To be honest, Wang Tian hadn’t wanted to get involved, but it might have had something to do with his childhood experiences.
He always felt some sympathy for children, as long as they didn’t pose a threat to his safety or that of his teammates.
These thugs were clearly amateurs among amateurs. He only stepped forward because he was confident he could keep himself safe.
If a group of professionals had shown up, he’d probably have been quicker to run than anyone else. After all, in the eyes of mercenaries like them, their own lives mattered most.
Just how amateur were they? They hadn’t even brought a blindfold. They were simply standing behind him with a crudely modified shotgun pressed against him.
If he’d been alone, he would have acted long ago. The narrow passage would ensure that he’d only have to face the threat of one or two people at a time.
But there was still an innocent bystander up ahead. Since he’d already gotten involved, he might as well rescue her too, so he held back for the time being.
He followed the group through a series of twists and turns for a while, until the people in front began climbing up.
He really couldn’t hold back any longer. They didn’t even have the guards watching? They were just climbing up like that?
When the thug in front of the mother also started to climb, he instantly ducked, bent forward, and punched the kidnapper behind him in the groin.
As the man instinctively clenched his legs, Wang Tian struck him with a short, sharp blow at the elbow. He caught the falling shotgun with one hand, then brought the edge of his hand down on the side of the man’s neck.
Without sparing another glance at the unconscious man, he quickly pulled over the mother, who had no idea what was happening, then yanked down another thug who had climbed halfway up.
He knocked him unconscious with the butt of the gun, picked up his pistol, found a concealed spot, and slowly trained it on the well opening.
“Sixth, Bin, hurry up and get up here!” Fifth Brother’s voice came from above. Just how amateur could they be? They didn’t even know what was going on.
“Fuck, what the hell are you doing? Hurry up!” A head poked down and shouted.
Bang! A gunshot rang out, and the man who had stuck his head out fell straight down.
“Shit, what’s going on?” A commotion broke out above.
“Who’s there? What the fuck did you do to my brother?” the boss shouted.
“Quit yelling. Isn’t it better for you if there are fewer people to split the money with?”
“Who the fuck are you? I’ll kill you!” the boss snarled furiously.
“If I were you, I’d get out of here. Once the SWAT team surrounds this place, you won’t be able to leave,” Wang Tian said calmly.
“You son of a—” Another voice came from above, followed by a burst of arguing.
Wang Tian didn’t say anything. He just kept his gun trained on the well opening. Before long, he heard the boss say bitterly,
“Just you wait. Don’t let me find out who you are.”
“Boss, hurry up and get out of there. The police are coming!” Monkey shouted frantically from the car.
The desperate criminals wasted no time. They scrambled into the car and took off. They weren’t brothers who’d stand together through life and death, just a bunch of thugs who’d joined forces. How much loyalty could they possibly have?
Hearing the commotion above, Wang Tian breathed a sigh of relief.
The view above was too open. If he went up, he might get hit by a stray bullet; and if a firefight broke out, the woman would probably be in trouble. This was good enough.
He wasn’t a police officer, and arresting criminals wasn’t his job. He’d kept himself safe and rescued the hostage—wasn’t that a happy ending for everyone?
As for the criminals, with skills as amateur as theirs, they probably wouldn’t last a day before getting caught.
“Back away slowly, and go back the way we came,” Wang Tian told the terrified woman.
Only then did the woman finally come to her senses. She screamed and ran back, wailing.
Wang Tian left her alone and checked the well opening. Then he quickly dragged over the criminal who had fallen. He’d been careful when he fired.
The bullet had gone in through one side of the man’s mouth and out the other. It looked terrifying, but he wasn’t actually in serious danger.
He’d only hit his head when he fell. If he received treatment in time, he should still survive, right?
“It’s a replica Type 54, but it’s accurate enough within three meters.” Wang Tian removed the magazine and took a look.
“Put down your gun!” As footsteps approached, several red laser dots locked onto Wang Tian.
“Don’t shoot, I’m one of you!” Wang Tian hurriedly called out, then slowly lowered both guns. He was genuinely afraid that if he moved too quickly, they’d shoot him. That would be a hell of an injustice.
“Wang Tian? Don’t shoot!” Qi Zhi’s voice rang out.
Then Qi Zhi ran over with a SWAT team.
“There are three kidnappers underground. One of them probably needs medical attention; the other two are just unconscious,” Wang Tian said to Qi Zhi.
Qi Zhi didn’t pay any attention to the SWAT officers checking on the kidnappers on the ground. He simply looked at Wang Tian and asked, “Did you fire just now?”
“I fired once, to protect myself and rescue someone. It was that guy whose mouth was shot through. I used a Type 54,” Wang Tian explained.
“Got it. Come with me. The rest has nothing to do with us.” Qi Zhi put a pair of handcuffs on him, then led him away after speaking briefly with a SWAT officer. The two of them headed back the way they’d come.
Wang Tian didn’t react much to Qi Zhi putting him in handcuffs. If Qi Zhi hadn’t restrained him and had just led him away, Wang Tian would have started doubting his competence.
By the time they returned to the mall, everyone inside had been evacuated, leaving only a few police officers. Yang Tian was standing beside a man, talking to him.
Qi Zhi exchanged a few brief words with the man, then walked over to Wang Tian with a smile.
“I’m Wang Feng, the Action Team captain responsible for monitoring you. Come back with us for now. We need to take your statement.” Since he’d already been exposed, Wang Feng spoke frankly.
Wang Tian said nothing, only nodded. The four of them went outside and got into a van, then headed straight for the State Security Bureau in SY.
Once they arrived, Wang Feng and another person questioned him in detail about what had happened in a room.
Wang Tian had nothing to hide, so he recounted in detail how he’d followed the kidnappers as they withdrew.
“Why did you choose to act at that moment?” asked an unfamiliar woman, carefully watching his expression.
“Because I judged that if I and the other hostage went up with the kidnappers, we might be in danger. We’d be a burden if they brought us along, but letting us go would risk exposing their escape route. So killing us would be their best option.”
“Please repeat what happened during the firefight.”
Wang Tian repeated it again without changing expression. He only stopped when the woman nodded.
“We have a general understanding of what happened. Although this incident was just an accident, given your identity, we need to consult our superiors. Rest here for now. If you need anything, just ask,” Wang Feng said with a smile.
“Get me something to eat, and leave me a pack of cigarettes,” Wang Tian said without holding back.
Wang Feng glanced at him, nodded toward the surveillance camera in the corner, and then the two of them left.
“Ugh, what a pain.” Once they were gone, Wang Tian slumped over the table and muttered to himself.