Chapter 316: He's faster than a sniper!

The leader of the bandits narrowed his eyes, staring fixedly at Lin Yuan, his hand unconsciously tightening —

This man before him was too calm, so calm he didn't seem like an ordinary civilian, reminding him of the silver needle that had just been shot from the darkness. He warned, shouting: "Who are you? Don't play tricks!"

"Who I am doesn't matter."

Lin Yuan stopped three meters away from the bandits, halted his steps, raised both hands to show he carried no weapon, and said, "What matters is that you want the car, you want to escape—I can buy you time. And she—"

Lin Yuan glanced at Mu Lingxue, "She's a police officer; taking her will only make the outside police go crazy. Swap me for her—it's to your advantage."

The police were also stunned; no one knew Lin Yuan, but in this situation, someone voluntarily offering a swap was undoubtedly the only breakthrough. Police captain Ho Gang clenched his fists, his lips twitched, yet he dared not speak—

He feared that speaking up would only provoke the bandits further.

The hanging lamp of the barbecue stall still swayed; the pressure of the short blade against Mu Lingxue's throat eased a little, and the bandit's gaze shifted between Lin Yuan and Mu Lingxue, clearly weighing his options.

"Are you crazy!"

Mu Lingxue shouted, her voice filled with incredulous shock; even the sting of the blade against her throat couldn't suppress her urgency: "Lin Yuan! This has nothing to do with you! Get back!"

Her beautiful eyes instantly reddened—

In her view, Lin Yuan was just an ordinary nine-to-five office worker, weak as a kitten, not even knowing the police's basic self-defense techniques.

How could he possibly stand up to these ruthless bandits? This isn't stepping forward—it's suicide!

"Sir! Get back quickly!"

The police captain also grew anxious, shouting sternly at Lin Yuan while his hand unconsciously moved half a step forward, "You're not an officer—there's no need to risk yourself! We can handle this!"

The young officer beside him also chimed in, his voice full of worry:

"Yeah! It's too dangerous—get behind the police line!"

Lin Yuan, however, seemed not to hear them; his steps remained steady as he moved half a step forward, his eyes locked on the bandit holding Mu Lingxue hostage, his fingertips quietly clenching the few silver needles in his pocket.

He knew that if he retreated now, Mu Lingxue would truly have no way out.

At the same time, in a concealed corner of the opposite building's rooftop, a police sniper lay prone on the edge of the roof, his barrel wrapped in silencing cloth, the crosshairs clearly showing the side profile of the lead bandit.

The sniper's finger rested on the trigger, his breathing suppressed to an extreme faintness.

While the negotiation expert had just drawn the bandits' attention, this police sniper had already slipped upstairs secretly, set up his concealed position, and was ready to fire at any moment.

But these three bandits were cunning; they had stayed behind the hostages all along, using them as human shields, giving the sniper no chance to shoot.

The sniper had crouched for a long time, finally finding a sliver of opportunity.

The sniper locked onto the bandit holding Mu Lingxue with deadly precision.

Then, in the next second, the sniper fired!

But just one second before the sniper pulled the trigger, the bandit had already sensed it instantly!

The bandit's eyes were razor‑sharp; he clearly caught a faint point of light flashing on a building ahead—was that the glint of a sniper scope?!

The bandit instantly turned sideways!

"Bang!" A sniper bullet shot out!

The bullet flew with a faint sonic crack, grazing the bandit's armpit and striking the barbecue rack behind him!

It sprayed a string of sparks, and the half‑cooked meat skewers went "pat‑pat" onto the ground.

"Damn!" the lead bandit stared at his shoulder, now scraped over a large area!

Although the sniper bullet merely grazed his shoulder, it also blasted half of his shoulder, blood gushing out wildly!

The bandits jerked their heads up toward the opposite rooftop, the eyes behind their masks instantly bulging blood‑red:

"You dare set up a sniper? Playing dirty, huh!"

The outrage from being deceived instantly shattered the bandit's last shred of reason; he drove the short blade pressed against Mu Lingxue's throat downward, raised his arm, and the cold‑glinting blade stabbed straight toward her trachea.

"I'll slaughter her today so you know what happens when you mess with me!"

Mu Lingxue's pupils contracted sharply; she instinctively tried to dodge backward, but the bandit's grip on her waist was too strong—she couldn't move an inch, only able to watch helplessly as the blade neared her neck.

