Amid the faint sound of electricity, which was as soft as the buzzing of a mosquito, Lei Ting secretly released electricity, gradually wearing away the fibers of the hemp rope bit by bit.
During this time, he shifted closer to Qi Cheng, who was still lying beside him with his eyes closed, and whispered softly while leaning over:
"Hey, you're awake, aren't you?"
"Hmm." In response, there came a rather muffled snort.
Qi Cheng had actually woken up earlier than Lei Ting. However, when he regained consciousness, the bandits hadn't noticed. After understanding the specific situation, for the sake of safety, he chose to pretend to be unconscious until now.
"That's good," Lei Ting thought to himself. Since Qi Cheng was awake and still pretending to be unconscious, it meant that he understood the current situation, so there was no need to waste energy explaining the cause and effect to him.
He already had a basic plan in mind. When he was observing the environment earlier, he noticed that in the upper right corner of his field of vision, which was also at a corner of the tin factory building, there was a hole of moderate size, just big enough for one person to crawl through. And outside the hole was a thicket of bushes that perfectly concealed the entrance.
Next to this hole, there were several sets of wooden tables and chairs that had been mostly gnawed on by termites, as well as a large iron rack.
Since Lei Ting had discovered it, it was impossible for the bandits to overlook it. They specifically assigned a person to stand beside the hole, seemingly regarding it as an alternative escape route.
But how could he deal with that person and safely reach the hole? Lei Ting's current idea was to create an electric ball, throw it over to stun that person, and then, while the others hadn't reacted, rush over and use the large iron rack and the tables and chairs nearby as cover, buying time to crawl through the hole.
As for the issue of his superpower being exposed by throwing the electric ball, what did it matter at this moment? If it was exposed, so be it. He believed that even if Qi Cheng saw it, he would keep this secret for him.
After more than ten minutes, under Lei Ting's persistent discharge of electricity, the hemp rope binding his hands finally quietly snapped. To avoid being discovered in advance, he still kept his hands behind his back, gripping the hemp rope with both hands, feigning that he was still tied up.
After observing for a while longer and confirming that the bandits' attention wasn't on him, Lei Ting signaled Qi Cheng to silently change his lying position so that his hands were facing Lei Ting. Then Lei Ting quietly untied the ropes around Qi Cheng's wrists.
Qi Cheng, who was pretending to be unconscious, only felt the binding on his wrists loosen to the extent that he could easily break free with a little force. He knew that Lei Ting had untied him. Although he was curious about how Lei Ting had managed to untie himself, it clearly wasn't the time to ask such questions, so he held back.
Subsequently, Lei Ting also quietly loosened the hemp ropes around their ankles, and the preparatory work was, for the most part, completed.
Just as he was about to start creating an electric ball, his body suddenly shuddered. A numbing sensation, similar to an electric shock, spread throughout his body. His hair stood on end, much like a feline when it puffs up its fur, as if he was being stared at by something terrifying.
"What's going on?" Lei Ting was shocked inside, having no idea why his body had suddenly reacted like this.
Thankfully, this state didn't last long. It disappeared on its own after just three or four seconds and didn't attract the attention of anyone else.
Outside the factory building, dark clouds were rolling in the sky. Lightning flashed from time to time, accompanied by bursts of dull thunder, as if a terrifying rainstorm was brewing.
"Captain Lin, you've finally arrived." In the forest outside the factory building, Wang An, with a beaming smile, led a somewhat slovenly man in his thirties to the forefront of the standoff.
"How's the situation? Are the snipers in position?" The man surnamed Lin asked calmly.
"The situation is still the same as before. The snipers are already in position. However, the bandits seem to have received professional training. Except for a few individuals, none of them will stay in one position for more than twenty seconds. When changing positions, they move in groups of three, with two or three groups changing positions simultaneously, and the positions are not fixed. If we try to take them out by force, even in the best-case scenario, we'll miss at least three bandits, and the safety of the hostages won't be guaranteed..." Wang An reported truthfully, as if he were just an ordinary soldier.
