8: Chapter 8 Hostage Romance, Everyone's in Stockholm

"Wei Guanqi, I'm hungry."

Qin Feng sat next to the pile of fifty million in cash and shouted toward the surveillance camera in the corner.

His tone was flat and matter-of-fact.

But he didn't know how much chaos those six simple words caused outside.

Police Command Center.

The technical department staff almost smashed their keyboards: "Report, Director! The suspect has made a request! He... he wants food!"

"Food?" Zhao Shanhe's brows furrowed as he stared intently at the large screen. "Is this code? Is he hinting for us to send 'that stuff' in? Or is he testing our bottom line?"

The director, Wei Guanqi, who was slumped in a chair nearby, raised his hand with a sob: "Director Zhao, that's my actor... it's mealtime now. He might just be genuinely hungry. I'm hungry too."

Zhao Shanhe glared at him fiercely and waved his hand: "Send it! Send him the best! Tell the SWAT Team to use the meal delivery as an opportunity to observe the internal firepower configuration!"

...

Twenty minutes later.

Several plastic bags containing luxury bento boxes were placed at the bank entrance by a SWAT officer disguised as a delivery man.

Qin Feng didn't let the SWAT officer in; instead, he directed Gui Jianchou to bring the things back.

He couldn't help it; currently, everyone looked like a grappling master who wanted to pin him to the ground and rub his face in the dirt.

Inside the VIP reception room, the aroma was overwhelming.

Braised pork, abalone over rice, steamed grouper... To please this "Great Ancestor," the production crew had really spent a fortune.

Qin Feng looked at the pile of bento boxes in front of him but didn't pick up his chopsticks.

He narrowed his eyes, his slender fingers tapping lightly on the tabletop.

Tap, tap, tap.

This wasn't just thinking; it was also hesitation.

That old bald director is quite wicked. What if he put laxatives in the food to force me to surrender? This is a live broadcast; if I crap my pants, how can I ever stay in the entertainment industry?

This look of "one cannot be too suspicious of others" fell into Gui Jianchou's eyes and took on a completely different meaning.

"Big Brother is testing for poison!"

Gui Jianchou's heart shivered, his gaze becoming even more worshipful.

Look at that! This is what you call experience in the underworld! This is what you call being calculating and far-sighted! Even when facing a seemingly harmless delivery, Big Brother still maintains a high degree of vigilance!

Qin Feng's gaze swept over Gui Jianchou, finally pointing to the braised pork bento that looked the most abundant and oily.

"You, come here."

Qin Feng tilted his chin slightly, his voice low: "This portion is for you. Eat it while it's hot."

Gui Jianchou was stunned.

He looked at the bright, red-colored braised pork, and his eyes instantly welled up.

After roaming the streets for so many years, the Big Brother always ate first, and the lackeys could only eat the leftovers.

But now?

This "Godfather of Bandits" with heaven-reaching methods actually gave the first bite of food to him when he wasn't even sure if the meal was safe?

No!

This wasn't just a reward from Big Brother; this was trust!

This was telling everyone: This is my brother!

"Big Brother..." Gui Jianchou sniffled, his voice choked with emotion, "You are... too good to me! This meat, I'll eat it for you! Even if it's poisoned, I, Old Gui, will accept it!"

With that, he grabbed the chopsticks and began stuffing meat into his mouth like a starving ghost reborn.

That eating manner was fierce yet held a hint of tragic heroism, as if he wasn't eating braised pork, but loyalty itself.

Qin Feng: "..."

What's with this extra? How can he eat a meal and make it look like he's heading to the execution ground?

Forget it, seeing as he's been eating for two minutes without foaming at the mouth, it's probably not poisoned.

Qin Feng relaxed and turned to look at Su Tang, who was curled up in the corner of the sofa.

This girl had been staring at him since just now with a burning gaze that made him feel a bit uneasy.

"Uh... aren't you hungry?"

Qin Feng casually picked up an exquisite-looking seafood abalone rice and handed it over.

Actually, it was because he was allergic to seafood; he couldn't eat this most expensive portion anyway.

"For you." Qin Feng stuffed the lunch box into her arms, his tone stiff. "You need strength to be a hostage."

Su Tang held the warm lunch box, feeling like her whole being was about to melt.

He gave it to me.

He gave the most expensive, best, and obviously specially prepared abalone rice to me!

And he handed it over personally!

