The man was holding a middle-aged man in his left hand. The middle-aged man was being strangled by the neck and was clearly on the verge of death. He gripped the madman's hand tightly and said with all his strength, "Muratake... I beg you, don't kill me! What happened before was all a misunderstanding. I apologize to you!"
"Hahahaha..." Muratake was the nearly 1.9-meter-tall man. He looked coldly at the man trembling like a chick and said, "Do you regret it now? What a pity... it's all too late!"
Yang Xiao saw it clearly from below. This was probably the so-called boiling over of conflict. The conflict between the two might not have been a life-and-death feud initially, but over time, it had left an indelible mark on the heart of the man named Muratake, leading to this incident.
Sometimes, the difference between a Buddha and a demon is just a single thought. Many things can happen based on that thought. Clearly, Muratake had chosen the path of the demon.
"Listen, person upstairs! If you surrender and release the hostages, you can be treated leniently! Otherwise, you will be shot on the spot!" The police had arrived and were communicating with the criminal while evacuating the crowd.
Yang Xiao also saw some professional heroes, though he didn't recognize them. He could only tell they were heroes by their costumes.
Muratake seemed to have lost all hope in the man before him. Without another word, he threw the middle-aged man down from the second floor.
The police and the professional heroes thought the criminal was surrendering and felt relieved. One of the professional heroes rushed forward, intending to catch the middle-aged man below.
Rat-a-tat-tat!
Thud!
Muratake had no intention of surrendering. As the middle-aged man was thrown down, he raised the machine gun in his right hand. The muzzle flash instantly turned the middle-aged man into a sieve.
The professional hero who rushed over was also hit by several bullets. After spitting out a mouthful of blood, he stumbled towards a stone pillar.
"Nobita, are you okay?!" another professional hero shouted anxiously. Nobita was his colleague and a good friend. If Nobita died because of this, he would definitely go crazy.
Yang Xiao had no intention of rushing out to fight the criminal. First, he didn't want to attract attention. Second, the police and professional heroes were already here. What was the point of him stepping in?
Another point was that Yang Xiao didn't know if his Quirk could withstand the power of bullets. The opponent's Quirk weapon was clearly not an ordinary firearm. Hadn't they seen the middle-aged man was already torn to pieces?
"Aren't you leaving? Do you want to stay here and die?" Just as Yang Xiao was thinking, a voice came from behind him. He turned his head and saw Toga Himiko bending over, looking at him with a smile. Their faces were only about ten centimeters apart, almost touching.
"Hey... Why are you so close?!" Toga just reacted. When Yang Xiao turned his head, he had almost touched her face.
"Don't shout. Besides, you were the one sneaking up behind me." Yang Xiao immediately made a shushing gesture, signaling Toga to keep her voice down.
Toga took a few steps back, her face red. She felt like beating Yang Xiao up.
"Shoot him dead!" the professional hero shouted loudly. The police clearly realized the seriousness of the situation. Since someone had died, the criminal could be shot directly, especially since the other party had heavy firepower.
"Surround him! Shoot him on sight if there's a chance!" The leading police officer waved his hand, and dozens of fully armed officers began to fan out and surround the area.
"Don't any of you move! Look clearly... there are hostages behind me!" Muratake swung the machine gun in his right hand towards the dozen or so hostages—men, women, and children.
"Mom, I'm scared!" A child of only seven or eight among the hostages cried, burying himself in his mother's arms. The mother, also terrified, looked at Muratake with great fear but still comforted her child in a firm voice, "It's okay, sweetie. The professional heroes and police are here to save us. It'll be okay."
"There really are hostages..." The team leader's expression changed. This was going to be very difficult to handle. If their operation caused heavy casualties, it would have a significant social impact, and both the police and the professional heroes would face public criticism.
"Ahahaha... Matsuda, Matsuda, you trash! I finally killed you! Did you think you were so smart and superior?" Muratake cursed when he saw the police and heroes didn't dare act rashly. "You're all trash! Beaten to pieces by my Quirk! This feeling must be wonderful, hahaha!"
"What a vile criminal..." The professional hero gritted his teeth. The criminal was clearly not in his right mind. Acting rashly would definitely provoke his murderous intent.
"Nobita, are you okay?" The remaining professional hero, thinking clearly, went straight to Nobita. Two medical staff were beside Nobita, trying to stop the bleeding.
"Yamato Isamu... if I don't make it, please take good care of my mother..."
"Don't talk nonsense!" The professional hero named Yamato Isamu interrupted Nobita. "Nothing will happen to you! Don't worry."
After saying this, Yamato Isamu looked at the medical staff. "Carry him out carefully. Remember to avoid the criminal's line of sight."
The medical staff nodded, placed Nobita on a stretcher, and left. At this moment, the criminal seemed somewhat confused, lost in his own world. He didn't notice Nobita and the two medical staff leaving.
Yang Xiao didn't know what to say. The professional hero who got shot seemed very inexperienced. Trying to rescue someone without using his Quirk in that situation was bound to get him hurt.
Yang Xiao didn't know what Nobita's Quirk was. He only knew that Nobita had been reckless. Perhaps he was eager to save people, but he couldn't ignore the criminal's combat power.
"Are you leaving or not?" Toga stared at Yang Xiao. If this guy didn't leave, she wouldn't keep trying to persuade him. If he wanted to die, who could stop him?
"Let's go, we must go." Yang Xiao nodded, then pointed to the second-floor waiting room and said, "We'll leave after his attention is drawn away."
"You two children, this isn't the place for you to stay."
Just as Toga was about to grab Yang Xiao's ear, a clear voice sounded. Yang Xiao and Toga turned to look and saw golden hair, bean-like black eyes, and a strong physique.
"To... Togata Mirio?" Yang Xiao was startled. Why was Togata Mirio here?
That's right, the person who arrived was indeed Togata Mirio, the third-year pillar, one of the "Big Three" of U.A. High School. No, it should be second-year now. By the time Yang Xiao enters the school, Togata Mirio will be in his third year.
But regardless, the current Togata Mirio is a rising star with amazing strength. Was he in Kanagawa for work-study experience, or was there another reason?
"Do you know me?" Togata Mirio smiled, revealing a row of white teeth.