『Taking such a big risk just to eliminate that girl named Isabella Xiang? I don't understand what they're planning. XO definitely won't show up.』
Isabella Xiang's name flashed in Leon Chen's mind, shocking him.
There was no time to think. Leon quickly grabbed the unconscious thug and hid behind the door.
A tall young man walked in, different from the others. He had a professional military bearing. His posture and steps indicated he was not an ordinary thug.
He took a few steps and stopped, suddenly turning around.
His speed was lightning fast, and with a single movement, he delivered a military punch like a bayonet, leaving Leon no time to react.
Bang!!
The sound of teeth shattering echoed.
The unfortunate unconscious thug became Leon's human shield.
Leon swiftly dodged, using his super speed ability to counterattack, but the man instinctively delivered a whip kick, forcing Leon to retreat.
This man is strong!
Super speed allowed Leon to break world records in short sprints, but this man reacted quickly, showing he had undergone rigorous training.
The man wore a mask, his black eyes staring at Leon. "A kid?"
『So it's just a wannabe hero kid. I thought they'd breached our defenses already.』
Leon heard his contemptuous thoughts.
『But this guy's speed is impressive. I can't keep up. If my comrades find out, it'll be humiliating.』
Leon's eyes narrowed.
"Did you do this?" The man pointed at the unconscious thug, glancing at Leon's iron rod. "Impressive."
By now, three more thugs surrounded Leon.
Leon felt no panic, perhaps because this situation no longer scared him.
"I don't want to kill anyone. Surrender," the man said coldly.
Leon activated his abilities without warning.
Bang.
One thug fell. The other two hadn't even reacted before Leon's iron rod struck them, rendering them unconscious with even a light touch.
『Damn lunatic!』
The man was shocked and drew a sharp dagger, lunging at Leon.
He took a big step forward, body leaning slightly, twisting his wrist for an unerring thrust. At that moment, Leon regretted not choosing super reflexes earlier. He instinctively stepped back, but the dagger left a shallow cut. The man's attack was ruthless, and after his initial failure, he continued with a swift kick.
The dagger carved a cold arc.
This time, Leon fully utilized his speed, dodging out of range. Seeing his new clothes cut open, he sucked in a breath.
Is this the killing technique of a professional warrior?
Without his super speed, he would have had no chance to resist.
"You're really an ordinary student? Your speed is remarkable," the man toyed with his dagger, his tone amused. "Are you a bodyguard?"
Leon sneered and swung his rod.
"Too naive," the man shook his head.
Indeed, too naive.
Leon realized.
Mid-swing, Leon accelerated, reaching the man's back before the rod could fall.
The man was momentarily stunned, surprised by Leon's speed. But his training kicked in, and he spun, stabbing backward with his dagger.
A weaponless boy approaching him was courting death.
An unimaginable electric current overwhelmed him. The man couldn't comprehend the full-body paralysis, his mind going blank as he collapsed, convulsing briefly before going limp.
Leon exhaled, feeling the weight of facing a deadly enemy for the first time.
Isabella Xiang!
These thugs were targeting Isabella. But why use the pretense of forcing XO to appear? Leon was puzzled. He hid the thugs in a nearby storage room, finding no useful evidence.
Bang, bang, bang.
The thugs in the control room fell silently. Leon easily broke into the room.
Checking the surveillance footage, his eyes immediately found Isabella Xiang, Cynthia, and the leader making the declaration in the observation deck. There were only eight thugs there. Leon counted a total of over forty involved in the attack. Though not many, they were well-prepared and trained.
About five hundred hostages were held in four different rooms, guarded by over twenty thugs, while others blocked the mall's main routes and faced off with the police outside.
Checking the time, fifteen minutes had passed since the XO declaration.
Leon gritted his teeth, ready to see this through.
...
"Strange, why isn't Churik back yet?" Gree muttered, ordering his men, "Go find Churik. It's time to start the operation."
"How's it going?" he asked.
"Not good, boss. Hundreds of police have surrounded the area…" his subordinate replied anxiously.
"Oh, what about XO?" Gree wasn't concerned.
"No sign of him."
"He should've seen it by now," Gree muttered to himself.
"What do we do, boss? We'll be wiped out at this rate."
"Continue demanding XO appear within thirty minutes, or we kill the hostages."
The subordinate was stunned, "Boss, shouldn't we use the hostages to negotiate?"
"XO hasn't shown up yet, so we'll negotiate later. Got it?" Noticing his subordinate's tension, Gree reassured, "Don't worry. With these hostages, we'll escape. Our preparations are solid. We'll enjoy a good life as American citizens soon."
"Understood, boss."
Gree smirked coldly, glancing at Isabella Xiang among the hostages.
Whether you live or die depends on XO's courage.
Forty minutes into the mall occupation, Gree hadn't noticed that half his men were already down within the building.
The fourth hostage crisis was resolved.
After dealing with several thugs, Leon became more adept, using deception and bioelectric shocks to knock them out cleanly.
To prevent the hostages from panicking and alerting the guards in the lobby, Leon sternly redirected them to a safer basement area.
Now, the challenge was rescuing Isabella Xiang.
From the surveillance footage, the observation deck had been cleared, the hostages gathered in a corner. With eight enemies, any mistake could be catastrophic.
What should I do?!
『Where the hell is Churik? Why does the boss want him?』
A tired thug emerged from the door.
Hearing his thoughts, Leon's eyes narrowed as an idea formed.
Just do it boldly!
Leon adjusted his disguise, grateful for the masks the thugs wore, providing perfect cover.
Taking a deep breath, Leon walked straight toward the door.
The guards glanced at him without suspicion.
Opening the door, Leon spotted the man who had declared XO's ultimatum on the video. Facing such a ruthless figure for the first time, Leon couldn't help but feel nervous. If only he could use Steel Willpower for better effect.
But his tension seemed natural to Gree, who took it as a sign of proper subordination.
『Damn, forty minutes of standoff. Where the hell is Churik? Are we being played? Did he escape through a secret passage?』
Gree's icy exterior masked his inner agitation.
Leon noticed his frequent glances at Isabella Xiang.
『Should I just kill her now? What are they thinking?』
"Boss, Churik asked me to pass a message," Leon carefully chose his words to avoid suspicion.
"What's the message?" Gree didn't even look at him.
Relieved, Leon realized Churik intimidated even Gree.
"He said there's a change. He wants me to take the two girls to him. He said releasing the hostages on this floor would ease the pressure. By the way, boss, what's 'that side'?" Leon bet that low-level henchmen wouldn't know such secrets.
"Don't ask questions!" Gree snapped.
『Damn national interest groups making shady deals again? Damn, we're just their pawns.』
『Fine, as long as it's safe.』
Gree walked among the hostages, scanning them.
"You, and you, come out."
Just as Leon expected, Isabella Xiang and Cynthia were chosen.
"What are you doing?" Cynthia shielded Isabella, asking nervously.
"Shut up if you don't want to die," Gree said coldly, joining Leon with the two girls.
Leon contained his excitement, maintaining composure.
"He said for safety, send the hostages down the observation elevator," Leon added.
Gree looked suspicious.
"He said a hacker made that request."
"Damn, too many demands," Gree grumbled. "Keep an eye on these two. Don't screw up, or else."
"Yes, sir."
While the overconfident thug leader complied with Leon's request to release the hostages, Leon managed to walk Isabella Xiang and Cynthia right out under Gree's nose.