I nodded; this was to be expected. I did have some tools; there was even a folding entrenching tool in the canvas bag. I gave it to old Bruce. He could take the men here and try to dig open the passage leading down into the room again.
"And you?" Old Bruce looked at me.
"I'm going to find Yang Wei." I breathed a sigh of relief.
I told them to block the main entrance again, and then I told them, "The terrorists will definitely contact each other regularly via walkie-talkie to confirm that everything is normal. So you don't have much time, so you need to act quickly. If you are discovered, escaping will be difficult. But hope is right here; as long as you get downstairs, someone will be there to meet you!"
After saying that, I climbed back into the ventilation duct. Jessica was still crying, I couldn't tell if it was from fear or excitement. I looked at the other people in the room, and most of them were looking at me with immense gratitude.
Time was of the essence, and I couldn't worry about whether they had managed to escape. I went through the ventilation ducts to the makeshift kitchen that had been blown up earlier. It was already a complete mess.
My only option was the ventilation duct, because I knew that the terrorists had taken control of all the surveillance cameras on the floor. The ventilation duct in the temporary kitchen had been damaged by the gas explosion I had set off earlier, making it impossible for me to continue along the previous route. I could only go around in the ventilation duct and then change direction to climb down.
After turning a corner, the dark ventilation duct ahead widened considerably, and I realized... I was probably climbing directly to the lobby from here!
I felt a little nervous! I became even more careful, not daring to make any noise.
To my surprise, when I climbed to the top of the hall ceiling and looked down through the mesh cover in the ventilation duct, I was shocked by what I saw!
There were no hostages left in the lobby! That meant that almost all the hostages had been moved to the surrounding rooms!
Meanwhile, a special live interview is taking place in the lobby!
Right in the middle of the hall, a strange metal can, about the height of a person, stood there. It was clearly a pieced-together structure, and inside, in some transparent tubes, a greenish-blue semi-liquid substance was quietly stored...
Lamouchi stood beneath the metal can, looking calmly at the camera.
There were three people in that interview team.
The leader was a young woman dressed in professional attire. She was very beautiful, blonde with blue eyes, a well-proportioned figure, and the most composed of them all. I could only see her profile… but after just one glance, I was certain that this woman was the star reporter named Phil who had clearly spotted me on the plane but hadn't revealed it.
At that moment, she was holding a microphone.
The photographer seemed slightly nervous. His normally strong physique appeared somewhat weak in the legs. And the other man, snapping photos everywhere… my eyes lit up!
Based on my cooperation with the FBI, I know that this guy is also an agent who infiltrated the organization!
Ramuch was the same as always, but he was now wearing a trench coat and still holding a pistol in one hand, looking very calm—a calmness in the face of death.
To my slight surprise, all the blast-proof glass cases in the lobby that originally held priceless jewels had been opened!
This must be the result of the police giving in to them. However, no one paid any attention to the jewelry. Clearly, these terrorists knew they were about to die, and no one would have any interest in such material possessions.
"Beautiful ladies, I am now going to introduce you to the climax of this party."
Lamuch smiled as if he were a magician about to reveal the secret!
"Look, TG23, a beautiful yet terrifying weapon of mass destruction. A semi-liquid substance. And at the bottom of this metal can is a detonator... You see. I don't care if you get close to it, you can even take pictures as you please... Of course, even if you wanted to rush up and turn it off now, it would be impossible." Lamuch looked at the female reporter named Phil.
“Why?” Phil looked at Lamouchi. She didn’t seem afraid at all: “Aren’t you afraid that some of us are police officers who have infiltrated our ranks, subdue you, and then deactivate the detonator?”
“No, I’m not afraid.” Lamuch looked at Phil. “Beautiful lady, I think I know you. I remember you were a war correspondent in the Middle East. There are very few ladies who possess both beauty and courage.”
"Thank you for the compliment. But I still really want to know the answer to my question." Phil smiled calmly.
Lamouchi nodded, then suddenly lifted his shirt, revealing his chest...
What made my heart clench was his heart area. There was a clearly visible surgical scar! And the scar was red, obviously recent!
“My detonator is remote-controlled. The method of detonation is my heartbeat sensor!” Lamuch smiled slightly, pointing to his own heart: “There’s a sensor here that senses my heartbeat. I originally wanted to put it on my wrist to sense my pulse, but that’s too dangerous and easy to lose… so it’s safer to keep it ‘close to my body’.”
