chapter 4 Mysterious beauty ===

Corentin felt bored and looked around. Just then, two women walked in through the door, with the one in front drawing particular attention. She had a graceful figure, dressed in a black and white one-piece short skirt that made her stand out, like a stunning swan. Even though her face was covered by a mask, it was evident from her figure that she must be a beauty.
Following behind the beauty was a woman in her thirties, with an ordinary appearance. However, her respectful demeanor while speaking to the beauty hinted at the latter's extraordinary identity.
The woman took a number and sat in the waiting area with the mysterious beauty. Coincidentally, the beauty sat right next to Corentin.
As soon as the mysterious beauty sat down, Corentin caught a whiff of a fragrance reminiscent of lilies and orchids. It wasn't the scent of perfume, but rather a natural, gentle, and refreshing aroma emanating from her body.
Very few women had such a natural scent. Corentin gently inhaled the fragrance, feeling a bit lightheaded and even having the urge to remove the mysterious beauty's mask.
"Customer number 0116, please proceed to Counter 3 for service," the bank's automated queue system announced. Corentin checked his own number and realized it was finally his turn.
However, at that moment, a loud bang echoed through the bank as a gunshot rang out. Two men dressed in black, wearing black headgear, burst into the bank from outside. One shot startled everyone, "Anyone who doesn't want to die, stay still!"
"Ah?!" screams filled the bank, followed by another gunshot. The two men impatiently warned, "If anyone makes another sound, I'll shoot them dead."
The frightened crowd quickly covered their mouths, their bodies trembling with fear.
One of the robbers pressed his gun against the head of the bank's lobby manager and walked towards the door leading to the counters, demanding, "Open the door!"
The trembled lobby manager stammered, "I-I don't have the key."
The counter was equipped with bulletproof glass, completely sealed off. The two robbers had to enter through the main entrance to get to the money.
"You, get out of my way," one of the robbers kicked the lobby manager hard, then shouted loudly at the tellers inside, "Open the door for me, or I'll kill everyone outside."
The tellers were conflicted upon hearing this. After careful consideration, they decided to open the door. After all, they were here to rob, not to kill. There were several colleagues outside and many innocent people. Life was more important than anything else.
The leading robber rushed in with a big bag, while the tellers wisely left their positions and hid on the side. The robber's eyes gleamed with greed as he frantically stuffed the money from the counter's drawers into the bag. He thought to himself, "I'm going to strike it rich. There must be at least millions here."
After emptying the cash from several counters, the robber carried the snake-skin bag and walked out. Just as they were about to escape, police sirens sounded outside the bank, followed by a loudspeaker announcement, "Attention, suspects inside. You are surrounded. Drop your weapons for a lighter sentence."
"Damn it, how did the cops arrive so quickly? What a load of crap about a lighter sentence!" The two robbers spat on the ground. Even with a lenient punishment, they would still end up eating prison food for over a decade. They might as well give it a shot.
"You, grab a hostage. We'll make a run for it!" the leader said to his accomplice.
The man's eyes gleamed with malice as he nodded. At this moment, the bank's customers had all huddled in the waiting area, some sitting, some crouching, but no one dared to stand.
Corentin cursed his bad luck. He had come to deposit money and ended up encountering bank robbers.
The robber was searching for a suitable hostage. When he saw the mysterious beauty sitting next to Corentin, his eyes lit up. Despite the hot weather, she was wearing a mask. Her identity must be extraordinary.
The robber immediately walked over, and the mysterious beauty sensed that she was his target. Her body began to tremble, and she instinctively clung to Corentin's arm, as if she had found a lifeline.
The robber pointed his gun at the mysterious beauty. "You, come here!"
The mysterious beauty held onto Corentin's arm even tighter because she was terrified.
"Don't you want to die?" The woman didn't obey his command, which angered the robber. He tightened his grip on the gun, feeling the urge to shoot her dead.
At that moment, Corentin stood up and said, "Why don't I be the hostage?"
Everyone was stunned, completely shocked!
The robber was taken aback for a moment, then gritted his teeth and laughed, "Are you crazy or something?"
"How did you know?" Corentin said happily.
"Damn it!"
The mysterious beauty looked at him standing up and felt touched. However, deep down, she couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. After all, he seemed genuinely crazy. Who would risk their life to shield a stranger they had never met before?
Even though he might be crazy, the mysterious beauty was grateful. But at the same time, she couldn't help but feel a sense of discomfort. After all, the desperado was targeting her, yet someone else was risking their life in her place.
Everyone present wanted to say to Corentin, "Are you so foolish? Does your mother know?"
"Don't point the gun at a beautiful woman. If you want to point it at someone, point it at me, a grown man," Corentin redirected the gun that was aimed at the mysterious beauty towards his own head.
"..."
Everyone here was shocked. The two robbers couldn't even close their mouths in astonishment. They were just here to rob, how did they end up encountering such a bizarre situation?
The two robbers felt like crying. Damn it, is robbing a bank supposed to be this difficult?
"Hurry up! We're running out of time. Let's take him!" The leader didn't want to waste any more time. Fine, this weirdo wanted it, so be it.
The robber placed one hand on Corentin's shoulder and pressed the gun against the back of his head. They started moving towards the bank's entrance, while the leader held the money bag, standing to the side.
They were all here right now! A cold glint flashed in Corentin's eyes.
To be on the safe side, Corentin decided to go all out. He made his move like lightning, striking backward with his right elbow, hitting a robber's stomach with incredible force. His movement was so fast that the robber felt a heavy blow to his stomach and fell to the ground, his face contorted in pain, "Ghost! There's a ghost!"
Before the leader could react, he found himself clutching his stomach and kneeling on the ground. He looked around in disbelief, his face filled with a fear he had never experienced before. He desperately wanted to understand who had attacked him, realizing that the blow to his stomach was caused by human force, not a ghost.
The leader's gaze turned towards Corentin, and he understood. He understood it all too well. He lay on the ground in agony, "It's you, it must be you!"
But what the leader didn't understand was when Corentin had made his move!
After saying that, the leader suddenly passed out.
"What happened to you two? Why did you suddenly faint? Do you still want me to be the hostage? You're so irresponsible, not even giving me a chance to be a hero and save the beauty."
Everyone was dumbfounded. What was going on? What exactly was happening? How did those two robbers suddenly collapse on the ground, motionless?