Chapter 56

Yan Su watched as Zhen Ai disappeared into the hall before slowly shifting his feet and laboriously turning his body.

Thick smoke billowed up toward the sky. The bank was housed in an old building from the last century, only three stories tall, with a wooden plaster structure on the outside. At this rate, in just two minutes, the smoke would settle into the entire hall. By then, everyone would start suffocating.

The response time for N.Y.T Fire Department was three minutes and fifteen seconds. With the flames so intense, extinguishing the fire would take at least twenty minutes.

Yan Su gazed at the raging flames and the trembling hostages, saying to Arch, "Let them go; I'll stay here. The guard isn't dead, and you haven't taken a life yet."

Arch didn't respond, but he didn't aim his gun at Yan Su either. Because, as Yan Su thought, he was only concerned with money and a safe escape. Killing someone didn't benefit him.

Seeing Arch's gaze drop, Yan Su knew this was his sign of contemplation and continued, "You can leave with all the money by yourself."

Arch immediately glanced at the travel bags on the counter and ordered the Black man, "Go bring the money."

The Black man complied, carrying two or three heavy bags of cash and handing them to Arch. The latter, greedy for wealth, bent down to pull the bags toward his feet. At that moment, the Black man suddenly exerted force, grabbing the gun in Arch's hand and knocking him to the ground. Arch reflexively fired, but the bullets went off into the fire.

In an instant, the remaining hostages saw a glimmer of hope, and within a moment, they rushed forward to subdue Arch, disarming him and tying him up with rope.

Only then did relief wash over their faces, expressions of disbelief and elation as they embraced and wept with gratitude. Suki, however, was sharp; she quickly picked up the guns from the ground, saying, "Don't cry yet; let's hurry and get out. Be careful, that freak will be here any moment!"

Everyone tensed again, searching for an exit. But at that moment, the bank hall was already engulfed in flames.

Suki immediately led everyone to the counter to look for tissues or towels, filling them with water from the drinking fountain to wet them for backup. They worked together to clear items from the marble counter, creating enough space for isolation. After taking as much self-rescue action as they could, they anxiously waited for the fire truck.

Suki and the others dragged the bodies of the Japanese man and Diana inside to prevent them from being scorched by the fire, out of respect for their families.

Yan Su silently observed all of this before turning to leave.

Suki called out, "Mr. S.A., where are you going?"

Yan Su didn't look back. "Downstairs."

"But you're injured, and there are people down there with guns!" the Japanese woman exclaimed worriedly.

The others echoed her concern, "Don't go!"

Now that everyone was temporarily safe, after their joint efforts, the remaining hostages were united like never before.

Moreover, the tall and thin man, despite his steady efforts to appear stable, had just walked in alone and traded away nineteen lives, constantly working for their safety without regard for his own. Such a person had already dispelled their suspicions, ugliness, and negative energy.

Now, seeing him still wanting to go downstairs to save others, they couldn't bear it.

The Black man gritted his teeth and stood up. "Mr. S.A., I'll go with you." He tightened his grip on his gun.

Yan Su paused for a moment before slowly turning his head, but his gaze fell on the brown-haired man. "He and Suki will stay with the others; you come with me."

This sentence directed everyone's gaze to Asa. He was a taciturn but calm and capable young man who hadn't panicked and had been helping others find an exit.

Everyone felt at ease with such a person accompanying Mr. S.A. down.

Asa glanced at Yan Su with an unreadable expression for a few seconds, took the gun from the Black man, and followed Yan Su downstairs.

---

The fire had severed the central cables, and the emergency power in the basement was also affected. As they walked down, the lights in the corridor flickered like a dying patient.

The two tall men walked silently, their shadows parallel yet not intersecting, moving slowly into the depths of the basement.

The lights flickered on and off, casting their distinct faces in cold, serious expressions.

The path grew deeper and darker.

The first to speak was Asa. "The path you're taking doesn't seem to lead to the vault, does it?"

In the darkness, the man ahead chuckled quietly. "Oh? How do you know where it's not going?"

