Outside, the sirens were already blaring, but for me, it was of no help at all. Sitting in the middle of a circle of food packaging boxes, I could only think of one thing—escape, or I’d be dead. I was afraid of dying. If I died, I’d never see my dear parents again. It was only now that I understood why people scream "Oh my God!" when they face danger. Because thinking of my mother gave me a sense of security, as if no matter what happened, she would be there to protect me.

  "Calm down! Calm down! Damn it, Xing Tian, you need to calm down," I kept telling myself, twisting my trembling hands that were shaking from fear. The pain helped a little.

  "Think, think, Xing Tian. You know a lot about military tactics, you can come up with a plan..."

  After a long time, I started to make sense of things. Now, there were two choices in front of me. I could stay here; it was a supermarket with food and drinks, and I could stay as long as I wanted. But there was food here, and the robbers wouldn't come here just for bread. They would definitely come down to check. This place was too unsafe. I had to leave. But how? The elevator up went straight to the hall, and the robbers would definitely be guarding there. The emergency exit was nearby, but it was locked. There must be another way out! I could find another way to leave. And I needed to defend myself, I needed a weapon. I had to get outside. Once I made up my mind, I crouched and quietly slipped out.

  The supermarket, once bustling, was now empty, with only the dead store clerk lying on the floor. I noticed the keys hanging from his waist and remembered that I had seen a freight elevator in the supermarket when I came down. It went directly to all floors, but it was a service elevator and was locked. I took all the keys from the clerk and decided to try my luck with the freight elevator. I also grabbed some food on the way; it was nearly noon, and I hadn’t eaten. Passing the roasted meat stall, I took a butcher’s knife. It was greasy, but better than nothing.

  The keys worked, and I opened the freight elevator door, pressing the button for the sixth floor. As the elevator moved, my heart leaped into my throat. I hoped there were no robbers on the sixth floor, and that none of them would hear the elevator. The freight elevator wasn’t in the main hall, so no robbers could hear me. I safely made it to the sixth floor, holding the greasy knife, and peeked out. There was no one in the sixth-floor hall. From the corridor, I could see at least ten police cars outside, some already riddled with bullets. Several scattered police officers surrounded the area. Baoshan was a small place with limited police force. Trying to fully block such a large scene seemed beyond their capabilities. They’d have to wait for the armed police.

  A sound came from the elevator. I quickly hid in a corner. The elevator didn’t stop, and I sighed in relief. It seemed the robbers were aiming to take a high vantage point. I sneaked into the hall. From above, I could directly see the first-floor hall, which was now crowded with several hundred people. The main doors were locked, and a few bodies lay outside. It seemed anyone trying to escape had been shot dead. I scanned the room for familiar faces and didn’t see Lao Ding’s body. I breathed a sigh of relief. I looked again at the heavily armed robbers standing by the crowd, and then at the small knife in my hand. What could this knife do against those robbers?

  Then I remembered. Earlier, when I was browsing the mall, I had seen a shop on the fourth floor selling mountaineering gear. They had all kinds of knives and even crossbows. Those would be far more useful than this lousy knife if I ran into the robbers.

  Determined, I quietly made my way down to the fourth floor through the emergency exit, heading toward the east district. As I approached the mountaineering gear shop, I suddenly heard two low voices speaking in Chinese. I quickly hid under a counter.

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  “These knives are really nice, much better than mine.”

  “Don’t look too long, these are all replicas. Why bother with knives when we have guns? Hurry up and pick a couple. If Mr. Yang comes down and sees us gone, we’re in trouble!”

  “Speaking of Mr. Yang, he really has guts, coming up with this kind of plan. I heard the two foreigners he brought back with him are even more impressive. This mission is probably...”

  “Shh, be careful, walls have ears. If you talk too much, you’ll slip up. Hurry up and pick what you want.”

  The two walked past me and headed for the hall. Once they were far enough, I quickly darted into the mountaineering gear shop.

  I tossed the greasy knife aside and began rummaging through the shelves. I remembered earlier in the morning when I had seen some real knives. Before long, I found a small box under the counter. It contained genuine knives. I picked out the best three and strapped them to myself: an American cavalry saber, a Tiger Tooth MT, and a 56-style three-edged military dagger—two long and one short. I also grabbed a crossbow. I tested the bow, and the draw was strong, though it only had three arrows.

  With the weapons in hand, I felt much calmer. I started to think more clearly. This hijacking was definitely premeditated.

  Judging by their weapons and how they moved, the robbers were likely soldiers. What kind of soldiers rob something and then don’t leave? It seemed they were waiting for something. Could they be terrorists? But there hadn’t been any reports of powerful armed groups in Yunnan. And from their conversation, I could tell their leader’s name was Yang, and they were kidnapping people for some specific purpose. There was definitely something more to this, some kind of conspiracy.

  Just then, my phone rang. The sudden sound startled me, and I quickly pulled it out and silenced it. But it was too late. I heard hurried footsteps heading my way. I scrambled to my feet and ran. Just as I exited the shop, I bumped into two men who had turned the corner.

  “Stop!” I could tell by his voice that it was the same guy who had been holding the knife earlier. He was gruff-sounding and unattractive, with a flat-top and a big nose. The other was shorter, with a long face.

  “Stop? Only fools stop,” I thought to myself. I knew how they dealt with surrendering people.

  “Grab him! He must have overheard everything we said. Don’t let him escape!” The long-faced guy sounded sneaky.

  There was a corner ahead. I took one step, then jumped around the corner, and the gunshot rang out. The bullet flew through the air so close to my neck that I could hear it whizzing by.

  I kept running around the corner, remembering the advice from books and online guides: never run in a straight line or they’d shoot you dead. I didn’t know the way, and after running for a while, I looked up and realized—damn, I’d run into a dead end. To my right was an elevator. On the opposite side was a cowboy clothes counter. It seemed like people had already heard the gunfire, and someone was probably on their way up. Going down in the elevator would mean certain death. I looked at the crossbow in my hand and gritted my teeth. I had no choice now. I pressed the elevator button and hid behind a counter, preparing for the final showdown.

  The footsteps grew louder. A strange feeling crept over me. My body felt light, and I could feel a tingling sensation in my chest. I held the crossbow in my right hand and slowly pulled out the cavalry saber with my left.

  The American cavalry saber was standard issue for U.S. cavalrymen, a must-have weapon for soldiers on horseback. At 36.5 cm long, with a 24 cm blade, the entire weapon was forged as one piece. The handle had decorative, anti-slip wood. The blade was designed for chopping, with the center of gravity toward the front, making it easy to swing. The 8 cm serrated section could easily cut through softwood. The blade was heat-treated, making it sharp and durable, capable of cutting through iron without damage.

  I held my breath, trying to control my heartbeat. Every second felt like years. The elevator door opened, and the two men rushed out. I was facing away from the door, but I could see them through the reflection in a mirror. They poked their heads out, then jumped out together. Just then, the door closed behind them with a thud, and the sound caught their attention. They rushed to the elevator door.

  Now was my chance. I bolted out the door, charging toward them. I only had one arrow left, so I had to take one down with it and then use the saber to deal with the other. That was my plan.

  Maybe I charged too recklessly. I knocked over a potted plant on the way out. As I stepped out of the store, the long-faced robber holding the radio quickly turned around, raising his gun. The dark muzzle was pointing right at me.