Chapter 1690 - 1703: Gambling with Life

Chapter 1690: Chapter 1703: Gambling with Life

In reality, the Wancheng police were utterly defeated in that case. Not only did they not recover the stolen goods, but the only suspect was silenced in the following days. The Saint Master coming here for the goods clearly shows he was misled by a diversion purposely set by the police.

Liu Genyou’s mouth twitched slightly, unsure whether to laugh or cry. But ultimately, as a seasoned figure, he took a deep breath and said, "I can agree to your conditions, but you must release a batch of hostages immediately!"

"Did you hear that? He dares to negotiate with me!"

The Saint Master looked at Golden Egg, then at Qing Niang, suddenly bursting into laughter as if he’d heard the world’s funniest joke. Liu Genyou watched coldly, remaining silent. After a while, the Saint Master stopped laughing, wiped the tears from his eyes, and suddenly shot Liu Genyou in the abdomen without any warning.

Bang! The gunshot echoed in the somewhat empty meeting room, immediately followed by a frenzy of panicked screams.

Lin Mu’s pupils contracted as he fought the impulse to lash out.

Because now is not the time. It’s easy to kill the Saint Master, but it would be impossible to take out the other two simultaneously. Carelessness could trigger the bomb, risking the lives of everyone here but himself.

"Director Liu, how’s the taste of getting shot?" The Saint Master licked the corner of his mouth, looking at Liu Genyou, who was pale and collapsed on the ground. "Don’t worry, the bullet didn’t hit any vital organ; until I get the goods, I won’t let you die... Can you make the call now?"

Liu Genyou clutched his wound with one hand, cold sweat pouring down, "Hmph! If you don’t release people, even if I die, you won’t get anything."

"Damn, still daring to threaten people now. I’ll take out your daughter first!"

Golden Egg, looking impatient, kicked Sun Yan and Zhang Man aside, grabbed Liu A Zhen, and pressed the gun to her temple.

The atmosphere immediately grew tense. Liu Genyou saw his pale-faced daughter, moved his lips to speak, but Lin Mu stepped forward and chuckled, "Brother, there are rules in the underworld; families are exempt from harm. Your methods are a bit despicable, aren’t they?"

Golden Egg’s face darkened, filled with rage. Since starting out, he’d never missed a target, yet here in this rundown place called Wancheng, he’d been evaded by a youth dodging five bullets — an unbearable disgrace, one that blood alone couldn’t wash away.

Taking a deep breath, an idea bubbled up in Golden Egg’s mind. He smirked, pushed Liu A Zhen away, and said, "You want to be a hero? Fine, I’ll help you out. This revolver holds six shots, but only one bullet. Aim at your own head and pull the trigger. Every time it’s a blank, I’ll release one hostage. Hmph! How many can you save depends on your guts!"

With those words, Golden Egg dropped the revolver on the ground and slid it over.

The room descended into dead silence. All eyes turned to Lin Mu in that instant.

Russian roulette — those with even a little sense knew how risky it was. If luck was bad, not only would you fail to save anyone, but your brains could end up splattered across the ground from the first shot. Of course, everything had two sides; with good luck, saving two lives wasn’t bad, escaping this deadly place meant salvation for some.

People are selfish; who doesn’t want to live? Only a fool wouldn’t.

Consequently, the hint of concern in the crowd’s eyes vanished.

Replaced by eagerness, hope, and fawning...

"How about it, scared?" Golden Egg sneered scornfully, "Then give up! Being a hero isn’t easy, and why toss your life away for others?"

"Cut the crap!" Lin Mu smirked, bent down to pick up the revolver, weighing it in his hand, "Are you true to your word?"

"Of course he is!"

The Saint Master nodded and backed away, preparing to enjoy the spectacle.

"Lin Mu, don’t act rashly..." Liu Genyou regained his breath, hastening to dissuade him, but Lin Mu raised his hand, placed the gun’s barrel against his temple, and pulled the trigger gently.

Pop!

The firing pin hit empty!

Joy filled the crowd.

"Heh, seems I’m lucky!" Lin Mu shrugged, appearing relaxed, "Now, you can release the first hostage, right?"

"Certainly! Apart from that girl, who would you like to go?" The Saint Master smiled.

Russian roulette — the chance of the first shot being empty was five out of six; not having a bullet was quite normal.

Lin Mu frowned briefly; Ah Zhen was Liu Genyou’s daughter, and it made sense for the kidnappers not to release her. No need to argue and complicate matters, he thought, exhaling, "Sister Zhang, Sister Sun, you two..."

The words barely left his mouth when Zhang Man interrupted, "If Ah Zhen doesn’t go, I won’t go either!"

Sun Yan hesitated for a moment, then shook her head, "With Genyou and Ah Zhen here, I couldn’t be at ease leaving. Lin Mu, don’t worry about us; give the chance to someone else!"

Faced with the two women’s firm stance, Lin Mu had no choice but to look elsewhere in the crowd. When the chance of escaping was genuinely tangible, calmness was impossible.

"Brother, help me out. Let me go. My wife’s nine months pregnant, about to give birth in two days. I... I don’t want my child to be born fatherless!" Pleaded one man tearfully, inciting immediate chaos.

"Big brother, don’t trust him; he doesn’t even have a wife. Pick me, I still have an elderly mother at home..."

"Come off it, everyone has elderly mothers; what’s the point of those lies? Buddy, pick me; I’m the boss of this company, won’t let you down!"

"Boss? More like a bankrupt wannabe. Big brother, don’t listen to him; let me go. I’ll repay your kindness someday."

The realities of human nature, the ugliness of their faces, impossible to hide. They slandered each other while tearfully begging, from appeals to family, money inducements, descending to unashamed pleas...

"Everyone shut up!" Lin Mu felt a headache coming on, pointed randomly at a corner to a freckled girl trembling but silent, "Let her go first."

"Alright!" The Saint Master nodded, signaling Qing Niang, who stood leaning against a corner with her arms crossed, to step forward and untie the girl. With the decision made, everyone reluctantly quieted down, watching the girl weep with joy as she left the building and joined the police. Only then did the Saint Master raise an eyebrow and say, "Continue?"

"Certainly!"

Lin Mu nodded, and his finger pulled the trigger again...

Pop! Firing pin hit empty.

Pop! Firing pin hits empty again!

Pop! Firing pin hits empty a third time!