Willy, upon receiving the chief's orders, was quick to pass the buck to his subordinates, instructing them to maintain order outside while he remained in the command vehicle, ostensibly to oversee the situation, but in reality, due to his laziness.
After a series of rather clumsy maneuvers, the surrounding reporters and onlookers were finally pushed back behind the safety line, allowing the chief's car to rendezvous with the command vehicle.
Upon boarding the command vehicle, the chief immediately inquired about the situation from Willy.
"How's it going? Any plan to rescue the hostages?"
Willy stood up and replied, "Chief, not yet."
"Not yet? Why!"
He then pointed at the screen, showing the scene, and continued, "The perpetrator is standing by the window. Why didn't you send someone to neutralize him directly? What were you thinking!"
The chief berated Willy as soon as he arrived. Willy, however, felt helpless, stating it wasn't due to inaction but rather an inability to act.
"Chief, the situation is as follows. Our investigation indicates that the perpetrator is holding at least forty hostages. He also has bombs strapped to him. A rash attempt to shoot him could trigger the explosions. Furthermore, all the glass in Stark Tower is the latest bulletproof model, making it difficult to penetrate even with a sniper rifle. If we cannot kill the perpetrator with a single shot, the gunfire could easily cause him to lose control, leading to an irreversible situation."
Willy's explanation left the chief speechless. He could only blame Stark for building the tower so robustly and for his lax security, which only increased the difficulty of their job.
"What about Tony Stark? Has he arrived?"
Willy hesitated for a moment before replying, "No. Stark said he's not in New York and cannot get here anytime soon. So, he's sent his assistant, Happy Hogan, instead."
"What? He's not coming?"
Hearing Willy's words, the chief's voice rose a notch. "This entire incident was caused by the perpetrator seeking revenge against him. As the party involved, he's not even showing up?"
Despite his anger, the chief was powerless against a wealthy and famous entrepreneur like Tony Stark. In terms of influence, perhaps three of him combined wouldn't equal Stark's.
Fortunately, Happy arrived promptly. Upon his arrival, he worked with the police's technical personnel to conduct a thorough analysis of Stark Tower, though this analysis was strictly limited to floors thirty-nine and below, with Happy remaining tight-lipped about the structural details of floors forty to fifty.
Seeing Happy's reluctance to divulge information, the chief didn't press further. Their mission was to neutralize the perpetrator, rescue the hostages, and bring the incident to a peaceful conclusion; other matters were not his concern.
Soon, with Happy's assistance, the police formulated a strategy for hostage rescue.
The priority was the safety of the hostages. They could negotiate with the perpetrator, stabilize his emotions, and, if conditions allowed, coax him out of Stark Tower. Once outside, neutralizing him would be much easier, whether through shooting or other means. If that proved unfeasible, SWAT members could pose as negotiators and enter the building to converse with the perpetrator, seizing an opportune moment to subdue him.
Just as everyone was preparing to implement the plan, the main entrance of Stark Tower swung open.
A man emerged slowly from the entrance. Judging by his visibly terrified demeanor, he was clearly not the perpetrator.
Regardless, the police dared not be careless. SWAT officers surrounded the man with riot shields, while the chief and Willy, fully armed, emerged from behind.
Seeing the multitude of police officers, the man could no longer contain himself. He burst into tears and frantically lunged towards the nearest officers, desperate for help.
However, his actions startled the police. The SWAT officers immediately pushed him back with their riot shields.
Hearing the beeping sound from the bomb around his neck, the man calmed down slightly, collapsing to the ground. He scanned the surrounding police officers and yelled, "Tony! Where is Tony Stark! Make him come over quickly, or I'm going to die! I'm going to die!"
The man's frantic outburst revealed the bomb hidden on his person.
Upon seeing the bomb, the surrounding SWAT officers instinctively retreated a few steps. However, the chief quickly deduced the perpetrator's intentions from the man's words. It was impossible, though, as Tony Stark hadn't come, so how could he appear to meet him?
Helplessly, the police could only try to pacify the man's emotions while simultaneously summoning Happy, who, as Tony Stark's assistant, would act as an intermediary.
Upon learning that Tony was not present, the man fell into deep despair, his emotions teetering on the brink of collapse, believing his end was near. However, upon knowing Happy was there and willing to relay his message, his emotions stabilized slightly.
In the man's view, this was no different than speaking to Tony directly.
Happy, after donning a heavy protective suit, approached the man under the protection of SWAT officers.
"I'm here. What do you want to tell Tony? I can pass on the message."
Happy's words were not only for the man but also for the perpetrator upstairs.
Indeed, after Happy finished speaking, the beeping of the bomb subsided considerably.
With his emotions stabilized, the man began to relay the perpetrator's message verbatim. To satisfy the perpetrator, he even mimicked the man's expressions and tone, achieving about ninety percent accuracy, if not a hundred.
Happy, meanwhile, looked unwell but forced himself to appear attentive and take notes.
"Alright, that's all. I've said everything. I'm safe now, right? I don't have to die, do I?"
After speaking, the man saw that the bomb had stopped beeping and reached out to remove it from his neck. At that moment, a voice emanated from the bomb.
"It's a pity. Even after all this, that selfish coward still refuses to show himself. What? So decisive when he acted, but now he lacks the courage to face the consequences?"
Happy's face darkened to an extreme degree upon hearing the perpetrator's words. However, he knew he couldn't speak now, as any word could provoke the perpetrator and lead to an irreversible situation. To prevent the situation from deteriorating further, he had to endure.
After the perpetrator had spewed a barrage of words, he suddenly changed his tone and said, "What a shame. I thought I could take care of that coward directly and send him to hell to repent his sins. However, killing you might make him suffer for a while. Who knows?"
With that, the bomb attached to the man's neck let out a piercing shriek, causing the surrounding SWAT officers, police, and Happy to hastily retreat.
The man frantically tried to pull off the bomb around his neck, but it was already too late.