198: Chapter 198 Zhou Hui is about to cry

Li Li stood at the edge of the helipad.

The wind blew up from Victoria Harbour, whipping his jacket around.

The helicopter's rotor blades hadn't stopped yet, and three corpses lay across the cabin, blood dripping down through the seams of the seats.

The Chief Executive's wife leaned against the cabin door, her legs still trembling.

Li Li didn't fly off immediately.

In the banquet hall on the twenty-fifth floor, there were still over a hundred people.

Tycoons.

Socialites.

Capitalists.

The upper crust of society.

But being at the top didn't mean being reliable.

This group had just been forced by the terrorists to transfer billions in cryptocurrency, and their brains were basically offline right now.

If he really brought them to the helipad, before a single helicopter was even full, they would probably fight to the death over who got to board first.

More troublesome was that he needed someone to go down and find the Hong Kong Police.

To explain the situation upstairs.

To have the Hong Kong Police dispatch helicopters to come up and ferry people away in batches.

Li Li ran through the faces in the banquet hall in his mind.

The first thing these tycoons would do when they got down was likely to call their lawyers.

The second, their insurance companies.

The third, manage the media narrative.

None of them were suitable for getting things done.

Yin Ruoying.

The Queen of Short Dramas.

Her three-minute performance just now had already proven her professional competence.

To be scared trembling by terrorists and still be able to cry with such nuance as requested—that wasn't just a regular actor.

That was professional spirit.

Plus, she hadn't broken down and could still communicate.

Most importantly, she owed him her life.

Her motivation to get things done would be sufficient.

Li Li turned to the Chief Executive's wife.

"Ma'am, please wait here for two minutes."

The Chief Executive's wife held onto the cabin door and looked up.

Li Li pointed in the direction of the banquet hall.

"I'm going to bring someone out, then I'll take you down."

The Chief Executive's wife opened her mouth, then swallowed her words.

She had been in officialdom for twenty years; she knew better than anyone when to ask and when to keep her mouth shut.

"Alright, I'll wait for you."

After a pause, she added,

"Those people inside..."

"We can't tell them," Li Li said, pulling his mask back on.

"Over a hundred people fighting over one helicopter is even more terrifying than the terrorists."

The Chief Executive's wife was silent for half a second, then nodded.

It was a harsh thing to say.

But it was true.

That group of people would turn on each other over projects on a normal day, let alone when they were fighting for their lives.

Li Li adjusted his mask and turned back to the banquet hall.

As soon as the door pushed open, it was already chaotic inside.

The hundred-plus people who had been lying on the floor, afraid to move, were all crawling up now.

Some were holding their phones, searching everywhere for a signal.

No signal.

They kept pressing.

Some were rummaging through the liquor cabinet for water.

Some were squatting on the floor, calculating how much money had just been transferred from them.

Two other tycoons stood by the window, watching the fire below, whispering about whether this counted under the coverage of their terrorism insurance.

The recovery speed of capitalists was indeed faster than that of ordinary people.

When it came to losing money, they were experienced.

As soon as Li Li entered, all movement ceased.

The next second, they all dropped to the floor in unison.

It was absurdly uniform.

An old man who had just stood up hit his knee on a chair leg; he groaned in pain, but still forced himself to lie back down.

Li Li raised his hand.

Bang!

A shot hit the ceiling.

Fragments of the crystal chandelier fell everywhere.

Three people who hadn't reacted yet immediately hugged their heads and crouched down.

The banquet hall fell silent.

Li Li scanned the room.

Good.

It was under control.

He walked quickly through the banquet hall, pushed open the back door, and entered the stairwell.

Downward.

The twenty-fourth floor.

The stairwell entrance was empty.

The two people in dark jackets from before were gone.

Li Li looked down.

No one.

The entire floor's corridor was empty.

The Boss had dragged everyone he could use down to act as cannon fodder.

This management style would be considered top-tier PUA even at a major tech company.

Li Li arrived at the door of the guest room.

He stopped.

He pressed his ear against the door to listen.

No sound inside.

He raised his hand and knocked.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

One second.

Two seconds.

A burst of crying suddenly erupted from inside the room.

"Wuwuwu—don't come in—I beg you—"

It was a heart-wrenching cry.

A gut-wrenching cry.

A cry that would make Oscar judges buy a ticket to see it.

Li Li's face twitched.

What he had said before was to lock the door and hide in the bathroom if anyone came in.

She, on the other hand—the door was locked, but she wasn't hiding.

She was still here adding drama.

"Yin Ruoying, open the door."

The crying grew louder.

"Wuwuwu—don't come over here—"

Li Li exhaled.

Was this person automatically blocking out lines once she got into character?

He stepped back half a step.

He raised his foot.

Bang!

The door lock burst open.

Wood splinters flew out.

Yin Ruoying was squatting at the bathroom entrance, holding a toilet seat up as a shield.

Her big Hong Kong-style curls were half-disheveled, her face was covered in tears, and her mouth was still open, preparing to continue wailing.

Then she saw clearly who had kicked the door in.

The mask.

The terrorist jacket.

But that figure.

That force with which the door was kicked.

And that vibe of "I don't have time to rehearse with you."

Her crying stuck in her throat.

It stopped completely.

Li Li gave her a thumbs up.

"Good reaction speed."

Yin Ruoying put down the toilet seat, stood up, and wiped her face.

"You're back?"

"Yeah."

Li Li turned to look at the hallway.

"Taking you away."

Yin Ruoying was stunned for a moment.

"Away? Where to? Isn't it all fire downstairs?"

