"Not coming? Then what about my cat?" Shang Yu stood by the roadside holding his phone, checking the time with a frown. "So, all that effort to wake up this early was for nothing!"
He had been planning to get a cat for a while, and having finally saved up enough money, he had arranged to go see one this morning. As it turned out, the seller had something come up, the shop wouldn't be opening, and the visit had to be rescheduled.
"Tomorrow at the earliest. I'll let you know tomorrow!"
"It has to be a British Shorthair, okay?" Shang Yu hung up. It was still way too early.
With nothing to do, he checked the map and decided to find a place for breakfast. After eating, he wandered into a shopping mall, planning to pick up some groceries in the basement before heading home to continue lazing around. As fate would have it, while riding the escalator, he spotted a poster for a new movie that looked decent. He bought a ticket and went in to watch it.
It was a film starring his favorite actor, featuring an exciting, fast-paced plot and superb performances. He was still reeling from the finale when—
*Bang!*
The first time he heard the sound, Shang Yu assumed it was just a sound effect. It wasn't until a second blast rang out and a massive speaker crashed to the floor beside him that he realized the truth.
It was a gunshot!
"Ah—!"
A blood-curdling scream pierced Shang Yu's eardrums. He immediately dropped into a crouch, pulling two other audience members down with him. One reacted quickly, but the other—a girl with glasses, shoulder-length hair, and a long denim coat—just sat there, staring calmly ahead.
Two men stood there, each brandishing a gun, blocking the exit.
The alarm had already been triggered, and another gunshot rang out from behind. Three more men emerged from the crowd, taking positions along the hallway, each armed with a firearm.
"Everyone, hands on your heads! Get up right now!" the leader shouted. He walked over to the security camera and announced, "I want thirty million."
Some obeyed, while others resisted. Using a few victims to terrify the rest was a standard tactic for these types. A bloom of blood erupted in the air, and terror continued to ripple through the cinema.
Shang Yu, knowing well enough that he was just a bystander, obediently followed instructions. But the girl beside him remained seated, looking strikingly out of place among the submissive crowd.
Without waiting for the robbers to confront her, she stood up, hands not on her head.
"Hands on your head! Right now!"
The girl adjusted her glasses, leaned back against the seat in front of her, and looked at the leader with a faint, mocking smile. Despite her unassuming appearance—looking like a typical twenty-year-old college student—her stare made these hulking men feel a sudden chill down their spines.
"What are you looking at? Hands on your head!"
"There are only five of you, and each of you only has ten rounds," the girl said, sliding both hands into her pockets. She looked more like the criminal than they did. "But you're amateurs. You didn't disable the cameras, and you didn't block all the exits."
No sooner had she finished speaking than several crisp pops echoed, and every surveillance camera in the room exploded.
The sudden display startled most of the people present. However, men who dared to walk in with guns weren't easily intimidated. With a look from the leader, the men guarding the perimeter stealthily began searching for the mechanism.
"The police have probably surrounded the place by now. Have you figured out how to get out?" The girl walked coolly through the aisle.
One of the robbers tried to fire, but the moment his finger touched the trigger, the gun flew out of his hand, hovering in mid-air and aiming directly back at him.
"I mean no harm. I just want to play. After all, I've lived this long without ever facing off against the police!"
The leader was taken aback, but he had enough grit to maintain his composure. "What kind of cooperation are you talking about?"
"I don't want money. I just want some fun."
Just then, the PA system blared: "Listen up! You are surrounded. Do not harm the hostages; everything is negotiable."
*Bang!*
The thug on the right suddenly fired at the girl, but his barrel exploded, leaving his face a mangled mess of flesh and blood.
"Once might be a coincidence, but this isn't the first time."
Forget the audience; even the thugs were starting to fear her.
"Everyone, get to the front and crouch down!" the girl ordered coldly. "Tell the people outside that I want to see Qi Jingtao. If he doesn't come, I'm not letting anyone go."
The leader had no idea who Qi Jingtao was, but he had no choice but to comply. Meanwhile, several audience members were lifted by an invisible force and shoved against the doors. Some lucky ones tried to open them, only to find the doors felt heavier than a skyscraper—they wouldn't budge.
The girl, wielding one of the confiscated guns, fired a shot toward the door. Another bloom of blood erupted; a scream broke out, then was forcibly stifled.
Shang Yu secretly observed the girl. She was an Esper, and not a low-level one at that. Still, she certainly wasn't as strong as Qi Jingtao; she was the type of person Qi Jingtao could wipe out with a flick of his finger.
...
"Achoo!"
Sitting in his car, Qi Jingtao suddenly sneezed.
"Lord Qi, it's getting chilly with autumn setting in. Would you like a coat?" Zhao Chengyu asked obsequiously, offering the jacket he had brought along.
Qi Jingtao was someone who famously cared little for temperature, wearing only a thin trench coat year-round. As expected, he waved the offer away.
Minutes later, the car pulled up outside the mall. The premises had been evacuated, and Qi Jingtao stepped out and headed straight inside. Zhao Chengyu led the way to the cinema on the fourth floor.
As the elevator doors opened, a middle-aged man in a gray jacket rushed forward.
"Lord Qi! We've been waiting for you!"
Qi Jingtao shook his hand politely. Zhao Chengyu whispered, "That's Group Leader Feng from the Second Action Group of the Esper Bureau."
Everyone knew the name Qi Jingtao. Group Leader Feng was incredibly enthusiastic, quickly briefing him on the situation.
"Do you have a file on this Esper?"
"We do!" Group Leader Feng flipped through his documents. "Here she is!"
Jiang Yuansheng, female, twenty, a junior software engineering student at Mingning University. Her background followed; her parents didn't live in the area.
"A college student doing something like this?" Zhao Chengyu muttered to himself, not expecting an answer from Qi Jingtao.
Group Leader Feng added, "We interviewed people who know her. They say she's usually easygoing and gets along well with others."
"That makes it even weirder," Zhao Chengyu remarked, rubbing his chin. "Five people held an entire theater hostage, and this girl steps out, takes them down, and becomes the new hostage-taker herself."
If those five wanted money, what did this girl want? Just to see Qi Jingtao?
She couldn't be a crazed fan, could she? That made even less sense. Although Qi Jingtao was famous in the field, he was a recluse who rarely appeared in public. Moreover, he strictly required them to scrub the internet of any photos of him. It was the only time he ever used his influence for personal reasons.
Everyone understood why, though—Qi Jingtao was simply too handsome. Any random photo of him would go viral instantly. They had been approached by talent scouts when accompanying him out before.
With such tight security, it was impossible for anyone to know what he looked like.
Seeing Zhao Chengyu lost in his own thoughts, Qi Jingtao didn't bother him and turned to head inside alone.