Arthur paused briefly, a faint smile appearing on his lips, but instead of answering, he asked, "You look like you're struggling. Do you need me to support you?" Yet, in reality, Yan Su's steps appeared remarkably steady, not at all like someone who was severely injured.

"No need." He didn't look at him, responding casually. After a few seconds, he asked, "What's your name?"

Asa paused for a second. "Asa Excalib."

"Where are you from?"

"D.C."

"Is that your real name?"

"…"

In the dimly lit underground corridor, Asa fell silent. He glanced at the person beside him, who calmly continued walking.

The winding underground passage grew narrower, surrounded by complex pipes and equipment. The dashboard lights flickered, and numbers darted about.

Yan Su suddenly stopped, looking at a dashboard displaying rapidly changing numbers. He smiled slightly. "Water usage… the fire truck is coming."

The corridor lights flickered again before dimming. His profile looked weak and pale, like a sheet of paper.

Asa felt a flash of sarcastic curiosity. He held the gun while Yan Su had broken two ribs, a stark contrast in strength. Since he had already suspected him, how could he still have the nerve to call him down alone?

Asa casually said, "Arthur, my real name is Arthur."

"Arthur, the mastermind behind S.P.A., it's a pleasure to meet you," Yan Su replied with a hint of humor.

Arthur frowned, displeased. This person knew too much. Moreover, he had disguised himself; even Zhen Ai hadn't recognized him. How had the unfamiliar Yan Su figured it out?

In this competitive atmosphere, recognizing him meant seeing him as a rival.

He wasn't someone who was afraid to admit his identity. He chuckled casually, "Ah~~ you caught me."

With the confrontation now explicit, Yan Su remained calm and unfazed, speaking in a tone that felt like a casual conversation, "You're younger than I expected."

Arthur shrugged. "Inheriting the family business… Who told you about my information?"

"Just figured it out." Yan Su had his hands in the pockets of his trench coat, supporting his body evenly.

"If King and the others didn't have powerful partners backing them, they couldn't have devised such a precise robbery. That killing game didn't require a killer but chose Zhen Ai, indicating someone wanted to pressure her psychologically. She was repeatedly uncooperative yet wasn't killed; later, others even suspected her. It was merely an experience for her—feeling untrusted in this small world, destined for betrayal and sacrifice." He felt a strange pain in his heart. "Only the organization could explain all of this."

Yan Su watched Zhen Ai disappear into the hall before slowly shifting his footsteps, struggling to turn his body. 

Thick smoke surged up into the sky; this bank was located in an old building from the last century, with only three floors and a wooden and plaster exterior. At this rate, in just two minutes, the smoke would fill the entire hall. By then, everyone would begin to suffocate.

The response time for N.Y.T Fire Department was three minutes and fifteen seconds, and with the fire raging, extinguishing it would take at least another ten to twenty minutes.

Yan Su looked at the raging flames and the trembling hostages, turning to Arch and said, "Let them go; I'll stay here. The guard isn't dead, and there are no casualties on your hands yet."

Arch didn't respond but didn't aim his gun at Yan Su either. Because, as Yan Su suspected, he only cared about the money and escaping safely. Killing people would be of no benefit to him.

Seeing Arch look down, Yan Su knew he was contemplating and continued, "You can leave with all the money by yourself."

Once reminded, Arch immediately glanced at the travel bags on the counter and ordered the Black man, "Go grab the money."

The Black man complied, hauling two or three heavy bags of cash over to Arch. The latter, greedy, bent down to pull the bags toward his feet. At that moment, the Black man suddenly lunged, seizing the gun in Arch's hand and tackling him to the ground. Arch reflexively fired, the bullets whizzing into the flames.

In that instant, the remaining hostages saw a glimmer of hope, and in a moment, they pounced on Arch, subduing him, disarming him, and binding him with ropes.

Only at this moment did the stunned expressions of relief and gratitude replace their fear, as they embraced one another, weeping with joy. Suki, ever vigilant, quickly picked up the gun on the ground and said, "Don't cry yet; hurry and get out. Be careful, that psycho will be coming back soon!"

