When Basil Jaak was in Africa on his missions, he often dealt with conventional armed forces with planes and cannons. As for these three gunmen in front of him, he didn't take them seriously at all. He squatted there with a casual face, merely maintaining a low-profile image.
The composure of Basil Jaak didn't mean that the others weren't afraid. When they saw the gunman shoot a man until he was bleeding profusely, they were genuinely scared that the next bullet could hit them. They squatted there, shivering with fear.
However, Basil Jaak found it strange that the woman in white beside him wasn't trembling with fear like the others. She just squatted there quietly, clutching her head and coldly observing everything that was happening.
"Aren't you afraid?" Basil Jaak asked Lydia White in a low voice.
Lydia White responded nonchalantly, "Does being afraid help?"
"Oh!" Basil Jaak gently responded, examining this woman in front of him once again. Now, his curiosity extended beyond just her body.
After the three robbers closed the bank's doors, two of them guarded the hostages with guns while another threatened the bank's staff to open the cash vault. He demanded they fill bags with money, note by note.
Soon, bags that had once been empty became bulging with cash. But, apparently, the robbers were not satisfied. They loudly shouted, "Whoever wants to live should hand over their money and valuables immediately, or they'll end up like the man by the door!"
The other hostages looked at each other, reluctant to give up their belongings but terrified the robbers might point the guns at them. Their hesitation apparently provoked the robbers, who had already shown signs of a bad temper.
"Give me your stuff fast, or I'll kill you." An enraged robber grabbed a middle-aged woman. Despite her pleading and crying, he forcibly pulled off her gold earrings and threw them into a bag. "Do all of you need my assistance?"
Seeing the middle-aged woman lying on the ground, holding her bleeding ear in agony, those still hesitating suddenly lost all nerve to stall. They hastily threw their cash and valuable jewelry into the bag, then quickly ducked into a corner, covering their heads.
Basil Jaak turned to look at Lydia White, noticing her platinum earrings. He leaned in and whispered, "It seems your earrings won't survive this. Better to remove them yourself and avoid unnecessary harm."
"You don't have to teach me." Lydia responded coldly to Basil. After a moment of hesitation, she reached up and removed her earrings.
The hostages were lining up one by one, walking up to the bag, and under the watchful eye of a robber, tossing in their valuables. The example set by the middle-aged woman ensured that no one attempted to resist.
"Your turn now." One of the robbers walked up to Basil Jaak and Lydia White and barked at them.
"Thanks for the reminder!" Basil replied with a cheeky grin. He got up willingly and walked towards the bag, throwing in the comic book he was carrying with him.
"Wait!" Unhappy with Basil's attitude, the robber shouted sharply, "Kid, have you got the death wish?"
Basil grinned and replied, "Bro, I'm very much alive. Why would I want to die?"
"Then, throw this out. Are you thinking I am blind?" The robber pulled out the comic book from the bag and roared.
Scared, Basil backed away a couple of steps and replied timidly, "Bro, I came here to withdraw money, but before I could do that, you guys showed up, so the most valuable thing I have right now is this comic."
"Kid, are you saying we interrupted your withdrawal?" The robber sneered maliciously.
Basil gave an aggrieved reply, "Bro, you know that's not what I meant. I don't have any money on me. You can search me if you don't believe me." With that, he raised his hands, ready to be searched.
The robber was actually considering searching him, but he was held back by the leader of the robbers.
"Bro, don't waste time. If he doesn't have anything, let the woman behind him go next." The leading robber yelled out.
Although the robber in front of them was reluctant, he had to follow the orders of his boss, so he let Basil go and signaled Lydia to step up.
"Take your stuff and get lost." The robber thrust back the comic book at Basil, muttering with irritation, "Running into you is really a curse!"
Basil chuckled and picked up his comic book, squatted not far from the robber, and resumed his protective pose.
Lydia White walked in front of the robber without showing any emotion, swiftly tossed her wallet and jewelry into the bag, then turned to leave.
However, after taking only two steps, the robber behind her shouted, "Stop!"
The robber noticed Lydia's attractiveness, quickly developed a lascivious thought, and walked toward her with his gun. His lustful gaze swept over her lush curves before his hand shot out to grab her.
Lydia White had been on guard against the robber's actions. Seeing his grope stretch towards her forbidden zone, she quickly dodged to the side, asking in discontent: "I've thrown all my valuable possessions in as you instructed. Are you people not trustworthy?"
