Bang!
The yellow-haired thug let out a blood-curdling scream as blood spurted from his thigh, quickly pooling around the wound. He passed out from the pain almost immediately.
The remaining passengers in the bus, their eyes filled with terror and on the verge of breaking down, watched as five robbers dragged Merritt towards the wilderness by the roadside.
Felicity stood there, dumbfounded,watching the robbers and Merritt disappear from view. She couldn't understand why Merritt had drawn all the danger onto himself.
The passengers, who had been under 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 in the middle of nowhere between the two cities. The robbers were fleeing into the wilderness.
Taking Merritt alone increased their chances of escape compared to dragging a busload 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 noticed Merritt's pale face and realized he wasn't pretending. He quickly ordered a burly accomplice, "Bear, carry him! At this rate, we won't make it. We'll take turns carrying him. Remember, two hundred million euros are waiting for us!"
Two hundred million euros!
Their haul from the jewelry store heist would be significantly reduced after selling it on the black market, probably leaving them with less than ten million in the end.
Compared to two hundred million euros, that amount of money was nothing!
Money is the most persuasive thing, and two hundred million euros was like a powerful stimulant, filling the five robbers with endless motivation.
The guy nicknamed Bear was huffing and puffing as he carried Merritt on his back, a model of tireless dedication.
Damn it!
Merritt cursed inwardly.
Why did he have to be the only one taken hostage?
It was clear that it wasn't out of any goodwill to save the passengers in the car. In that confined space, there was no chance to fight back.
His plan was to lure the robbers outside and find an opportunity to get close. As long as he could get near any of the armed robbers...
With one gun, he could take out all the robbers!
But...
Throughout the journey, different people took turns carrying him. Every single one of them, without exception, was ordered by Harley to hand over their gun to a companion.
It was clear that Harley was no ordinary robber. He was highly trained and extremely meticulous. Merritt's plan had no chance of succeeding.
What to do?
Really give them two hundred million euros?
Not to mention he only had a fraction of that amount in cash, even if he did have two hundred million euros, there was no way he would trade money for his life—Qinglong's dignity could not be tarnished!
This wasn't going to work! Harley was a professional; he wouldn't give Merritt a chance to get close to a gun. The idea of using a gun to solve this had been completely shut down.
If it were a year ago, these small-time crooks wouldn't have been a problem...
Sigh...
But it's not a year ago, so what's the point of thinking about it?
Merritt was now being carried piggyback by Bear.
Although Merritt wasn't particularly heavy, he still weighed over 200 pounds, which slowed Bear down a bit. The other four robbers were ahead.
Merritt noticed that although the robbers had three guns, they were all junk from small workshops, with poor penetration and low firepower.
"Is your name Bear?" Merritt asked while lying on Bear's back.
"Yeah..." Bear grunted in response.
"Is Bear your last name?"
"No, it's a nickname, got it?!"
"How old are you?"
"I..."
Just as Bear was struggling to carry Merritt, run, and talk at the same time, his attention was completely scattered.
Suddenly!
Merritt, who had been lying on Bear's back, 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!
Due to Merritt's sudden shift to the right, Bear lost his balance and tilted to the right. At that moment, Merritt's hand, holding the knife, slashed through the air.