"The roof, a helicopter."

Li Li explained the situation in the briefest words.

There was a helicopter on the helipad.

He needed her to go down and find the Hong Kong Police, tell them there were over a hundred hostages on the twenty-fifth floor, and have them dispatch helicopters to come up and rescue them.

After hearing this, Yin Ruoying nodded immediately.

No nonsense.

No pretension.

She didn't even ask why it had to be her.

The Queen of Short Dramas had one advantage: she picked up cues quickly.

"But," Li Li added.

"When we go up, you still have to act."

Yin Ruoying's face darkened.

"Act what?"

"Act like you've been dragged out and tortured by me."

Yin Ruoying stared at him.

Li Li explained quickly.

"There are over a hundred hostages in the banquet hall, and they all think I'm a terrorist right now. If I take you out looking perfectly fine, they'll get suspicious."

Yin Ruoying bit her lower lip.

"Got it."

The two went upstairs.

When they reached the door of the banquet hall on the twenty-fifth floor, Yin Ruoying stopped.

Li Li was just about to speak.

Slap!

She raised her hand and slapped herself.

The sound was crisp.

Her left cheek turned red quickly.

Even Li Li paused for a moment.

This slap was two hundred percent realistic.

Yin Ruoying reached out and pulled at her shoulder strap.

The evening gown was already wrinkled, and this move made it slide right down to her arm.

Immediately after, a crying tone welled up.

Sobbing.

Trembling.

Weak-kneed.

Switching from a normal person to a victim took less than three seconds.

Watching this series of actions, only one thought remained in Li Li's mind.

If this woman went into serious drama, the Best Actress would really have to make way.

Yin Ruoying raised her reddened face and nodded at him.

The meaning was clear: Drag me.

Li Li grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward roughly.

The banquet hall door was pushed open.

Yin Ruoying's crying flooded in.

The tycoons who had secretly stood up again immediately dropped to the floor.

This time, even faster.

One person hadn't even put down his wine glass, but his entire body was already plastered to the floor, and even though wine spilled all over his back, he didn't dare to wipe it off.

Li Li dragged Yin Ruoying through the hostage area.

She stumbled, her high heels making a harsh, screeching sound on the carpet.

She cried until she was breathless.

No one dared to look up.

Zhou Hui glanced over and saw Yin Ruoying being dragged away.

He buried his face in his knees in pain, his body curled into a ball.

He had suffered heavy losses this time; his money had been siphoned off, he hadn't secured financing, his company's vice president had died on a business trip, and now the Queen of Short Dramas he had spent a fortune to promote was likely finished too.

An old tycoon held his head with both hands, muttering to himself; it sounded like he was reciting a roster of all the various deities.

Li Li dragged Yin Ruoying out the back door of the banquet hall.

They crossed the corridor and pushed open the fire door.

The wind on the terrace rushed in.

Yin Ruoying immediately stopped crying, wiped her face, and stood straight.

The switching speed was still absurd.

By the helipad, the Chief Executive's wife was bending over, dragging the pilot's corpse out of the cabin.

On the ground nearby, The Caucasian and the technician had already been laid out together by her.

It was quite neat.

The Chief Executive's wife straightened up, caught her breath, and nodded at Li Li.

Li Li looked at the corpses on the ground.

Not bad.

The executive power of a government official's wife was nothing to sneeze at.

"Get on."

The three of them climbed into the cabin.

There was still blood on the seats.

Yin Ruoying stepped into a pool of it, her foot slipped, and she had to grab the cabin wall to keep from falling.

Li Li sat in the pilot's seat, his hands resting on the control stick.

The rotor accelerated.

The helicopter lifted off the ground.

The wind pressure kicked up debris on the helipad.

The roof of the Mandarin Oriental shrank beneath his feet.

Li Li had originally intended to fly directly to the ground.

But just after taking off, he glanced to the left.

The Landmark Mandarin Oriental.

It was right next door.

The straight-line distance was less than a hundred meters.

Its roof was about ten meters lower than this side, and it also had a helipad.

Flying over there would take less than a minute.

It was much faster than going down to the ground.

Li Li pushed the stick, and the helicopter drifted sideways.

Forty seconds.

Landing.

Steady.

The system's proficiency was master-level proficiency.

The rotor slowed down.

Li Li jumped out and pulled open the rear cabin door.

"Go quickly."

The three of them walked quickly across the helipad and entered the building.

The elevator lights were still on.

This building had not been affected.

Li Li pressed the button.

Ding.

The elevator door opened.

He didn't go in.

He pushed Yin Ruoying into the elevator.

"Go down and find the Hong Kong Police."

"Tell them there are over a hundred hostages on the twenty-fifth floor of the Mandarin Oriental."

"Tell them to dispatch helicopters to the roof. Several helicopters to ferry people back and forth."

Yin Ruoying held the door open button.

"You're not going down?"

"I have to go back."

Li Li took a step back.

"After all, I am a Firefighter."

He patted the terrorist jacket he was wearing.

"If I have the ability to save people, I can save them, I can't run."

The Chief Executive's wife stood to the side, not interrupting.

Yin Ruoying looked at him for two seconds.

The elevator began to alarm.

The doors slowly closed.

Just as the gap in the doors was only ten centimeters wide, Yin Ruoying suddenly spoke.

"Li Li."

Li Li stopped.

Through the door gap, Yin Ruoying's tear-streaked face was sliced into a narrow strip by the light.

Her voice was very low.

"While you were upstairs... did you see Su Wantang?"

The elevator door closed.