After half an hour of negotiation, they finally agreed to release fifty people.
Among them, nearly thirty were injured and barely clinging to life. Naturally, the other hostages didn't want to compete with them, but who among the remaining twenty didn't yearn for freedom?
The gangsters were very crafty too, saying, "We'll pick the twenty most cooperative people to release."
What did "most cooperative" mean?
It meant the ones who betrayed others.
No sooner had they finished speaking when someone jumped out, pointing at the retired police detective from before, saying, "He and that man were secretly up to something shady."
That man was the refined-looking soldier.
Jian Jing sucked in a breath, nearly spitting up blood.
The gangster let out a cold laugh, ignoring the informant. First he slammed the butt of his gun into the back of the retired detective's head, then pointed the muzzle at the soldier's forehead and asked in French, "You think I don't dare shoot?"
The courtyard fell silent as the grave.
Everyone unconsciously held their breath, afraid of getting dragged into this mess.
The soldier calmly replied in English, "I've done nothing. If you want to kill me, there's no need for excuses."
"You've got backbone," the gangster sneered in French. "Then off to hell with you!"
Zong Ye immediately stood up, "Please hold on, that's a lie. I believe he had no intention of resisting. There are already too many wounded."
His attention was immediately drawn away, coldly asking in French, "Are you ordering me around?"
"Just a suggestion," Zong Ye raised his hands to show he had no intention of fighting back. "He's a British tourist, he has nothing to do with the French government. Why take the risk? Besides, his death will create unnecessary international disputes."
That last sentence got through to the criminals. They hesitated for a moment without shooting, only knocking him out with the butt of the gun as well, then ordered the other hostages to tie the two men to the pillars.
"This is what happens to anyone who resists," the gangster coarsely warned in English.
The adults didn't dare make a sound, but the babies didn't understand and cried out from the noise and chaos, heedless of everything. The mother instantly collapsed into tears, trying to comfort her child, "Please stop, I'm begging you," in Italian.
The female doctor took the chance to plead, "Please let the children go. They are of no use to you and will only cause more trouble."
"Silence!" the gangster scolded in French.
In the end, the leader spoke up, "Take the kids away, they're annoying," in French.
Between infants and young children, there were around twenty-some in total. Every parent hoped their child would be chosen and desperately begged favor.
"My child is only six, please let her go," one pleaded in French.
"Please, children are innocent. I'm willing to stay behind," another begged in French.
But with limited spots, in the end several seven to eight year olds were kept behind, despairingly curling up motionless in their parents' arms.
The atmosphere grew increasingly tense.
After the first group of hostages were released, the criminals they wanted were also brought over from the prison.
The gang demanded that they release the prisoners. Once the prisoners contacted them and confirmed their safety, they would release the second group of hostages.
The outside agreed, and at the same time asked to send in some food and water.
The gang agreed, but refused to let anyone from the outside come in, saying they would have a hostage go receive it instead.
Who should they pick?
Men were no good, no telling if they'd make a run for it when they got to the door. Anyone too clever wasn't good either, too likely to pull tricks. And anyone too panicked also wouldn't do, they wouldn't even be able to stand, let alone get anything done.
"You, go," the gangster picked out Jian Jing from the crowd.
She revealed an appropriate amount of shock and panic, shrinking back for a moment but not daring to refuse out of fear. She trembled as she got to her feet, her body faintly shaking.
This was the height of exquisite acting.
Not only were the gangsters not suspicious of her, but they took special note of her meek, compliant face, able to call it to mind at first notice. Looking closer, her face was fresh and innocent, her figure not tall either. Any brawny fellow in the gang could pick her up in one hand. She perfectly embodied the image of harmlessness.
"I'll go in her place," Kang Mu Cheng stopped her and stood up to block her path.
The gangster coldly snapped in English, "Get lost!" And kicked out as he spoke.
Jian Jing immediately threw herself at him, and the two of them narrowly avoided the kick. Face full of panic, she seemed afraid the gangsters would hurt her companion at the slightest provocation. She quickly stated in English, "I'll go, I'm going right now."
As she spoke, she viciously pinched Kang Mu Cheng, signalling him to shut up. Yet tears spilled from the corners of her eyes, betraying unspeakable terror.
Kang Mu Cheng could only swallow his earlier words, genuine worry in his eyes, "Be careful."
Jian Jing gave him a reassuring look.
The gangster held her at gunpoint, ordering her to slowly walk to the east side door. The curtain was drawn back, revealing the glass door, police in full gear waiting outside, along with a small cart.
The cart was piled high with bread, milk, and bottled water.
Jian Jing slowly walked over. Seeing the mass of armed officers outside, a deliveryman in a safety vest carefully pushing over the cart.
"Leave it there," the gangster refused to let anyone else approach.
The deliveryman stopped in his tracks and obediently retreated.
"You, go over," the gangster waved his gun at Jian Jing. "No tricks."
Jian Jing's face was white as she nodded and drew near.
The cart was loaded with many small boxes, none large enough to hide in. The gangster only had her open each one to confirm there were no hidden contraptions or knockout drugs before allowing her to push the cart inside.
Jian Jing moved very slowly. The gangsters were displeased with her dawdling, but could see her gritting her teeth and straining herself. They knew it was because she lacked strength as a young girl and could barely push it forward. They forcibly restrained their anger.
The food was brought into the courtyard.
One of the gangsters randomly grabbed something and tossed it to Jian Jing, coldly ordering, "Eat."
Jian Jing obeyed.