Looking at this madman's smile now, one can't help but feel a sense of dread: "Look, this sensor can transmit my heart rate to the detonation device below, and once my heart rate drops to a certain level, then this detonator will be activated, and within thirty seconds, it will... bang!!" He made a gesturing motion.
I noticed the cameraman's leg tremble slightly. Phil, however, remained calm: "So, how do you control your heartbeat? I mean..."
"The way to control me is through my death!" Ramuchi looked at the camera: "You can transmit this unedited! If I find that the situation has changed, or my operation has failed, I will not hesitate to end my life! I can shoot myself... and everyone around me will die with me!! If anyone tries to subdue me, there is a fast-acting poison solution in my mouth. As long as I bite it... I will die within ten seconds. Once my heart rate drops... you know the consequences."
Phil was then somewhat moved: "So, the police can't subdue you... even if they don't arrest you outright, but try to use some kind of tranquilizer dart..."
“Using a tranquilizer weapon will lower the heart rate of the person being tranquilized… and the degree of lowering is exactly what I set to detonate this device,” Ramuch said coldly. “So, unless I want to dismantle this thing, no one can catch me.”
I couldn't help but feel a chill run down my spine.
This guy went to such extremes!
We can't kill him, because if he dies, the poison gas will explode!
We can't arrest him, because he'll definitely commit suicide!!
Anesthesia won't work either, because it will lower the heart rate...
Depend on!
Part Two: The Road to Success, Chapter 157: My Greatest Love in This Life
The FBI agent disguised as a photojournalist had a few beads of sweat on his forehead, but he was still quite good at disguising himself, taking pictures from several angles with his camera. Actually, I knew he was surveying the terrain.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen," Ramouchi clapped his hands one last time, smiling slightly, "Now, here comes my favorite part..."
He snapped his fingers, and two of his men immediately dragged a woman in from a back door.
In that instant, a fire suddenly shot up from my heart and rushed straight to my head!
The woman who was carried in was Yang Wei.
Her face was still flushed, and her breathing was rapid and labored, but she seemed relatively calm. However, she was clearly exhausted and powerless to resist, allowing the two terrorists to carry her to the group. Yang Wei's beautiful face was cold, a genuine indifference to everything around her.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the climax of tonight's grand party..."
Lamuch, with a look of ecstasy on his face, exclaimed: "Beauty, and...death!"
As he raised his hands, all the crystal chandeliers in the already dimly lit hall were turned on! And all the lights that were still intact were turned on! Even the spotlights shone on the metal gas canister in the center.
The entire hall was bathed in a dazzling array of colorful lights! Even Ramucci, looking completely entranced, directed someone to turn on the stereo and play Johann Strauss's music…
Yang Wei was brought to the center like a martyr about to be burned at the stake. In front of the reporters' cameras, Yang Wei's expression remained calm. Her only expression was to glance at Lamuch and then purse her lips.
"Let me introduce our leading lady for tonight." Lamuch stood beside Yang Wei, looking at the camera lens: "This is Miss Yang. I found her name on tonight's guest list... Look how beautiful she is." As he spoke, he gently picked up a strand of Yang Wei's hair, pretended to smell it, and then whispered: "This beautiful woman from the East is mysterious, noble, elegant, and possesses a unique charm and allure."
“You…” Phil’s expression changed slightly.
"Oh. What you're seeing now is the climax of the evening," Lamouchi said quietly. "Originally, regarding the casting of the female lead, I initially considered choosing one of Hollywood's highest-paid actresses. Tonight, there are quite a few big names here who are Oscar winners... Unfortunately, in the end, none of those women could catch my eye. They were either crying or looking terrified. But look at this Miss Yang... oh, her expression is just too perfect!"
From my current prone position, I could kill this guy with a single shot! But I know that if I kill him, it will detonate the poison gas, so I can't do that.
“Let me introduce you. This is Miss Yang, I saw her information. She comes from the deeply rooted Shamrock family… well, that family must be quite famous in America… Oh. I’m really surprised that a young lady from the Shamrock family could possess such beauty… and… courage!” Lamuch wore an evil, hellish smile: “Look, her eyes still hold that undisguised disdain… like Joan of Arc’s expression before she was burned at the stake… It’s perfect! This should really be filmed in a movie!”
Lamuch made a subtle gesture, and his men carried Yang Wei to the metal can. They then used a chain to bind Yang Wei to the metal can, locking all the buckles. Yang Wei's body and wrists were all locked, and he stood with his back against the metal can in a dome-shaped position.
"What...what do you want to do to her?" Phil's voice was hoarse; she had even forgotten...
Pick up the microphone.
