hesitation, "What nonsense are you talking about! Let your men shoot! I don't care about anyone else's life or death. Jack, you're mistaken. I'm not some cop or special agent! Kid, if you have the guts, shoot. We'll all shoot together, dare you?"
"..." Jack was startled by me and didn't say anything.
I became even more aggressive and shouted, "Come on! You think you're so fierce? Kid, come on! I'll count to three, and we'll shoot together!! I can blow your head off with one shot!! Come on! One!! Two!!..." At the same time, I pressed the muzzle of my gun hard against his temple.
"Stop! Wait, wait a minute!" Jack finally gave in!
Part Two: The Road to Success, Chapter 153: Submission
He sensed the murderous intent emanating from me! If he hadn't called for a halt, I really would have fired! I'm not a good person, anyway! To be honest, I don't know those two helicopter pilots, and I don't really care whether they live or die!
"Oh..." I sneered, "So, you're scared?"
I paused for a moment, then said sternly, "Tell your men to put down their guns, then stand on the ground with their hands behind their heads!! Now!!"
Jack was still hesitating when I coldly and loudly said, "Fine, you won't? Then let's give it a try!"
After saying that, I quickly raised my hand and fired a shot into the ground next to his feet!
call out!!!
Under the silencer, the bullet made a very faint sound, but it still sent sparks flying when it hit the ground!
Jack was genuinely terrified! He hadn't expected me to be so ruthless, opening fire without hesitation, even more heartless than those vicious thugs! I showed absolutely no regard for the hostages they held!!
"Ah!!" Jack screamed, his voice filled with terror. Then, after he finished screaming, he realized that the bullet had only hit the ground beside his feet—almost grazed his instep, but it hadn't hit him. He then growled angrily, "Damn it! Damn it! You threatened me! You intimidated me!"
My tone was devoid of any emotion: "That last shot was just a threat. The next shot will be aimed directly at your knee, you believe me!"
"..." Jack was speechless. I saw a bean-sized bean of sweat slowly rolling down his temple.
I know he was genuinely scared. This kind of ruthless bandit isn't truly fearless of death.
"You...you're really not a policeman?" Jack's voice softened, and his imposing manner weakened.
"I don't have time to waste with you. I'll ask you one more time: you guys, are you going to put down your guns or not?" I said to myself, "One, two... three!"
Just as my finger was on the trigger, Jack finally broke down, yelling, "Put down the gun! Put it down!"
His two henchmen hesitated for a moment, while Jack roared frantically, "Damn it, how many times do I have to tell you! Put down your gun!! Rubens, you bastard, do you dare disobey me?!"
His two henchmen exchanged a glance, and probably intimidated by Jack's usual tyranny, they actually put down their guns!
The two helicopter pilots nearby were also quick-witted; they ran over, picked up the guns on the ground, and held Jack's two men hostage.
"Alright, now you can put your gun down! You win!" Jack cursed helplessly, "FUCK!"
I slowly took two steps back. I released Jack; his neck was red from where I had choked him. He immediately went limp, his hands supporting his knees as he gasped for breath. When he turned around, I looked at him: "No, Jack, this is far from enough! Listen, I need your cooperation… do you understand?"
"Cooperate? What the hell? How am I supposed to cooperate?" Jack gritted his teeth. "Kid, don't get cocky. I don't know if they're cops or someone else, but your goal is probably to save someone... but you're not going to succeed. Hmph..."
“Jack, Jack, Jack…” I brandished the gun in my hand, pretending to casually point it at him, my finger never leaving the trigger. This action made Jack's forehead sweat again. I said slowly, “You idiot, do you think I care about the lives of those hostages inside? I'll say it again, I'm not a cop. Not at all!”
"So who exactly are you? What are you doing here?" Jack glared at me. I knew he was afraid, but he was just using anger to mask his fear.
“First of all, I have to say, you’re a complete idiot.” I ignored his question and continued, “Listen, I know why you’re here. You’re here for those diamonds and jewels, those worth tens or even hundreds of millions. You and that Lamucci are partners, right… But it seems you’ve chosen the wrong partner, haven’t you?”
Jack was speechless.
“Listen, you’re disarmed now. I can easily kill you with one shot, right now, right here.” I continued to intimidate him, then breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the tension in his eyes. “However, I don’t want to do that. Because you still have value to me. If your performance satisfies me, I might consider sparing your life and that of your men.”
Jack looked at me with disbelief, which was normal; I didn't expect to convince him with such a simple sentence.