"Big Brother..." Su Tang looked up, her watery eyes sparkling with a heart-palpitating light, her cheeks flushed. "You... won't you eat the good stuff yourself? Why are you so good to me?"

Qin Feng was opening a common green pepper and shredded pork rice bowl; hearing this, he didn't even look up and replied vaguely, "I don't like that stuff, it's fishy."

But in Su Tang's ears, this "fishy" was automatically translated as: "Silly girl, of course the good things should be left for you; I'll just have some simple fare."

"He has me in his heart!"

Su Tang let out a groundhog-like scream in her heart.

She opened the lunch box, and with every bite of abalone she put in her mouth, she felt as if she were tasting the sweetness of love.

The live stream comments exploded instantly:

"Help! Is this really not a dating show? This feeding scene is way too dreamy!"

"Bandit Bro: I don't eat seafood. Su Tang: That's love! Netizens: That's dog food!"

"Am I the only one who noticed that scar-faced guy cried while eating braised pork? This is the true way to win people over! One meal, two lives—Bandit Bro's leadership skills are incredible!"

"I declare, I'm shipping this CP! Whoever objects, I'll blast them with flour!"

...

Just then.

A piercing sound of crying and whining broke the harmonious atmosphere of the meal.

"Waaaah! I want to go home! I want my mommy! I don't want to eat this crappy food! I want Pizza Hut!"

In the corner, the little fatty Qian Duoduo, a rich second-generation kid wearing designer children's clothes, was rolling on the floor and wailing.

The voice was sharp and extremely piercing.

Qin Feng almost spat out the bite of shredded pork he had just put in his mouth.

He hated bratty kids the most.

Especially in such a confined space, this crying was simply mental pollution.

Qin Feng put down his chopsticks, and the face wearing the clown mask slowly turned toward Qian Duoduo.

The few adults who were still trying to coax the child instantly went silent, fearing that this man would throw the child out in a fit of rage.

Qin Feng stood up and walked over to Qian Duoduo.

A shadow loomed over him.

Qian Duoduo was so scared he hiccuped, his crying stopped abruptly, and a snot bubble still hung from his nose.

"So noisy."

Qin Feng coldly spat out two words.

He reached into his jacket and pulled out the Glock 17 (prop) that never left his side.

*Hiss—*

The surrounding hostages gasped, and a few timid ones even covered their eyes.

Is he going to... silence him?!

However, the next second.

*Click!*

Qin Feng's fingers began to move like butterflies through flowers.

Ejecting the magazine, removing the slide, taking out the recoil spring, dismantling the barrel.

The series of movements was as smooth as flowing water, carrying a pleasing sense of mechanical rhythm.

In less than three seconds.

What was originally a complete gun had turned into a pile of parts scattered on the coffee table.

Qin Feng casually picked up the recoil spring and flicked it in his hand, producing a crisp "twang."

"Want to learn?"

Qin Feng looked down at the dumbfounded Qian Duoduo with a playful tone.

Qian Duoduo's eyes were as wide as copper bells, and he forgot to sniff back his snot.

To a little boy, this kind of cool mechanical disassembly, this scene full of violent aesthetics, was ten thousand times cooler than Ultraman fighting monsters!

"Yes!"

Qian Duoduo nodded vigorously, the fear in his eyes instantly turning into fanatical worship. "Uncle! You're so cool! Is this a real gun? I want to play too!"

"Play?"

Qin Feng gave a cold laugh, picked up the gun barrel, and tapped him lightly on the head. "Is this something you can play with? Talk to me after you get a hundred on your math test."

After saying that, he performed another dazzling series of operations.

*Clack, clack, clack!*

Two point five seconds.

The firearm was fully assembled, and the sound of it being cocked was crisp and pleasant.

"Stay quiet. If you cry again, I'll throw you to the police uncles outside to do homework." Qin Feng shook the gun in his hand.

"I won't cry! I'll be good!" Qian Duoduo immediately sat up straight and even took the initiative to pick up the lunch box nearby. "Uncle, I'm eating! I'm very well-behaved! Will you teach me how to take apart a gun?"

The entire room was silent.

All the hostages looked at this bratty kid who had instantly become well-behaved, then looked at the man who sat back on the sofa to continue eating calmly, and their gazes changed.

This method...

Was simply divine!

Even the bank hall manager, Zhou Wenyuan, who had been on edge, couldn't help but sigh in his heart: This kidnapper, though a bit fierce, really has a way with kids.

