Chapter 269: Mantlescramble Battle (4)
Chapter 269: Mantlescramble Battle (4)
A hostage stood at the bank’s entrance. His hands and feet were bound with thin but sturdy Plastic Cuffs, and a Cash Bag covered his head.
The bank’s glass doors were automatic sliding ones—anyone approaching would trigger the sensor, keeping the doors perpetually open. Thus, the hostage’s presence forced the glass doors to remain ajar.
From the street, one could peer into the bank’s lobby. The police could no longer see any other hostages—only this single figure remained in their line of sight.
Two corpses lay on the floor. One had been shot by the submachine gun-wielding bandit near the entrance; the other slumped beside the counter, identity unknown. The police couldn’t confirm whether this second body was a hostage or how he had died, though their initial suspicion was that the gunshot and explosion earlier were directly involved.
As for the corpse of the bandit who had carried the money and the area where the handgun-wielding bandit had been killed, these were obscured from view.
“I assume you’ve got a Telescope handy, officer?” Feng Bu Jue’s voice cut in.
Ke Le Pu Dun had no idea what trick the bandit was playing. He simply replied, “Yes.”
“Pick it up and look toward the counter,” Feng Bu Jue instructed.
Ke Le Pu Dun didn’t lower the phone. He gestured to an officer nearby, who handed him a Telescope.
From his position, he could observe the entire counter. However, Feng Bu Jue had already taken cover behind it, and the phone on the counter had been moved downward. Raising one arm, Feng Bu Jue extended his right hand above the counter’s surface, waving it side to side.
“Can you see me?”
“Yes. Are you about to flip me the bird next?” Ke Le Pu Dun retorted.
“Heh… I’m afraid I can only show you my hand, officer,” Feng Bu Jue chuckled. “With the glass doors open, your snipers could shoot bullets in here. While I’ve got the vault’s password as a bargaining chip, exposing my head to a rifle’s scope is a risk I’m unwilling to take.”
“Enough. What do you want? It’s been nearly twenty minutes since you locked the hostages in the vault. You haven’t even told me—”
“I’m giving you a gift, officer,” Feng Bu Jue interrupted.
The officer hesitated. “You mean… you’re releasing the hostage at the door? Fine… I’ll have my men retrieve him—”
“If your men take one step closer, I’ll kill that guy at the door,” Feng Bu Jue warned.
“Then what are you doing?”
“I had him stand there just to keep the glass doors open,” Feng Bu Jue laughed. “Only this way can I deliver my gift to you.” As he spoke, a large square object slowly rose from behind the counter.
Ke Le Pu Dun, peering through the Telescope, could scarcely believe his eyes.
“This is one cubic foot of paper-wrapped twenty-dollar bills,” Feng Bu Jue explained. Naturally, he wasn’t holding it by hand—it hovered via the anti-gravity launcher’s levitation function.
“What are you planning…?” Ke Le Pu Dun felt a chill.
“I’m going to… do this.” Feng Bu Jue aimed carefully and launched the Cash Projectile.
The money soared over the hostage’s head, flying out of the bank at a slant. Mid-flight, hundreds of bills scattered, drawing the attention of every officer, reporter, and civilian on the street.
The cash projectile traced a mesmerizing arc through the air before slamming into the wall of the building across the street, bursting apart at roughly the third or fourth floor.
A gentle breeze picked up, scattering the bills across the entire street.
Five seconds. Ten seconds.
The crowd didn’t hesitate for long. When a few people behind the police line reached out to catch the money, chaos became inevitable.
Soon, only the area around the bank’s main entrance—blocked off by police cars—remained unaffected. Within dozens of meters around, hundreds of civilians and reporters surged past the barricades to grab the cash. Even the officers tasked with stopping them secretly bent down to collect bills.
“Hahahaha!” A maniacal laugh erupted from the phone. “Capitalist Lapdog! Taste the Candy-Coated Projectile!”
“Are you insane? Do you even know what you’re doing!” Ke Le Pu Dun finally snapped, his anger boiling over. “You’re not just a bandit—you’re a Terrorist! Who are you? Which organization do you belong to?”
“Haha… I’m Bill Gates!” Feng Bu Jue blurted out, laughing wildly. “I bring you the most sincere greetings from Andrew Jackson!” As he spoke, he levitated a second Cash Projectile and fired it immediately.
After the second explosion, the street descended into utter confusion. After all, police were still human. Gotham City’s officers faced high pressure and danger—how could they resist temptation? Soon, even the area around the bank’s entrance saw civilians sneaking in, some scavenging the ground, others waving their arms wildly to catch falling bills. Everyone clutched bundles of cash.
Moreover, since the bills were fresh, they floated in the air for ages. It was as if someone had fired a confetti cannon into the sky, showering the streets with colorful paper. The snipers, rendered useless by the chaos, could no longer focus.
