Mated at First Sight
Chapter 697 - 460 - Became a Hostage (Part 1)_1

Chapter 697: Chapter 460 - Became a Hostage (Part 1)_1

From the outside, nothing can be seen inside. Conversely, everything outside cannot be seen from the inside. At this time, the exit of the mall had descended into utter chaos.

"What’s going on? It’s not even four in the afternoon yet, why have they suddenly closed the doors?"

"Did the doors break down?" Some voices questioned, while others speculated, "Maybe the mall is organizing some event, which is why they sealed all the doors."

Beyond that, they can’t think of any other reasons. But such a situation for them is more of a scare than a surprise, especially since the mall gave no advanced warning or explanation.

"You guys, don’t you think we might have been taken hostage?" Finally, a different voice joined in. In the midst of all the noise, the whisper somehow rang clear, reaching the ears of everyone nearby.

"Don’t joke around," someone rebuked. Nonetheless, a tremor could be heard in their voice—they too were beginning to imagine the worst.

Such a thing... couldn’t be entirely ruled out.

If it really happened...

Immediately, nearly everyone tried to open the doors in a frenzied rush.

If that were the case, everyone inside the mall would become hostages.

My God, it’s a terrifying thought—they had never even considered something like this. They had popped out for a leisurely shopping trip; how could it turn so dangerous? Has the security in their country gotten so bad? If they had known...they wouldn’t even have left their homes.

At this point in time, inside the mall, the ones who were most composed were probably Jing Chen and Mu Lin, who had just left a luxury store.

"It looks like we’re a bit unlucky today," Mu Lin remarked, glancing at the sealed doors.

"Really?" Jing Chen’s lips curved, the perfect arc of his smile rippled from his thin lips. Mu Lin looked at Jing Chen and raised an eyebrow. Jing Chen then wrapped his arm around Mu Lin’s waist, leaning down to give her a kiss as if nobody was around. "I feel like today is my lucky day," he said, twisting his ring-adorned hand under the lights, the ring gleaming brilliantly.

To Mu Lin, the Jing Chen of this moment seemed unusually frivolous. His expression, full of charm, left her speechless.

But in the next moment, the lights were abruptly turned off. The fully enclosed mall plunged into darkness, becoming so dark that one could not see their hand in front of their face. Terrified screams echoed in an instant, prompting Mu Lin to cover her ears with a sense of resignation.

Oh God, their screams were so loud they could burst her eardrums.

"This is your so-called ’lucky day’," Mu Lin retorted, clearly unimpressed.

"Isn’t it?" He responded, "This is the first time Linlin has given me a gift on her own initiative, and it’s just the gift I’ve been waiting for." He turned his ring in front of her, telegraphing all too clearly his deep desire to be bonded to her for life. Not that he ever considered leaving.

Hearing this, Mu Lin glanced at him and chuckled, "Are you complaining about me?" She caught on to his thinly veiled reproach that she hadn’t given him gifts before.

But she had given him gifts in the past, hadn’t she? Healing medicines and detoxification potions all count as presents, right?

Lost in her thoughts, Mu Lin said nothing.

"Of course not," replied Jing Chen, smiling at Mu Lin. Whenever he faced her, the corners of his mouth never ceased to curve into a smile, his joy tangible.

It seemed like the legend of the stoic Mr. Jing might need a little updating.

After all, the icy exterior had long since melted away—albeit only in front of Mu Lin.

Moving away from this topic, Mu Lin took a cool look at the situation in front of them, "What could the motives of the people who locked us in here be?" Considering the grand scale of this, it didn’t look like a typical kidnapping for ransom situation.

"I can’t guess for now." After all, this is E Country, not their homeland. There is a big difference between the criminals here and the criminals back home. "We’ll find out as we go."

Isn’t there a saying that goes, ’Go with the flow’? In a situation like this, squealing and fear are useless. The most they could do was... excite the captor.