"No!" The police also panicked, reaching out to lunge forward, but it was already too late!

At that critical moment, Lin Yuan suddenly moved!

He tapped the tip of his left foot lightly on the ground, his body darting forward like a gust of wind half a step, his right hand rummaging in his pocket as a bright silver needle sprang from his fingertips!

With a soft "whoosh," the needle sliced through the air, striking the bandit's knife‑wielding arm with pinpoint accuracy!

The bandit's motion froze abruptly, his arm drained of all strength, and with a clang the short blade fell to the ground.

He clutched his arm, a muffled groan escaping his throat, his fingertips twitching uncontrollably as he staggered backward and crashed heavily into the barbecue stall's oil drum.

This happened so fast that nobody had time to react!

The bandit nicknamed Old Three collapsed on the ground, his whole body rigid, unable to move at all because Lin Yuan had sealed his pressure point.

This time Lin Yuan directly sealed his Yongquan point, rendering him immobile for a short while!

Mu Lingxue remained frozen in place, her mind a tangled mess.

The faint whistle of Lin Yuan's silver needle cutting the air hadn't yet faded when the image of the bandit toppling over flashed before his eyes—

This is no ordinary office worker—clearly a hidden‑weapon master capable of defeating an opponent with a single move!

She stared at Lin Yuan's back, her pupils dilated, her fingers forgetting to curl, and she muttered unconsciously: "How…? He's clearly just a clerk… how does he know hidden weapons??

Mu Lingxue was utterly shocked by Lin Yuan's fierce hidden‑weapon technique.

"Damn! You're also a martial arts master?!!" The other two bandits' faces turned ferocious; the two of them snapped back to awareness, the eyes behind their masks blazing with shock and rage.

They had thought they were only dealing with ordinary police, at most having to endure a few bullets, but they never imagined the scene harbored a hidden‑weapon expert—Old Three had been immobilized by a single needle!

The boss gritted his teeth and suddenly snarled, "Don't waste time with him! Kill a hostage to show strength!"

Saying that, the two bandits moved to kill the hostages!! Their patience had run out!

A group of hostages was shoved straight forward by the two bandits.

The two bandits were clever, using the hostages as meat shields to block the sniper's line of sight!

At that moment, one bandit lunged toward a mother and child huddled in the corner—

The child wailed in fright, the mother clutched the child tightly to her chest, trembling all over.

The bandits' knife came down straight at the mother and child! These two bandits are utterly ruthless and vicious!

"Stop!" Lin Yuan's face sank, he had no time to think, and his fingertips instantly shot out two Silver Needles!

Whoosh—whoosh, the Silver Needles precisely struck the wrists of the two armed men.

The boss and second felt numbness in their wrists, the dagger clanged to the ground, and both stopped in their tracks.

But the next second, they suddenly let out a muffled groan, their chests heaved violently, and the veins on their arms bulged out——

They actually used the ancient martial arts' "Qi and Blood Reverse-Flow Sealing Acupoint" technique, forcibly pushing back the numbness surging toward the acupoints!

"I've been guarding against this move of yours!"

The boss gritted his teeth, his left hand pressed down hard on the wrist where the Silver Needle was embedded, his right hand jerked sharply, and he actually pulled the Silver Needle straight out of the flesh!

Blood beads seeped from the puncture wound made by the Silver Needle, yet he seemed to feel no pain, he threw the Silver Needle to the ground and stomped on it hard several times, saying, "What's so special about ancient martial arts concealed weapons? We've long practiced qi and blood sealing acupoints!"

The second also pulled out the Silver Needle from his wrist, shook his numb arm, his eyes full of ruthless determination!

Lin Yuan stood where he was, his pupils contracted sharply, his face instantly sank. The Silver Needle acupoint seal failed.

He gripped the Silver Needle in his pocket, his knuckles whitening slightly——

These two bandits actually know qi and blood reverse sealing?!

The so-called qi and blood reverse sealing, this defensive method that seems to defy common sense, actually harbors the principles of exercise physiology and biomechanics.

When the human body enters an extreme stress state, adrenal hormones are secreted sharply, causing blood vessels to constrict and muscle excitability to increase.

These two bandits, through long-term training, can autonomously activate the sympathetic nervous system!