Everyone tensed again, searching for an escape route. But the bank hall was now engulfed in flames.

Suki immediately led everyone to the counter to find tissues or towels, using the water dispenser to dampen them for later use. They worked together to clear space behind the marble counter, creating a safe zone, and after doing what they could for self-rescue, they anxiously awaited the arrival of the fire truck.

Suki and the others even dragged the bodies of the Japanese man and Diana inside to prevent them from being scorched by the flames, as a sign of respect for their families.

Yan Su silently observed this and turned to leave.

Seeing this, Suki called out, "Mr. S.A., where are you going?"

Yan Su didn't look back. "Downstairs."

"But you're injured, and there are armed people down there!" The Japanese woman cried out worriedly.

The others chimed in, "Don't go!"

Now that everyone was temporarily safe, the remaining hostages had united like never before after their previous cooperation.

Moreover, the tall, thin man before them, despite his efforts to appear steady, still looked weary. He had just single-handedly entered and taken nineteen lives, all while working tirelessly for their safety, showing no regard for his own well-being. Such a person had already dispelled their suspicions and negativity.

Now, seeing him willing to go downstairs to rescue people, they couldn't bear it.

The Black man gritted his teeth and stood up. "Mr. S.A., I'll go with you." He tightened his grip on the gun.

Yan Su paused, slowly turned his head, but his gaze fell on the brown-haired man. "He and Suki will stay with the rest of you; you'll accompany me."

This statement drew the attention of Asa, a quiet yet capable young man who had remained calm throughout, helping everyone find an exit.

Having someone like him accompany Mr. S.A. reassured everyone.

Asa looked at Yan Su with a puzzled expression for a few seconds, then accepted the gun from the Black man's hand and followed Yan Su down.

---

The fire had severed the main power lines, and the emergency power in the basement was affected. As they walked, the lights in the corridor flickered on and off, like a dying patient convulsing.

The two tall men walked silently, their shadows parallel but never intersecting, moving slowly deeper underground.

The light flickered on and off, casting a stark outline on their serious and indifferent faces.

The path grew deeper and darker.

Asa spoke first, "It seems the route you're taking isn't to the vault?"

In the darkness, the man ahead chuckled quietly. "Oh? How do you know it's not?"

Asa was momentarily stunned and a faint smile appeared on his lips. Instead of answering, he asked, "You seem to be struggling; do you need me to help you?" Yet, in truth, Yan Su's steps appeared remarkably steady, not at all like someone injured.

"No need." He didn't look at Asa, answering casually. After a brief pause, he asked, "What's your name?"

Asa hesitated for a second before replying, "Asa Excalib."

"Where are you from?"

"D.C."

"Is that your real name?"

"…"

In the dim underground corridor, Asa fell silent. He glanced at the man beside him, who continued to walk calmly.

The winding corridor grew narrower, surrounded by complex pipes and instruments. The instrument panels blinked with colorful lights, and numbers flashed erratically.

Yan Su suddenly stopped, looking at a panel where the numbers were rapidly changing, smiling slightly. "Water usage… the fire truck is coming."

The corridor lights flickered again, dimming further. He spoke, 

"In 'Mission: Impossible,' Tom Cruise's face mask was actually real.

"Ha, you need to wear a mask to disguise yourself, simply because you fear Zhen Ai will recognize you. She told me that the organization has a strict hierarchy, layer upon layer, and cannot be surpassed. She rarely sees people involved in tasks."

Arthur's face was shrouded in darkness. "She actually told you all this?"

She trusts you so much!

"Even with all this, I still wasn't certain it was you. But you just admitted it." Yan Su's steps slowed a bit, his lips almost devoid of color, appearing ghostly white in the darkness.

Arthur's tone turned colder. "Since you know all this, aren't you worried about her safety right now?"

"You mean that pair of siblings?"

"You've already figured out that Amper isn't a hostage."