"It's very simple... a classic performance." Lamuch said calmly, "Look, your white religions burned countless people at the stake in the Middle Ages. The chains in front of those religious shrines were charred black by the smoke of history. Isn't everything tonight just a reenactment of that cruel scene? Except, I'm not using flames, but a killing weapon that is more beautiful and fascinating than flames."
He smiled at the camera: "Everyone in front of the camera, I now announce that the countdown begins at this moment. If they cannot agree to our demands within half an hour, I will detonate this place... and what will be broadcast live is the scene of the death of this Miss Yang from the Clover family! Look at her, she is so beautiful and indifferent."
But when she struggles with death, how much of her beauty can she retain?
I could feel my fingertips trembling with anger!
Next, Lamouchi did something even stranger! He carefully selected several pieces of diamond jewelry from all the glass cases in the hall, including diamond earrings, necklaces, and brooches, and put them all on Yang Wei.
Then, there was a small vest-like thing studded with countless diamonds... It was supposed to be the most expensive treasure on display tonight, and this little vest alone was worth at least 60 million US dollars!
Yang Wei, adorned with diamonds from head to toe, looked like a goddess! Her expression was indifferent and composed as she quietly watched Lamouchi dress her up, and she even gave a disdainful smile.
“Oh, look, our saintess is smiling. What are you smiling about?” Lamuch said deliberately.
Yang Wei seemed to sigh, and said lightly, "Oh, I just suddenly remembered that I don't think I've ever worn such expensive clothes and jewelry in my entire life."
A strange light flashed in Lamouchi's eyes. He then took two steps back and pointed at Phil: "Alright, Miss Phil, you can conduct the interview now. Interview our saintess. Before she died, I'll give you..." He glanced at the time: "Two minutes."
He paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "This interview could be published as 'the saint's pre-martyrdom transcript,' which would surely shock the world."
Phil's expression was complicated. She slowly walked up to Yang Wei and whispered, "I'm sorry... is that alright?"
"Okay," Yang Wei said calmly.
I heard Phil's voice choke up. She was a reporter, and seeing another woman so cruelly strapped to a poison gas bomb, she seemed saddened: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked you any questions. It's too cruel."
Yang Wei was silent for a few seconds, then she suddenly spoke up: "Oh, since you don't have any questions for me... then, may I ask you a question?"
"Oh? What?" Phil suddenly looked up and asked, puzzled.
"Well, I do have a question, and perhaps you might know the answer," Yang Wei said slowly. "You came up from downstairs, right? I want to ask, just a little while ago, two people escaped from here and jumped off the building. I don't think they're dead. One of them was a man, probably a bit older, in his twenties, with short hair. Have you seen him? Is he safe now?"
Phil's body stiffened. She stared at Yang Wei, whose expression was calm, with a faint smile on her lips.
“Yes, I think those two should be safe now. Someone saw them leave the building under police escort.” After answering, Phil looked at Yang Wei: “You could ask… about those two… um, the man you mentioned, is he yours…”
Yang Wei smiled reassuringly, then closed her eyes. She seemed to be pondering something. Then she opened her eyes, looked at Phil, and slowly said, "What you want to ask is... what is he to me, right? That's the question you want to ask, isn't it?"
Then, before Phil could speak, Yang Wei suddenly smiled. At that moment, her smile was sweet and gentle, and her voice was as soft as a spring breeze, as if she were whispering: "He...he must be the person I love most in this life."
...
Buzz!!
My mind went completely blank! It felt like a hundred thousand bolts of lightning had struck the top of my head! Countless voices, countless voices, were ringing out in my ears, in my head, and in my heart at the same time! I could feel my heart trembling, it was really trembling, trembling so much that I was almost on the verge of collapse!
I bit my lip so hard that I managed to keep myself from making a sound! I could feel that my lips were salty and bitter because they had been bitten and were bleeding.
Phil was probably shocked too. She took a deep breath and slowly said, "Are you... are you scared?"
Yang Wei shook her head slightly, then suddenly seemed to remember something and looked at Phil: "Can you do me a favor?"
"...Please speak."
"You'll be leaving soon, right? The biggest regret of my life is not being able to tell him in person. After you leave, please find him and tell him what I just said. Okay?"
Part Two: The Road to Success, Chapter 158: This Day
I slowly shrank back, and when I had retreated to the ventilation duct in the hallway outside the lobby, I gently pressed my earpiece: "Hansen..."
My voice was a little hoarse, but very firm.
Hansen answered me quickly.
"Report your location." I took a deep breath.