Becoming Famous

Outside Lansheer Bank in New York, a police car pulled up hurriedly beyond the cordon.

George stepped out of the car. Sunlight fell on his face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot; it seemed that if he merely shook his head, soot would come fluttering down from it.

Who could understand this? He had been preparing to hold a press conference to explain the bank robbery from the day before yesterday, only for another robbery to break out while the meeting was underway. That slap to the face had come far too quickly.

Beyond the cordon, the police were surrounded by a huge number of reporters and onlookers. Some reporters had even dispatched news helicopters to broadcast the bank live from above.

"What's the situation inside now? Have the negotiators arrived?" George asked, doing his best to ignore the reporters' stares behind him.

The officer in charge of recording reported, "Chief, there are seven robbers. Someone inside has already resisted and died. There are currently more than twenty hostages inside, and they could be in danger of death at any moment."

"As for the negotiators, they'll need some more time to arrive."

Hearing that there had already been casualties, George's expression grew even more solemn. "We need to establish contact with them as soon as possible. Have you called the bank's internal line?"

"We already did. They said they would contact us again and told us to wait," the officer said.

As soon as he finished speaking, the phone beside them rang. An officer immediately reported, "Chief, they're calling from inside. Should we connect it right away?"

"I'll take it." George sighed.

He picked up the phone and heard a calm male voice from the other end. "Hello, police? Find someone with a higher rank, someone who can make decisions, to negotiate."

Without hesitation, George said, "I'm George, Chief of the New York Police Department. The entire bank is surrounded. Please put down your weapons immediately. If you turn yourselves in, we can discuss sentencing."

"I'm a hostage. Telling me that is useless."

"Oh..."

"I'll open the bank doors next as a relay point for dialogue between both sides. There are several guns pointed at my back right now. Any inappropriate move and I'll be shot dead immediately, so please don't take any extreme actions."

Inside the bank, Bai Ye looked at the pitch-black gun barrels before him, his expression utterly calm. In truth, every muscle in his body had tensed to the limit, ready to strike at any moment.

After all, his physique was not yet strong enough to withstand bullets. But it did not matter. As long as he did not die on the spot, he could use Attribute Points to return to peak condition.

"Now, go out and tell them our demands. Try anything funny, and we'll kill you," the Robber Leader said viciously.

Bai Ye nodded faintly. He was already getting impatient and felt the urge to kill these people, but with things causing such a huge commotion now, it would be even harder to make a move.

Under the robbers' guns, Bai Ye took the phone and walked to the door. He slowly pushed it open and stepped outside, where police officers, reporters, and onlookers were watching from every direction.

Outside the bank, the reporters stretched their necks eagerly when they saw someone emerge, wanting to know who the first person out of the bank would be.

Then they saw a handsome Chinese teenager walk out. His 1.4 looks stat made everyone present instinctively suck in a breath.

George was still on the phone with Bai Ye. Even he had not expected the person who came out to be such a beautiful-looking teenager.

But as a father, he instinctively focused on minor details. Frowning slightly, he asked into the phone, "You're still a student? Isn't today Wednesday?"

"Yeah, I skipped class." Bai Ye said it as though it were perfectly natural, leaving George speechless.

"Stop talking nonsense. Shouldn't the priority now be getting us out of here?" Bai Ye countered. "Their demand is for you to immediately prepare a van, then let them leave with the cash. No tracking."

"This... we need some time to consider and prepare," George said.

"Of course, that's fine. But if you can't do it within an hour, they'll kill one hostage every five minutes. Mm, starting with me." Bai Ye calmly described what the robbers had said earlier.

"I've said what I needed to say. Is there anything you need me to pass on to them? If not, I'm leaving," Bai Ye asked.

"Please tell them that we'll do our best to meet their demands, but we need a little more time. It would also be best to speak face-to-face, as that would help communication," George said helplessly.

"OK, I'll pass on what you said, but whether they listen is none of my business."

Bai Ye's carefree manner made George even more puzzled. What gave this guy the right to be so calm? "You got caught up in a robbery. Aren't you afraid?"

"There's nothing to be afraid of. Once you meet their demands, I'll naturally be safe." With that, Bai Ye turned and walked back into the bank.

Inside Osborn Company, James was leading the students on a tour of this world-leading technology company alongside the staff.

Just as James was touring the company with the guide, the phone in his pocket suddenly rang. The caller was actually their school principal.

"Hello, Principal. Is something wrong? I'm currently accompanying the students on a tour of Osborn Company," James said as he picked up the phone.

"Is Bai Ye with you? That Chinese student from your class?" the principal asked sternly from the other end.

"Uh, he skipped class today. Why are you suddenly asking about him?" James asked curiously.

"He's been taken hostage at a bank. He's already on the front pages of major news outlets across the All-American," the principal said as he looked at the story dominating the homepages of major news websites.

"What?!" James cried out. Seeing the entire class looking at him, he forced himself to remain calm. "You all continue touring with the staff. The teacher has something to handle."

Like the other students, Peter Parker watched in confusion as James hurried away as though his house were on fire.

Above his head, a red-and-blue spider descended on a strand of webbing. It lightly landed on the back of his neck, then bit down.

"Hiss..." Peter Parker instinctively slapped at his neck, then looked at his palm. The crushed corpse of a spider lay quietly in his hand.

Meanwhile, James borrowed a computer inside Osborn Company and opened a news page. At the headline positions of every major mainstream American media outlet was the full face of a teenager wearing a black-and-white striped shirt.

That face... wasn't it his student's?

James no longer knew how to describe his feelings. After browsing further, he discovered that there were not only photos, but also every video since Bai Ye had appeared. There were even news helicopters circling the bank now.