The robber didn't hide his greedy gaze, he said strange-smelling words: "Lady, I suspect you haven't given everything you have on you, so I have to search you thoroughly."
"Despicable!" Lydia White cursed coldly, trying hard to dodge the robber's groping.
Seeing his attempts to grab her unsuccessful, the robber couldn't help but say angrily: "If you don't obediently come over here, and let me check, I will shoot you dead."
Lydia White glanced sideways at him, speaking fearlessly: "Then shoot me."
The robber hadn't reckoned that Lydia White would actually not fear death. He was stunned for a moment, not knowing what to do. Lydia didn't pay any heed to the muzzle of the robber's gun. She walked straight back to where she had been previously and squatted down as before.
This girl sure has character, she isn't even afraid of death. Basil Jaak thought to himself, and secretly gave her a thumbs-up, saying to himself: "It's lucky I didn't provoke her just now, her temper would've been really troublesome."
Seeing that Lydia wasn't giving him face, the robber was about to chase her with his gun. Suddenly, he heard the lead robber shout: "Bro, don't delay the main affair." Left with no choice, he had to glower at Lydia and walk back sullenly.
Looking at the three full bags of loot, the robber felt incredibly satisfied. He bundled up the three sacks and prepared to take the loot and leave.
"Bro, you cover our rear, bro and I will get the goods in the car first." The lead robber ordered.
The robber reluctantly looked at Lydia, asking the boss: "Boss, what about these hostages?"
"We'll let them go once we've gotten in the car. Now, bro, get the sacks and follow me." The lead robber signalled his brother and picked up a sack and went to open the door to leave.
But when the door opened, the outside was filled with a sea of shining police cars. Following that, a recognizable shout was heard.
"Kidnappers inside, you're surrounded. Please put down your weapons, do not harm the hostages and make futile struggles and sacrifices. The government is lenient, if you sincerely repent and put down your weapons, come out, the government and people will give you a chance to start over."
"Damn, so many cops came, I'm going to fight it out." Bro cursed in frustration, as he picked up his gun to shoot the policemen outside.
"Bro, don't act rashly!" The lead robber was clearly calmer. Facing such a dangerous situation, he decisively ordered, "We have so many hostages in our hands, the cops won't dare to act rashly. Let's retreat first and see."
"Right! We have hostages. Those damn cops can't do anything to us. Let's take this opportunity to kill a few of them." Bro listened excitedly, the slender figure of Lydia White floating into his mind.
The two robbers holding the sacks moved back, and the previously excited hostages immediately quieted down.
"Bro, we're surrounded by the cops, we can't get out now." Bro retreated inside, and explained when he saw Bro looking confused.
Bro was even more volatile than Bro, upon hearing this he immediately became enraged, turning to the hostages to yell: "Damn it, you dared to call the police behind my back. Today, I'm going to kill you all."
Seeing the robbers' guns pointing at them, the crowd that had just quieted down immediately became unsettled. The lead robber hurried to stop him: "Bro, don't act rashly under any circumstances, we have to investigate this slowly."
"Boss, you're telling me not to act rashly, the cops are almost in." Bro shouted angrily.
"Don't worry! With this many hostages in our hands, those cops won't dare to charge in for now." The lead robber gestured, and turned his glare onto the hostages. "I know someone in this group called the police. Now, I'm giving you a chance, the person who called the police, step forward. I can spare you all, otherwise…"
Everyone knew the only outcome for the person who stood out would be death. Hence, no matter how many times the robber shouted, no one dared to respond.
The silence of the crowd undoubtedly enraged the robber. He saw that no one was responding and his expression became increasingly gloomy. He coldly ordered: "Since none of you dare to respond, then I will just have to ask one by one. If anyone's answer dissatisfies me, then sorry for that."
When the robber said this, he randomly grabbed a hostage and questioned: "Are you the one who called the police?"
"No... it wasn't me." The man replied in fear. In between his trembling legs, a light yellow liquid started to flow out, a stench immediately filled the air.
"Sorry, your answer dissatisfies me." The moment the robber's words came out, a hair-raising gunshot suddenly rang out. The previously terrified man immediately quieted down.
Watching the person who was alive just a moment ago becoming a lifeless corpse, the hostages became more afraid.