"I say it again, drop the gun and step back!!"

Gu Ji completely ignored the police's threat, burying himself behind the blonde woman, edging toward the escalator along the wall like a predator on a hunt, his body hair standing on end, ears twitching, on high alert.

The middle-aged policeman saw he was unyielding, slowly moved his body, and gave his partner a look. The latter caught on and also flanked from the side.

The two approached slowly from the left and right in a tactical formation.

Seeing the two ignore the warning and keep squeezing his safety space, a trace of madness flashed in Gu Ji's eyes:

"Move again and I'll detonate the bomb!"

"Okay! Okay, I'll put down the gun, just don't get excited!"

Seeing something "off" in Gu Ji's eyes, the middle-aged policeman was so scared he quickly spread his hands, slowly placing the Glock 17 on the ground, and signaled the panicked crowd around to take the opportunity to retreat. He then softened his tone, trying to play the "emotional card."

"You look young, probably about the same age as my son, this should be the age for college..."

"You back off too!"

Who would have known, being a special police officer, Gu Ji was already familiar with all sorts of police interception tactics. He scolded the young policeman trying to flank and quickly dragged the blonde woman onto the escalator, "Don't move! Don't follow!!"

The middle-aged policeman frowned.

The young man in purple clothing, although sounding young, showed remarkably seasoned criminal experience, never exposing too much of his body, constantly changing positions to block shooting angles whenever he and his partner tried to flank him.

"Attention, attention! Suspect spotted on line 7, Elmhurst Avenue..."

As the middle-aged policeman reported to central command for help, Gu Ji immediately sped up his retreat, dragging the hostage out towards the subway exit.

Reaching the surface, the view became instantly bright, the sky blue and cloudless, the sun just rising, and the sidewalks crowded with bustling businesses. A police car was parked on the roadside near the subway entrance, attracting plenty of onlookers.

The blonde woman in his arms had already been scared to tears, pleading continuously, hoping Gu Ji would let her go.

"Sorry, I'm forced too,"

Gu Ji said softly, placing a lighter into the woman's hat, his mind spinning rapidly like a golden eagle in a wolf pack, scanning his surroundings cautiously. Seeing another police car approaching the intersection not far away, he let go immediately.

"Stand here and wait for the police!"

Leaving those words, he turned and sprinted towards the nearby community.

"Stop! Don't run!"

"Or we'll shoot!"

The distant police car also spotted the suspicious Gu Ji, screeched to a halt, raised their gun, and shouted. Seeing their warning was ineffective, they decisively pulled the trigger.

Bang! The gunshot rang out, sending the surrounding pedestrians into a panicked scramble.

Though terrified to death, the blonde woman dared not move. She didn't know what Gu Ji had placed in her hat and had to stand there waiting.

The bullet grazed past Gu Ji.

He leapt over a street vendor, darting like lightning into a narrow community alley.

To dodge police car tracking, he had to find a way to take the narrow paths.

In the narrow alley, an Asian grandfather stood bewildered watching Gu Ji flee. Seeing him approach, he quickly stepped against the wall to give way.

Through the alley, there seemed to be a morning market ahead, full of various shops and vendors. In this crowded place, it was easier for Gu Ji to lose himself.

He ducked into a corner garbage bin, stripping off the purple hoodie and tossing it in, revealing a white T-shirt, and pulled a crumpled grey baseball cap from inside to wear.

Pretending to calmly rush along, he pulled out a map from his pocket to study.

Now he understood the utility of the two options the system provided. The mask could cover his face to avoid police pursuit, and the map could help him quickly grasp his escape route.

Although the phone also had a location map, the display on the small screen was far less convenient than the A4 color paper map.

"Line 7, Elmhurst Station..."

Gu Ji vaguely remembered the location the police reported to headquarters for help, "Here, I am now in the Queens District."

Near Elmhurst Avenue was the famous Chinese gourmet area of Flushing, no wonder he saw so many Asian faces here.

Relying on his 18.1 Central Nervous System Attribute's instantaneous memory ability, he quickly memorized the map of the surroundings of Elmhurst Avenue, circled off the block to the main road, and looked at the traffic signs.

The mental map routes began to gradually integrate with the actual surroundings.

At this moment, police sirens sounded from afar.

Gu Ji slightly lowered his cap brim, calmly walking behind two stout middle-aged white men, as the police car drove past him.

American police aren't as clearly divided into different units like traffic, criminal, patrol, and special police in most countries. They are generally versatile.

Though chaotic in regular work, during emergencies, because they don't need coordination among multiple departments and are uniformly dispatched by headquarters command center, they are highly efficient.

Generally, after the first police car reports a fleeing criminal by phone, the command center will quickly dispatch nearby ten police cars based on the crime location and scale, from different positions, directions, and distances, to intercept and surround at the highest speed.

Therefore,

Gu Ji has temporarily passed the first stage: the state police's on-site enclosure.

He is about to face the second stage, citywide bounty hunting, and the police going after him will be upgraded from New York police to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, namely the FBI.

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