The situation within the entire bank building grew increasingly dire as time wore on.
More than a dozen police cars and dozens of officers stood ready, with a crowd of onlookers gathering outside the cordon, the incident continuing to escalate.
The top official of Yangzhou City personally rushed to the scene, and even Xu Weiwei’s direct superior, the Director of the Police Bureau, quickly arrived. Director Yan, a man in his fifties, was sweating profusely from anxiety.
"Little Xu, what's the situation inside now?"
"Director, the surveillance inside the bank has been destroyed, but we've already sent people in to negotiate. The perpetrators are demanding a helicopter within ten minutes for their escape!" Xu Weiwei reported.
"Prioritize the safety of the hostages! Do as they request. However, a helicopter can't possibly arrive in ten minutes. Have someone negotiate again, preferably to extend it by another ten minutes!" Director Yan frowned.
Even with a helicopter's speed, it would be difficult to reach here within ten minutes, let alone the police having no intention of actually letting the robbers escape by helicopter.
After all, if the robbers managed to escape, the reputation of the police force would be significantly damaged. But if they didn't comply with the robbers' demands, the hostages' safety would be severely threatened.
Currently, troops stationed nearby were already en route, and it would take at least twenty minutes to reach the location.
Therefore, Director Yan hoped to stall for as much time as possible, aiming for beyond twenty minutes.
"I'll send someone to try again!" Xu Weiwei took a deep breath.
Her forehead was now beaded with sweat. After all, this time she was not just facing petty criminals, but a group of desperate individuals armed with lethal weapons.
If things were handled poorly, it would be a matter of life and death!
Just as she was preparing to find someone to negotiate, someone suddenly exclaimed, "Look, there's someone on the rooftop! They look like they're going to jump!"
Many people followed the gaze upwards. Xu Weiwei also instinctively looked up and indeed saw a person sitting on the edge of the rooftop of a commercial building next to the bank.
The bank building had ten floors, while the commercial building had fifteen. If someone were to jump, there would be absolutely no chance of survival.
Was someone really going to commit suicide?
Xu Weiwei frowned, but as she stared intently at the figure on the edge of the top floor, she was momentarily stunned and muttered, "They're not jumping. It's that guy! Why is he climbing so high?"
At that moment, her phone rang.
She took out her phone and saw an unknown number. After a moment of hesitation, she answered it.
"Hello!"
"Beautiful police officer!" A somewhat disreputable laugh came from the other end.
"Ye Cangtian, how do you have my number?" Xu Weiwei asked through gritted teeth.
"Ahem, I got it from Xiao Liu in the interrogation room last time!"
"..." Xu Weiwei genuinely felt the urge to hit this guy. He had secretly saved her number.
"Never mind that, I need your help!" Ye Cangtian said seriously into the phone.
"What kind of help do you need?" Before Xu Weiwei could finish, she looked up at the rooftop of the commercial building and asked strangely, "Why are you standing so high up?"
"Beautiful police officer, as I said, my wife is still in the hands of the robbers, so I want to rescue her. However, I don't even have a weapon. There are eight robbers inside the bank, so I need you to cooperate with me from the inside and outside..."
"Are you crazy?" Xu Weiwei reprimanded before he could finish.
She finally understood why Ye Cangtian was on the roof of the commercial building. Was that guy planning to leap from the top floor of the commercial building directly to the bank building?
One had to consider that the two buildings were separated by a street nearly thirty meters wide. How could such a long distance be crossed?
Moreover, even if he successfully jumped to the bank building, did he think he could rescue the hostages from the robbers single-handedly?
Therefore, Xu Weiwei thought Ye Cangtian was completely insane, otherwise, why would he come up with such a plan?
"Beautiful police officer, I'm not crazy. This is the only way to get into the bank building. These robbers are ruthless. If they're trapped for too long, they'll definitely kill some hostages."
"Believe me, I can do it!" Ye Cangtian said calmly.
"Ye Cangtian, don't be rash. Come down, and we can discuss it properly. There will be a way!" At this moment, Xu Weiwei was actually starting to panic, worried that the guy would actually do it.
Although she knew Ye Cangtian was skilled, even so, facing multiple gunmen was no different from seeking death!
However, as she desperately tried to persuade Ye Cangtian, he hung up the call.
"This guy is really asking for death!" Xu Weiwei stamped her foot in anger.
At this moment, someone nearby exclaimed, "Look, he's standing up! He's going to jump!"
Xu Weiwei quickly looked up and saw Ye Cangtian standing on the edge of the rooftop. Then, he turned and left.
However, after a few breaths, someone suddenly shouted again.
"Wow, he jumped! He jumped!"
"Flying man! Damn..."
From a height of fifteen floors, Ye Cangtian used a running start, a single leap from the edge of the rooftop, his body seeming to shoot forward in the air, and then with a downward arc, he directly crossed to the rooftop platform of the bank building.
Those below let out exclamations of amazement, and even Xu Weiwei held her breath.
That damn guy actually dared to do it, he actually jumped! And he even succeeded!
At a height of fifteen floors, any mistake would mean certain death.
"Xiao Xu, I just heard someone jumped from the rooftop, what's going on?" Director Yan walked over.
"It's nothing, Director. That guy won't die!"
Xu Weiwei took a deep breath, then thought of something and said through gritted teeth, "Director, let me handle the negotiation!"
Although she wasn't a negotiation expert, she remembered Ye Cangtian's request and had made up her mind to personally enter the bank to negotiate with the robbers.
Director Yan's expression changed, and he said sternly, "No, this is not a joke. If the robbers turn hostile and something happens to you, how will I explain it to the old chief?"
Xu Weiwei stated firmly, "Director, no matter who goes in, there will be danger! My life is a life, but are other people's lives not lives?"
Director Yan was silent, but Xu Weiwei continued, "Director, let me try. My people have already entered the bank building, and I need to cooperate with him! This is the only chance."
Director Yan closed his eyes, pondered for a long time, and finally sighed heavily, saying sternly, "I can agree, but you must promise to return alive!"
"I will complete the mission!" Xu Weiwei saluted, then looked towards the bank building's rooftop, her heart filled with complexity. She wondered if this decision was right or wrong!
Ye Cangtian! Should I trust you?