Chapter 243: The Vanished Robbers

Xiao Yu stood frozen like a statue, completely still. Even as countless pieces of information, skills, and techniques related to repairing specialists flooded his mind, none of it snapped him back to reality.

Thirty days was the system’s time limit.

Can you imagine what kind of criminals and cases you’d be dealing with after twenty days?

Can you imagine the dangers you’d face during the investigation?

Just then… Bang!

A gunshot echoed from the front of the bank, jolting Xiao Yu awake. He turned his head to see a masked robber stepping out of the bank.

With brazen arrogance, the robber shouted, “Bring water and food here! If we don’t see anything in half an hour, we’ll start killing people!”

Xiao Yu sneered.

Why did the robber dare to come out and make demands without fear of being shot by the police?

The reason was simple. There was still another robber inside the bank, along with eight hostages. The police couldn’t risk shooting him.

For the safety of the hostages, the police had no choice but to let him act arrogantly, even to the point of needing to send supplies inside.

But who would go?

Given the robbers’ ruthlessness, whoever delivered the supplies might not come back. This was a life-or-death mission. Sacrifice could happen at any moment.

And yet…

The head of the provincial police, Zeng Lei, asked, “Who will go?”

Dozens of officers raised their hands without hesitation.

Xiao Yu looked at them, his expression calm.

Weren’t they afraid of death?

Everyone fears death. Not many people don’t. But their job was being a police officer.

“I’ll go,” Xiao Yu said.

It wasn’t impulsive or reckless. With his system skills and abilities, he had plenty of ways to protect himself. As long as he stayed alert, it’d be hard for him to get into real danger. There was no need for unnecessary sacrifices.

“Nonsense!” Zeng Lei frowned and scolded Xiao Yu, “We’re still here, it’s not your place, kid, to show off!”

It seemed like a scolding, but it was actually a way to protect the younger generation. After all, Xiao Yu was someone both the big boss and Zeng Lei thought highly of. If something happened to him, they wouldn’t be able to answer for it.

“What, boss? Trying to hold me back from making progress?” Xiao Yu smirked, looking at Zeng Lei.

Everyone, “…”

What the hell, is this guy clueless? Can’t he tell good intentions from bad?

Zeng Lei wasn’t angry. He stared at Xiao Yu with suspicion, wondering what this kid was up to. After all, you don’t make it to the top of the provincial police department by being naive.

He thought, ‘What’s this kid planning?’

After a long moment, Zeng Lei coldly asked, “Your reason?”

“Is six first-class merits enough?” Xiao Yu said calmly.

The scene went silent. This wasn’t bragging. This was pure dominance through ability and strength.

“What exactly do you want?” Zeng Lei’s expression grew complicated.

“I want to get a closer look,” Xiao Yu’s face turned serious. “I want to see if they’re terrorists.”

No more hesitation.

Zeng Lei reached out and patted Xiao Yu on the shoulder. “When you get back, drinks are on me.”

Someone nearby had prepared bottled water and food, packing them into two large bags. Xiao Yu grabbed the bags and turned toward the bank entrance. Just as he was about to reach the door, someone walked out from inside.

“Stop!”

A homemade gun was pointed right at Xiao Yu as the robber yelled, “Put the stuff down and strip!”

Xiao Yu, “…”

Strip? What, are you trying to mess with me in public?

Obediently, Xiao Yu placed the food bags on the ground. First, his shirt, then his pants, and even his shoes.

He was left standing there in nothing but his underwear. His strong, well-proportioned body with perfectly balanced muscles was on full display, showcasing the pinnacle of male strength and beauty.

Anyone who saw Xiao Yu’s flawless physique couldn’t help but think, ‘Why be a cop when he’d make a perfect model?’

Xiao Yu, however, didn’t remove his last piece of clothing. That was the final shred of dignity he had left as a man.

“Bring the stuff inside!” the robber shouted.

Xiao Yu sighed in relief, picking up the bags and walking toward him.

‘Thank goodness… My dignity is still intact.’

***

With the gun pressed against his head, Xiao Yu walked into the bank’s lobby.

He scanned the room. Eight hostages, hands on their heads, sat huddled in a corner. A body lay in the middle of the floor.

Xiao Yu frowned.

Where’s the other robber?

The armed robber barked at him, “What the hell are you looking at? Put the stuff down and go sit with the others!”

Calmly, Xiao Yu bent down to place the bags on the floor. Then, without a word, he walked over to the hostages, squatted down, and clasped his hands behind his head.

Four men and three women? Out of the three women, two were bank employees?

Xiao Yu’s gaze subtly swept the scene, carefully observing. Suddenly, a figure appeared in the corner of the bank.

It was a second robber.

He wasn’t tall, wearing a mask and holding a homemade pistol. He stepped out of the corner for a moment, then quickly pulled back.

What’s wrong with this robber? Why does he seem a bit… off?

How to describe it?

Fear!

What is he afraid of?

If you’ve got the guts to rob a bank and kill people, what’s there to be terrified of?

Xiao Yu felt puzzled—something didn’t add up.

The masked robber, holding two grocery bags, walked over to his partner, sat down, lifted the mask off his nose, and began eating from the bag. The other robber stood perfectly still, pointing the gun at the hostages.

Xiao Yu kept his head down, continuing to observe the two robbers.

As he watched, he noticed something increasingly off about the one aiming the gun at the hostages.

Not only was the robber’s expression fearful, but they looked downright terrified. It was like watching a scared quail.

Could these be the eyes of a killer robber?

Suddenly, Xiao Yu thought of a possibility.

Could it be that this person wasn’t a robber at all?

Maybe, they weren’t even a man, but a woman.

The Monarch Buterfly’s heightened sense of smell wouldn’t lie.

As this realization hit, Xiao Yu’s heart skipped a beat.

If this person wasn’t the robber, where is the other one?

Xiao Yu pulled back his gaze and looked at the hostages around him. The four male hostages looked terrified, pale, and clearly in a state of panic. Among the three female hostages, one bank employee had wet herself in fear, while the other female employee kept her head down obediently.

Could the other robber be disguised as the civilian woman?

No, the female civilian seemed too ordinary, and the fear on her face didn’t look fake.

Xiao Yu narrowed his eyes.

If the armed person wasn’t the robber, then where was the other one?