Xiao Yang (lip reading): You're here to rescue us?
The figure pressed index and middle fingers together—Yes.
Xiao Yang: Got a rescue plan in place?
The figure: Yes.
Xiao Yang frowned.
It wasn't that he didn't trust the police's ability to handle hostage rescues.
He just didn't want to put his fate entirely in someone else's hands.
Xiao Yang: When's the operation starting?
The figure: Immediately.
Xiao Yang: You've got signal jammers ready? Disable the bomb triggers?
The figure: Yes.
Xiao Yang: There might be more than two terrorists. Did you notice anything?
The figure pointed at the air vent on the ceiling.
Damn. This guy's got skills…
Xiao Yang felt a wave of relief wash over him.
A sense of "carry me, daddy" settled in.
All he had to do now—was lie flat and trust the pro.
But could it really be that simple?
Xiao Yang's nose twitched slightly.
He smelled something—the stench of a setup.
Everything humans do has a purpose.
But ever since these terrorists appeared, not once had they stated their objective.
Don't give me that "random terror attack" crap.
If it were just to cause terror, they would've started killing people already.
Why take hostages?
And now, even with hostages in hand, they weren't negotiating, not making demands.
What's the play here?
Just then, the figure signed: Close your eyes.
Xiao Yang blinked in surprise—then obeyed.
Suddenly—
BOOM!
The sharp sound of glass shattering.
Two antenna-like objects, resembling aluminum signal receivers, flew in through the broken windows.
Anyone with knowledge could tell at a glance—electromagnetic signal jammers.
Each unit could disrupt signals in a radius of 25 to 50 meters.
One was enough.
But to be safe, the police tossed in two.
As the jammers landed—
A handful of grenade-shaped objects followed them in.
Flashbangs!
BOOM! BOOM!
Blinding light. Deafening blasts over 200 decibels.
The two terrorists had no time to react before collapsing.
Not just them—
Even the hostages were left dazed and disoriented.
So that's why she told me to close my eyes.
Xiao Yang finally understood.
At the same time—
The figure on the ceiling moved like an acrobatic wildcat.
Relying solely on her hands suctioned to the ceiling, she raised her legs,
And with one swift move—SLAM!
Smashed open the air vent and slipped inside.
Xiao Yang reopened his eyes and finally figured out how she'd crawled across the ceiling.
She had suction pads—two left on the ceiling, and two more likely still on her hands.
Damn near gave me a heart attack. Thought it was freaking Spider-Man!
Xiao Yang couldn't help but grin.
The crisis seemed to be resolving.
He was going to survive.
But deep inside, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
The next moment—
That grin froze.
A hand.
A hand was rising from the crowd of hostages.
And every hostage's limbs were supposed to be tied.
No average person could break a zip tie on their own.
The moment he saw that hand—Xiao Yang knew. Something was wrong.
There was still another terrorist among the hostages!
He couldn't blame himself.
He was just an ordinary guy in his previous life.
Not trained to identify threats.
This one completely caught him off guard.
And now—
A woman was shakily rising from the group, crawling toward one of the bomb-strapped hostages.
Even if dazed by the flashbang, her hand would reach the bomb in two or three seconds.
At that point—
"Shit!"
Despite the ringing in his ears, Xiao Yang sat up in an instant.
One thought flashed through his mind—System space!
The invisible storage interface popped up in his mind.
In a blink—
The zip ties on his wrists and ankles vanished, appearing in the system's inventory.
He ignored the pounding in his chest, tried to leap up—only to stumble and fall.
His legs were still numb from being bound too long.
Angrily, he braced himself on the floor and shouted:
"Snipers! The hell are you waiting for? SHOOT!"
But how could he know—
Even if the snipers outside had noticed something wrong,
Firing into a cluster of hostages was far too risky.
No shot had been taken.
No backup coming.
So Xiao Yang forced his limbs to move—and charged.
Toward the crawling woman.
Fighting for his life.
Every ounce of strength in his body—unleashed.
One second. Maybe two.
His hand reached out—
Smack!
He grabbed her wrist just inches from the bomb.
"Screw you!"
Then—SLAM!
He rammed his forehead straight into her face.
Crunch.
Blood sprayed from her shattered nose.
Her body crumpled sideways.
Xiao Yang finally let out a deep breath.
But before he could exhale—
A flash of cold light appeared before his eyes.
A knife.
The gleam off the blade stung his vision—
And it sliced toward his neck.
All the color drained from his face.
Shit. There were two of them.
No way to dodge.
Nowhere to run.
Was he about to die… again?
Xiao Yang was stunned and bitter.
Did I transmigrate wrong or something?!
How could he be so unlucky even after crossing worlds?
He braced for the blade—braced for death—
SLAP.
A hand landed on his shoulder—yanked him backward.
The knife missed by a hair's breadth, slashing just below his neck.
Xiao Yang froze.
Not because he wasn't stabbed—
But because…
> [Ding! Top-tier skill detected. Copy it?]
The system's voice echoed in his mind.
Top-tier skill?! Where?! How?!
Then his eyes lit up.
The hand on his shoulder!
A person is a living organism.
And as the pinnacle of evolution, humans are packed with powerful skills.
"Copy!" Xiao Yang silently commanded.
Instantly—
A strange, indescribable sensation surged through the contact point.
Flooding into his mind, bones, muscles—
Forming a blazing brand.
Or rather—a perfect imprint. A replication.
Xiao Yang's eyes lit up.
He felt stronger.
Scarily strong.
Countless combat disciplines—
Special forces training, close-quarters combat, mobility skills, infiltration, reconnaissance, survival tactics—
All of it crashed into his brain, his nerves, his soul.
At the same time—
> [Ding! Top-tier skill replicated successfully. Congratulations, Host. Skill acquired: Warfare King's Technique!]