"Their task is Zhen Ai's safe deposit box, as hostages and inside agents; they obviously had to select the safe deposit box service. Two people, not more, not less. Moreover, the queue numbers of those ten hostages are mathematically significant numbers. The hostages weren't chosen randomly; Amper arrived at the bank first, noted everyone's chosen numbers, and picked them according to those numbers. She enjoys playing like this. And regarding Zhen Ai, you exploited her kindness.

"Her feigning innocence, in my view, is childish.

"Their sibling features are too obvious. Green and amber irises, two of the rarest eye colors in the world. Amper wears a light brown contact lens on her right eye just to cover her iris color. The attempt to hide it makes it even more conspicuous."

"Impressive," Arthur said with a cool smile, but his expression turned serious as he asked, "Aren't you worried about her?"

Both men naturally understood who "she" referred to.

It was a lie to say he wasn't worried, but, "She has ways to deal with them!"

Arthur raised an eyebrow, barely suppressing a sneer. "Her? I don't believe that."

Yan Su disregarded his skepticism, a tender smile unconsciously shining in his amber eyes. He said softly, "She's a vigilant and brave girl, very clever, and capable of self-rescue. I believe in her and know that even if she's injured, she'll find a way to escape. That pair of siblings is absolutely no match for her."

Arthur fell silent.

Has she changed this much now?

In his memory, she was a teary-eyed little girl, wearing a small white floral dress, timid and frail, easily frightened by a fake cockroach. She would cry if a rabbit died, cry if someone tugged her braid, and cry if someone pinched her cheeks. She would always run to find her brother, wailing.

Later, when she was sent to her mother's side, she was no longer allowed to cry.

After that, she became cautious, always keeping her head down, never smiling or making noise, unresponsive no matter how much one teased or provoked her. Occasionally, a flicker of confusion would cross her dark eyes, but it would vanish in an instant.

Even so, she was obedient and well-behaved.

Day after day, year after year, she would tie her hair in a ponytail, wearing neat, pristine long coats from a young age, moving among various instruments, doing tedious and complex tasks that others wouldn't even think of.

She never questioned, never opposed, and never rebelled.

Perhaps he shouldn't have followed his father's orders to kill her parents; perhaps he shouldn't have repeated his mistakes and killed her brother, leaving her with no ties to the organization.

But they all wanted to send her away, far from his world. How could he not kill them?

He had to eliminate anyone who stood between them!

He was finding it increasingly difficult to see her. Time and again, she grew more resilient, more unfamiliar

, resisting and running away, drifting farther and farther from him. Unknowingly, he had missed her daily life and changes.

He glared at the calm man beside him with a dark expression, consumed with jealousy!

The safety catch of the pistol clicked open with a "clang." Yan Su ahead halted, calmly and confidently saying, "Arthur, you wouldn't want to shoot here."

Arthur's palm tightened and relaxed repeatedly; of course, he wouldn't shoot here. A thin layer of hydrogen floated above them, and even the slightest spark could ignite an explosion.

Ha, this was his calm demeanor, the confidence that led him here?

Arthur raised the corner of his mouth. "S.A., you're truly impressive, managing to think of Amper's escape route as well."

"The benefits of high intelligence." He still had the audacity to be proud at such a moment.

"In an old building, with the exits sealed and ambushed on all sides, where else could they vanish? No, it should be 'subside.'"

After speaking, he felt a pain in his heart. If Zhen Ai were here, she would scold him for being pedantic. He just didn't know if he could still make it out alive.

An image suddenly flashed before him: her tearful face, pale and turning back every few steps, filled with reluctance. He suddenly longed to hug her. His heart ached violently again, but it also solidified his decision.

He was willing to take risks for her, even… and she didn't need to know.

Arthur slightly narrowed his eyes, his pitch-black gaze conflicting with the bright, sunny mask he wore. He put away the gun and pulled out a small military knife from his pocket. "You brought me down here alone just to expose my true face?"

The man across from him had a handsome, pale face and shook his head, "No, I'm going to arrest you."

Arthur was taken aback for a moment and then immediately laughed, "You can't be suffering from internal bleeding and getting confused…" Before he could finish, he abruptly stopped. His gaze was fixed on Yan Su's fingers, his pupils narrowing sharply.

