Little Tricks for Buying Time

“You four!” Seeing the four hostages across from him all bowing their heads, none daring to meet his gaze, Hou Rui sighed and, resigned, picked up an empty shell casing and tossed it at the head of the man in his forties.

“Boss, please speak, please speak—just don’t use force.” The man shivered like a frightened quail.

“You four, you know how to play rock-paper-scissors, right? Come on, hurry up and play a round.” Though he couldn’t see their faces just then, Hou Rui’s expression was full of cunning amusement.

“Ah!” The timid man was dumbstruck, and the other three hostages raised their heads in astonishment. At such a tense, life-or-death moment, the gangster boss wanted to play a game?

“Hurry up.” Hou Rui continued to intimidate them, shaking his hand threateningly.

“Yes, yes, we’ll play right now, right now.” Seeing Hou Rui’s temper flare, and forced by his authority, the unfortunate hostages slowly huddled together and played a round of rock-paper-scissors.

Meanwhile, outside the building, on the street, inside a large police command vehicle—

“Sir, don’t hesitate any longer! Just give the order and let us storm in!” A SWAT commander wearing a black hood pleaded with the police’s on-site chief. Earlier, a few more officers had been lost under the overpass, and just today, SWAT casualties had already surpassed the entire previous year. The commander was nearly consumed by rage.

But the chief, whose shoulders bore the weight of many stars and stripes, found it hard to decide. This group of attackers was proving unusually troublesome—they had not only eliminated Minister Muhammad’s security team in front of the Justice Building, but had also wiped out an assault squad under the nearby overpass. Now, if they engaged in a firefight inside the residential tower, who knew how many casualties would result.

After much hesitation, the chief asked again, “Based on witness statements, how many criminals are inside the building?”

“Shouldn’t be more than three,” a uniformed officer answered immediately.

“You’re sure? Not a dozen or more?” Hearing this, the chief’s eyes lit up.

“I’m sure, sir. Just now, more than a dozen witnesses fled from the lobby, and their statements all matched: one man burst in and shot, killing Minister Muhammad’s last bodyguard, then two more criminals followed him in.”

“Excellent! Looks like after the attack at the Justice Building, the gang split up into smaller groups. This is our chance.” The chief glanced toward the SWAT commander, preparing to issue the order for a full assault. But suddenly, commotion erupted outside the command vehicle. A young police officer opened the door and reported, “Sir, the criminals are releasing hostages!”

“What!” The chief leapt up and rushed to the monitoring screens. He saw the timid hostage slowly exiting the building, one hand raised holding his ID, the other waving a white towel, shouting, “Don’t shoot! I’m a Hong Kong resident! My ID number is—”

“Sir, are you hurt?”

“I’m alright, thanks to the blessings of the Wong Tai Sin.”

“Did you see the criminals inside?”

“I did, I did! They looked so fierce, and the barrel of his gun was this thick!” The timid man gestured, his hands nearly forming a bowl the size of a sea, leaving the chief speechless. Still, he couldn’t simply dismiss the man—he was fresh out of the building, and might provide the latest and most accurate information on the criminals.

“Ahem!” The chief forced himself to continue questioning, “Did you escape on your own?”

“No! The criminals let me out.”

“Why did they let you out?”

“Because I won at rock-paper-scissors against the other three.”

“Hmm, how many criminals are inside?”

“Oh, so many, so many—probably around two hundred and thirty! They’ve got machine guns and rocket launchers, and—”

While the timid man babbled nonsense to the police chief, Hou Rui was quietly waiting. Ever since the surveillance feed had cut out, there had been no movement upstairs, which made Hou Rui all the more anxious. Had Lux found the target? What was the werewolf doing? If the police stormed in regardless, would he really be able to hold them off?

As Hou Rui pondered, the remaining security guard slapped himself repeatedly. He had meant to play scissors in the game, but at the last moment switched to paper. If he hadn’t changed his mind, it would have been him leaving instead of the timid man.

As for the sisters, seeing Hou Rui really keep his promise and release the timid man who won the game, they finally stopped crying, now merely casting anxious, hopeful glances at Hou Rui, wishing that next time the gangster might show mercy and let them go.

Soon, Hou Rui checked the clock on the wall—five minutes had passed since he’d released the timid man. He ordered again, “Alright, another round. Let’s see who luck favors this time.”

A minute later, the younger sister, tearful, left the building, instantly shielded by SWAT. The usual procedures followed: frisking and questioning. Yet when the police chief himself questioned her, the Hong Kong police leadership found themselves utterly baffled by Hou Rui’s bizarre actions.

“Sir, what is the criminal playing at? He won’t let our negotiator in, yet he’s releasing hostages one after another on his own initiative,” the uniformed team leader asked, confused.

“That’s right, sir. There’s no standard or conditions for releasing hostages—he’s using something as childish as rock-paper-scissors to pick who goes, not prioritizing women or children, nor the elderly or infirm. I truly don’t understand.”

“Could it be a trap?” worried another intelligence supervisor.

“What kind of trap?”

“For example, the criminals sneaking out disguised as released hostages.”

“Officer Lee, you watch too many movies. Everyone leaving the building is under our control, and no one can escape police custody until this is over.”

“Sir, could they be stalling for time?” Suddenly, the SWAT commander spoke after a long silence.

“Possibly. But what are these people really plotting?” The chief was deeply frustrated, snapping his pencil in two to vent his irritation.

Everyone in the command vehicle repeatedly pondered the question. Suddenly, the SWAT commander shouted, “I’ve got it! They must be trying to find Minister Muhammad’s location. Releasing hostages is just a ploy to stall, to delay our actions.”

“So cunning! That must be it.” Realizing the scheme, the chief angrily slapped his broken pencil onto the building’s floor plan, preparing to give the order for SWAT to attack. But the police public relations supervisor immediately stopped him.

“Sir, now is really not the time for aggressive action.”

“Not? Give me a reason.”

“Look, sir—outside is packed with journalists and cameras. If they see SWAT storming in while the criminals are releasing hostages, and any civilian casualties occur during the firefight, the Hong Kong police’s reputation will be ruined. We can’t explain ourselves to the public! People will accuse us of disregarding hostages’ lives, forcing the criminals into desperate resistance, being less compassionate than the criminals themselves.”

The chief instinctively glanced outside at the rows of media cameras and reporters, falling into hesitation and silence. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to act, but for his own career and the police force’s reputation, he simply couldn’t issue the order. Even though he’d guessed Hou Rui’s trick, he could only grit his teeth and play along.

“Fine! Have it your way. I’ll see how many hostages you can let go. Once you’ve got no one left, I’ll have SWAT storm in!” The chief growled through clenched teeth.

Another ten minutes passed. The sister who played rock lost hope, watching as the security guard who played paper dashed out of the hall with delight, leaving her alone with the terrifying Hou Rui.

A chime sounded; finally, the elevator descended. Hou Rui saw Lux and the werewolf arrive at the reception, and Lux signaled to him.

“Hoo…” Hou Rui’s taut nerves finally relaxed, though only for a second. With the police massed at the entrance, he could afford just a brief respite before focusing intently on every movement from the SWAT team outside.

“Mission accomplished—now let’s think about how to get out!” Lux found a swivel chair, curled her petite body up, pushed off with her feet, and slid herself and the chair swiftly and discreetly behind a row of pillars.

“How many police are outside?” The werewolf placed five magazines on the counter, quickly drew three walkie-talkies from his waistband, handed one to Hou Rui, and tossed another to Lux. Now, their ability to communicate and coordinate had greatly improved.