Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

"Report! I don't have time for reports!"

Before Officer Ida could finish speaking, the gang leader snorted impatiently, his face instantly darkening, and the murderous intent in his eyes resurfaced.
"The fact that I called you was already giving you face!"

"You dare keep me waiting? Are you deliberately stalling for time, waiting for the police to surround this place?"

He suddenly raised his hand and pressed the double-barreled shotgun hard against Officer Ida's chest, his tone frantic and vicious.
"I'm warning you, don't try any tricks on me! Either you release my brother right now, or I'll kill one of the hostages right now!"

The hostages around them screamed in terror again and huddled together, plunging the scene into chaos.

Upon seeing this, the two thugs guarding the hostages immediately raised their iron bars and shouted at them, but they were completely unable to control the panicked crowd.

Lin Xiuyi, perched on the ceiling, gripped the folding knife tightly, her body poised to leap.

Officer Ida felt the cold muzzle of the gun in his chest, but his expression remained calm.

He showed no fear, his gaze unwavering as he looked at the gang leader, and spoke in a calm tone.

“I have done as you asked. My superiors are indeed reporting it to their superiors. That’s all I can do.”

"But I advise you not to hurt any of the hostages. That will only make your situation more difficult, and even if you release your brother, you won't be able to leave here smoothly."

"Stop talking nonsense!"

The gang leader roared, his finger gripping the trigger again, his eyes filled with madness.

"I'm giving you five minutes! If you don't get a response in five minutes, I'll do what I say and kill one of the hostages to show you!"

The air froze instantly, and fear engulfed the entire third floor like a tidal wave.

Lin Xiuyi, who was lying on the ceiling partition, was extremely nervous.

Below, the gang leader's double-barreled shotgun was pressed firmly against Officer Ida's chest.

With just a gentle pull of the trigger, Officer Ida would be instantly killed.

Lin Xiuyi's body was already prepared to leap, his eyes locked on the gang leader's every move.

But he dared not act rashly.

The two were extremely close, and the muzzle of the shotgun was pointed directly at Officer Ida.

Once he jumps, the gang leader is very likely to accidentally pull the trigger in the chaos, and in that case, it will only be Officer Ida who gets injured.

Lin Xiuyi could only endure it, keeping a close eye on the situation below, waiting for a perfect opportunity.

Time ticked by in extreme tension, and the five-minute countdown given by the gang leader seemed to have come to an end in the blink of an eye.

The telephone on the third floor of the mall remained silent, without ringing at all, and there was still no response from the police.

The last shred of patience on the gang leader's face vanished completely, and his eyes grew increasingly crazed.

He gritted his teeth, a sinister smile curving his lips, about to open his mouth and vent his anger.

Just then, a piercing police siren suddenly came from outside the mall.

As it drew nearer, it became increasingly clear.

A sharp sound pierced through the closed mall, breaking the deathly silence on the third floor.

"Oh no! It's the police!" one of the thugs exclaimed instinctively.

The gang leader stiffened abruptly, then barked an order at one of his henchmen.
"Go to the window and look out! Don't let anyone see you, just see what's going on outside!"

The younger brother didn't dare to delay for a moment. His hands trembled as he ran to the window, carefully lifted a corner of the heavy curtain, revealing only a thin gap, and peeked out.

After just one glance, his body began to tremble uncontrollably, and he reported in a tearful voice, "Boss, it's...it's police cars! There are at least ten of them! And quite a few policemen with guns," "They've surrounded the entire department store! They've even blocked off the alleyway at the entrance!"

"Damn it! You cops were definitely playing a trick!"

The gang leader whirled around, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at Officer Ida, his gaze filled with murderous intent and rage.
"Did you collude with the police outside all along? Deliberately stalling for time, waiting for them to surround this place?"

"I……"

Officer Ida swallowed hard, his heart pounding.

He was also secretly blaming his colleagues at the police station.

It's good that you're here to rescue us, but did you have to come with such fanfare and sirens blaring?
Why not quietly surround the mall and secretly deploy a rescue operation?

Now things have gone awry. Not only have we alerted the enemy, but we've also thoroughly enraged the kidnappers, putting all the hostages in even greater danger.

Officer Ida composed himself, trying to keep his voice steady as he attempted to calm the gang leader.
"You heard what I said on the phone just now. I did report the situation to my superiors truthfully and did not hide anything."

"I really don't know what's going on outside. Maybe someone noticed something was wrong with the department store and called the police..."

"I don't want to hear your bullshit right now!"

The gang leader snorted angrily, interrupting Officer Ida's explanation.

"I just said, if the police don't respond in five minutes, I'll kill one of the hostages and teach you cops a lesson!"

He pointed his shotgun at Officer Ida and said in a sinister tone,

"You can choose who to kill!"

"Aren't you a police officer? Aren't you supposed to be protecting the hostages?"

"Right now, I'll let you choose someone to die. I want to see just how much your conscience as a policeman is worth!"

"I could never do such a thing!"

Officer Ida refused without hesitation.

"I would never personally select hostages to die. Forget about it!"

"Really?"

The gang leader sneered, a hint of malice flashing in his eyes.

He gave his two men a wink and said in a sinister tone, "Drag his son out of the hostage group!"

The two thugs immediately obeyed, rushed towards the group of hostages, and grabbed the little boy hiding in the crowd.

The boy struggled fiercely, shouting, "Let me go! Let me go! My dad will definitely put you all in jail!"

But he was just an eight or nine-year-old child, how could he possibly be stronger than two strong adults?

Two thugs roughly dragged him by the arm, pulling the boy out of the group of hostages and dragging him all the way to the thug leader.

The boy's arm was red from being pulled, and his face was covered in tears, but he still stubbornly gritted his teeth and refused to give in.

The gang leader glanced down at the little boy in front of him, then looked up at Officer Ida, a cruel smile spreading across his face.

"You have ten seconds to think about it."

"Either you choose one of these hostages and let me kill him."

"Either I kill your son right here and now!" (End of Chapter)