Suming thought of a sneaky trick at first.
If there was an online streaming platform in Yangchuan City, why not simply live stream the rescue operation? It was certain to cause a sensation.
However, upon further thought, if the rescue were successful, then live streaming would be no problem. But what if it failed?
In the end, if there was a shootout between the kidnappers and the police, the kidnappers fled, and the hostage got brutally killed—blood and gore splattering across the screen... Then the live stream would be a huge problem, and it would be like outright saring the reputation of Xiangjiang Police. Soone might even sue him for violating human rights and portrait rights.
So, he decided on a compromise—record it first. Afterwards, depending on the outco, broadcast it. If the end result were joyful for all parties, of course no one would oppose this opportunity for publicity. Otherwise, forget it.
"OK, very clear, extrely clear! Su, if this were live stread, I bet there'd be several hundred thousand people rushing into the stream," Wang Hao still felt a bit regretful.
"A recording can still create a sensational effect. Everyone's seen hostage rescues in movies, but who has seen a real one? Don't worry! All right, enough said, can you see the video from Haidong Qing clearly?"
"Extrely clear!"
"OK!"
"Su, take care of yourself, don't get the cara splattered with blood..."
…
As ti ticked away, after Ocean Park opened, visitors flooded in like a tide, quickly filling the park to capacity. Suming couldn't even see He Baowen, who was just twenty ters away.
Just after 9:30, Suming's phone, which belonged to Luo Jiaju, suddenly rang with a number he didn't recognize.
"All units, pay attention, all units, attention, the kidnappers are calling!" After He Baowen made the announcent over the radio to notify everyone, Suming answered the call, and a voice with a mainland accent ca through, "Hello, is this Mr. Luo? Did you bring the money?"
"I brought the money, but I'm not Mr. Luo."
Hearing a different person on the phone, and with a standard mainland Mandarin at that, the kidnapper on the other end beca visibly wary and asked in a low voice, "Who are you? Where's Luo Jiaju!"
"Mr. Luo obviously can't show himself personally; what if you kidnapped him as well? I'm a friend of Mr. Luo. I've brought the money. Where are you, and how should I give it to you?" Suming asked.
After a few seconds of hesitation, the voice on the phone said, "You don't need to know where I am. Tell what you are wearing and describe your appearance."
Suming described his outfit in detail before the kidnapper continued, "Now, carrying the money bag, walk towards the crossroads between the Cloud Soaring Roller Coaster and the aquarium. There's a big shark balloon at the intersection; stop there once you arrive."
After speaking, the kidnapper hung up the phone.
With no other option, Suming did as he was told and made his way through the crowd toward the crossroads half a mile away.
"First team, follow up, ensure Mr. Su's safety!" He Baowen's voice ca from the communicator, and Suming quickly said, "Stand further back. The kidnapper is definitely nearby, don't get spotted."
"We're professionals, of course, we understand! Just do your part!" He Baowen, highly tense, replied sowhat impatiently.
However, after finishing her response, she realized she might have sounded too harsh. After all, Suming was risking danger to help, so she llowed her tone, adding with he slightly unnatural tone, "Be careful yourself."
Blending in with the crowd, Suming reached the crossroads where the shark balloon was located. Like any regular tourist, he stood below the balloon with a big bag, taking selfies with his phone.
A few minutes later, the phone rang again.
"Good, I see you..."
"Big brother, can you hurry up? Nearly 50 million in cash, not cheques—it's tiring to carry!" Suming complained before the other party could finish speaking, "Don't believe ? Wait till I hand it over to you, and you try carrying this kind of money for a few kiloters. It's several dozens of kilos, practically killing . Hurry up and co get it…"
"Shut up!" The kidnapper on the phone, probably confused by this unusual scenario of soone eager to get rid of the money because it was too heavy, snapped back.
This was all precious experience! The kidnapper ntally nodded, thankful for this experience—next ti they kidnapped soone and demanded a billion, one person might actually not be able to carry it.
"Big brother, where exactly are you?" Suming said impatiently.
"Do you take for a fool?" The kidnapper sneered, "Now, go get on the sightseeing cable car."
"What?" Suming was taken aback, wondering why he should ride a sightseeing cable car out of the blue.
But upon glancing towards the cable car, Suming imdiately understood the kidnapper's intent!
Ocean Park was split into two sections, one part of the park on Nanlang Mountain, the other part in the valley of Wong Chuk Hang below. A cable car spanning over a kiloter in the air connected the two parts. Most of this distance, except for a few small areas on the edges of the two major park zones, was desolate wilderness.
The police had stationed their forces entirely within the park, and that vast area under the cable car, in the wilderness, was devoid of personnel.
The kidnapper had it all figured out. Once the cable car reached any random position, he would simply have Suming throw the money down from the cable car and then pick it up before making his escape.
Even deploying police forces now would be useless; in the originally desolate wilderness, if people suddenly appeared after the kidnapper made the call, even a fool would know they were cops, and the kidnapper would not dare to appear.
