Chapter 20: Therefore, the only option is to fight them to the death!!!

Danger!

Extreme danger!!

Having lived two lifetimes, this was the first time Wang Teng had ever had a gun pointed directly at his head.

Between life and death, there was a profound, terrifying dread!

Although he had been reborn once, he had never truly experienced death; that time, it had felt as if he had simply fallen asleep and then woken up again.

It was incomparable to his current situation.

The pitch-black muzzle of the gun looked like the gaping maw of a terrifying beast, with nothing but a grim underworld waiting behind it to swallow him whole.

Terror! Dread!

In an instant, Wang Teng’s entire body went stiff, and his soul couldn't help but tremble.

He was, after all, just an ordinary person. Even though he had practiced martial arts in this life, he had never encountered such a situation.

Furthermore, at such close range, he could clearly see the silver patterns on the handgun's frame.

Runic inscriptions!

This meant it was a runic firearm, which posed a lethal threat even to high-level Martial Apprentices or even Martial Artists!

Even though his speed had reached two seconds per hundred meters and his movement techniques were refined, he didn't dare move recklessly with a runic gun pressed against his head.

"Damn it!"

Wang Teng cursed inwardly, and then decisively backed down!

Instant surrender!

Without a moment's hesitation, he yielded completely.

"Don't shoot, I'll cooperate!"

Wang Teng said hurriedly, fearing that if the other party grew displeased, they might just blow his head off.

He had no choice but to yield!

It was too terrifying; he couldn't stop himself from shivering!

"Behave yourself and don't try any tricks, or you'll taste the business end of this gun," the scarred man said viciously, giving Wang Teng a shove.

Wang Teng was forced into their fleeing group.

He observed them secretly. There were five of them in total, and each carried a runic gun. Judging by their aura, they were at least mid-level Martial Apprentices.

When Wang Teng's gaze swept over three of them, he couldn't help but pause.

They were all carrying large bags, stuffed bulging. Through the gaps in the partially unzipped fasteners, he could vaguely see piles of cash.

"Could this gang have... robbed a bank?"

"I remember there was indeed a bank not far ahead..."

Wang Teng suddenly felt that things were looking quite bad; he seemed to have been caught up in a very troublesome affair.

"So, they were just passing through, and I accidentally became a hostage?"

Wang Teng was somewhat speechless.

He felt both innocent and incredibly unlucky!

Just going home, and he runs into robbers!

Even if he had run into them, why didn't they grab anyone else? Why did they have to pick him as a hostage?

Isn't this just bullying?

Little did he know that the scarred man had targeted him specifically because he drove a supercar; a "rich second generation" carried more weight as a hostage than an ordinary person.

Under the coercion of the robbers, Wang Teng was led into a narrow alleyway, where they wound through various turns for an unknown amount of time.

He feigned a state of physical weakness, panting heavily after only a few steps.

"Damn, this rich kid must have slept with too many women; he's practically withered," one of the robbers muttered with a sneer, whether out of envy or contempt.

"Why don't we just finish him off? Carrying him around is a nuisance," another robber wearing a cap said ruthlessly.

Holy crap!

Wang Teng's heart jumped at those words.

This person was too ruthless! It was just because he ran a bit slow—must they resort to murder so easily? Is there no need for mercy?

"Don't, don't kill me! I can run, I can definitely keep up with you!" Wang Teng said in a panic.

"Forget it, we've already brought him this far, it's not much further. It'll be fine once we get in the car," the leader said.

The group ran for another ten minutes. Although Wang Teng looked half-dead from exhaustion, he managed to keep up with their pace.

A white van was parked by the roadside of an old street.

One robber pulled open the door, shoved Wang Teng inside, and the van roared to life.

The van sped through the city.

Suddenly, the sound of police sirens echoed from behind.

"Shit, the cops are catching up!" The driver slammed the steering wheel and floored the accelerator, sending the van hurtling forward.

"To the van ahead, pull over immediately! Pull over immediately..."

"Idiot!"

The driver reached out of the window and flashed a middle finger at the police behind them.

"To the right, onto the elevated highway!" the leader commanded calmly.

The driver immediately yanked the steering wheel.

The front of the car swerved sharply, the rear fishtailing and leaving a long skid mark on the ground before they sped off to the right.

The police cars behind them had to drive far forward before they could brake sharply, turn around, and pursue the van.

The police cars and the van engaged in a high-speed chase on the main road.

Many vehicles collided, causing traffic jams, and road-raged drivers leaned out of their windows to curse loudly.

"To the van ahead, if you don't stop now, we will open fire!"

The robbers treated the warning like wind passing their ears.

*Bang!*

A gunshot followed, but it was fired into the air. Given the heavy pedestrian traffic in the city, the police didn't dare fire indiscriminately.

The shot was purely for intimidation!

But these robbers were not easy targets; the more they were intimidated, the more ferocious they became.

