Chapter 328: A New Investment Target

After following three different story threads, the film's main characters converged on the Bank of America Los Angeles Branch, bringing the emotional and dramatic tensions built up earlier to an explosive head.

Life wasn't a movie, but sometimes it felt like a film plot—always full of coincidences.

According to their original plan, Larry and Emil had only wanted to rob a relatively easy target: an armored truck. But the traffic congestion in North Hollywood delayed its arrival. Growing impatient and unwilling to leave empty-handed, Emil decided to rob the Bank of America instead.

Immediately after, a series of coincidences began to unfold.

Larry and Emil wrapped bags of drum magazines around their waists, donned Double-Layer Kevlar, and carried AK47s equipped with 100-Round Drum Magazines as they walked toward the bank. Weighed down by over forty pounds of gear, they moved slowly, which triggered a chain reaction.

A woman walking her dog nearby spotted the two men and immediately dialed 911.

Michael and his partner were stuck in traffic near the Bank of America. The bank had always been a focal point for Michael, and the two robbers quickly caught his eye. He immediately sprang into action.

He didn't charge out to take down the robbers like Stallone or Schwarzenegger, of course. The suspects had automatic rifles, while he only had a pathetic M9 Pistol. Rushing them would be suicide, so Michael immediately called for backup.

The Los Angeles Police reacted swiftly, with patrol cars near North Hollywood rapidly converging on the location.

Inside the bank, Larry and Emil fired a burst into the ceiling, easily seizing control of the situation. Catherine lay prone on the floor, staring in horror at the two robbers. She realized these men might be connected to her husband's death, but she forced herself to stay calm. In this kind of situation, cooperating was more important than anything else. She still had a daughter to take care of...

Her only hope now was that her daughter wouldn't get bored in the car and come inside looking for her.

In the event of a robbery, bank protocol dictated cooperating with the robbers to prevent unnecessary casualties. When the bank manager opened the vault, Larry discovered the cash inside was far less than he had imagined. Due to recent robberies, the bank had reduced its cash reserves. What's more, the manager pulled a little trick while packing the money into the bag.

Several bundles of cash contained an Explosive Dye Pack. Once taken away from the safe for a certain amount of time, they would automatically detonate, staining and ruining the money inside the bag...

While the people inside the bank trembled in fear, the outside became a hive of activity. More and more police officers swarmed the area, hastily evacuating the surrounding cars and crowds. Police helicopters flew over, and the ABC Television chopper assigned to capture aerial shots of Los Angeles also arrived in the skies above North Hollywood.

In a living room elsewhere, Lily had just prepared her tin foil when the suddenly changing TV screen grabbed her attention. The police were clearly launching a massive containment operation. According to the anchor's introduction, it seemed related to a bank robbery. In a brief, flashing clip, Lily thought she saw her father.

She suddenly remembered the robbery case her father had been relentlessly pursuing, and worry naturally welled up inside her.

Lily stared intently at the TV, forgetting all about her prepared cocaine, until gunfire abruptly erupted from the broadcast.

Her hands clenched tightly into fists. She... didn't want to lose her father.

Catherine shared similar feelings. After the robbers spotted the police, they locked everyone inside the bank into the vault. When the sound of gunfire echoed from outside, Catherine felt so much regret she wanted to slam her head against the wall.

Her daughter, Ruta, was in the car parked in the lot right outside!

Catherine wanted to get out, but there was no way. They were locked tight inside the vault.

Her husband had only just passed away, and now she faced the danger of losing her daughter too. Catherine was on the verge of a breakdown.

Ruta was indeed in grave danger. From the moment Larry and Emil stepped out of the bank, they began spraying bullets at any shifting silhouette. Spent casings rained down on the ground, and their gunfire left surrounding cars riddled with bullet holes like honeycombs. People kept getting shot.

It was a shootout filled with gritty realism and classical undertones, centering squarely on Larry, Emil, and Michael. Furthermore, as the film entered this final stage, the sharp switching of short shots caused the pacing to accelerate abruptly.

"A film with a profound theme has once again turned into a typical Duke Rosenberg movie!"

Watching up to this point, Richard Chris had reached the limits of his tolerance. If he hadn't wanted to write a full review, he would have walked out of the theater right then.

"Shootouts, explosions, big spectacles—can he even make a movie without these?"

In another theater, Jane Lauder had a look of sheer excitement on her face.

"Oh, so realistic shootouts can look like this on film!"

Ivanka had no particular interest in shootouts, but she glanced over at the other audience members in the auditorium. The people who had been occasionally whispering to each other earlier were now completely captivated by the gunfight on screen.

The camera frequently switched between the muzzle flashes and the ejecting casings, using shattering car windows and multiplying bullet holes to display the devastating power of the gunfire. Accompanied by the screams of injured police officers and innocent bystanders, as well as the constant calls for backup, it highlighted the sheer urgency of the situation.

