What to do?
Merritt believed that while the robbers might kill, they wouldn't kill everyone, they needed hostages.
He also knew that the police in Ancient Splendor were pretty capable in these situations, and there was about a sixty percent chance the robbers wouldn't escape.
But!
He couldn't just leave his fate up to "chance," and he definitely wasn't going to leave his life and death in the hands of the police. Waiting to be rescued wasn't an option, he had to do something!
If he had a gun, he was sure he could take down the robbers. Even without one, if he were in good health, he might still be able to handle it.
Unfortunately...
Because of the huge loss of vitality, his body was worse than the average person's. His once powerful skills were basically gone, leaving behind just a faint trace of inner strength — barely enough to keep him alive.
And even if he used that trace of strength, it wouldn't be enough to win. Worse, once it was used up, he'd have nothing left to defend himself.
"Where's the money?!" the knife-wielding robber demanded coldly.
"If you want to die, no one's stopping you!"
Merritt shoved Felicity aside and shouted at her angrily, "I don't want to die like this. Trading money for our lives is way better than just dying!"
"You... you coward!" Felicity was furious.
Merritt completely ignored her. He pushed her aside and walked into the aisle, pulling open a canvas bag to reveal stacks of crisp euros inside.
"Holy crap!"
The robber's eyes lit up the second he saw the money. "Harley! It's real... all 500-euro notes, a whole bag full!"
The other robbers were super hyped when they heard that, but then Merritt said, "You guys want money. I want to live. I don't care about this much cash. If you keep me alive... I'll give you a hundred million euros."
A hundred million!
If anyone else had said that, the robbers probably wouldn't believe it. But coming from Merritt, it was different.
A man carrying hundreds of thousands of euros in cash... who knew how rich he really was?
However...
"Your money's your business. But do you think... in this kind of situation, what are our chances of actually getting away? Doesn't matter how much money we have, if we can't escape, it's useless," Harley said, surprisingly calm.
"With a whole bus full of hostages, your chances are basically zero. But if you just take one person... it could be different."
"What do you mean?" Harley asked, confused.
"The smaller the target, the bigger the chance of escape."
Merritt took a deep breath and said calmly, "Considering my wealth and social status, I alone am worth more than everyone on this bus combined. I'm the best hostage."
Harley stared at him and said each word slowly, "You're really calm."
"In the business world, I've faced all kinds of crazy stuff. When I'm closing billion-dollar deals, I'm just as calm. I know panicking only makes everything worse."
"Alright, then! So... why are you helping us escape?"
"If you take a lot of hostages, your chances of escaping drop fast. And the more desperate you get, the more danger I'm in. Your survival increases my chance of staying alive. I don't care about money. I can always make more. As long as I'm alive, I can make as much money as I want."
"That's a good answer. Since you're smart, you should also know that even if we escape with you, we might still kill you."
"No way."
Merritt shook his head and said calmly, "Who doesn't like money? Robbing a gold shop only gets you so much. I'm offering a hundred million euros. You won't kill me — not until you get that money. And the longer it takes, the better my chances of surviving. It's not like things can get worse than they are now."
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Harley tucked his rifle under his arm and, to Merritt's surprise, started clapping and laughing.
"A real businessman, huh? You've convinced me."
Then, with a sharp glint in his eyes, Harley gave the order, "Take him away!"
"Wait!" Merritt suddenly said.
"What the hell is it now?" Harley snapped.
"Well..."
Merritt pointed at the blond guy lying on the ground and smiled at Harley, "If you break one of his legs, I'll give you another hundred million euros."
Bang!
The yellow-haired thug let out a blood-curdling scream as blood burst from his thigh, quickly pooling around the wound. He passed out from the pain almost immediately.
The remaining passengers on the bus, their eyes filled with terror and close to breaking down, watched as five robbers dragged Merritt toward the wilderness by the roadside.
Felicity stood there, frozen, staring blankly as the robbers and Merritt disappeared from view. She couldn't understand why Merritt had drawn all the danger onto himself.
The passengers, who had been under the threat of death, were now safe—except for the middle-aged man who had been killed earlier.
The highway connected Sanin City and Bien City, and they were currently stranded in the middle of nowhere between the two cities. The robbers were fleeing into the wilderness.
Taking Merritt alone gave them a higher chance of escape compared to dragging along a bus full of hostages.
"Move it, kid! Faster!" Harley barked at Merritt.
"I... can't..." Merritt panted, sweat dripping from his forehead. He wasn't faking it. "I can't keep up... I'm too weak..."
Harley saw Merritt's pale face and realized he wasn't pretending. He quickly ordered a burly accomplice, "Bear, carry him! At this rate, we're not gonna make it. We'll take turns carrying him. Remember, two hundred million euros are waiting for us!"
Two hundred million euros!
Their loot from the jewelry store robbery would shrink big time once it got fenced on the black market. After everything, they'd probably be left with less than ten million.
Compared to two hundred million euros, that was nothing.
Money talks—and two hundred million euros was like a drug, pumping the five robbers full of adrenaline.
The guy nicknamed Bear was huffing and puffing while carrying Merritt on his back, putting in serious effort like it was his life on the line.
Damn it!
Merritt cursed in his head.
Why did he have to be the only one taken hostage?
It wasn't like he was doing it to heroically save the people on the bus. In that tight space, he didn't even have a shot at fighting back.
His real plan was to lure the robbers out into the open and then find a chance to get close. As long as he could grab a gun...
If he could just get one, he could take out every single robber!
But...
Throughout the entire journey, the robbers took turns carrying him. And every one of them—without fail—was ordered by Harley to hand over their gun before taking him.
It was obvious Harley wasn't some random thug. He was sharp and cautious as hell. Merritt's plan didn't stand a chance.
What now?
Was he seriously going to give them two hundred million euros?
He didn't even have that much in cash.
And even if he did have two hundred million euros, no way he'd hand it over just to save his own skin, Qinglong's pride wasn't something you could put a price on!
This wasn't gonna work!
Harley was a pro. There was no chance he'd let Merritt anywhere near a weapon. The idea of using a gun to end this was officially out the window.
If this had happened a year ago, these wannabe crooks wouldn't have been a problem at all...
Sigh...
But this wasn't a year ago, so thinking about it was pointless.
Merritt was now riding piggyback on Bear.
Even though Merritt wasn't super heavy, he still weighed over 200 pounds, which slowed Bear down a bit. The other four robbers were up ahead.
Merritt noticed the robbers only had three guns, and they were all trash—cheap junk from shady workshops with bad aim and weak power.
"Is your name Bear?" Merritt asked while lying on his back.
"Yeah..." Bear grunted in response.
"Is Bear your last name?"
"No, it's a nickname, got it?!"
"How old are you?"
"I..."
Bear was clearly struggling to run, carry Merritt, and talk at the same time. His focus was all over the place.
Suddenly!
Merritt, who had been lying still on Bear's back, suddenly shifted his upper body sharply to the right. His right hand moved like lightning toward Bear's right thigh.
There was a leather strap there, holding Bear's weapon: a knife!
Swish!
Because Merritt suddenly leaned to the right, Bear lost his balance and started tipping that way. At that moment, Merritt's hand, now holding the knife, slashed through the air.