The scarred man pressed his gun against Wang Teng's head, leaned out of the window, and roared, "If you dare fire, I'll blow him away first!"

Wang Teng felt like a ragdoll.

Weak and helpless!

The van sped along the elevated highway, the wind blowing through his hair, leaving him feeling disheveled.

"What did I ever do to anyone?"

Wang Teng asked the heavens in exasperation.

The police cars behind them were indeed hesitant to fire, and the scarred man pulled Wang Teng back into the vehicle.

He said triumphantly to the other robbers, "See? This is the benefit of having a hostage."

"Good job!"

The leader offered his praise without hesitation.

Wang Teng rolled his eyes, complaining inwardly, "You really are a little smart aleck!"

Unfortunately, they were celebrating too early!

With over a dozen police cars pursuing and intercepting them, the robbers underestimated the police's determination. Despite their cunning, they were eventually cornered in front of an office building.

"Damn it, it's just some money to spend! Is there a need to chase us this hard?"

"Shut up, all of you!" the leader barked with a cold face.

They were forced to get out of the car, dragging Wang Teng with them as they retreated into the office building.

"You are surrounded! You are surrounded! Drop your weapons and surrender immediately..." the police loudspeakers blared continuously.

The robbers ignored them and charged straight into the building.

It was currently after working hours, so most people had already left, and the lobby was devoid of people.

Several robbers went up to the third floor, likely intending to occupy the high ground.

The third floor housed a clothing design company, where a few professional men and women were still working overtime, mostly women.

The robbers kicked the door open and rushed in.

*Bang!*

One robber fired a shot.

The reprimands that were about to leave the mouths of several female white-collar workers turned into terrified screams.

The leader pulled the trigger at a middle-aged woman, hitting her in the thigh, causing her to scream in agony.

This middle-aged woman appeared to hold a high position in the company.

Before the robbers burst in, she had been reprimanding a subordinate, but in the blink of an eye, her situation had become so tragic.

Seeing the blood, the other female employees let out another round of piercing screams.

"Shut up! Anyone else who makes a sound, I'll shoot them dead on the spot!" the leader shouted coldly.

The white-collar workers covered their mouths, terrified that even the slightest sound would make them the next target.

The middle-aged woman who had been shot also struggled desperately to suppress the moans of pain escaping her throat.

Her forehead was drenched in cold sweat.

Wang Teng frowned as he watched; these robbers were truly heinous, showing a complete disregard for human life—they were utterly depraved.

"Everyone, get to the corner, put your hands on your heads and crouch down! Anyone who tries anything, watch out, my gun doesn't have eyes!"

The robbers brandished their guns, forcing everyone to crouch in the corner.

Wang Teng was not so lucky; he was dragged to the window and forced to look down.

Twenty or so police cars had surrounded the building, with officers pointing their guns at the windows.

"Boss, what do we do?" the scarred man asked with a grim expression.

The leader didn't answer. He simply fired a shot, scaring the police below into diving behind cover.

"Listen to me! Within one hour, prepare a helicopter for us! If we don't see a helicopter within one minute, we kill one hostage! If it's two minutes, we kill two... until we've killed them all!"

His words were heard not only by the police but also by Wang Teng and the other hostages in the building.

The employees of the clothing design company turned pale with fear.

Wang Teng's heart sank, and his expression became grim.

But...

Five robbers, five runic guns—he had no certainty of success.

It seemed he could only pin his hopes on the police, hoping they would have the helicopter ready on time.

...

Time passed slowly, and an hour quickly slipped by.

However, no helicopter appeared.

The hostages' faces were filled with despair.

"It's almost been a minute! If it's not here soon, we'll have to kill a hostage!" the leader shouted at the police cars below.

"Don't be impulsive! The helicopter is on its way, it will be here any moment!" the officer in charge below shouted through a megaphone, sweating profusely.

The leader said nothing more.

From his demeanor, it seemed that regardless of the reason, if the time expired, he would kill someone.

A minute passed in the blink of an eye!

"Kid, you! Come here!" the leader pointed at Wang Teng.

"Consider yourself unlucky, kid!"

The scarred man gave a sinister grin and pushed Wang Teng toward the leader.

Wang Teng sighed, feeling that he must not have checked the almanac before leaving home today to be this unlucky.

He thought that if he behaved like a good hostage, they would release him once they achieved their goal, but it seemed he had been too naive.

"I can't just sit here and wait for death!"

"There is no way out. They want to kill me, but I don't want to die. I'm still young, and I've finally been reborn—how can I die here?"

"Absolutely not!"

"No one can kill me. My new life has only just begun. There are so many regrets to make up for, so many things left to do... In this life, I want to be filial to my parents, I want to become a powerful martial artist to make them proud, and I want to see what the other world is like..."

"I don't want to die..."

"I don't want to die, so... I have no choice but to kill them all!!!"

(End of Chapter)