Red Hood

The speeding bus was dead quiet as the robbers in red hoods all crouched down in unison.

There were still six or seven bullet holes in the glass on the right side of the bus. Red Hood No. 7 lay motionless atop the money bags. The spreading smell of blood stunned even these brazen robbers.

Their earlier high spirits had been doused with a bucket of cold water. How had those worthless Gotham cops dared to do this?

"Bastard!"

The Red Hood member with a necklace around his neck, rings on his hands, and the number 1 painted on his chest stood up with an AK rifle in his arms. He pulled the trigger at the police car beyond the right-side window.

"Die!!!"

The burst of gunfire masked their fear as the bus windows shattered.

Miao Mu had just returned to the driver's seat when several bullets struck the police car's hood, frightening him into slowing down and pulling back.

Even so, two bullets still hit the windshield.

"Fuck! They're ruthless!"

Miao Mu cursed as he looked at the shattered windshield, lingering fear in his heart. Then he floored the gas and charged forward again.

Jerry beside him had gone terrifyingly pale, muttering for God to bless them. A bullet had just pierced the glass and flown over his head. He had nearly been sent off to die in the line of duty.

Screech— A burst of piercing static came through the vehicle communications system, followed by a loud male voice.

"This is Feras, captain of the Gotham Police Department Special Operations Unit! Who are you?"

Miao Mu picked up the radio and, seeing the bus make a sharp turn ahead, hurriedly spun the wheel and drifted after it.

"We're from the Arkham Police Department. I'm Miao Mu, and this is my partner, Jerry Cabson. We're following the bus. They turned!"

"Arkham? Miao Mu?"

Feras hesitated. Why were people from the Arkham precinct here? And with such a strange name?

But he immediately recovered and shouted in a commanding tone, "Don't let them get away! Stay on them! We'll be there soon!"

The black armored vehicle driven by the Special Operations Unit could never seem to build up speed. Either the driver could not press the accelerator down, or his pursuit mentality was lacking.

They had already been left half a street behind by the bus, and after that turn, they could not even see its taillights.

Miao Mu thought for a moment, then ended the call. The bus kept accelerating ahead, but fortunately, there were not many cars on these roads at night, so no accident had happened.

Otherwise, it would have been a disaster.

"Mumu, aren't you scared?"

Jerry leaned against the passenger seat, clutching the Enforcer Revolver tightly. His nerves had yet to settle. This was simply too intense for him.

"Jerry, fear comes from the unknown. Don't be afraid. There's nothing to fear. We still have to climb higher. Just like tonight's steak, one day we'll be able to eat it every day!"

"If you're scared, think about what we ate in the Lower East Side! Do you still want to live like that? I don't! Dying poor is scarier than dying! I don't want to die like some miserable loser! I'm climbing up!"

Ambition blazed in Miao Mu's eyes as he hit the gas and accelerated again, cutting directly to the left side of the bus at the intersection ahead.

"Shit, motherfucker!"

Jerry's cowardice vanished without a trace after Miao Mu's words. Sending him back to life in the slums after he had seen color would be no different from turning him blind.

"Roll down the window! Fire!" Miao Mu shouted sharply.

"Die!"

Jerry gritted his teeth and smashed the window with one punch. Raising his revolver, he fired repeatedly at the bus window above them.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

After six shots in a row, the revolver fell silent.

The Red Hood members on the bus seized the chance, extending their gun barrels through the shattered windows and opening fire.

Miao Mu released the accelerator and swerved directly behind the bus. Watching the bus's movements, the police car slowed again.

"Jerry, you drive! I'll shoot!"

Miao Mu shouted through gritted teeth, pulled back the driver's seat, and climbed straight into the back seat.

Jerry, who was reloading the revolver, saw this and hurriedly lunged over to steady the steering wheel, then stepped on the accelerator.

Miao Mu pushed open the rear door, just as the bus ahead suddenly turned west.

Jerry hurriedly turned the wheel as well. The sharp turn nearly flung Miao Mu out of the car.

"Damn it, get out of my way!"

Lying in the back seat, Miao Mu kicked hard, kicking the door open. With another heavy kick, he knocked the door clean off.

The door that fell from the police car flew away and hit the ground, throwing up a trail of sparks.

Miao Mu took a deep breath and grabbed the Golden Hexagram hanging around his neck. In an instant, his vision fully opened up.

"Jerry! Get ahead of them! Blow out their tires! Floor it! It's time to risk our lives!"

Miao Mu shouted with a savage expression as he replaced the magazine in his Glock 17 with the extended magazine he carried on him—nineteen rounds.

"Ahhh!!!"

Jerry roared as well. He yanked the steering wheel and stomped the accelerator all the way down, smoke already rising from the front hood.

The police car's engine roared as it surged directly to the bus's front-left side. The Red Hood members aboard the bus raised their guns to stop them.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang...

Miao Mu's gun fired, spraying bullets at the bus windows like a downpour. The Red Hood members trying to intercept them were silenced by the barrage.

In that brief opening of only a few seconds, Miao Mu emptied his magazine into the bus's rear wheels, the gunshots unceasing.

With a muffled bang, the rear tire exploded.

The bus tilted, its wheels scraping against the ground and throwing sparks. The accelerating police car was squeezed off the road by the bus as it leaned left.

"We're done for! Oh God!!!"

Jerry screamed as the police car smashed through the guardrail and plunged into the water. This was the Gotham River.

The police car sank into the water. Jerry struggled desperately to get out, but the door would not budge. He could not open it! Miao Mu in the back choked on a mouthful of water.

The bus on the road barely came to a stop as well, nearly falling into the Gotham River with them. Its doors opened.

Red Hood No. 1 rushed down with an AK rifle and fired repeatedly at the quiet surface of the Gotham River. Bullets struck the water, sending up strings of splashes.

"That's enough! Before those bastards catch up, let's get out of here!"

Red Hood No. 10 said in a low voice, a laptop tucked beneath his arm as he looked at the Gotham River shrouded in darkness.

He cursed inwardly. Since when did Gotham have cops this suicidal? Fucking hell.

"Ah! I'm hurt."

A scream came from inside the bus. Red Hood No. 3 sat there clutching his thigh. He had been hit by a ricochet, unbelievably unlucky.

"..."

Red Hood No. 10 fell silent for a moment and looked at the people around him. There had been eight of them. One had been lost during the escape, plus the one who had been shot in the head on the road.

They only had six left now, and one of them was injured.

Just then, the sound of police cars came from the road behind them, making them tense up like startled birds.

"Retreat first! Move!"

Red Hood No. 10 tucked the laptop under his arm and prepared to flee.

Hearing that, Red Hood No. 3 inside the bus hurriedly shouted, "You can't leave me behind!"

"Take care of him!" Red Hood No. 10 ordered No. 1, who was carrying the AK rifle, then hurried off with the others.

Only Red Hood No. 3 remained on the bus, along with Red Hood No. 1 and Red Hood No. 9 below it.

Red Hood No. 1 pulled out a magazine from his bulletproof vest stuffed with cash and reloaded the AK rifle. He warily glanced at the river, but it was pitch-black and he could see nothing.

He walked onto the bus with the AK rifle.