Chapter 41
Suddenly a tall and lean middle-aged man emerged from the crowd's periphery. He forcibly grabbed one of the girls, trapping her in front of him. His right arm was tightly around her neck, preventing her from moving, while his left hand was holding a knife to her throat.
Initially, the crowd hadn't reacted to the situation. However, with the appearance of the knife, a group of girls emitted terrified screams and fled in every direction, many rushing into the nearby training center to distance themselves from the criminal as much as possible.
The officials and security guards at the scene were unable to control the situation. They hurriedly reported to their superiors. For safety considerations, security didn't dare to prevent outsiders from entering, instead temporarily guiding other bystanders inside to avoid a stampede.
Before long, four or five police cars arrived. A group of police officers got out of the vehicles, and Ling Rong realized that the police were tracking this felon. Unexpectedly, the man had run here and had hastily taken a girl hostage in his desperation.
Seeing more and more people pouring in, Gu Ningyan pulled on Ling Rong's sleeve and said, "Let's leave. There are enough police officers here, and we can't be of any help."
He was more worried about what may happen next. It wouldn't be good if Ling Rong got hurt.
"But..." Ling Rong looked outside the factory with concern. The girl held by the criminal was evidently terrified to the extreme. Tears were streaming down her face, yet fear of provoking the thug kept her silent.
Looking at the fan sign lying at the girl's feet, Ling Rong, though she was not her fan, could not simply turn a blind eye and leave.
As Ling Rong hesitated, the police who had been hot on the trail appeared to have noticed that the criminal had taken a hostage, and that there was still a large number of innocent people at the scene.
After assigning some officers to quickly evacuate the crowd, the police gradually semi-encircled the man with the knife.
"Don't come any closer! If you take one more step, I'll kill this woman first!" The man, increasingly panicked as the police drew nearer, clutched the trembling knife so intensely that it seemed he might accidentally slit the girl's artery at any moment.
Two years ago, he had accidentally killed his own wife and had been in hiding ever since, fearing imprisonment. He had not expected to be discovered by the police and pursued to this location.
As he observed that the crowd around him had mostly scattered, he suddenly regretted not taking more women as hostages. He thought that would have made the police more cautious.
The man showed no signs of remorse for his past misdeeds, and even now, he was solely focused on escaping, unconcerned for the lives of the innocent people around him.
The police, seeing his state, furrowed their brows with concern. Yet, for the sake of the hostage's safety, they halted their approach and tried to persuade him, "Put the knife down. Acting impulsively will only make your crimes worse."
"I'm already facing jail time; I don't care if it's for longer or shorter now! Plus, if I can take someone down with me, I've still come out ahead!" The man completely disregarded the officer's words.
Since reasoning was futile, the police tried to appeal to whatever conscience he might have left: "Look at that young girl. She's so young. If you have a daughter, she would probably be around this age. Could you bear to kill your own child? If your daughter was in someone else's hands, wouldn't you be worried?"
The female fans who came here to chase celebrities were mostly in their early twenties or older. The middle-aged man looked over forty, his face worn from two years of hiding and dodging justice. His aged appearance made it clear that his life on the run had not been easy.
At the mention of the word "daughter", the man indeed paused for a moment, as if he were actually contemplating the officer's question. However, he soon snapped back to reality, proving to be hard-set in his ways. "Humph, I don't have a daughter. Besides, it's someone else's daughter, what does it have to do with me?"
As he spoke, the man pushed the blade a fraction closer. The tip of the knife pierced the girl's skin and bright red blood instantly began to flow.
Not wanting to waste any more time talking with the police, the man roared: "Stop trying to stall. If you don't want this girl to get hurt, prepare a car for me with a full tank of gas and put half a million in it. Once I'm sure it's safe, I'll let this girl go. Otherwise, prepare to collect her corpse!"
The man's outrageous demands had the officers clenching their fists. Yet, in this situation, they had no choice but to comply.
The safety of the girl was undoubtedly their top priority. They could always recapture the convict but couldn't allow an innocent young life to be lost because of their actions.
The public backlash would be the least of their worries compared to the guilt they would bear.
With a deep sigh, captain Li Qing instructed his team, "Comply with his demands for now and report the situation to the higher-ups."
"But Captain Li!" An officer was clearly disappointed, not willing to let the criminal go freely again, and with such demands no less.
"Do as I say! Go now!", he insisted.
Seeing the captain's adamant insistence, the officer could only comply: "Yes."
Waiting time is always anxiety-inducing. About ten minutes later, the man seemed somewhat anxious, worried that the police force was tricking him and actually bringing in more reinforcements. His unrest led him to tighten his grip on the girl's neck, causing her to let out a clear cry of pain. Then he threatened the police, "Why isn't everything ready yet?! Don't you think about playing any tricks, or you won't be able to save this girl."