Relying on their overwhelming firepower and Steel-Core Armor-Piercing Rounds that could punch right through cars, Larry and Emil held an absolute advantage. Dozens of officers were suppressed, and the casualty count continued to rise. Amidst the intense gunfight, the film interspersed scenes of the Los Angeles Police prioritizing the rescue of citizens and wounded officers...

This was Duke's deliberate choice, and it reflected the reality of that day. After all, many people had witnessed the situation unfold on live television; otherwise, the Los Angeles Police wouldn't have received such unanimous praise afterward.

Although it was an extremely chaotic gunfight, the camera remained focused on a few main characters. The villains were naturally Larry Phillips and Emil Matasareanu, while on the police side, it was unquestionably the male lead, Michael.

Michael only had his standard-issue M9 Pistol. Using cars for cover, he managed to land successive hits on the two robbers, but at a distance, the pitiful handgun rounds simply couldn't penetrate their Double-Layer Kevlar...

He also noticed a peculiar situation: inside a bullet-riddled car parked in front of the bank, a panicked young girl was shifting around, seemingly terrified out of her wits.

The robbers' gunfire frequently swept around her car, and the vehicle itself offered zero protection against the Steel-Core Armor-Piercing Rounds. Michael saw the girl's face and recognized who she was. He decided to risk everything to save her, to stop that unfortunate family from sliding completely into the abyss.

Michael started his car and slowly inched toward the bank.

SWAT began to move out as well. James led his team as they rushed to the scene, but given Los Angeles's congested traffic, they were unable to pick up any speed.

"A car is driving toward the bank, appearing to be carrying out a rescue operation..."

The television showed a top-down view from the helicopter. Lily clasped her hands tightly over her chest. She recognized that car; it was her father's...

Gunshots rang out again. The car's windshield shattered into fragments, but the vehicle didn't stop.

"No!" Lily cried out.

It had to be her father in that car.

Fear, panic, and a rush of other emotions suddenly surged into her heart. In that moment, Lily realized just how important her father was to her.

The only thing that gave her any comfort was that the car kept moving forward. When the camera panned away, all the police officers laid down heavy covering fire.

For a brief half-minute, Lily didn't know how she managed to endure. The car stopped, and a man bolted out in a crouch, pulling a ten-year-old girl from the other vehicle before they both got back inside...

Even though the figure on the screen was a bit blurry, Lily could tell—that was her father!

She stared at the TV in a daze for a moment before suddenly running out the door. Right now, regardless of whether she could do anything or not, she just wanted to be closer to him.

The gunfight continued. A burst of colorful smoke suddenly poured from the robbers' money bag, completely ruining the cash. Furious and exasperated, Larry and Emil wanted to go back and settle the score, only to realize they had locked everyone inside the bank vault.

"I'd rather die than go to prison!"

Emil told Larry, "I'm not letting them catch me."

The two fought their way back out, rushing over to their own vehicle. Larry drove while Emil laid down covering fire, carving a bloody path out of the area.

On the other side, having rescued the little girl Ruta, Michael circled around and intercepted the robbers from the flank. He ended up practically face-to-face with Emil. Perhaps it was his luck, or maybe it was Emil's misfortune, but the latter's AK47 suddenly jammed, forcing him to draw a pistol and trade fire with Michael.

Michael was smart. He aimed for the robber's lower legs, which lacked Kevlar protection, and scored a hit. Just as he leveled his gun at Emil's head, the robber pressed an M9 Pistol under his own chin. The shots rang out simultaneously, and Emil died on the spot.

The SWAT team finally arrived, and Larry Phillips reached the end of the line as well. Facing specialized police forces who were equally well-armed, he lost any advantage he had. As he used a police cruiser for cover to exchange fire, a vigilant James dropped prone to the ground and shot him through the leg.

Larry Phillips didn't escape death's grasp either; he bled out heavily without receiving any medical aid from the police...

The film simply gave him a shot lying in a pool of blood. The true protagonist of this moment was the police officer, Michael.

Michael exchanged a nod with James. By the time he returned to the front of the bank, the people locked in the vault had already been rescued. Holding her daughter's hand tightly, Catherine walked over to Michael.

"I don't know what to say to express my gratitude." Her eyes were brimming with thankfulness, and her voice choked with emotion. "You saved my daughter. You saved my family."

"It's my duty," Michael said, giving her a comforting hug. "It's what I'm supposed to do."

In every Hollywood film, true love always shines through in moments of crisis—whether it's the love between a man and a woman, or a father and his daughter. True love always finds redemption.

All of this was seen and heard by Lily, who had hurried over to the scene. She practically threw herself in front of her father.

"Dad..."

"You have a wonderful father!" Catherine told Lily.

The camera slowly pulled back as Catherine and her daughter, along with Michael and his daughter, embraced each other.

At the end of the film, the Los Angeles authorities commended the police department, and Michael and Lily walked hand-in-hand into a drug rehabilitation center...