“Don’t touch the money! Hold your positions!” Ke Le Pu Dun grabbed a megaphone, shouting. “Keep your eyes on the bank’s entrance! Don’t slacken!”
Whether we admit it or not, most people in this world are the same—when others grab money, they do too; when others jaywalk, they follow; when others spit on the ground, they do the same. Eventually, when someone suggests burning down the Yasukuni Shrine, they might just vandalize a Japanese car on the street.
But there are a few who are different. Perhaps in normal times, they might jaywalk or spit too, but when the moment comes, they hold their line.
At this moment, over half the officers at the bank’s entrance remained at their posts, hyper-focused, ignoring the money raining from the sky. They did their utmost to maintain Order, watching the bank’s interior intently. These officers knew clearly what they should do—if they all rushed to grab the stolen cash, allowing the bandits inside to escape in the chaos, the consequences would be catastrophic.
“Enjoying my gift, Officer?” Feng Bu Jue’s voice returned through the phone. “We’re not done yet…” As he spoke, he launched a third wave of cash. After firing, he added, “The warm-up’s about over. Let’s play a little riddle game now.” He paused. “I’ll release some hostages. Among them… are my accomplices.”
“Is this guy out of his mind? Why would he tell me this?” Ke Le Pu Dun thought. “Could it be… he wants to betray his own men?”
“The streets are in chaos now. Snipers can’t fire at the area in front of the bank, and patrol cars can’t move out. So, if you let your guard down even slightly, my accomplices will vanish into the crowd,” Feng Bu Jue, who had been guiding the three bandits earlier, now began instructing the police.
Ke Le Pu Dun wasn’t foolish. There were only two possibilities for the “Anonymous” man’s words—either he wanted to sacrifice his accomplices, or he was setting a trap. A third option? Pure recklessness…
“Are the Tactical Units at the back alley still in position?” Ke Le Pu Dun quietly asked the officer beside him.
“Yes. They’ve been monitoring constantly. No movement. All window iron bars are intact, and no activity inside the rooms,” an officer replied.
“Have you confirmed there are no other exits? Like ventilation ducts or sewers?” Ke Le Pu Dun pressed.
“There’s a ventilation duct exit on the roof, under sniper watch. No one’s emerged yet. Even if the bandits reached the roof, there’s no way down.”
Ke Le Pu Dun looked up. The building’s roof was seven or eight meters high—jumping down would mean death or severe injury. The adjacent buildings were three to four meters away, and railings made a running jump impossible.
“Hmph… Let me see how you plan to escape.” Ke Le Pu Dun mused to himself.
“Alright, officer, the hostages are coming out now. Be ready,” Feng Bu Jue said over the phone. “Call me back once you’ve identified my accomplice.” With that, he hung up again.
At that moment, several figures leaped out from behind the counter, their heads covered in Cash Bags and their hands and feet bound.
“Once the hostages come out, remove the bags from their heads but don’t untie them. Take them all aside for temporary detention,” Ke Le Pu Dun ordered his officers, his mind sharp and strategic. “Listen carefully—be wary of everyone. They might look tied up, but who knows? One of them might suddenly pull out a gun and start shooting.”
Meanwhile, Feng Bu Jue crouched behind the counter like a traffic director, shouting instructions: “Yes, staffs, that direction—exactly as I told you. Hop forward eight steps, then turn left ninety degrees. Line up, one by one. Wait until the person ahead has jumped a few meters before following. Rushing will only make you trip.”
Under Feng Bu Jue’s guidance, the hostages exited the bank in orderly fashion, hopping one after another toward the entrance.
“Hey! Winston, you can go out too!” Feng Bu Jue suddenly shouted toward the hostage standing at the door.
Winston’s position and facing direction had been carefully adjusted by Feng Bu Jue before opening the door. He’d already warned Winston that if he dared take half a step forward, he’d shoot. Only after Feng Bu Jue’s shout could Winston jump out.
Hearing the command, Winston felt as if granted a royal pardon. The minutes he’d stood at the doorway had felt like an eternity. Now, finally freed, he nearly wept with joy.
But the moment he leaped past the bank’s threshold, what awaited him wasn’t a Blanket, an Ambulance, or concerned greetings—it was…
“Sir, please come this way,” an officer yanked the Cash Bag off Winston’s head but left his hands and feet bound. He was dragged aside and forced to sit on the ground, where two more officers took up watchful positions beside him.
“What’s going on? I’m a hostage!” Winston shouted.
“Please cooperate, sir. The robber might try to sneak out among the hostages,” the officer replied.
“What do you mean? Are you suspecting me?”
“We can’t confirm anything yet. This is for your safety, sir.”