“Listen up, Jack, I don’t have time for nonsense, so I’ll only say this once!” I stared at him and said in a deep voice, “My name is Chen Yang, and I represent the largest underground organization on the west coast of Canada, as well as the Clover Family of America, to discuss cooperation with you! I can tell you directly, I don’t care about the life or death of anyone here, including you and the hostages below! But there is one person here who cannot die! That person is involved with the two forces I just mentioned! Do you understand? I am indeed here to rescue people, but I am not a policeman, nor am I a government official… Therefore, my methods will not be as cautious as those of the police! I have no scruples! So don’t expect me to show mercy to anyone, and don’t expect…” What nonsense are you using to hold me back! And you, Jack, I know your name. You're one of America's most notorious fugitives, the most skilled robber. I even know the World Bank has secretly put up a bounty for your capture. Because you've robbed too many banks! Your goal this time was to rob those diamond jewels, but clearly, your partner, that Ramouche, has played you. You've seen it yourself; his every move shows absolutely no interest in those jewels! He's a terrorist… he's not in your line of work! In other words, he's prepared to die for this… and you, you don't intend to die here, do you? Your goal is to get what you want and leave here alive, isn't it?”
Jack didn't say anything.
I continued, "But... if things continue like this, do you think you'll still have a chance to leave here? Look, he's just dragging you down with him!"
Jack had nothing to say, because I was telling the truth! I saw his gaze soften little by little.
"Without me, you basically have no hope... To put it simply, you're doomed! You originally only had two possibilities: First, continue cooperating with Lamouchi, eventually becoming his cannon fodder, and then you'll perish with him! Because here, you have nowhere to go! You're already tied to his chariot, and you have no chance to get off! Second, surrender to the police and turn the tables on that son of a bitch, Lamouchi! But that's very dangerous. Because, just how many wanted posters are on your person?" "You probably can't even count how many lives and cases you've taken, right? Even if you switch sides at the last minute and help the police, you'll still be arrested and brought to trial after you surrender!" I looked at him mockingly. "Jack, let's think about what will happen to you after you're taken to court... Hmm. Although California doesn't have the death penalty, how many years will you get for your crimes? Three hundred or five hundred? Damn it. After hundreds of years in prison, you probably won't walk out of jail until your next life!"
Jack's face had turned ashen.
I watched his expression closely. I continued, "But now, I can offer you a third way! You see, I'm not with Lamouchi's gang, and I'm not a cop! I represent an underground force, and we won't arrest you and put you in court. That wouldn't do me any good. What I need now is your cooperation. If you help me, I can get you out of here afterwards, and even give you a large sum of money so you can continue to roam free."
At this point, I pulled back the bolt and deliberately waved the gun at him: "I don't have time to waste with you now. Either you agree to my terms now, or I'll shoot you dead right now. See, Yes or No!! A very simple choice!!"
Jack was breathing heavily. He was facing what was probably the most difficult choice of his life. The path I gave him was simple: if he didn't agree, I would kill him immediately! That was without a doubt!!
Just then, a static sound came from Jack's walkie-talkie, followed by Lamuch's voice: "Jack, report the situation from above..."
Then the voice inside repeated itself.
I pointed my gun at him, and Jack's facial muscles contorted. Finally, he gestured for me to stop shooting, pressed a button on the walkie-talkie with his other hand, took a deep breath, and slowly said into the microphone, "All is normal." Then he turned off the call.
I lowered my gun and looked at Jack. His expression was complicated as he looked at me. "Fine, I'll do it! But can you guarantee I... and my people can get out of here safely?"
I walked over and suddenly saw another media helicopter approaching from a distance in the sky, and I also saw a camera pointed at the rooftop.
Suddenly, my heart sank. I remembered something and shouted, "Everyone back up! Get behind the wall!!"
Part Two: The Road to Success, Chapter 154: Multiple Relationships
At the same time, I quickly picked up the gun that Jack had dropped on the ground, swiftly removed the magazine, handed the gun back to him, and shouted, "Hold your gun still and pretend nothing happened!"
I rushed up to the two pilots, grabbed them one in each hand, and shoved them against the wall. At the same time, I yelled at Jack's two men, "You guys, quick! Get under the helicopter! Quick!!"
With the gun in my hand, the two men did as I said.
In the sky, the helicopter approached a little closer, circled for a moment, filmed the rooftop for a while, and then left.
Thankfully... I breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, the helicopter didn't capture the scene of me pointing a gun at Jack!
You see, that helicopter in the sky was carrying media personnel! Those media outlets don't care about anything! If they send the footage back... and it gets broadcast...
Don't forget, Ramouchi still has accomplices outside. Ramouchi requested a TV interview, so he definitely has accomplices lurking in the city watching on TV! If his accomplices see that I've already taken control of Jack and his men on the rooftop of this building... then it's all over! My plans will be ruined!
After the media helicopter left, I sighed and glanced at Jack.
Thankfully, he was quite obedient; it seemed he had truly given in to me. I thought for a moment, then glanced at one of the pilots beside me: "The helicopter has a radio, right? Take me there. I need to use the radio."
The pilot glanced at me. He did as I said. But when we got to the helicopter, he suddenly stopped, turned to look at me, and said very seriously, "Who exactly are you?!"
After saying that, he suddenly pulled out a pistol from under the helicopter seat and pointed it at me!
This was quite unexpected!
“Listen, I just said, I’m not a cop!” I looked at the gun in his hand.
"I don't care who you are! But I won't allow you to do anything here! It will ruin our operation!" The pilot stared intently at me: "I'm from the FBI!!"
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