In deep thought, the two retreated to a corner, watching the drama unfold before them without any discernible emotion on their faces.

Presumably, the culprits would soon reveal their intentions.

As expected...

The ideas had just settled down a bit when the lights suddenly brightened once more.

The two glanced at each other, silent understandings passing between them.

It has begun.

The sudden brightness startled the crowd, rendering them momentarily dumbstruck. They gazed at the blinding lights overhead, their eyes squinting.

Just then, a brazen voice echoed through the broadcast, reaching everyone’s ears.

"I suppose you all are wondering what is happening," the voice laced with a cold, sinister laugh. "There’s no need to panic. I’m merely borrowing your lives for a bit. It won’t take too long. Once I’m done, I’ll return them to you. If the people above meet my demands, I can assure you that you will all leave this place unharmed."

"What the hell are you saying? What do you mean by ’borrowing our lives’?" An indignant voice rang out. "What do you want? Are you not afraid of consequences?"

Mu Lin smirked at the man who’d snapped, saying, "Well, look who’s courageous." She had thought the crowd would be too scared to speak out.

"Linlin, do not admire ’other’ men. Likewise, not in front of your future husband," Jing Chen redirected Mu Lin’s gaze without any hesitation.

Mu Lin sighed in exasperation. What a petty thing to think about during a crisis.

Indeed, for Jing Chen, who had experienced various missions before, jealousy was far more significant than the current predicament. Besides, it wasn’t directly related to him. Since the current happenings were in the E Country...

To be honest, these two people had the coldest hearts and were both very protective, forming the best match. Any opposition would be out of question.

Of course, no one noticed this side-show. And whether the other party heard the mans’ words or not, he simply continued, "I believe that what I have proposed would be the best outcome for all of you. But!"

"If they do not meet my demands, I won’t hesitate to die with you all. Sharing death with so many people would not leave me discontented. However, I don’t believe the people upstairs are heartless enough to sacrifice all of you."

"However, to motivate them and prevent wasting my time, an hour from now, I’ll kill a person every 15 minutes. Until I achieve my desired result. Oh, the killings will be random." As soon as the man’s voice faded, many masked men armed with rifles appeared on the second and third floors. Their cold eyes fixed upon the crowd.

Many were so scared that they fell to the ground. Laughter echoed from the broadcast. "Remember not to resist. Otherwise, those guns do not discriminate." Following these words, the voice from the other end disappeared.

"What do you think, Linlin?" Jing Chen turned to Mu Lin, asking in a calm tone.

"It seems like they want to use us hostages in exchange for someone," Mu Lin speculated. Even though it wasn’t explicitly stated, the implication was there. The person they wanted was likely held captive by the E Country’s forces, and must have committed serious crimes to warrant such a drastic scenario.

Jing Chen nodded thoughtfully, glancing at the armed men above. The best outcome would be if they didn’t have to take matters into their own hands, but considering the reputation of the E Country’s police, that seemed highly unlikely.

The mall was enclosed entirely by police forces, and not a single exit remained unblocked.

Perhaps.

This incident also reached the ear of the E Country, not due to anything else but because of the demands made by the attackers. They wanted to talk to the president, hostage exchange, an aircraft, and riches. Not to attempt their capture, because if they do, the hostages would be buried with them. Considering the gravity of the situation, it seemed only Vasily could make the decisions.

This unexpected crisis embarrassed him. His friend had just arrived when this serious incident occurred. It would be interesting to see his friend’s reaction once he found out about his involvement.

It appeared that the person demanded as the exchange was not ordinary. Numerous policemen, even soldiers, had died at his hands. The ruthless acts had left the authorities speechless.

If they were to release such a dangerous person, it would undoubtedly cause severe future crises. But if they didn’t, thousands of civilians were at stake, leaving the authorities in a quandary.

Additionally, they also feared that the attackers might blow up the mall if they managed to escape, which was also a likely possibility.

For a moment, no one could think of a foolproof strategy.

What should they do?