7 Chapter 7: Stand Out_1

The robber swept the crowd with his cold gaze and shouted loudly, "It's your turn to speak, isn't it?"

The robber's previous actions had thoroughly intimidated the crowd, but naturally, no one was willing to step forward and face death. Thus, despite the robber's prompting, no one dared to step out.

"You won't talk, huh? Then let's continue our previous game!" The robber grinned maliciously, and this time, instead of grabbing someone at random, he scanned the crowd and finally fixed his gaze on a young mother and her daughter.

"Bro, bring them over. I suspect they're the ones who called the police." The robber ordered, pointing at the young mother and daughter.

The young mother clutched her daughter tightly as she watched the robber approaching with his gun. Her shoulders shook with fear, and her face was streaked with pitiful tears.

"Please, don't hurt us. We didn't call the police. We really didn't." The young mother's pleading echoed through the bank hall, creating a gut-wrenching atmosphere.

Nevertheless, the robber was unmoved. He wore a hideous grin, and despite the mother's pleas and the little girl's cries, he cruelly yanked the girl from her mother's embrace, grabbed her clothing, and led her towards the head robber.

The robber's actions ignited the crowd's outrage like a spark in a haystack. Many clenched their fists and began to murmur in unrest.

The robber slowly raised his gun and loudly reprimanded, "What's this? Don't you want to live?"

The deterrent effect of the gun was beyond imagination. The crowd, which had just started to clamor, immediately fell back into a stifling silence. Many unclenched their defiant fists, resigned to turn their heads away, unwilling to witness the upcoming tragedy.

Even insects fight for their lives, let alone humans. Basil Jaak shook his head helplessly. He didn't blame these spineless individuals. After all, unlike him, they all had families, loved ones to worry about.

The little girl struggled to free herself, desperately shaking her head, attempting to return to her mother's side. But the robber's strong grip on her neck held her like a lock, allowing no escape despite her struggles.

The little girl's cries did not touch the robbers' conscience, but instead spurred their cruelty. The robber, gripping the girl's neck, joked, "Girl, shall we play a game?"

"No! You're a bad guy, I won't play with you." The childish voice, full of innocence, betrayed no awareness of the impending danger.

"Girl, you're right, I am a bad guy." As the robber said this, his face suddenly turned cold. Pointing at the hostages, he bellowed, "But then, they aren't any better. To save their own lives, they'd do anything."

Having said this, the robber snapped his fingers and shouted, "I'm losing my patience. I don't want to drag this on any longer. Now, I'm giving you five minutes. If no one steps forward, I'll kill this adorable little girl first. The countdown begins now!"

Upon hearing the robber's words, the young mother's heart shattered. Crying out, she begged, "Please, don't touch my daughter. I'll do anything you ask."

"Bro, deal with this chattering woman. She's disrupting our game." The lead robber ordered impatiently, gesturing for the younger robber to kill the young mother.

As the gun barrel slowly aimed at the young mother, despair filled her eyes. Looking at her daughter, she said, "Baby, don't be scared, don't cry. Mommy will buy you your favorite toys later."

"Mhm, baby won't cry." The little girl wiped her tears and nodded at her mother.

Upon hearing the mother and daughter's conversation, many in the crowd shed bitter tears. Unable to bear watching the cruel scene unfold any longer, they turned their heads away.

These three bastards met me today. Tough luck for them. Basil Jaak's eyes narrowed. If they were just after the money, he might not have interfered. But using a little girl as bait - he had to take action.

Estimating the distance to the three robbers with his eyes, Basil Jaak quickly formulated a plan in his mind. Taking on three armed robbers at once might be a tough task, but he decided to give it a try.

Fixating on the trigger finger, Basil Jaak slowly leaned forward, adopting a predatory stance. Target locked, he took a deep breath, ready to make his move.

However, at that moment, a pleasant yell suddenly rang out, interrupting Basil Jaak's action.

"Hold on!" Lydia White, who had been crouching in the distance, suddenly stood up and said coldly, "You guys are looking for the person who called the police, well, that's me!"

Basil Jaak once again witnessed the courage of this white-clothed woman, Lydia, and couldn't help but smile bitterly, "Unexpectedly, the one who finally steps forward is her. No, I should say steps 'bust' forward." As he spoke, his gaze inadvertently swept over her chest— indeed large, and quite appealing.

...

