Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

The thug with the gun pointed at him was so terrified that his legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground, his trouser leg instantly soaked with sweat, begging for mercy repeatedly.
"Boss, I was wrong! I'll never talk nonsense again!"

Panic gripped the hostages, with many screaming in terror. The cries of children, the sobs of women, and the gasps of the elderly mingled together, and the scene quickly spiraled out of control.

Upon seeing this, the two thugs guarding the hostages immediately raised their iron bars and shouted at the hostages.
"Shut up, all of you! Anyone who dares to utter another sound, I'll beat them to death with this stick!"

Lin Xiuyi, who was on the ceiling, also had her ears ringing from the sudden gunshot.

He instinctively covered his ears and pressed his body tightly against the metal pillar to avoid falling due to the vibration.

He looked down, his expression becoming extremely serious.

The moment the gunshot rang out, the robber completely lost control; the situation was now far more dangerous than he had anticipated.

The man with the toothpick in his mouth immediately hugged his son tightly in his arms the moment the gunshot rang out, shielding him with his body. At the same time, he looked up and met Lin Xiuyi's gaze again through the gap in the ceiling.

This time, the man's eyes no longer held the shock he had shown before; instead, they were filled with determination.

He nodded slightly to Lin Xiuyi, indicating that he understood his meaning and would cooperate with his actions.

Lin Xiuyi felt a warmth in her heart and nodded slightly at him.

He knew that there was no time left to plan slowly.

The robbers have become extremely vigilant and frantic because of the fact that Ryuji was knocked unconscious.

He quietly moved his body and carefully climbed up the metal pillar to the top of the gang leader, keeping a close eye on his every move.

The gang leader looked at his subordinates lying on the ground, then at the panicked group of hostages. The anger in his eyes gradually subsided, replaced by a hint of vigilance and unease.

He knew that Long Er being knocked unconscious meant that there were indeed other people in the mall.

They're either customers or employees hiding, or they're police officers.

Whoever the other party is, they pose a huge threat to his plans.

"Listen up, everyone!"
The thug raised his double-barreled shotgun and shouted at the group of hostages.
"Confess immediately! Who knocked Long Er unconscious? If you hand him over obediently, I might spare his life!"

"If you dare to hide anything, don't blame me for being ruthless and shooting you all!"

The hostages were so frightened that they fell silent, heads bowed, no one daring to speak.

Lin Xiuyi lay on the ceiling, her fists clenched tightly.

"Not going to say anything, huh?"

The gang leader stared at the silent group of hostages, a sinister smile spreading across his face, his eyes filled with undisguised murderous intent.

He tightened his grip on the double-barreled shotgun, and slowly lowered the muzzle, pointing it directly at a girl who looked only fifteen or sixteen years old in the front row of the hostages.

The girl was wearing a school uniform, and her face was already deathly pale.

With a gun pointed at him, he was so frightened that he trembled all over, tears welled up in his eyes, and his lips trembled, but he couldn't even utter a word of begging for mercy.

"Since neither of you is going to speak, then don't blame me for being ruthless!"

The gang leader's voice was icy and chilling; his finger was already on the trigger, his eyes filled with madness.

"Today I'll show you the price of concealment!"

Seeing that the gang leader was actually going to shoot innocent civilians, Lin Xiuyi, who was on the ceiling, could no longer hold back. Her body tensed up, and she gripped the metal pillar tightly with both hands, ready to jump down at any moment.

He knew that his rash action would likely expose him to gunfire, but seeing the girl's desperate eyes, he couldn't bear to stand idly by. Just as he was about to leap, a steady and powerful shout shattered the silence of the third floor.

"stop!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw the middle-aged father, who had been holding a toothpick in his mouth, suddenly stand up from the group of hostages.

He wasn't particularly tall, and was even somewhat thin, but his back was ramrod straight at that moment.

The man stared intently at the gang leader, his tone firm: "If you're going to fight, come at me. Don't hurt innocent people."

"Hmph, who do you think you are? How dare you interfere in my business?"

The gang leader, his actions interrupted, looked utterly impatient.

He raised the muzzle of his gun, pointed it at his middle-aged father, and shouted fiercely.
"Why should I listen to you? You'd better get back into the crowd and squat down, or I'll shoot you first!"

Before he could finish speaking, the little boy, who was being shielded behind his middle-aged father, suddenly peeked out from behind his father's clothes.
The boy puffed out his small chest proudly, his voice clear yet firm, carrying a touch of childishness yet exceptionally loud:
"My dad's a policeman! If you dare touch my dad, the police will arrest you!"

"what?"

These words were like a thunderclap, exploding loudly in the crowd.

The thugs holding weapons instantly changed their expressions, looked at each other in dismay, and subconsciously tightened their grip on the iron bars and machetes in their hands.

They never imagined that one of the hostages they had taken was a policeman.

The hostages were in an uproar, and a glimmer of hope ignited in the previously desperate crowd.

All the hostages turned their gazes toward the middle-aged father, their eyes filled with expectation and reliance, as if they had seen a savior.

Some people couldn't help but whisper among themselves: "Oh, they're the police! We're saved!"

"Police! Please help us!"

You absolutely must find a way to get us out of here!

……

"police?"

The gang leader was taken aback for a moment, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes. Then, as if he had heard something funny, he suddenly let out a cold laugh.

He turned to the thug who had brought the message and gave a stern order:
"You, go back to the second floor immediately and keep watch. If anything goes wrong again, I won't let you off the hook!"

The thug who brought the news nodded frantically, his face still showing lingering fear. Without daring to delay, he turned and ran towards the stairwell, his steps so frantic that he almost fell.

Then, the gang leader gave a wink to his two henchmen.
"You two, go and seal off the stairwell between the second and third floors. Block it with shelves and miscellaneous items. No one is allowed to come up or go down!"

"Yes, boss!"

The two thugs immediately obeyed, carrying their machetes, and rushed towards the stairwell.

After making these arrangements, the gang leader slowly turned his head and looked at his middle-aged father again.

He raised his chin, his eyes filled with a hint of provocation and scrutiny, and asked in an icy tone:
"Since you say you're a police officer, what proof do you have? Don't try to fool me or pull any tricks!"

The middle-aged man was clearly surprised that his son would suddenly reveal his identity, and a hint of helplessness flashed across his face.

He had originally planned to secretly coordinate with Lin Xiuyi, who was hiding in the ceiling, to wait for the best opportunity to rescue the person, but now that his identity had been exposed, his plan had to be changed. (End of Chapter)