"Please, don't kill me, don't kill me, heroes spare my life, if it's money you want, I have money, I'll give you all my money!" Just then, a bank employee cried out.

This was a woman, and a glamorous one at that, the very voluptuous Pan Hongmei.

"Oh?" One of the felons saw Pan Hongmei and immediately became interested. "Turns out it's a great beauty, don't worry, we always save beauties for last!"

"Please, don't kill me, I beg you!" Pan Hongmei knelt and crawled to the group of felons.

Pan Hongmei's desire to live was the strongest; the felons had already killed several people, causing her to completely break down. She struggled to survive, truly not wanting to die.

"She's got some looks, but the environment isn't right, otherwise, I'd really like to have some fun with you!" A robber stepped on Pan Hongmei, revealing a satisfied expression.

"Alright, hero, go ahead with me!" Pan Hongmei clung to the straw of hope. "As long as you don't kill me, do whatever you want to me, even if you all take turns, I really beg you not to kill me!"

"Ha ha~~!" Upon hearing this, a group of felons burst into laughter.

"Bang!"

A felon holding a gun pulled the trigger toward Pan Hongmei.

Pan Hongmei died with her eyes wide open, not understanding why these men, who fancied her, still wanted to kill her.

"Idiot!" The shooter kicked Pan Hongmei's body aside with his foot.

Ye Chen naturally knew Pan Hongmei, and seeing her being shot to death, he couldn't help but frown deeply.

These felons were utterly ruthless and lawless, trampling on human lives at will, reaching a point where it was completely outrageous!

"Little Black, go grab a hostage, one who looks rich, you know, what we call a tycoon. The richer they are, the more the cops will care about their life and death, and the more leverage we'll have in negotiations!" The gang leader gave orders to one of the felons.

"Got it!" Little Black acknowledged.

The gang leader's voice was loud and clear, and upon hearing that a wealthy person was to be captured, those mischievous members of the public began hiding their wealth.

A regal-looking lady quietly took off three large gold rings from her finger, stuffed them all into her mouth, and swallowed them. Now, no one would know she was a tycoon, would they!

An elegant lady discreetly took off a two-carat diamond ring from her hand and slyly stuffed it into her hair, looking utterly lost and innocent. She had perfectly concealed her tycoon identity, hadn't she!

A serious-looking old man glanced around, then punched himself hard in the mouth, his gold teeth falling out. He swallowed them without drawing attention, ensuring no one would find out he was rich anymore!

"——"

This felon, known as Little Black, approached a crouched group of hostages, scanning with his eyes and quickly found his target.

"You there, the one in the white shirt, don't look at others, you're the one!" Little Black, gun in hand, pointed at the man. "Hands on your head, come here! Be honest, or my gun might just go off!"

Ye Chen, hands on his head, walked over obediently. This was truly unexpected misfortune!

"Big brother, can I ask a question?" Ye Chen stammered in fear. "Why, why did you think I was rich?"

"You bastard, showing off with your gold phone like you're some big shot, I've had my eye on you for a while, if you're not a tycoon, what are you!" The felon chuckled.

Ye Chen: "..."

Everyone who heard this immediately resolved that if they lived through this, they would definitely never buy a gold phone again!

"Big brother, this guy, this guy has a gold phone, he's rich! He's a tycoon!" The felon, gun pressed against Ye Chen, announced as he brought him over to the gang leader.

"Hmm, I've also grabbed a little girl. Let's go out and negotiate with those cops again!" The gang leader, holding a little girl about eight years old as if she was a small chicken, headed toward the door, ready to negotiate with the police again.

"Move it, or I'll blow your head off!" The felon threatened Ye Chen, also making him step towards the door.

"Mr. Li, the felons have taken more hostages!" Qin Lan exclaimed in shock.

"Hm, we can't let them hurt the hostages again!" Li Shan said, his face full of worry; these felons would kill at the drop of a hat, which was causing him great distress.

"I just received a report from the intelligence department. These robbers are the notorious 'Dongjiang Eight Tigers'. They're responsible for major cases such as the Phoenix Jewelry heist and the 819 armored car case—seven big cases in total, all by the Dongjiang Eight Tigers!"

"The Dongjiang Eight Tigers have been wanted by Huaxia police for three years, always evading capture. Who would have thought they'd come to Longcheng!" Qin Lan sounded a bit nervous, but mostly excited.

The Dongjiang Eight Tigers were undoubtedly vicious criminals, committing all sorts of heinous acts. Just the thought of capturing them gave Qin Lan an inexplicable thrill.

"Qin Lan, don't underestimate these eight men!" Li Shan's face showed unprecedented seriousness. "The Dongjiang Eight Tigers all come from Special Forces. They're incredibly capable in combat, and our police might not stand a chance against them!"