Actually, it was an excellent plan; the kidnapper could casually take the money and leave without being exposed or risking capture. However, what he couldn't possibly anticipate was that while people couldn't keep an eye on him, there was still a bird in the sky.
"Su Sheng, do as he says; your bird… Haidong Qing can monitor from the air," He Baowen urged through the communicator, "Besides, we'll try to set up at both ends of the cable car."
Within less than a minute, the kidnapper called again to hurry things along, "Go now, board the next sightseeing cable car!" After speaking, he hung up the phone.
Suming had just walked over to the cable car entrance and bought a ticket when, suddenly, a woman appeared behind him wearing sunglasses and short denim hotpants, her long legs exposed, looking just like a fashionable female tourist out for fun.
The 'female tourist' also bought a ticket and followed right behind Suming's cable car.
"Wow, Madam, how did you get here?" While queuing, Suming slightly tilted his head as if admiring the scenery and said to He Baowen, who was disguised as a tourist, behind him.
He Baowen looked straight ahead and whispered, "The higher-ups have given a strict order to ensure your safety! The cable car is out of our control now, how could I be at ease if I don't follow you?"
"Isn't that a bit exaggerated? I'm not made of clay, a big man like , needing your protection?" said Suming.
"Do you think I want to protect you? Stop talking, be careful not to be discovered!" He Baowen said, pretending that the queue was too crowded and deliberately knocking Suming with her knee from behind.
Suming turned and glared at her, mouthing the words, "Don't take your personal revenge on !"
He Baowen took off her sunglasses, her face a picture of innocence, and said in a delicate voice, "Sorry, sir, it's really crowded!"
Suming: "..."
Soon, they boarded their cable cars. Suming rode alone in a blue one painted with dolphins, while He Baowen got into another that followed just behind. The two cars slowly ascended the slope one after the other.
Not long after leaving the station, his phone rang, "I see you. Don't hang up. Listen to my instructions."
Suming looked down, and as the cable car climbed, the ground below got farther and farther away. He suddenly realized a serious problem!
"Brother… there's sothing I must tell you!"
The kidnapper, impatiently, said, "Cut the crap, it's not your turn to call the shots now!"
"No, really, it's serious." Suming looked down and asked, "Have you thought about it? There are tens of millions in this bag. If it's thrown from this height, the bag will burst, and with the wind so strong in the mountains, all the money will blow away. How will you take it then?"
Everyone, including He Baowen, hadn't expected Suming to co out with such a remark.
Suming hadn't foreseen it either. He had seen many Xiangjiang movies where kidnappers fail to get the money for various reasons, but never because the money bag burst open, and the cash was lost.
The kidnapper was clearly stunned too and didn't respond imdiately.
"That's life, brother, unexpected accidents always happen," Suming even consoled the kidnapper, trying to probe, "Shall we find another way to hand over the money?"
The kidnapper was silent for a good seven or eight seconds, it being the first ti that soone considered the kidnapper's perspective. At last, he chuckled, "Brother, you're not a bad guy."
"Absolutely, just don't harm the hostages, and it'll be great."
Before Suming could finish, the kidnapper interrupted him again, his tone turning stern, "But you don't need to worry about that, just do as I say!"
"Well, anyway, I've warned you. If the bag bursts, you can't bla for not being sincere, and you certainly can't harm the hostages because of that," Suming repeated his concern.
"Why do you talk so much nonsense! Just do as I tell you, or I'll slice you up too!" The kidnapper's head was throbbing from Suming's grumbling.
The cable cars were bi-directional, with two rows of cars moving up and down, not far from each other. An adult with a bit of courage could even jump from one car to the other. While talking, Suming saw a man in a car coming down from the opposite direction, wearing black sunglasses and covering half his face with a large mask.
The man was holding a phone in one hand and gesturing to Suming with the other, "Throw the money over, into this car with the yellow mouse painted on it!"
So the kidnapper didn't recognize Pikachu...
He Baowen, sitting in the cable car behind, was suddenly overjoyed!
The cable car on the opposite side led down to the park area below. As long as the man took the money and left through the cable car exit, they could arrange for professional paparazzi to follow him while the Haidong Qing continued its surveillance from the sky. With this dual approach, he could by no ans escape the police's sight.
By following him, they could find the hostages!
"Catch!" Suming lifted the bag of money and threw it right over.
The bulky bag flew in an arc through the air and headed towards the opposing cable car.
The kidnapper reached out to catch it and grabbed the strap of the bag.
Then, sothing happened that no one had expected.
It's true that although the art of film cos from life, it should surpass life.
The cash in the bag was dead heavy to begin with, and compounded by Suming's throw, the inertia caused the kidnapper, who had just grabbed the bag, not even having ti to laugh, to change colors abruptly. His body, as if in slow motion, skewed towards one side of the cable car...
Right after that, he vanished with a whoosh.
A muffled thud ca from below. It turned out that the kidnapper had been pulled by the powerful force and had fallen from the cable car...
Fallen off...
Fallen off...
Suming blinked, taking a mont to grasp what had just happened, his face grave, "Ah, that's what happens when you don't wear a seatbelt!"
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