Lawless

The woman's body stiffened abruptly as Downton gave her a sharp slap.

"What do you mean, 'dream on'?"

Whether it was the marijuana she had smoked earlier taking effect, the harshness of Downton's scolding, or perhaps the way he had touched her leg that made her feel invincible—leading her to believe Downton no longer had the stomach to use his blade—the woman, who had been somewhat apprehensive before, now actually dared to be angry!

She was actually glaring at Downton with fury!

"Tell me clearly, what do you mean by 'dream on'? What's wrong with me spending money on him? Even if he spends my cash, at least he's willing to put in the effort! Even if I raised a dairy cow, it would produce enough milk, wouldn't it? As for you, why should I give you my money? Can you produce milk? You won't even stay the night..."

Bang!

The sudden gunshot brought silence back to the car.

Downton sneered as he turned back, glanced at the woman who had fallen into a daze once more, and then slammed his foot onto the brake.

Skrrrrt!!!

After the screech of tires, Downton pinned the woman against the passenger seat.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

After a few more shots, Downton ripped the seatbelt that had been shot through and bound the woman tightly.

Simple binding didn't seem quite enough, so after a moment of thought, Downton rummaged through the car.

In less than half a minute, he took the stockings he had just found and gagged the woman firmly.

Having finished all this, Downton let out a satisfied breath and leaned back into the driver's seat, feeling completely at ease.

"Keep talking, why don't you keep talking? You're being picky with a kidnapper—who spoiled you? Your congressman father?"

As he spoke, Downton flicked his hand, and the woman was instantly knocked to the side.

Too lazy to deal with a woman who lacked any sense of reality, Downton opened her phone, found the navigation, and typed in "shopping" to search.

Before long, he had set the route to the Burnley District fashion shopping promenade.

Perhaps Downton had delayed too long; there were a full six cars piled up behind him, and the sound of horns and cursing began to rise.

Downton opened the window, fired a few shots into the air with his pistol, and then hit the road again amidst the sudden, absolute silence.

Without the woman's incessant chatter, the trip was exceptionally peaceful, until he entered the Burnley District, where the quiet atmosphere was interrupted by police cars catching up from behind.

Seeing the wailing police cars in hot pursuit, Downton rolled down the passenger-side window, kept his left hand on the steering wheel, and pressed the muzzle of his gun against the woman's head with his right.

He figured the congressman's daughter had to be good for something, and the facts proved him right: although the police cars were still chasing him, they kept a slightly greater distance and made no attempt to force him to a stop.

Just like that, another dozen minutes passed, and Downton, who was ultimately unfamiliar with the roads, stumbled to a halt near the shopping promenade.

He leaned over to open the passenger door, then hauled the woman out of the car.

Facing the police officers who were setting up an emergency perimeter, Downton waved enthusiastically.

"Nice to see you again, boys! Any of you recognize me? I'm that crazy Asian guy who's always respawning, haha!"

Laughing, Downton scanned the area and spotted Deputy Commissioner Gordon, who wasn't wearing a police uniform, among the officers.

Seeing Gordon put Downton in an even better mood, so he dragged the woman straight toward him.

Gordon had just stepped out of his patrol car when he saw Downton approaching with the bound congressman's daughter, and his mood soured instantly.

"Downton, let Miss Lawrence go!"

"So this chick is named Lawrence? Is that her surname? As for letting her go, don't be ridiculous, Gordon. You know she's my only hostage, right?"

As Downton spoke, he pulled Lawrence into the ranks of the police, his proximity throwing the officers into a state of confusion.

Two officers who recognized Downton pointed at him with trembling fingers as if they were having a seizure, looking as though they wanted to say something but were too nervous to speak.

Ignoring the rank-and-file officers, Downton grabbed Lawrence by the hair and pressed the muzzle of his gun against her jaw, addressing Gordon.

