Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

Lin Xiuyi did not go up immediately, but stood in the stairwell, listening carefully to the sounds coming from upstairs.

The shouts of the robber leader came from the third floor, along with suppressed sobs and trembling breaths, creating an extremely tense atmosphere.

Lin Xiuyi took a deep breath and then carefully walked up the stairs step by step.

He knew very well that while the thugs on the second floor were easy to deal with, the problem now was that he didn't know how many of them there were.

Besides those on the second floor, how many robbers are on the third floor? Are there any other accomplices lying in ambush elsewhere in the mall?

Moreover, judging from the conversation between the two thugs, the customers and employees in the mall had been herded to the third floor, clearly being taken hostage.

Before knowing how the thugs had taken these people hostage, and the safety of the hostages, Lin Xiuyi felt it was best not to alert them.

To prevent the robbers from becoming desperate and harming the hostages.

Soon, Lin Xiuyi arrived at the entrance to the stairwell on the third floor.

He stopped, slowly reached out, gently pushed open a crack in the door, and cautiously peered inside.

The third floor sells rings, necklaces, and jewelry.

The display case, which was originally filled with various precious jewelry pieces, has now been completely looted.

The glass counter was shattered, and shards were scattered all over the floor, leaving a mess.

In a corner of the floor, more than thirty people were huddled together, including the elderly, children, and young men and women, all of whom were customers and employees of the mall.

The hostages were all pale-faced, squatting on the ground, not daring to breathe.

Beside the hostages, two thugs, each holding an iron bar, paced back and forth, staring fiercely at the crowd and occasionally shouting to prevent anyone from escaping or resisting.

Seeing this, Lin Xiuyi frowned even more deeply.

With so many hostages, how could two thugs wielding iron bars possibly hold them all?
Among these hostages are adults; if they work together, they may well be able to successfully resist.

Unless… Lin Xiuyi continued to peer inside.

He quickly discovered the crux of the problem.

Not far away, a young man with spiky hair, a hideous scar on his face, and a nose ring was sitting leisurely on a counter, his legs swinging casually.

At his feet was a large pile of rings, necklaces and various valuable jewels in cloth bags, clearly stolen goods from various counters.

What's most worrying is that this spiky-haired youth is playing with a double-barreled shotgun, the muzzle casually pointing at the ground.

Although it wasn't pointed at anyone, the cold muzzle of the gun exuded a deadly threat, making everyone afraid to make a move.

This spiky-haired youth must be the "boss" the thugs were talking about earlier.

Beside him stood three tall thugs, each holding a machete, their fierce eyes scanning the entire floor as they warily observed their surroundings.

Lin Xiuyi roughly estimated that there were about nine robbers in the entire mall, four on the second floor and five on the third floor.

The gang leader was also carrying a hunting rifle, making the situation even more dangerous than he had anticipated.

Hunting rifles are extremely powerful, and once fired, the consequences would be unimaginable. They could not only harm the hostages but also cause even greater chaos.

He had to find a way to control the situation and protect the hostages before the police arrived. Lin Xiuyi slowly withdrew, gently closed the stairwell door, leaned against the wall, took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself down.

Now, he faces two choices: one is to rush out immediately and confront the robbers head-on, but the other side has shotguns and there are many of them. Once he takes action, the hostages are likely to be harmed, and he may not be able to gain the upper hand.
The second option is to temporarily hide and wait for the police to arrive. Once the police arrive, cooperate with them to attack from both inside and outside and subdue the robbers.

The second option is obviously safer, but Lin Xiuyi had just knocked out a thug in the bathroom on the second floor.

Although nothing is happening for now, given enough time, the thugs will definitely go to the restroom to look for their accomplices and eventually discover that someone has broken in.

However, the first option, rushing in directly, carries an absurdly high risk.

He's not some invincible superman; the double-barreled shotgun in the gang leader's hand isn't just for show.

Once you're targeted and get shot, forget about saving others; even your own survival is uncertain.

We must find a breakthrough...

Lin Xiuyi muttered to himself, his gaze once again falling on the group of hostages outside the crack in the door.

The best way to stabilize the situation without exposing oneself or provoking a fierce counterattack from the hostages is to find someone among the hostages who can cooperate with one's actions.

As long as someone can provide internal support, whether it's relaying messages, reassuring people, or waiting for the right moment to launch a surprise attack, there will be an extra layer of protection.

Oh, right! That beam of flashlight beam I saw downstairs just now!

Lin Xiuyi's heart suddenly stirred.

In such a life-or-death moment, when everyone is gripped by fear, it is still possible to calmly recall using the internationally recognized SOS signal to call for help.

This person not only possesses intelligence, but also extraordinary courage and composure. Such a person is precisely the kind of partner he needs to find.

The hostages huddled together in a corner, each in a different posture.
An elderly man was huddled up tightly, shivering.

A young girl had her head down, her shoulders trembling, trying to suppress her sobs.

Several other children were held tightly in their parents' arms, too frightened to make a sound.

Everyone's face was pale and filled with despair; no one dared to breathe.

Following the direction of the flashlight beams he had observed downstairs, Lin Xiuyi checked the crowd one by one and quickly found the person who appeared to be sending a distress signal in the innermost corner of the hostage group.

When he saw what the two people looked like, he was somewhat surprised.

It turned out to be the father and son I had bumped into at the bank entrance before.

The father was thin and small, with a toothpick still dangling from his mouth. He looked nonchalant and was now slightly turned to shield his son.

The boy who was accidentally bumped into by Hagiwara Chisato huddled behind his father, only showing half of his head.

Judging from the fact that the two were constantly whispering to each other and the father would also secretly look up and scan the surroundings, it was most likely that the SOS signal was sent by this father and son.

Once the goal was found, new problems arose:

How can I establish contact with the robbers without being discovered?
The stairwell where Lin Xiuyi is now hiding is a good 20 to 30 meters away from the corner where the hostages are being guarded.

There were scattered pieces of the counter and thugs guarding the area; if they went out rashly, they would surely be discovered.
Not only would they fail to make contact, but they would also completely expose themselves, putting subsequent operations at a disadvantage. (End of Chapter)