"Haven't you tried using hypnotic gas grenades?" The man surnamed Lin continued to ask.
Wang An shook his head: "The bandits are clearly well-prepared. Each of them is equipped with a gas mask, and judging from the appearance, it seems to be a model from the US military." Upon hearing this, the man surnamed Lin furrowed his brow: "Since they're so professional, how did you manage to discover them?"
Wang An replied: "At first, the nearby villagers said they saw a group of suspicious people from a distance. Plus, there have been frequent dog thefts in this area recently, so the villagers thought they were dog thieves and reported it to the police. When the police from the local station came, the villagers took the initiative to lead them into the mountains. Eventually, they successfully found the bandits and realized that they were not ordinary dog thieves but heavily armed terrorists. After the bandits discovered that they had been spotted, they immediately opened fire, directly resulting in the death of one and injury of two among the three police officers sent by the local station, and one death and one injury among the villagers. Then the bandits fled. Later, the injured officers reported back to the local station, which reported to the public security bureau, and the public security bureau directly reported to the military. Then we arrived and successfully caught up with them using satellites, finally cornering them in this dilapidated factory building."
"The process sounds reasonable so far. We can tentatively rule out the possibility of a trap... Have you found out how they got in?" The man surnamed Lin asked, after pondering for a couple of seconds.
"We've already identified the identities of these bandits. They're all locals. The leader is named Liu Peng, from Jiangsu Province. He and the other bandits are all fishermen. They have all gone abroad to Myanmar at different times, and that's probably where they received their training. As for the source of their weapons, it's still unknown for now."
"Hmm..." After listening, the man surnamed Lin fell silent, and Wang An didn't dare to interrupt, just waiting quietly.
About half a minute later, the man surnamed Lin suddenly let out a soft laugh and said teasingly: "This is very much in the style of that 'Q'."
"'Q'?" Wang An was taken aback for a moment, then seemed to remember something. His eyes widened, and there was a hint of shock in his tone:
"Do you mean that... 'Q' from the 'Ace' organization?"
"Who else could it be?" The man surnamed Lin crossed his arms, his tone tinged with a bit of anticipation:
"Tricking several true patriots from the target country abroad, using methods like brainwashing or something else to turn them into extreme haters of their own country. After training them, send them back to their home country and provide them with weapons and equipment. Once these people return, without needing instructions, they will organize themselves and form a small but extremely influential terrorist team."
"Currently, such terrorist teams have appeared in several small countries in Europe and South America, as well as in the United States. Especially in the US, there's basically one emerging every half a year. The most recent one was three months ago, and it was the seventh since records began."
"This kind of style is exactly what that 'Q' likes the most. She seems to be really into this drama of patriots turning against their own beloved motherland. What a pervert."
"Indeed, she's a complete pervert!" Wang An clenched his fists, and his voice became much deeper, indicating that he truly loathed such methods.
"Alright, let's stop talking. It's time to get to work." The man surnamed Lin suddenly took a step forward and looked towards the dilapidated tin factory building.
"Are you going to use your superpower?" The temporary negotiator, who had been observing the whole process, was excited.
Although he was just a new recruit, he wasn't an ordinary soldier who had entered the military through regular conscription. He was a graduate of a military academy! And after graduation, he was assigned to a key unit! And the battalion he belonged to was exactly such a key unit!
Externally, this battalion was the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, 12th Army of the Eastern Military Region of China. But internally, it had another name:
The Paranormal Mobile Response Battalion!
As a new recruit in a company under this battalion, he naturally had the right to know, so he was aware of things related to superpowers. He had even seen real superpowered individuals before this.
And this time, it was the first time he was going to witness a superpowered person using their ability with his own eyes! How could he not be excited!
"Hmm?" The man surnamed Lin was just about to use his ability when he suddenly noticed something. After a moment of thought, he smiled and stepped back again.
Wang An looked at the man surnamed Lin in confusion: "Is it done?"
The man surnamed Lin shook his head: "No, but I've discovered a special situation. It seems I won't need to intervene. He's about to solve the problem on his own soon."