"Wait a minute!" Yu Ling stood up too. How could she let go of such a good opportunity to infiltrate the main characters' group? Wouldn't it be even better if she could also complete a side quest? "What can you do with your small frame? I'll go with you."

"Don't cause trouble when it comes to matters of life and death. Your waist is so thin, but you don't look as strong as me."

Guan Xiujie assumed Yu Ling was joking with him and stormed out.

"......."

I'm not really keen on helping anymore.

Yu Ling watched as the person jogged away and disappeared in a short while. She then came out and closed the door herself. After thinking for a moment, she went out wearing only her shirt. The original owner had bought this jacket, which was quite expensive, and she felt bad if it got dirty.

Once outside and on the roadside, Yu Ling began waiting for a taxi that someone with nothing better to do would come out and join the fun at this particular time.

"Driver, go to Jiameile Shopping Mall, just drop me off at a nearby place."

Yu Ling actually managed to catch such a car. Instead of being angry at Yu Ling's reckless behavior, he happily started chatting with her.

"Hey young man, you're quite handsome. Are your family or friends nearby, or is your girlfriend shopping inside?"

"No, no, no, I'm just here to watch the fun."

"Oh, that's good. Actually, I'd like to go and take a look too. I've never seen anything like this before."

The taxi driver floored the gas pedal and sped off, seemingly afraid of missing out on the excitement if he arrived late, muttering something as he did.

"Hold on tight, we'll be there soon. I've been driving a taxi for over twenty years, my driving skills are top-notch!"

Yu Ling: Yes, you're quite the chatterbox, you're definitely a seasoned pro.

The taxi sped along, quickly overtaking Guan Xiujie, who was running on his bare legs.

Yu Ling didn't plan to give him a ride. She was comfortable in the air-conditioned car and chatted with the taxi driver all the way to the scene.

When Guan Xiujie arrived at the scene, panting, he saw wailing police cars, police officers with shields maintaining order, and a large crowd of onlookers.

And Yu Ling, who was standing outside the cordon and peering inside with great interest.

This guy not only arrived earlier than me, but he didn't even have a drop of sweat on his face? Guan Xiujie squeezed through the crowd and asked in surprise:

"How...how did you get here?"

Yu Ling also mimicked his stuttering reply:

"I...I took a taxi here."

Upon hearing this, Guan Xiujie slapped his forehead. "Right! Why didn't I think of taking a taxi?!"

He didn't have time to think about that now; his good brother was still inside the mall, and he didn't care why Yu Ling had come along. He anxiously asked, "How is the situation now?"

“Look,” Yu Ling pointed to several portly, balding men surrounded by rows of police cars inside the cordon, and said, “Those negotiation experts just arrived. They’re about to make their announcements.”

The term "expert" doesn't sound very reliable. Guan Xiujie has dealt with many self-proclaimed experts.

In this world, work is just a means to make a living. Even within the police force, officers as enthusiastic, dedicated, and bursting with a sense of justice as Chen Yang are rare, let alone negotiation experts who sit in air-conditioned offices all day.

Guan Xiujie found it hard to be happy and said dejectedly, "That's it. Relying on a negotiation expert to rescue him, will Chen Yang be killed by the kidnappers?"

"Even if you don't trust the experts, you can't distrust Officer Chen. He's a policeman; he should be quite skilled, right?"

Yu Ling handed over a bottle of mineral water she had bought nearby beforehand, and quite naturally interjected,

"By the way, if it were you, how would you plan to help the hostages escape?"

Guan Xiujie was exhausted from running, and wasn't even worried that Yu Ling, with whom he had just had a disagreement, might drug him. He took the water and gulped it down, even managing to reply in a moment:

"What else can we do? The mall is so big, we can just find a corner to sneak in and work with Chen Yang to subdue the robbers from the inside."

I thought the detective had some special talent to team up with the protagonist, but it turns out that apart from his shamelessness, he's really nothing new!

Does he think of things that the police can't? The reason they haven't taken action yet is simply because they can't guarantee the safety of all the hostages.

Yu Ling: "To be honest, your idea is really terrible, and you don't have the ability to do it. I'm curious, why did you come here in such a hurry? What help can you possibly be?"

"......."

After finishing his water, Guan Xiujie held the plastic bottle and pondered for three seconds.

"At least when Chen Yang was carried out, I was able to see him immediately?"

(Chen Yang: Do you think I need you?)

Yu Ling was too lazy to comment. Since the protagonist wasn't in danger yet, she just joined Guan Xiujie in watching the drama unfold.

Inside the cordon, the most senior and baldest man picked up a megaphone.

He tested the sound.

"Hoo-hoo—Hello? Hello?"

"Listen up, robbers inside! Whatever your difficulties have led you to this point, please don't act rashly! Please don't act rashly! Tell us what you want, and we'll all work together to help you. Please don't harm any innocent people!"

The clichéd dialogue received unanimous criticism from the robbers. They thought it was ridiculous; the police only dealt with those who created problems, not those who actually solved them. They also revealed their terms.

The robbers replied remotely via the mall's broadcast system:

"Stop talking nonsense! Either give us cash to ransom us, or get out of our way and let us go. We'll release them once we're safe!"

The police's inner thoughts: Releasing them is impossible; we can only stall for time and find an opportunity to execute them.

Of course, they wouldn't just shout out what they really thought. The three experts took turns giving long speeches, but not a single word hit the nail on the head, perfectly demonstrating what "nonsense literature" is all about.

But it was this pile of nonsense, every single sentence of which conveyed the message that "we're already trying, just wait a minute and we'll give you a lot of money," that made the robbers, who were being lured in, unconsciously want to make another killing, without even noticing the passage of time.

However.......

The party being appeased will always realize that the sweet promise is just a facade.

The robbers were enraged.

Immediately afterwards, a gunshot rang out, startling the onlookers who thought the police were finally going to deal with the robbers. However, it turned out that it was all a misunderstanding; the robbers had fired the gun, and chaos ensued.

Just then, amidst the commotion of onlookers outside the police cordon, an elderly woman, nearing old age, suddenly rushed forward, crying and shouting, and grabbed the waist of the expert who was negotiating with a megaphone.

The expert was startled by her sudden action, stumbled, and fell face-first to the ground. Before he could even comprehend what had happened, the elderly woman cried out:

"Please don't provoke the robbers, I'm begging you, my son is still inside!"