The urgency of this case is more intense, and the responsibility is even greater.

Little Black asked, "Captain, what do we do now? Do we meet his demands, or do we call the Action Bureau for backup?"

Over ten million US dollars, a helicopter, a school bus—Luke, even if he reported to the higher-ups at the police department, would find it difficult to gather these items quickly. Besides, the Los Angeles Police Department's budget was already tight; giving ten million US dollars to a bank robber was unthinkable.

As Luke was considering how to communicate with Reid, several Ford SUVs arrived, and a group of people dressed in FBI uniforms got out of the vehicles, led by the well-known Anthony.

"Hey, ladies, how's it going?"

"Reid was right, you FBI guys are always a step behind," Luke replied.

Reid had previously discussed with Luke that if Anthony wanted to take over the scene, he would hand over command to him. Luke had proven his abilities by solving the case of the headless woman, and there was no need to take on more responsibilities.

Anthony said unconcernedly, "Do you know how many bank robberies happen in Los Angeles every week? I have mountains of bank robbery cases on my desk.

Most of them are trivial, averaging only ten thousand US dollars per robbery, usually handled by a few patrol officers.

You know, the economy is not doing well, and the FBI also needs to save money."

"This isn't minor, the suspect has taken 26 hostages at the bank and claims he will kill one every half hour."

"OK, the FBI will take over the case now, what does the robber want?"

"We don't know the exact number of suspects yet. One of them, Martin, is demanding a helicopter, a school bus, and twelve million five hundred sixty thousand US dollars, unmarked and unsequenced."

Anthony raised an eyebrow, "Interesting, twelve million five hundred sixty thousand US dollars, it's the first time I've heard such a precise ransom. Does it have any special meaning?"

"I just spoke with the robbers, I haven't had time to think about it yet," Luke shook his head and continued, "Not only the ransom, but they are also demanding two different modes of transportation. If we're to capture them, we need to use two different containment strategies.

What do you plan to do?"

Anthony complained, "Twelve million five hundred sixty thousand US dollars, a helicopter, hell, where am I going to get all that for him."

"Buzz buzz..."

A helicopter flew over from the distance.

Luke laughed, "Which department is so efficient to send a helicopter for support so quickly?"

Little Black guessed, "Action Bureau?"

Anthony shook his head, "Not likely, they usually don't step in when we FBI are around."

Before he finished speaking, the helicopter had already flown closer.

Luke squinted, "It's a TV station."

Anthony said, "That's more like it. I was wondering what was missing. How could such big news miss the TV stations.

We are going to be on TV, probably live nationwide, let's give a wave."

Luke was somewhat speechless, "You're still in the mood for that?"

"What else is there to do? Should we bring down this helicopter and hand it over to the robbers?"

"These idiots only provoke the robbers." Luke had no good impression of these news reporters. The robbers wanted a helicopter to fly, the police said they couldn't manage, and in no time, here came the TV station's helicopter.

Anthony patted Luke on the shoulder, "Los Angeles is a free city, you'll get used to it.

Let's discuss the rescue plan."

Jenny said, "Captain, I got the bank's internal layout."

Luke took the map and spread it on the car hood. He could understand it, but it wasn't his area of expertise.

"Let's have a professional explain this."

"I'll do it." Anthony pointed at the map, "This is our position, this is the main entrance, all bulletproof glass, and the door locks are controlled by an electronic system, making a forced entry difficult.

The back and north doors are similar.

Here is the lobby, the counters, manager's office, bathroom, pantry, and the vaults.

There are two vaults, inner and outer, and the doors of the vault are thicker than typical load-bearing walls."

"But if there is a bank manager present, they should be able to open the vault door. I dare say the robbers are going madly 'shopping' right now."

Luke asked, "What do you plan to do?"

Anthony said helplessly, "We can't meet the robbers' demands, otherwise they will escape by helicopter and the FBI and Los Angeles police will become the laughingstock of the world.

Rather than letting the robbers kill a hostage every half hour, it's better to choose a forceful assault."

Luke said, "The premise of a forceful assault is that the police can enter the bank immediately, catch the robbers off guard, and prevent them from retaliating by killing hostages.

The bulletproof glass door locks of the bank aren't easy to break, and using explosives might harm the hostages.

If we can't subdue the robbers in time, the consequences are unimaginable."

"You're right, I've been thinking about this issue too," Anthony pointed at the schematic on the blueprint,

"The bulletproof glass doors are indeed difficult to destroy, but the door lock is controlled by an electronic system. If we can cut the power to the bank, it's equivalent to breaking the door lock.

We can then storm into the bank immediately, and I will lead the team myself."

"Good idea," Luke pointed at his watch. "But fifteen minutes have already passed, and in another fifteen minutes, the robbers will start killing. Is there enough time to act?"

"I'm afraid not. The bank's circuitry is more complex than ordinary circuits, and I'm worried about backup power supplies.

We need to consult professionals and organize a strike team, which will take at least half an hour." After Anthony finished speaking, he scanned the surroundings. "Brenda, our negotiation expert, it's your turn to take the stage."

A white woman in her thirties came over, "Sir, what do you need?"

"Call the robbers and try to delay the time."

The white woman asked, "For how long?"

"At least thirty minutes... or more."

"I'll try my best." The white woman asked some more questions, then dialed the bank's phone.

A moment later, the phone was connected, and a hoarse voice came from the other end, "Is the stuff I asked for ready?"

"No, I am an FBI liaison officer. I want to talk to your leader."

"I've already made myself very clear earlier, there's no need to talk further."

"Sir, you should understand that it's very difficult to meet your demands within half an hour, just gathering 12.56 million in unmarked US Dollars will take at least an hour.

Half an hour is not enough."

"Hey, that's your problem, you figure it out. I'm not your boss, I just want results.

Don't call again until you've met my demands.

Understood?" The robber hung up the phone.

Brenda said helplessly, "Sir, their attitude is very tough."

Anthony looked at his watch, "In ten minutes, the robbers will start killing hostages, keep calling to buy time."

Brenda paused for a moment, then reconnected with the robbers' phone.

The robber got straight to the point, "Is the stuff we asked for ready?"

"We've applied for a helicopter, currently waiting for approval…"

Brenda hadn't finished speaking when the robber interrupted her, "Good, you've killed a hostage."

Then, a male voice screamed from the other end of the phone, "NoNo, please, not me.

This has nothing to do with me…

No, don't kill…"

A gunshot rang out, "Bang!"

"Aah…"

Screams erupted among the many hostages in the hall.

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