"What?" Qin Lan gasped in surprise. "Then what do we do?"

"I've already requested backup from the headquarters. As long as we can hold them off for an hour, a troop of elites from the headquarters will arrive at the scene, and then not a single one of the Dongjiang Eight Tigers will escape!" Li Shan's voice was firm and resolute.

"Bang, bang!"

The gang leader fired two shots into the sky, silencing all the voices around.

"Police outside, send out someone in charge, I want to talk with you!" the gang leader bellowed, his voice booming and his presence as imposing as a bull.

The two robbers held Ye Chen and the little girl in front of them to prevent a hidden sniper from delivering a fatal shot.

"I'm the one!" Li Shan stepped forward and responded with a megaphone.

"Good!" the gang leader said.

"I want you to clear out of here quickly, make me a clear escape route. If you don't agree, I will kill everyone here!" After saying this, the gang leader was full of murderous aura, clearly ready to kill at the slightest provocation.

Ye Chen was secretly gathering his True Qi, prepared to strike with the force of thunder should these bandits dare to make a wrong move.

Actually, now was the best time for him to act. He was confident that he could capture these two bandits with a one hundred percent certainty. However, there were still five more bandits inside the bank hall, holding hostages, and he feared startling them; it would be disastrous if that caused them to kill anyone in a fit of rage.

"I can agree to your demands, but you need to release some hostages," Li Shan said sternly.

Money is a minor issue; human lives are a major one. Regardless of the situation, public safety must always be the priority.

"Impossible. However, as long as you clear the way, I promise no one gets hurt!" the gang leader refused. "I'm going to count to ten, and if you don't start evacuating, I'll kill these two hostages right away!"

When Ye Chen saw the robber pointing a gun at him, he immediately showed a look of terror, and the little girl also started to cry in evident serious distress.

Hidden beneath his calm, his True Qi surged secretly.

Ye Chen readied himself to act at any moment. If these vicious robbers really intended to shoot him and the little girl, he would no longer care about the hostages in the hall.

"Ten, nine, eight..." the robber started counting, giving the police no extra time to think.

Li Shan's face darkened. These bandits were ruthless and decisive, not giving him any chance to stall for time!

"All teams, begin to evacuate, evacuate now~~!"

Li Shan didn't use the walkie-talkie; he shouted directly with the megaphone, wanting the bandits to know that he was complying with their demands. This was his way of subtly warning the bandits not to harm the hostages.

Upon Chief Li's orders, the police officers at the scene began to evacuate quickly, including the elite SWAT members, who all retreated in unison.

"Is anyone hurt inside?" Li Shan's voice came through the megaphone. "Do you need medical personnel?"

Li Shan wanted to send someone in to scout the situation in the bank and formulate the most effective combat plan.

"Haha, we only kill, not injure!" the gang leader laughed wildly.

Li Shan began to frown. Once the bandits began to retreat, it would be nearly impossible to stop them, and the headquarters' elite team was still about fifty minutes away from arriving!

"Release the two hostages you have," Li Shan said in a deep voice. "Take me as a hostage instead. I have a higher status than them, and it should be easier for you to escape with me under your control.

Li Shan wanted to mingle among them, trying to find a breakthrough and rescue the hostages.

One must admit, at this point, Chief Li had truly put his life on the line.

If this case was mishandled, it would cause massive public outcry, and Li Shan would face severe consequences even if he survived. It was a riskier but potentially more beneficial strategy to act boldly!

"I'm not interested in men, let that beauty behind you come instead!" the gang leader demanded.

Behind Li Shan was a young female police officer, whom the gang leader had had his eye on for a long time. Li Shan had been shielding her, likely meaning she was someone with status and connections. Such a person would make the perfect hostage, he thought.

"Then we will not exchange," Li Shan said, his face unchanged, but inside, his heart skipped a beat as they targeted Qin Lan.

"No way!" the gang leader refused, his tone manic. "You have to trade, otherwise, I will blast these two right now!"

Li Shan: "..."

"In charge, send that woman behind you over here right now, or I start shooting!" the gang leader threatened.

"..."

As virtue rises one foot, vice rises ten!

Li Shan almost wanted to slap himself twice. Hadn't his brain been kicked by a donkey when he came up with the idea of exchanging hostages!

"Mr. Li, don't worry," Qin Lan stepped out from behind Li Shan and spoke up at the right moment. "I will be fine. I'll find a way to stall them and buy time until our comrades from the headquarters arrive."

"You!" Li Shan was startled. "Your sister placed you in my care; you can't afford to have any accidents!"

The young lady Qin Lan came from an impressive background, and under no circumstances could Li Shan allow her to endanger herself.

——

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