"Relax, Gordon. I'm a simple, straightforward man; I won't hurt my hostage easily. However, the condition for me not taking action is that my hostage should at least fulfill her purpose as a hostage. You know my situation, right? If I recall correctly, that butler from the Wayne family called you, too. Since you know I'm not that easy to deal with, let's communicate in a different way. Maybe if we have a good talk, I'll be willing to let this girl go and come back to the station with you for some 'advanced training'!"

At this, Downton tapped Lawrence's head with the butt of his gun, making the girl cry until her makeup was ruined.

Watching the congressman's daughter weeping, Gordon took a deep breath and raised his hands.

"I'm unarmed, pal. Don't make any rash decisions about pulling that trigger. You know you've kidnapped a congressman's daughter, so we can negotiate many things. Whatever demands you have, you can state them now!"

"Demands?"

Hearing Gordon's words, Downton nodded slightly.

"I have only one demand: all of you wearing police uniforms stay away from me. Don't disturb my mood for shopping for the time being."

"Stay away, is that it? No problem. I will respect your feelings, but please, by all means, do not harm the hostage!"

Gordon immediately picked up his walkie-talkie.

"Everyone, keep your distance from Downton!"

The surrounding police officers had been waiting for this order for a long time. As soon as Gordon finished speaking, the officers scattered like birds and beasts, each keeping forty or fifty meters away from Downton.

After the obstacles blocking his path vanished, Downton nodded in satisfaction and then yanked the stocking off Lawrence's mouth.

Having regained the right to speak, Lawrence took two sharp breaths and immediately shouted to those around her.

"Don't provoke him, he... he is just a... just a..."

"Just a what!"

Downton pressed the muzzle of the gun against Lawrence's neck with a bit more force, instantly choking off her words.

Seeing Lawrence quiet down again, Downton smiled with satisfaction.

"That's right. Being a mute bride is so damn happy. Keep me company while I shop, and help me pick out some clothes while you're at it."

"O-okay!"

Lawrence nodded hurriedly, then followed Downton into the shopping arcade.

This place was essentially just a pedestrian street with more upscale brand shops. Downton found a mobile phone store on the street, snatched a phone for himself, and then started browsing for clothes.

At first, Lawrence was extremely nervous, but as they shopped longer and longer, she eventually relaxed and even started chatting with Downton.

"What do you think of Dior? My father loves this brand. You're quite tall and have a good build; a coat from them definitely won't go wrong."

"Oh? Pushing your dad's favorite brand on me? Well, it's not impossible. Call me 'daddy' and let me hear it!"

"Daddy!"

"Good girl. I'll listen to you; let's go check out Dior."

"Great! When I watched the runway show last winter, I saw a spring coat from Dior this year. The cut would definitely suit you!"

"Not bad, Lawrence. I'll let you help me pick one out in a bit."

"I'm Heino Lawrence. I'd prefer it if you called me Heino!"

"Heino my foot. Help me set up a Twitter account. I don't have any ID, so it's too much of a hassle to do it myself."

Downton casually unbuckled the seatbelt on Heino and handed her the new phone he had just snatched.

Far from feeling like she had regained her freedom, Heino was instead enthusiastically setting up an account for Downton.

"I'll download two games for you as well. They're the ones I play often; we can play together when we have time! By the way, I saved myself in your phone. I'm the only contact you have for now!"

"Suit yourself. There will be more contacts soon enough anyway; I don't believe someone like me will remain unknown."

"Of course, someone like you will definitely become famous. Walking the streets with you feels like strolling with a Hollywood star—there are cameras everywhere!"

As she spoke, Heino pointed to the surrounding cameras and news crews.

Downton had been holding Councilman Lawrence's daughter hostage for nearly an hour, and reporters had long since swarmed in like wild dogs, crowding into the police ranks following Downton and filming non-stop.

As for Councilman Lawrence at this moment...

Watching the live broadcast on television, he covered his forehead powerlessly.

When he first learned his daughter had been taken hostage, he had been worried sick, but now he no longer believed the kidnapping narrative!

The two of them were practically cuddling; you call this a hostage situation? This is a kidnapping?

She had simply found a new, lawless Asian boyfriend!

Truly lawless!