Lin Shi crouched quietly in the corner. The other people in the hall had already been taken control of by the robbers. These four robbers were clearly well-prepared and had distinct roles. One monitored the outside situation, another watched the hostages, and a third was approaching the counter with a duffel bag. Chu Xiaodie, the client manager, was paralyzed with fear. Could someone really dare to rob the main branch of the Xia Country Bank?!
The short-haired man walked straight to the counter, pointing his gun at Chu Xiaodie through the bulletproof glass. "Give me the gold bars! Hurry up!"
Chu Xiaodie didn't comply; instead, she began to gather the gold bars to lock them back in the safe. Despite her fear, she had been trained. The bulletproof glass at the main branch couldn't be penetrated by a regular handgun. This was the city center, and the bank's alarm system was connected to the nearest police station. Help would arrive within minutes.
However, there were other bank employees outside the counter. One of the robbers pointed his gun at an employee's head and dragged him to the VIP lounge entrance. "Get the gold bars out as fast as you can! For every ten seconds you delay, I'll kill someone!"
Chu Xiaodie had no choice but to comply. Lin Shi watched from his hiding spot. He noticed that none of the robbers were going to the other counters to rob cash. Their target was clear: the gold in the VIP lounge. It made sense; a smart robber wouldn't try to steal cash from a bank. Every banknote had a recorded serial number, making it impossible to spend. Gold, on the other hand, could be melted and circulated on the market.
But there was a puzzle. The gold inventory at the counter was limited, and the bank's large gold bars were stored in the vault. Without a significant haul, the risk of robbing a bank far outweighed the reward. How did these robbers know that the counter would have a large amount of gold today? Someone spending 25 million yuan to buy physical gold was rare.
Lin Shi's gaze fell on Chu Xiaodie, who was trembling as she handed the gold bars to the robbers. A flash of insight hit him. Someone must have leaked the information that he would be buying a large amount of gold today! Everything became clear. They had been waiting for this batch of gold!
A chill ran down Lin Shi's spine, and his eyes turned cold. Fortunately, he hadn't taken the gold bars away, and the security guard had noticed the anomaly, allowing him to escape this ordeal. If he had put the gold bars in his suitcase, he would have been defenseless and unlikely to survive.
Chu Xiaodie quickly handed over the 60 gold bars, and the robbers packed them into the duffel bag. The gold bars were small in volume but heavy, and one of the robbers struggled to carry the weight. At that moment, the short-haired man noticed the suitcase beside the counter. Lin Shi felt a sense of foreboding.
Sure enough, the short-haired man noticed Lin Shi. The suitcase Lin Shi had bought was black, compact, and had a password lock. The short-haired man barked at Lin Shi, "Come here! Open this suitcase!"
Lin Shi put on a frightened expression and obediently opened the suitcase. The robber placed the duffel bag containing the gold bars inside. Throughout this process, Lin Shi watched the robber's movements closely. Twenty-five million yuan worth of gold was now in a small suitcase. If he used his space to transfer the gold bars at this moment...
No, he immediately dismissed the idea. The bank's surveillance cameras were still operational. If the suitcase suddenly disappeared under everyone's watchful eyes, it would be too conspicuous. The disappearance of twenty-five million yuan in gold would certainly lead to a thorough investigation. If the Treasure Pot were exposed, it would be a huge risk.
In the distance, the sound of sirens could be heard. The robbers were quick, but the Xia Country police were faster. Upon hearing the sirens, the robbers panicked and prepared to leave. Before they left, the short-haired man glanced at Lin Shi again. Suddenly, he lunged towards Lin Shi!
Lin Shi instinctively wanted to dodge and fight back. But then he remembered something and forcibly suppressed his instincts, remaining still. The short-haired man grabbed Lin Shi, pressing the gun to his back and growled, "Move!"
Lin Shi obediently followed the robber out of the bank. Outside, a getaway vehicle was waiting. Lin Shi was pushed into the car. There were five robbers in total. It was a SUV, and the four large men in the back seat were cramped, but none complained. They all implicitly accepted that the short-haired man would bring Lin Shi along.
As Lin Shi was being kidnapped, a journalist who had been working nearby rushed over and captured a video of the incident. The news spread quickly through social media: "Hai City's Xia Country Bank Main Branch Robbed; Young Man Kidnapped!"
Netizens flooded the comments section:
- "To think someone would actually rob a bank in broad daylight! They must have some guts! I bet they won't last a day!"
- "These robbers actually have guns!!"
- "I bet they won't last half a day! I trust our law enforcement!"
- "The guy who got kidnapped doesn't look like he'll make it..."
- "That guy looks like my high school classmate."
- "Isn't that my college classmate, Lin Shi?!"
- "My high school classmate is also named Lin Shi!"
It soon became clear that the Lin Shi they knew was the same person. Another viral video emerged: "Young Man Kidnapped by Bank Robbers, Fate Unknown!" The video included a clear close-up of Lin Shi's face, and his college classmate gained numerous followers for posting it.
Lin Shi, unaware of his newfound internet fame, felt the police sirens getting closer as the car drove on. The five robbers were breathing heavily. One of them spoke in a language Lin Shi didn't recognize, suggesting they might not be from Xia Country. The suitcase of gold was under one of the robbers' feet, within reach of Lin Shi's toes. If he could touch the suitcase, he could transfer the gold bars to his space.
Yes, Lin Shi was after this gold.