The bank's entrance was surrounded by a large crowd of police, but because the robbers were holding a significant number of hostages, they seemed at a loss for a solution and could only continue shouting out from the perimeter.

"Director Coll, we can't wait any longer. These three robbers are incorrigible and will not surrender voluntarily." Yetta Astir shouted anxiously, "We must take the initiative to strike, burst in and rescue the hostages."

How could Albert Coll fail to recognize the unyielding nature of these three robbers? But as the head of the police bureau, he must ensure no widespread casualties occur among the hostages. However, if they followed Yetta's approach, and simply stormed in, it might provoke the robbers, threatening the safety of the hostages. Therefore, even though standing vigil outside was futile, he dared not act rashly.

"Astir, your spirit is commendable, but such a brash approach won't work—we must take precautionary measures to ensure the safety of the hostages." Albert Coll waved his hand, refuting her suggestion.

Seeing her proposal rejected by the director, Yetta stomped her foot in frustration and began to pout.

Albert Coll, looking at Miss Astir, who was visibly angry before him, could only laugh helplessly. While others weren't privy to her background, he was fully aware. He had once guarantee to Secretary Astir that he would take care of Miss Astir.

"Director, I have an idea." A robust voice interrupted Albert Coll's contemplation, and he turned to see Rex: a trusted officer from the Criminal Investigation Department.

Albert Coll thought highly of the young man standing before him. Originally, he had placed him in the Criminal Investigation Department merely to help Yetta, but he hadn't expected the young man to solve many big cases, earning recognition from the provincial Bureau. Subsequently, he rose to the position of the Head of the Criminal Investigation Department. Albert Coll felt that he had underestimated him. His plan was, in a few years, when the young man had built up enough experience, to either promote him to deputy director in charge of criminal investigation or transfer him to lead a sub-bureau.

Albert Coll gave a faint smile and asked warmly, "Let's hear it."

"Director, waiting here is getting us nowhere. We must look for an opportunity to strike while the hostages are not yet in imminent danger and rescue them," Rex said, frowning at the scene inside the bank.

Rex's suggestion was identical to Yetta's, both were quite risky. This caused some discontent in Albert Coll, who asked unhappily, "Rex, aren't you afraid that going in there to rescue the hostages will drive the robbers desperate, causing them to kill the hostages first? You must remember that we are currently being evaluated for the 'Top Ten Safest Cities in the Country' and our bureau has a strong chance of being shortlisted. If this operation results in numerous casualties among the hostages, all our past efforts will be wasted."

Rex sighed to himself. Director Coll was an excellent leader and had been kind to him, but his practicality sometimes outweighed common sense. This hesitation often dictated his decisions, preventing him from taking certain risks.

"Rex, your plan is too rash, I cannot approve it." Albert Coll realized his previous statement had been somewhat harsh. He pat Rex's shoulder, "It's not that. We are responsible for the lives and property of the public. As long as there's a slim chance of turning the robbers around, we cannot give up. We must always prioritize the safety of the public's lives and property."

Rex listened, then responded, "Director, you misunderstood me. I'm not suggesting we blindly storm in from the front to save the hostages. Rather, let a couple of comrades with strong abilities and psychological endurance disguise themselves as food deliverers and stealthily infiltrate. Then we wait for the opportune moment to act."

After hearing Rex's idea, Albert Coll was suddenly enlightened. He had thought of this, but the robbers hadn't made any requests yet, and he wouldn't have known what excuse to use. Now it clicked—noon was approaching — they could disguise themselves as chefs delivering food.

"That's a good plan, but who should we send in? Although you're quite dexterous, you're too conspicuous and the robbers might easily notice you." Albert Coll turned to Rex and asked.

"If I were one of the robbers, I would definitely ask for a woman from the outside to deliver the food," Rex paused before adding, "So, I suggest we send a female comrade."

Albert Coll was thinking the same thing, but who should he send?

"Director, I think I'm suitable for this task." Upon hearing the plan, Yetta walked over and volunteered herself.

As the head of the second criminal police team, Yetta excelled both physically and mentally, outstanding amongst the bureau. Also, her beauty puts her in a better position to lower the guard of the male robbers—making her the optimal candidate.

However, considering the danger level of the task and Yetta's family background, Albert Coll didn't hesitate to reject her: "Miss Astir is not suitable. Let's consider some other candidates."

Upon hearing the director's rejection, Yetta jumped up, questioning, "Why don't I qualify?"