The robbers were professionals.
Two of them blocked the front door of the bus, while another two quickly took control of the back door. The last one, the leader armed with a rifle, moved to the back row to oversee the entire scene.
The bus had only two doors, each guarded by two robbers, effectively putting the whole vehicle under their control.
Three guns.
Among the two robbers at the front door, one wielded a knife, and the other had a handgun. The two at the back door were similarly armed, with one holding a handgun.
The robber standing in the last row held a rifle, which had a wide range of damage and was the most intimidating.
"Nobody move! Anyone who moves gets shot!"
The robber with the rifle immediately chambered a round, his voice filled with menace. "Stay put if you don't want to die! We're here for money, not lives!"
Why did the robbers target the bus?
It was simple.
The leader had professional training and knew their van had been compromised. With the police closing in, they needed hostages as leverage. The bus was perfect for both escape and holding enough hostages.
Everyone was terrified by the sudden turn of events, including Felicity, who was a police officer.
However, beyond the initial shock, she felt a strong sense of duty and honor as an officer, she couldn't just sit there and do nothing because she was in uniform!
Just as she was about to act, a hand quickly reached out from the shadows, gripping her small hand tightly.
A voice, barely audible to anyone but her, whispered.
"Do you want to die?" Merritt's voice was soft but firm.
"You..."
Felicity's heart skipped a beat as she whispered, "I'm a cop!"
"Do you have a gun?" Merritt asked.
The answer was no.
She had visited her parents two days ago and returned to Bien City today. Cops on vacation couldn't carry their service weapons, and even on duty, not every officer was armed.
Merritt lowered his voice, "Didn't you see the news? There are five robbers, armed with knives and three guns. Even if you had a gun, you might not stand a chance. In your current state... I guarantee, if you stand up, you'll get shot."
"How do you know what's in the news? Weren't you asleep?" Felicity was stunned.
When she saw the news, Merritt had been fast asleep. The fact that he knew the details meant... he had been pretending?
This jerk had been faking sleep to take advantage of the situation!
Thinking this, Felicity couldn't help but feel a surge of anger. She realized her small hand was still tightly held by him, which only fueled her fury.
"Don't move!"
Seeing her angry expression, Merritt frowned and whispered urgently, "Is this really the time to think about that? How did you even become a cop? What good would it do to stand up? You'd just get yourself killed, and for what? A meaningless sacrifice that would endanger everyone else!"
These robbers were on the run. They had taken hostages to protect themselves. If they didn't have to, they wouldn't kill, as it would only worsen their situation.
But!
If Felicity made a move against them, things could take a drastic turn.
First, her resistance might anger the robbers.
Second, although the robbers had guns, they hadn't fired them yet.
Gunshots would expose them further. If Felicity's resistance provoked them into shooting, it could lead to a desperate situation, causing more casualties. It wouldn't just be her life at stake.
Felicity froze.
Right!
She was a police officer, and she could risk her life to fight the robbers. But if they were pushed into a corner... what about the dozens of people in the car?
"So... what do we do now?" Felicity was at a loss.
She had been on the job for less than six months and wasn't a frontline detective, SWAT, or special forces officer. She had no experience handling major cases like this.
"Do nothing."
"Do nothing?"
"Because there's nothing you can do!"
"I..."
Merritt's words filled her with immense sadness, but she knew he was right. At this moment, there was truly nothing she could do.
As a rookie who had just joined the police force with almost no field experience, Felicity couldn't even stay calm when faced with such a serious situation.
Her whole body trembled, and instead of letting go of Merritt's hand, she gripped it even tighter.
Merritt's calm and serious attitude made her unconsciously rely on him for support.
The train car was completely chaotic.
Screams. Crying. People begging for their lives.
Most of the passengers were so scared they couldn't even move.
Some were crying their eyes out, some collapsed to the floor with legs too weak to stand, and a few even wet themselves out of pure fear.
Some passengers tried to make a run for it right away. But after hearing the robbers shouting, most of them immediately dropped down to the ground, covering their heads.
Can you really outrun a bullet?
Why "most"?
Because the back door wasn't open. One middle-aged man, even after hearing the robbers yell, kept running like crazy toward the front door.
Thud!
Right when he reached the front door, the robber guarding it stabbed him in the chest with a knife. The man fell to the floor, blood pouring from his mouth.
It was obvious the robbers didn't want to use guns unless it was absolutely necessary, since that would just attract more attention.
"Boss... please don't kill me, please..."
Right then, the arrogant blond guy who earlier tried to act smart and "expose a scam" pointed at Merritt and started crying and yelling, "He has money... a big bag of euros... Boss, go rob him... I swear I won't say I know you..."
Damn it! Merritt seriously wanted to slap this idiot.
Felicity was furious too.
That guy saw Merritt looking pale and sick earlier and tried to act all righteous, calling out a "scam" to show off.
But now that there were actual robbers, he was falling apart just to save himself. She really wanted to shoot that coward, if only she had a gun.
A big bag of euros?
The robbers' eyes lit up with greed when they heard that.
They had already stolen gold and jewelry, but selling those was risky and complicated. Cash, though? Way easier to deal with.
Euros!
That was the key!
Since euros were foreign currency, the police couldn't easily track them by serial numbers. And if they could grab a whole bag of it in one go, why not?
"Drive!" the robber at the front door shouted at the bus driver, pointing his gun.
The driver, shaking like a leaf, started up the bus.
A wet stain spread across his pants, and a horrible smell filled the air.
He wasn't the only one who had lost control like that.
"Danny, move!" the robber with the rifle barked from the back.
"You!"
The robber near the back door, holding a knife, took three quick steps toward Merritt and pointed the blade right at his neck. "Where's the money?"
There were five robbers, all armed with knives and guns. And Merritt?
He looked like some sickly guy ready to collapse, totally harmless.
The robbers didn't see him as a threat at all.
"Here." Merritt stood up and stepped out from his seat by the window.
"Don't!" Felicity grabbed his arm, whispering quickly, "If you give them the money, they still won't let you go! They won't spare you! We can't give in to criminals!"
Merritt hated that blond snitch, but Felicity's cluelessness was just as annoying.
These guys had knives and guns. Did she seriously think saying no would solve anything?
Or that holding onto the money would give them an advantage? The robbers could just shoot them and take it anyway.
What really mattered was—
Felicity stopping him was only putting herself in even more danger!
From the moment the robbers got on, Merritt noticed they kept eyeing Felicity.
She stood out. Compared to regular passengers, a police officer was a way bigger threat.
"You trying to die?" the knife-holding robber growled at Felicity.
At the same time, the two guys with guns at the front and back both raised their weapons and aimed straight at her.
"Harley, should we just kill the cop first?" one of them asked their leader.
"No!" Harley, holding a loaded rifle, had a sharp glint in his eyes. "If we shoot, the sound will give away our location. The police will find us fast. We need a hostage. A cop is worth more than ten normal people. Everyone else can die, but not her!"
While they were talking, Merritt's brain was already working overtime.