Capítulo 20: Making Headlines
Outside Lansheer Bank in New York, a police car skidded to a halt by the cordon tape.
George stepped out, his face set like stone under the sun. He looked visibly irritated, like coal dust might fall if he shook his head.
It was a chaotic day. A press conference to discuss the recent bank robbery had been in the works, and now another one cropped up mid-meeting. The timing couldn't have been worse, practically mocking them.
Crowds of media personnel and curious onlookers swarmed beyond the cordon, with news helicopters circling above, covering every second live for everyone watching.
"What's the current situation? Are the negotiators on their way?" George asked, struggling to ignore the throngs of reporters behind him.
The officer keeping record replied, "Chief, there are seven robbers. One of them has already been taken down. They're holding over twenty hostages inside, and we're not sure when it could get ugly."
"Negotiation experts are on their way but aren't here yet," the officer added.
George's expression hardened at the mention of casualties. "We need to establish contact inside as soon as possible. Have we called the bank's main line?"
"They did, sir, and they asked us to wait for them to get back to us," the officer replied.
Just then, a phone rang nearby. An officer quickly reported, "Chief, it's from inside. Do you want to take it?"
"I'll handle it." George sighed.
Picking up the receiver, he heard a calm, male voice: "Hello, is this the police? Could you hand this to someone in charge?"
George didn't hesitate. "This is George, Chief of the NYPD. The bank is fully surrounded. If you surrender, we'll discuss potential leniency."
"I'm a hostage, not one of the robbers," the voice replied smoothly.
"Oh…," George paused.
"They've sent me out to act as a messenger. They've got several guns aimed at me, so if you try anything, they'll shoot. Keep things cool, all right?" the voice continued.
Inside the bank, Noah looked unfazed at the gun pointed right at him. Despite his outward calm, every muscle was primed, ready to act at a moment's notice.
His current level of physical strength wasn't exactly bulletproof, but he was prepared to recover if things went sideways by using his stat points. That alone reassured him enough to keep his cool.
"Go outside and relay our demands to the police. If you mess this up, you'll regret it," the leader of the robbers sneered.
Noah simply nodded, calm as ever, though the urge to shut down these robbers for good simmered beneath the surface. But with the situation already drawing so much attention, it'd be tough to keep things clean.
With guns at his back, Noah stepped up to the door, pushed it open, and walked out, facing an audience of police, reporters, and countless spectators.
Outside, everyone turned to see who was coming out, hoping to glimpse the first person to leave the bank.
To their surprise, a young, composed guy walked out, radiating an aura that left everyone momentarily stunned.
Meanwhile, George, still on the line, hadn't expected such a young man to come out. The guy looked way too calm for a hostage.
The father in him kicked in as he noticed small details. He frowned slightly and asked into the phone, "Are you a student? It's Wednesday, isn't it?"
"Yeah, I skipped class," Noah answered, matter-of-factly, which caught George off guard.
"Look, this isn't about that. Shouldn't rescuing us be the priority?" Noah replied. "The robbers want a van ready to go. They'll take the cash and expect you not to pursue them."
"We'll need time to sort that out," George replied cautiously.
"No problem, but they'll start killing hostages if it takes more than an hour. They said they'll start with me," Noah said, recounting the robbers' words with a disturbing calmness.
"All right, got it. Can you tell them we're working on their request but might need more time? Face-to-face communication would really help," George said, sounding a bit desperate.
"Sure, I'll relay that. But whether they care is not on me."
George felt uneasy about Noah's casual attitude. "Aren't you afraid of being caught in the middle of a robbery?"
"What's there to fear? As long as you meet their demands, I'll be fine." Noah shrugged, turning back toward the bank.
Meanwhile, at Oscorp…
Inside the renowned tech company, a group of students was following their teacher, Mr. James, on a guided tour of the facility.
James was in the middle of listening to the tour guide when his phone rang. It was the school principal.
"Hello, Principal? What's up? I'm with the students at Oscorp right now," James said, holding the phone to his ear.
"Is Noah with you? The strange student in your class?" The principal asked, sounding tense.
"Oh, he skipped class today. Why are you asking?" James asked, curious.
"He's involved in a bank robbery—he's all over the national news," the principal said, looking at his computer screen filled with headlines about the incident.
"What?!" James nearly shouted but quickly recomposed himself. "Everyone, follow the tour guide. I need to handle something."
Peter Parker, among the students, looked up in confusion, watching as their teacher hurried off with a look of concern.
Above him, a small, red and blue spider dangled from a thin strand of silk, lowering itself to land on his neck and bite.
"Ouch…" Peter reflexively smacked the back of his neck, glancing at his hand to see the crumpled remains of a spider.
Meanwhile, James, now at a nearby computer, pulled up the news page. The headlines showed the face of a teenager in a black-and-white striped shirt.
That face… It was unmistakably his student.
In disbelief, James scrolled through images and videos taken since Noah's appearance outside the bank. News helicopters were now circling the area, broadcasting the scene from every angle.
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Alright, got some complaints about mistake in the previous chapters...I will fix them don't worry.
So, this is my first time doing this. I hope you guys can help me improve by providing your feedback, and some stones would be nice. (づ ◕‿◕ )づ
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