The taste was ordinary. But with lunch skipped and the sky already darkening, she had to eat something to keep up her strength, otherwise she'd have to secretly eat her storage items later.
She wolfed down the bread in a few bites and drank a bottle of milk at random, showing no abnormal reaction.
Only then did the gangsters believe the food was untampered with and helped themselves.
But they had no intention of giving any to the hostages.
One of the remaining children smelled the aroma and couldn't help but plead to his father, "Dad, I'm hungry."
How could a father bear to watch his child go hungry? He begged, "Please, can you give my child a little bread?"
The main reason the gang starved the hostages was to avoid trouble. Whether to give the children a little something or not wouldn't shake things up much.
The leader couldn't be bothered to pay them any mind. The female gangster took charge, giving bread and milk to a few children.
The thoughtful children all wanted to share with their parents. Fearful of misunderstandings from the gang, the adults coaxed, "Mom/Dad isn't hungry, you go ahead and eat."
Amidst the fragrance of bread, the light gradually dimmed and the lights switched on automatically at the set time.
Jian Jing unexpectedly raised her head and exchanged a look with Zong Ye.
Then she timidly called out to the gangster beside her, pleading in distress, "Could we... could we please go to the bathroom?"
At these words, countless hopeful gazes turned their way.
After five or six hours with no bathroom break, it was quite hard to bear.
The gangsters didn't get angry. Physiological needs were only natural for human beings. With so many hostages under their control, they had to deal with the ensuing hassles as well.
Of course, they could always refuse. But if the hostages couldn't hold it in and made a mess, the smell would make guard duty very unpleasant too.
Considering that Jian Jing had behaved decently so far, they grudgingly agreed. It was inefficient for them to take people one at a time, so they simply asked, "Anyone else need to go? Groups of three."
The female doctor and nurse from before immediately volunteered.
The female gangster took them to the bathroom.
On the way, the nurse whispered to the doctor, "We must find a way."
The doctor glanced warily at the gangster behind them and lowered her voice, "Do you have any ideas?"
The nurse said, "We can pass on intel to the outside."
The doctor looked shocked. "That's crazy. No, no, you're too reckless." She shot an apprehensive look at the gangster, afraid to keep talking to the nurse.
But the nurse refused to give up, quietly sidling up to Jian Jing, "Do you guys have any plans? I can help."
Jian Jing: "Huh?"
The nurse slowed down and used simple words, "What do you want to do I help you."
Jian Jing looked back strangely and answered, "Bathroom."
The nurse stopped talking.
The washroom in the shopping mall was lavishly decorated with gold and jade. Expensive perfumes were casually placed on the sink, emitting a faint fragrance.
The place wasn't big. Jian Jing took a quick look and didn't see any way out. The female criminal informed her coldly: "Five minutes."
Jian Jing quickly used the toilet.
At the same time, she drew a card.
[Drawing card...]
[Draw complete]
[Name: Prop Card - Powerful Anesthetic Needle (3/3)]
[Description: Takes effect instantly on skin contact and injection. Can render an adult unconscious for 3 hours. Expires and becomes ineffective after 1 hour.]
[Note: Dangerous prop, use with caution.]
Jian Jing couldn't help thinking that if she added a voice changer bowtie, skateboard and soccer ball, she would have a complete set of Detective Conan's case-cracking tools.
To be honest, she really wanted them.
They would be so useful.
She lightly leapt onto the toilet rim. Coincidentally, the nurse had deliberately chosen the middle stall, separated from her by one empty stall.
But that was no problem. With her White Kitten state, she could easily resolve this minor obstacle.
In 3 seconds, she landed nimbly in the nurse's stall like an agile little cat, without any warning. The nurse was startled, but quickly adjusted her expression, about to open her mouth to speak.
But Jian Jing did not give her the chance.
She covered the nurse's face, and stabbed the anesthetic needle into her neck.
The nurse instantly went limp.
Although she had acted very enthusiastic, abnormal means demonic. No normal person would dare to strike up a conversation like that. She was highly likely a criminal spy planted among the hostages.
After dealing with her, Jian Jing searched her pockets, and as expected, found a palm-sized cell phone.
The sent text messages were there, but they were all in shorthand, difficult to understand.
Considering the phone could be tracked, she did not take it, and directly threw it into the toilet bowl. She then used rope to tie up the nurse, and stuffed a handkerchief into her mouth.
Five minutes were up quickly, but there was still no movement from Jian Jing's stall.
Sensing something wrong, the female criminal cursed and came in to kick open the door.
At the same time, Jian Jing flashed out from the middle stall, and fiercely pounced on her from behind, using all her strength to restrain her, firmly pressing her cheek against the floor, not allowing the slightest sound to escape.
The female criminal was wearing body armor and moved clumsily. Her attention was all on the washroom, so she was caught completely off guard by Jian Jing. By the time she tried to reach for the dagger at her waist to counterattack, it was already too late.
The anesthetic needle accurately pierced the back of her neck, and the icy medication flowed in.
Her muscles relaxed and she lost consciousness, falling asleep in the blink of an eye.
Jian Jing took off her body armor and put it on herself, confiscating her gun and transceiver.
The German G36 assault rifle weighed only 3.63kg when unloaded. Not too heavy for a woman, though it had the disadvantage of getting hot in the hands.
...But there was no time to worry about that now.
She removed the magazine and put it away properly. Jian Jing looked at the two unconscious women, and still felt the nurse's height was closer to hers.
She decisively stripped the other party of her clothes, and swapped outfits. She then covered the nurse's face with a duck bill cap.
From a distance, the nurse now looked like the unconscious her.