The tense atmosphere, under the aroma of the food and Qin Feng's series of moves, eerily relaxed.

Everyone started eating, and some even began to talk in low voices.

How did this look like a life-and-death robbery scene?

This was clearly a company team-building dinner!

Just then, an auntie wearing a bright red floral jacket with permed curly hair shuffled over to Qin Feng with her lunch box.

The Director of the Square Dance Intelligence Center—Wang Guifen.

She sized Qin Feng up, and in her eyes, there was no fear, only the kind of scrutiny a mother-in-law gives a potential son-in-law.

"Young man."

Auntie Wang lowered her voice, speaking with the tone of someone who had seen it all. "I see your posture is quite straight, your skill is quite nimble, and you're not a bad person, even giving us food."

Qin Feng was drinking a Coke and was stunned by her words: "Ah? What are you trying to say, Auntie?"

Auntie Wang leaned in mysteriously: "Why did you choose this line of work? It's so dangerous! Take my advice, this profession has no future, and it doesn't even have social security or a pension plan."

Qin Feng didn't know whether to laugh or cry and could only brush her off: "Forced by life, just trying to make a living."

"Oh my, even so, you can't go down the wrong path!"

Auntie Wang slapped her thigh to show her warm-heartedness: "How about this, I have a niece who works in a public institution. She's quite pretty and wouldn't mind that you don't have a house or a car. As long as you're willing to turn over a new leaf and surrender, I'll set you two up after you get out. I see you have delicate features; even with that mask on, you give off a handsome vibe..."

*Cough, cough, cough!*

Qin Feng choked on his Coke, coughing violently.

What kind of development is this?

I'm a robber! I'm robbing a bank! I'm in a standoff with hundreds of SWAT officers!

And you're actually introducing me to a girl? From a public institution?

"Auntie, please stop joking. I'm... still working here." Qin Feng pointed to the police cars outside with a helpless look.

"What kind of work is that? You'll have to go in sooner or later." Auntie Wang looked disappointed. "As long as you behave well, your sentence will be reduced quickly! My niece can wait for you, really, so don't lose heart..."

...

Meanwhile.

Police Command Center, Eavesdropping Team.

The miniature bug that they had painstakingly planted at the bottom of the delivery bag faithfully transmitted this conversation back.

"He's establishing an emotional connection!"

The psychological expert Yun Zhiqiu suddenly stood up, her notebook gripped so hard it was torn.

Her face was pale, and her voice trembled: "Director! This Qin Feng... is too terrifying!"

"What do you mean?" Zhao Shanhe was completely confused. "The auntie is trying to persuade him to surrender, isn't that a good thing?"

"No! You don't understand!"

Yun Zhiqiu pointed at the audio waveforms, her eyes full of fear: "This is the highest level of psychological control—an induced variant of Stockholm Syndrome!"

"Look, he first established a 'god-like' power of reward and punishment through food distribution, making the wanted criminal absolutely loyal to him."

"Then, by displaying violence (disassembling the gun) and instantly retracting it, he built a 'worship of power' in the child."

"Finally, and this is the most terrifying step!"

"He exploited our common psychology to show a gentle, even 'helpless' side toward the auntie's 'persuasion'!"

"This will give all the hostages an illusion: He isn't a bad person; he's a hero forced by circumstances! He is someone who can be 'saved'!"

"Once this 'desire to save the robber' mindset forms, these hostages are no longer hostages."

Yun Zhiqiu took a deep breath and almost shouted:

"They will become Qin Feng's most loyal human shields! If we dare to launch a forced assault, these hostages might even take bullets for him!"

"This is... Everyone's Got Stockholm Syndrome!"

*Hiss—*

Inside the command hall, there was a deathly silence.

All the veteran criminal investigators felt a chill run down their spines, a cold air rushing straight to their heads.

What was originally a somewhat funny matchmaking scene had instantly become a meticulously planned brainwashing drama under the expert's interpretation.

Zhao Shanhe's hand trembled as he reached for the fast-acting heart-saving pills in his pocket.

"This Qin Feng... must be classified as an extremely dangerous individual!"

Zhao Shanhe gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot: "Notify the negotiation experts! No more games! Go in person! We cannot let him continue to bewitch people like this!"

"If they keep chatting like this, that auntie really is going to tell him the SWAT Team's entire deployment map!"