Winston hesitated, unwilling to argue further, but then noticed the money raining from the sky and the surrounding crowd. “Hey! What’s this? You’re keeping law-abiding citizens tied up while ignoring the stolen cash out there?”
…………
Five minutes later, all twenty-nine hostages had exited the bank. As the last hostage jumped out, Feng Bu Jue lowered the bank’s Electronic Roller Shutter once more.
Next began the tense work of interrogation and identifying the hostages’ identities.
After initial questioning, Ke Le Pu Dun received a series of shocking revelations.
“Alright, alright, ladies and gentlemen… quiet down,” Ke Le Pu Dun addressed the crowd. “Let me piece this together. Initially, three bank robbers were single-handedly killed by a hostage. That man was a high-intelligence, polite, anti-human hardliner…”
“Yes.” “Exactly.” “Right.” The hostages chimed in.
“He had no accomplices and never harmed any of you. No one was locked in the vault either,” Ke Le Pu Dun continued.
“That’s right… none.” “He saved us, in a way.”
Ke Le Pu Dun chuckled dryly. “Sounds like he became the hero. Then someone explain this—why did this John Doe play these games with us Police?”
“Maybe he feared being mistaken for a robber’s accomplice.” “Yeah, just like us, stuck here enduring your interrogation.” “Exactly! Let me go! I’ll file a complaint!”
“Alright, one last confirmation of his appearance… Asian, short black hair, wearing a Purple Long Suit, correct?” Ke Le Pu Dun asked.
After receiving confirmation, he approached the phone and dialed the number again.
After five rings, Feng Bu Jue answered: “What can I do for you, officer?”
“Kid, I don’t know who you are or what you’re after,” Ke Le Pu Dun said. “But you’re in big trouble.”
“Heh… What trouble?” Feng Bu Jue laughed. “I’m all ears.”
“I know you’re not the robber. Killing those three could be considered Justifiable Defense, even an Act of Bravery,” Ke Le Pu Dun replied. “But after that, you kept holding hostages, used them to threaten and toy with the Police, and threw a fortune in cash onto the streets. That’s no different from robbing the bank.”
“Then tell me, Officer Ke Le Pu Dun,” Feng Bu Jue asked, his voice suddenly eerie. “Am I a hero or a criminal? This answer is crucial—think carefully.”
“Open the door and surrender. Come out with me to the station,” Ke Le Pu Dun ignored Feng Bu Jue’s question. “You’ve got no hostages left. If you don’t come out, we’ll use Forced Entry through the main entrance.”
“Answer my question, officer,” Feng Bu Jue ignored the demand, his tone sharpening.
“You’re obviously a criminal! What else could you be?” Ke Le Pu Dun snapped. “Open the door now!”
“Hmm…” Feng Bu Jue hummed. “So that’s your answer… Hmph. Interesting. Very interesting.” He paused, then added, “Alright, I’ll open the door shortly.”
The roller shutter rose slowly, revealing the same scene as before.
“Hands up, come out from behind the counter,” Ke Le Pu Dun ordered through the phone.
“Heh… I refuse,” Feng Bu Jue replied.
Ke Le Pu Dun had long grown tired of the game. He signaled his men to move in while trying to distract Feng Bu Jue over the phone: “Haven’t you played enough? I’d hate to see more lives lost today.”
Four heavily armed officers entered through the main entrance, fanning out to surround the counter.
Holding both the phone and a Telescope, Ke Le Pu Dun observed the situation, his heart pounding as his men approached the counter, fearing a shootout if Feng Bu Jue resisted.
But what happened next was…
The four officers stared blankly at the counter’s rear. One quickly spoke into his shoulder radio: “Sir, there’s no one here.”
“What?” Ke Le Pu Dun instinctively blurted.
Feng Bu Jue’s laughter echoed over the phone: “Heh… Guess what happened after the last door closed.”
“Search everywhere! He must still be in the bank, hiding somewhere!” Ke Le Pu Dun barked into the radio, determined not to let Feng Bu Jue hear his frustration.
“Hmm… Are you sure?” Feng Bu Jue taunted coldly.
Ke Le Pu Dun spoke into the receiver: “I clearly heard the counter’s phone…”
“Call Forwarding,” Feng Bu Jue chuckled. “When I said the dead man’s cell phone was out of power, I lied. It had plenty of charge left. I’m holding it now.”
Ke Le Pu Dun finally realized the truth. By covering the hostages’ heads and binding them, then claiming an accomplice was among them, Feng Bu Jue had executed a Deceptive Tactics to buy time.
Ke Le Pu Dun thought: Every move and word he made was a calculated step, leading up to that final door closure. He knew afterward I’d learn everything from the hostages, exposing all his lies. The only unknown… was what he did between that final door closure and reopening…
(End of Chapter)
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