novelODS Chapter 27 The Brilliance of Humanity
Chapter 27 The Brilliance of Humanity
Seeing that Li Wei had accepted the bet, the clown licked his lips and looked at the two ships that were quietly moored in the middle of the river.
He believed he understood human nature and thought this was a gamble he was guaranteed to win.
The thought of Li Wei becoming his companion actually made the clown feel a little excited.
It wasn't because he won the bet, but because he felt he had finally found his kindred spirit.
Li Wei, a kindred spirit who shared his ideas but was somewhat naive.
He has to be a good mentor to get this guy back to 'normal'.
At this moment, heart-wrenching scenes are unfolding on the two cruise ships anchored in the middle of the river.
On the Freedom, which was full of criminals, everyone looked tense.
The person in charge, who was holding the detonator, and the crew were surrounded by several armed guards.
The guards, carrying loaded shotguns, scanned the crowd with sharp eyes.
They had only a few men and a few guns, while there were hundreds of notorious criminals on board.
Just when everyone thought the stalemate would continue, a bald black criminal stood up.
His sharp eyes were fixed on the person in charge, or more precisely, on the detonator in his hand.
The black criminal's actions immediately attracted the attention of everyone in the cabin, and the person in charge looked at him nervously.
Although he was surrounded by armed guards, he was also being watched by a ship full of criminals, and he didn't know what to do.
The person in charge was stunned, still holding the detonator in his hand.
The Black criminal slowly walked up to the person in charge, who was already surrounded by dozens of other criminals.
"You don't want to die, but you don't know how to kill."
The Black criminal looked down at the person in charge and spoke slowly in a low voice.
"Give it to me, and these people will definitely kill you and take this thing."
The words of the Black criminal filled the supervisor with terror, and his breathing became rapid.
The clock hands slowly turned, and there were less than five minutes left until the time set by the clown.
"Give it to me, and you can tell them I took it by force."
The Black criminal stared intently at the person in charge, his voice still low, "Give me the detonator, and I'll do what you should have done ten minutes ago."
The words of the Black criminal made the person in charge look much more relaxed, as if a burden had been lifted.
With trembling hands, he slowly handed the detonator to the black criminal.
The Black criminal took the detonator from the person in charge without saying a word.
Ignoring the eager or sorrowful gazes behind him, he held the detonator in both hands and turned directly towards the cabin window.
Without saying a word, he threw the detonator out of the cabin window.
The black criminal's behavior caused a look of disbelief to cross the eyes of the person in charge, who then quickly relaxed.
To everyone's surprise, the criminals did not exhibit any extreme behavior.
Everyone just kept their heads down, absorbed in their own world.
Some closed their eyes to pray, while others gathered in twos and threes to chat quietly.
Although the actions of the Black criminals surprised many people, no one stood up to voice their opposition.
...
On the Spirit, which is filled with the citizens of Gotham, all the passengers are also suffering greatly at this time.
Everyone was sitting in the cabin, and they all learned about the bomb from the loudspeaker.
When everyone knows that their fate is in the hands of a group of vicious criminals.
Even the most composed person would find it impossible to remain calm at this moment.
"Nobody wants to get their hands dirty."
A blond man glanced around, looked at the somewhat quiet cabin, and deliberately raised his voice.
"Alright, let me do it! The people on that ship have already made their choice."
They chose murder and theft! There's no reason for us to die with them.
As the man spoke, he stood up and walked to the crew member holding the detonator box, slowly reaching out to take the detonator out of the box.
The man stared at the detonator in his hand, his expression one of deep conflict.
Several times he tried to reach out and press the detonator, but he stopped himself at the last moment.
Everyone looked at the man, waiting for his next move.
After struggling for a long time, the man seemed to finally make up his mind, gritted his teeth and put the detonator back into the box in the guard's hand.
Seeing the detonator return, the bearded crew member turned his head away.
All the passengers on board breathed a sigh of relief, but were also incredibly nervous.
The man slumped back into his chair, his eyes filled with unconcealed exhaustion.
The night sky over Gotham was torn apart by the searchlights from the cruise ship, and the clock hands pointed to the last minute before midnight.
Inside the Spirit's cabin, a bearded crew member gripped the detonator box tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.
After the blond man sat back down, the cabin fell into a deathly silence.
The only sounds were the river water lapping against the boat outside the window and the hurried breathing of everyone.
"They'll definitely press it," a middle-aged man in a suit suddenly said, his voice filled with despair. "Those criminals have no bottom line; we're doomed."
His words were like a pebble thrown into stagnant water, instantly creating ripples.
Some people began to sob quietly, while others cursed out the window.
Some people instinctively moved away from the crew members holding the detonator, as if it were a hot potato.
Gordon walked through the restless crowd to the center of the cabin and raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet.
"Everyone," his voice wasn't loud, but it carried a power that pierced the heart, "the Joker wants us to believe that people in dire straits only choose selfishness."
But he was wrong—choosing kindness never needs a reason, it needs courage.
Just then, a girl in a school uniform stood up, clutching a coin tightly in her hand.
Unlike Harvey's coin, the one in her hand had smooth edges and a warm metallic sheen.
"My father was a policeman. He was killed last year while stopping a robbery."
The girl's voice was trembling with tears, yet unusually firm.
"He once said that Gotham was not held up by Batman, but by everyone who was willing to believe in the light."
The girl's words gradually calmed the commotion in the cabin.
As people looked at this child, who was no more than a teenager, the despair on their faces slowly gave way to complex emotions.
The bearded crew member looked at the detonator in his hand and suddenly made a startling move.
He opened the window and threw the box, along with the detonator inside, into the dark river.
"If we're going to explode, let's explode together." He wiped his face, his voice hoarse but powerful. "I don't want to do something that will make me live with guilt for the rest of my life."
Moreover, the fact that we are still safe and sound proves that the other side is not what we imagined.
At least it's not as inhumane as we imagine.
Almost at the same time, cheers also erupted from the Freedom.
The guards, surrounded by the criminals, looked at the empty river and smiled with relief.
The Black criminal leaned against the ship's cabin wall, looking at the night outside the window, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips.
On the rooftop of the Previtt Building, the clown's smile gradually froze.
He stared intently at the two cruise ships in the middle of the river, his initial excitement gradually replaced by disbelief, and then turning into deep anger.