"You!" Li Qing was furious, but couldn't directly step forward to seize the man. Reluctantly, he retorted, "Do you think what you're asking for doesn't require time to prepare? You think it's that easy to get your hands on half a million?!"
The man was getting agitated and was about to take it out on the girl when he suddenly heard a stranger's voice say, "Wait a minute, how about we negotiate something?"
Hearing this voice, both the man and the police turned their attention to the source of the sound. Gu Ningyan, who knew the voice, immediately looked at her, whispering, "What are you trying to do? This is not something we can deal with!"
Ignoring him for the moment, Ling Rong slowly approached and said to the man with a smile, "How about we negotiate a hostage exchange? Look at the state you've scared the girl into, wounded and terrified. If she happens to have a weak heart and dies suddenly, not only will you not get the car or the money, but you might be handed directly over to the police. That wouldn't be worth it, would it?"
"What do you mean?" The man stared at Ling Rong and asked gruffly.
On seeing that the one who'd spoken was a boy in his twenties, Captain Li Qing thought he was a troublemaker and immediately scolded him, "This is a dangerous situation, leave now, and stop interfering here."
"Officer, I'm not here to cause trouble; I'm just sincerely offering a suggestion to this gentleman," Ling Rong said, shaking his head at Li Qing before continuing to address the man. "What I mean is, why don't you release the girl and let me take her place as your hostage?"
"Have you lost your mind, Ling Rong?" Gu Ningyan couldn't believe what he was hearing.
And the girls who had been hiding inside the factory and had not left were also startled. They couldn't believe Ling Rong would say something so reckless.
One must understand that criminals lack a conscience. Even the police are currently unable to rescue that girl. Even if they made the exchange, it would only mean senselessly sacrificing another life. It's simply a loss with no gain!
Ling Rong's fans immediately became anxious, afraid he might actually proceed with such a foolish act. They quickly shouted, "Rongrong, don't do it! Let the police handle it, don't risk your life, please!"
However, the man, upon hearing Ling Rong's suggestion, let out a cold laugh. "Do you think I'm stupid? If I release this woman, will you really come over and willingly be a hostage? Plus, it's easier to control a frail woman than a man."
Ling Rong didn't get angry. Instead, she continued with a smile, "I'll come over, and as I do, you release the girl. It's that simple. Plus, as you've likely seen, I'm a celebrity. I surely have more money than the police department. It would be faster to use me to exchange for ransom money than to go through all the police's formal procedures."
Ling Rong spoke lightly, as if she wasn't the least bit afraid.
The man fell silent, seemingly genuinely considering Ling Rong's proposal.
"I have to admit, this kid seems to speak sense," came the comment.
"So, what do you say? Do you agree with my proposal?" Ling Rong asked, pressing him further without giving him any time to think deeply.
"Is what you said the truth?" the man asked, intrigued by the idea.
"Of course. As long as you release the girl, I can simultaneously come over and be your hostage, and I'll instantly have my manager bring money to redeem me."
After hesitating for a few seconds, the man finally made up his mind. "Fine, you come first. Once I have control of you, I will release her."
"Ling Rong!" Gu Ningyan, no longer caring about the surrounding crowd, grabbed Ling Rong's wrist tightly, afraid to let her make a move.
"Don't go, it's not your place to take this risk." The handsome man's voice trembled as if something precious was slipping away.
"Don't go, Rongrong! We still want to see you shine on stage!" Whether they were fans or not, everyone tried to dissuade her. Ling Rong's fans were already crying uncontrollably, as if once he went, he would never return. It was both amusing and annoying for Ling Rong to witness their fears.
"Don't worry, I'll be absolutely fine," Ling Rong assured them, smiling. This promise seemed especially directed at Gu Ningyan, who seemed on the verge of tears from her perspective.
Ling Rong suddenly wondered whether her lack of assertiveness had caused people to view her as a delicate flower when, in fact...
【Clearly, you are more of a dominating presence.】 The system, silent for quite a while, chimed in promptly.
'Keep it to yourself, the commentary isn't needed here,' Ling Rong fought with the system as usual.
... The system fell silent, seemingly hurt by the rebuff.
"Don't worry, Ningyan, I really won't get hurt. Let go, I need to go now," Ling Rong said as she exerted a bit of force with her other hand to pry herself from Gu Ningyan’s grip.
Gu Ningyan watched, stunned, as the wrist slipped away from his hands. A tremendous fear gripped his heart, reminiscent of the fear he felt when his father left him. It seemed as if Ling Rong too might disappear and never return, just like his father.
His hand maintained the position of holding Ling Rong's wrist, but now, it found nothing but air.
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