Chapter 1 The Ransom

Inside the three-story corridor of the convention center, four masked Chi Army soldiers were strapping a timed explosive onto Su Tianyu – enough to blow up half the building.

Su Tianyu, his face ashen, looked at Zhu Bajie and said, "Brother, this isn't necessary, really! We know each other, you know? Letting me go out to send a message is no problem, just a word from you..."

Zhu Bajie ignored him, only urging the soldiers to hurry up.

Two minutes later, the timed bomb was secured. Zhu Bajie looked at Su Tianyu and asked, "Were you a soldier?"

Su Tianyu nodded blankly. "Yeah!"

"The control core of this explosive is an electronic code. Even with the best decryption system, it'll take about an hour and a half to crack. And if you try to cut the wires, there are over a hundred possibilities; one wrong move, and you'll blow up on the spot." Zhu Bajie pointed at Su Tianyu. "Don't try anything funny. It's not responsible to your own life."

"Big brother, I just don't get it! Why did you pick me?! Wouldn't it be better to pick someone who speaks English? They have more clout than I do." Su Tianyu felt utterly dejected.

Zhu Bajie smiled at him. "We know you, so we trust you more."

"Stop kidding me, okay? Is this your idea of trust?!"

"I won't let you make this trip for nothing. Once you're out, you can contact some people you need to contact. I'll give you that freedom." Zhu Bajie continued in a low voice, "And you tell the garrison that us being stuck here isn't good for them either."

Su Tianyu paused, finally understanding why they had chosen him to negotiate.

"You have one hour to come back, or the bomb goes off." Zhu Bajie continued quietly, "Listen carefully, our conditions are..."

Five minutes later, Su Tianyu, strapped with the bomb, walked downstairs.

"You know why I let you go, right?" Yu Mingyuan followed behind him, whispering a reminder.

"I know nothing, damn it. This is when you see what people are really like."

"Are you stupid? You didn't think they'd actually agree to let me go, did you?" Yu Mingyuan responded softly, "They want a private conversation with the garrison."

"No talking," a Chi Army soldier snapped.

Yu Mingyuan looked at Su Tianyu's back and reminded him again, "Brother, I'm waiting for you inside, you understand?!"

Su Tianyu gritted his teeth and nodded before leaving the main building under the escort of the Chi Army soldiers.

...

Ten minutes later.

At the gate of the compound, Su Tianyu raised his hands and shouted, "Don't shoot, it's me! I'm a hostage being held, and the bandits sent me out with a message."

The shout caught the attention of Lin You, who was standing by a vehicle at the rear. He glanced over and ordered softly, "Bring him over."

"Tap, tap, tap!"

Six anti-terrorism officers bent low as they approached the compound, shielding Su Tianyu before quickly returning the way they came.

Su Tianyu scanned his surroundings, seeing the Supervision Committee compound surrounded by layers of anti-terrorism teams, special forces, and police officers.

The anti-terrorism officers quickly brought Su Tianyu to Lin You, and the two exchanged glances, instantly recognizing each other.

They had met before at the Yu family compound and had even shared tea under a sunshade.

"You're Little Su from the Yu family, right?" Lin You asked.

"Yes, yes, I've met you, Director!" Su Tianyu nodded immediately.

"It's easier to deal with a familiar face. Come, get in the command vehicle." Overjoyed, Lin You pulled Su Tianyu into the riot control command vehicle.

Inside the vehicle.

As soon as Su Tianyu was pulled in, four riot control officers in heavy bomb suits began to inspect the bomb strapped to him.

Lin You stood at the door, not caring about the bomb on Su Tianyu's body, and immediately asked, "What message did the bandits want you to bring?"

"They have three conditions: First, they demand that the media immediately intervene. In the future, they will communicate with our municipal leaders through real-time broadcasts via the media. Second, they demand that you immediately release the Chi Army personnel captured along the Sinaloa coast. Third, they demand that during the hostage exchange, the Dragon City Mayor, Li Mingsheng, enter the main building to act as a hostage and escort the Chi Army personnel away." Su Tianyu truthfully stated the Chi Army's conditions.

"What a load of crap!" Lin You cursed furiously. "These conditions are too harsh!"

Su Tianyu replied, sweat beading on his forehead, "If you don't agree, they'll start killing hostages."

Lin You gritted his teeth, turning to get out of the vehicle and report the situation to Li Mingsheng.

"Director Lin, I need to make a phone call." Su Tianyu said immediately, "The garrison's people are inside too, I need to inform them."

Lin You frowned and replied, "No, you can't make any outside calls in this situation."

Inside the vehicle, a bomb disposal expert immediately stood up and replied, "Report, Director, the timer settings on this device are complex, requiring a computer decoding system to decipher the electronic codes, which will take at least an hour and a half. But the timer is set for only one hour. Forcing a disarm carries a risk of explosion."

Hearing this, Su Tianyu immediately got up, pushed past the bomb disposal expert, and whispered urgently to Lin You, "I have to call the garrison. I need to tell them about my boss and the other garrison personnel."

"I said no!"

"Will you need me later or not?!" Feeling cornered, Su Tianyu had no choice but to use this as leverage. "I'm begging you, I promise I won't say a single extra word, just to let them know the situation."

Lin You would indeed need Su Tianyu later because the Chi Army had only sent him out to deliver a message. If he didn't appease him, it would be troublesome if Su Tianyu refused to cooperate.

After careful consideration, Lin You pointed to the assistant next to him and said, "Give him the phone, but monitor the entire call."

"Yes!"

With that, the assistant handed Su Tianyu a cell phone, while Lin You immediately reported the latest situation to Li Mingsheng.

At the gate of the Supervision Committee compound.

Su Tianyu made two consecutive phone calls before finally reaching Wen Zhanbo of the garrison, whispering to him, "Brigadier General Wen, this is Su Tianyu, the Deputy General Manager of Mingyuan Trading Company. I am currently being held hostage by the bandits and have been temporarily sent out to deliver a message under duress. The garrison officers who are also being held hostage inside want me to tell you that they are currently safe..."

Listening to Su Tianyu's official-sounding words, Wen Zhanbo understood the other party's intention.

Why did the Chi Army let Su Tianyu out to deliver a message and negotiate? The intention was clear!

The relationship between the garrison and the Chi Army had always been close, with many covert business dealings. The Chi Army sending out a member of the Yu family, who had close ties to the garrison, to deliver the message was a subtle reminder that if the Chi Army fell, the past would be exposed, and the garrison would also suffer.

This phone call was full of threats, and Wen Zhanbo instantly understood Su Tianyu's meaning. He then said calmly, "I understand. We will also participate in the rescue."

"Brigadier General Wen, my boss is inside too!" Su Tianyu reminded him, hinting that if they were to privately contact the Chi Army for negotiations, they should bring back Yu Mingyuan as well.

...

Inside the Municipal Building.

After hearing the Chi Army's conditions, Li Mingsheng pointed at the large screen and cursed, "A bunch of damn bandits! The conditions they're asking for are too harsh, we can't agree to them. Notify the special forces and the anti-terrorism units to prepare for a forced rescue."