They can instantly increase muscle tension and vascular elasticity; at the moment the Silver Needle touches the acupoint, they use the reverse pressure generated by muscle spasms to convert the needle's thrust kinetic energy into lateral thrust, while constricting blood vessels to reduce bleeding.

This "Qi and Blood Sealing Acupoint" essentially highly strengthens and precisely controls the body's emergency response mechanism, using physical means to counteract the penetrating power of concealed weapons.

These two bandits are by no means simple!

At this moment, the sniper was again looking for a suitable firing position, but in fact had no opportunity.

More than ten hostages were blocked in front as human shields, leaving the sniper no chance to fire.

The two bandits were ferociously enraged, preparing to kill the hostages!

"Don't touch them!" Mu Lingxue finally snapped out of her shock, seeing the bandits about to rush the hostages again, she lunged forward without a second thought.

She clenched her fists and slammed them hard into the boss's back——

The martial arts she had practiced in the police force were not weak, but against bandits trained in ancient martial arts, they were nowhere near enough.

The boss seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, he swiftly turned sideways, raised his hand and seized Mu Lingxue's wrist.

His grip strength was enormous, like iron clamps, crushing Mu Lingxue's bones with pain; before she could struggle, the second had already moved behind her, elbow viciously jabbing her lower back!

"Mmm!" Mu Lingxue let out a muffled groan, a sharp pain shot through her waist and abdomen, and half of her strength was instantly drained.

The boss took the opportunity to seize her sidearm. Then he twisted her arm behind her back, pressed his knee against her spine, forcing her to bend over, unable to move.

At the very moment this stalemate solidified, Lin Yuan moved!

He lightly tapped the toe of his left foot on the oily ground, his body shot forward like an arrow blown by the wind, instantly covering three or four meters.

Just as the boss tried to shift Mu Lingxue sideways, his knee erupted in intense pain——

Lin Yuan's right foot kicked hard into the back of his knee, with a crisp 'crack'—the boss's leg instantly went limp, and the force restraining Mu Lingxue suddenly weakened.

Before the boss could even cry out in pain, Lin Yuan's left foot had already kicked toward the second's lower back!

The second was holding a hostage, utterly unresponsive, his whole body lurched forward like a broken‑line kite, slamming into the grill rack, and his dagger clanged to the ground.

"Ah——!"

Two anguished cries almost simultaneously exploded.

Lin Yuan closed in, his left hand gripping the boss's arm, thumb pressing into the gap of his elbow joint; with a little force he heard a soft 'click'——

The boss's arm instantly drooped, like a broken puppet!

Lin Yuan's right hand simultaneously seized the second's shoulder, his fingertips precisely pinching the junction of the scapula, and another muffled thud sounded!

The second's scapula was directly crushed! His arm lost all strength, collapsing limp on the ground and rolling about.

Just then, in the corner, the third bandit, who had originally been restrained by the Silver Needle, suddenly climbed to his feet.

He had just taken advantage of the chaos to catch his breath, seeing his comrades beaten, eyes red, he snatched up the dagger from the ground and lunged at Lin Yuan's back, shouting, "Fuck your mother! I'll fucking kill you!!"

But before the third bandit had taken two steps, Lin Yuan's movement was faster.

Only saw Lin Yuan flick his fingertip backward, a gleaming fine Silver Needle hissed through the air, precisely striking the third bandit's lateral waist jumping acupoint.

The third bandit's body suddenly stiffened, the hand holding the knife froze mid‑air, he couldn't make a sound, and he toppled straight to the ground.

The sniper on the opposite rooftop had already locked his crosshairs onto the third bandit.

He stared through the scope, finger on the trigger, about to pull——

But he saw that Silver Needle strike the third bandit first!

The sniper instinctively pulled the trigger; the bullet grazed the third bandit's arm and flew past, with a loud 'bang' it shattered his forearm, blood instantly spraying out.

"Ugh ah!"

The third bandit writhed on the ground in pain, the wound on his forearm a bloody mess.

The rooftop sniper stood frozen in place, his finger still resting on the trigger.

He had played with sniper rifles for ten years, confident his reaction speed could keep up with a bullet's trajectory.

But just now——he had clearly locked onto the third bandit's vital spot, yet he didn't even get a chance to fire before that fine needle beat him to it!