A silver lighter was rolling between Yan Su's long fingers: "In an old building, you don't need too much explosive force. What is this thin gas? Natural gas? Hydrogen? It doesn't matter; at times like this, a lighter is as useful as a gun."

Arthur reminded him coolly, "You're courting death! No matter how small the explosive force is, it's not something the human body can withstand."

The lights flickered on and off.

Yan Su's eyes flashed, and after a moment of silence, he smiled lightly:

"Let's make a bet. After the explosion, we'll both be severely injured. If you wake up first, you can use the gun in your hand to kill me; if I wake up first, I'll send you to prison! The S.P.A. leader has many charges waiting for you from the CIA."

Arthur's expression darkened, but there was no trace of fear; he coldly laughed, "Of course, I'll win. Don't forget, you've broken a few ribs."

To this, Yan Su simply nodded, "I know."

My life, her freedom; I choose her freedom.

The metallic lighter clicked open with a "thud," and the flickering flame cast a warm glow on his handsome features. He raised his finger, and the lighter, with its flame, spun upward.

The two men almost simultaneously dashed into the tempered glass doors on either side of the corridor. The red and blue flames shot into the air, spreading like ink falling into a clear pond, suddenly blooming outwards.

A pure blue light quickly spread like electric waves, and sparks flashed.

In a split second, the narrow space exploded.

Under the violent shockwave, the old walls collapsed with a thunderous crash. The metal doors along the corridor twisted and writhed in an instant with the wave.

The world was plunged into darkness.

After everything returned to silence, a weak light filtered through the shattered walls, casting shadows from the city's sewer system.

Two remarkably handsome men lay pale and lifeless among the debris. One had a face that looked cracked, but his features remained intact, cold and handsome beneath the surface.

As seconds ticked away, the underground lay silent, only the sound of trickling water could be heard.

Gradually, a drizzling sound began to seep down from above, drop by drop, landing in the rubble. It was the flow of water from the firefighters extinguishing the flames.

The man in the debris remained motionless.

"Yan Su!"

Zhen Ai rushed down the shattered underground corridor, only to find him pale, eyes tightly shut, and motionless on the ground. The ashes and dirt from the explosion covered his trench coat and hair; she had never seen him this dirty before—he had always been so clean.

Her heart ached.

"Yan Su!"

She knelt beside him, lowered her head to hug him, her cheek pressed against his, cold as ice, barely feeling his breath. She froze, tears streaming down her face onto his.

"You said we would both get out alive! I'll take you out!" She immediately sat up, pushing away the debris weighing on him, trying to carry him on her back, yet worried about aggravating his broken ribs. Her hands felt weak, but she gripped his shoulders tightly, dragging him out inch by inch.

Her hands felt as if they might break, not her own anymore, yet she couldn't afford to slack off for even a moment.

She dragged him steadily, inch by inch, through the dim corridor, leaving a trail of blood beside his feet. The vivid red burned her eyes like fire.

She sobbed, biting her lip to wipe away her tears, continuing to pull him out.

Now wasn't the time to cry! Yan Su wouldn't die!

Her gaze inadvertently swept across the corner, landing on another face. Beneath a shattered flesh-colored mask was a familiar handsome face. Zhen Ai shuddered in fear; that face was exactly like the one in her nightmares.

He… was really here!

The fear in her heart erupted like a volcano. She was afraid he would wake up but didn't dare to let go of Yan Su to find help. If he woke up first, he would definitely kill Yan Su. She bit her lip hard and pulled Yan Su out with even more strength.

She understood Arthur's character, so this suicidal explosion had to have been Yan Su's doing; he was gambling with his life to catch Arthur. She had to drag Yan Su up immediately and then bring the police to catch this bastard!

Like a little squirrel dragging her beloved acorn, she moved quietly away. The dilapidated underground corridor fell silent once more.

Among the debris, the man's pale face slowly opened his eyes, his gaze as deep and dark as obsidian, filled with unforgettable hatred and pain.