Chapter 9, A Different Gotham

Ziliang deliberately slowed down his speech, making each word very clear: "I believe I have made myself sufficiently clear this time, and as a friendly reminder, all the hostages in the bank have heard these words. I started recording this call as soon as it came in. Trust me, if you do not heed my advice and insist on forcibly breaking into the bank, or if you foolishly attempt to pull any tricks, I have 100 ways to ensure that the families of the deceased hear our conversation. You should be very clear about what your police force will face afterward."

Ziliang swiftly hung up the phone and then threw it to a hostage in the corner, not forgetting to yawn and say thank you at the same time. Afterwards, he sat down in a chair as if nothing had happened, took out a notebook, and began to flip through it.

He shouted at a nearby police officer ... ... At the same time, a very ominous premonition arose in his heart. ... ... This robber named Ziliang gave him a sense of déjà vu, a feeling that had not surfaced for many years.

As predicted by Ziliang, a group of police officers quickly arrived at the scene, surrounding the bank with nearly ten police cars. An officer stepped forward to the crowd, picked up a megaphone, and shouted at the bank: "Listen inside, this is the Gotham Police. You are surrounded. Put down your weapons and come out to surrender."

Sheriff Hill was sweating profusely, trying to mask the tension in his voice: "What exactly do you want to do"

Hello, I am the person you are looking for. May I ask who you are...?

... ...

At that moment, the mobile phone seemed to have been handed over to another person.

But why would such an experienced individual place themselves in such a situation with no way out

Sheriff Tom Hill furrowed his brow slightly: "Well then, Mr. Ziliang, it seems you are not particularly alarmed, so for the time being, I will define you as a somewhat experienced veteran. Therefore, you should have already understood your situation; you are surrounded, so..."

From the perspective of the criminals, such behavior of shouting with a loudspeaker is nothing short of a mockery and an insult to their intelligence. If the inmates in the bank were to resist, the first one to be targeted would undoubtedly be the one with the loudspeaker, there is no doubt about it

He has been in this city for three months, and only in the past few days has this notebook finally begun to resonate with the city, with some information slowly emerging on the pages. Although it remains fragmented, Ziliang has still managed to deduce some matters from this seemingly nonsensical information

"You don't need to know. To save time, I will say something you want to hear," Ziliang said quickly. "I have no companions; I am the only one in the bank. Currently, I have a total of 31 hostages. They are very fortunate, all of them are alive. One guard was shot in the leg, but there is no major artery rupture, which means he won't die anytime soon. Moreover, I have already had his companions bandage and stop the bleeding for him. Do you know what this implies?" Do you know what this implies?

What do I want to do? Hahaha—" Ziliang suddenly let out a chilling laugh: "You have too many questions, and I don't like your voice. I want to speak with Director Gordon, right here. You probably have 10 minutes to bring him over. If the next call I hear is not Director Gordon's voice, I think I will do something that you will absolutely regret!"

The city known as "Gotham" is no longer the infamous city of sin that people once knew. Although it still harbors many evils, a significant difference is that it has been a long time since those so-called super criminals have appeared here

But at that moment, several pieces of paper were贴上了 on the bank's window, with the words—"Stop shouting, this is my phone." Moreover, a string of phone numbers was indeed left below.

These few sentences are the most classic examples of meaningless talk, akin to a child saying "Don't cry" when getting a shot, or shouting "Stop!" when chasing someone. They serve no purpose, yet not saying them leaves one feeling as if something is missing. Moreover, this behavior clearly conveys to the robber: "Look! I am the boss here!"

... ...

The sheriff was stunned for about a second: "Damn it, what the hell is this?" He cursed under his breath, but still put down the megaphone, took out his phone, and dialed a number

As soon as he finished speaking, a busy tone immediately came through the phone, leaving Sheriff Hill no time for even a moment of questioning or explanation

It is a great honor to speak with you, you may call me Ziliang directly

Damn it! Hill shouted, "Contact Director Gordon, hurry! Tell him there is a major situation here!"

Hello! This is the Gotham Police. You are surrounded. Put down your weapons and come out to surrender!" He repeated the opening statement once again.

Even the figure who donned a cloak at night and was referred to as "Batman" has not appeared again

This voice sounds very calm, it must be the robber

However, as soon as the words were spoken, a timid voice came from the phone: "I... I am the hostage..."

Ziliang noticed that the other party remained silent: "Alright, let me explain. What I just said indicates that I am a conscientious kidnapper. I have not killed any hostages, and the people here are not in any danger at the moment. This means I have not given you any reason to violently storm the bank. Therefore, if I find out that you intend to cut off the bank's power supply, send a bomb disposal team to secretly remove the protective railings next to the door, or throw smoke bombs from the ventilation ducts, in short, if you do anything that I find unsatisfactory, I will start shooting the hostages. Right now, I have three guns and 55 bullets. From the moment I sense something is wrong until you subdue me, I am confident that I can kill more than half of the people here."

Sheriff Hill was momentarily taken aback once again. Firstly, the speed of the other party's speech was somewhat rapid, requiring him a second or two to fully process it. Secondly, this kidnapper was evidently a very seasoned professional, as he was well aware of what the police were most concerned about

Therefore, I currently have only one path to choose, which is to obediently open the bank's door, walk out, and surrender, correct?" Ziliang interrupted the other person's words and said, "But unfortunately, I do not wish to do so.

Soon, the call was connected

... ...

On a certain night 7 years ago, an event occurred, but no one knows exactly what happened. In any case, from that night on, all the super criminals vanished without a trace... Some say they were all locked up in Arkham Asylum, while others claim they all died. Regardless, since that day, Gotham City has transformed into something entirely different

After a while, seeing that the people inside remained silent, the sheriff signaled to the riot control team behind him to prepare, as they might force their way in shortly

Ah? The sheriff was taken aback again: "Where are the robbers?"

I am Sheriff Tom Hill

"What do you want to do?" Hill asked