Chapter 90: 1.5 Seconds

"This is the footage from before the robbers entered the bank," Roan said, pointing to the earliest scenes from several surveillance videos.

In the footage, two robbers dressed all in black—black shirts, black trousers, black gloves, black hoods—each carrying a black satchel, suddenly appeared from the side of the road outside the bank and quickly approached the main entrance.

Roan slowed the video down, highlighting a small detail for August, Mona, and Lacey.

When the two robbers first appeared in the frame, both had their hands positioned at their chests.

"What is it, Roan?" The group looked at this gesture with puzzlement.

"Isn't that just the robbers psyching themselves up?" someone asked.

"No," Roan shook his head, zooming in on the video until it was nearly too blurry to see, then paused it.

They could now see that the robbers' hands at their chests were not clenched into fists but were loosely hooked.

Their hands hovered as if to hook onto something at their chests, but grasped only air, pausing for a brief moment before they dropped them and rushed into the bank.

Witnessing this, Mona tilted her head in confusion, August's eyes narrowed in thought, while Lacey, after a few seconds' contemplation, looked at Roan with a start.

"That's a gesture typical of someone accustomed to wearing a bulletproof vest!"

"Exactly!" Lacey had barely finished when August smacked his own ample belly in realization.

"People who regularly wear full tactical vests—soldiers, police, special units—often hook their hands over the top of the vest when talking to others."

In both movies and real footage online, it's common to see military personnel, police, or special teams, burdened by heavy body armor, resting their hands on the top of their vests.

The gesture often stems from the weight of bulletproof gear compressing the chest; hooking one's hands over the vest and tugging it forward slightly relieves some pressure.

There may be other reasons, but in general, only those who frequently wear full tactical gear develop this habit.

"So, Roan, you mean—"

Mona quickly pieced it together, then covered her mouth in astonishment.

"The two robbers in the footage—are they soldiers? Police? Special forces? Some tactical unit?"

After all, only such people would be accustomed to wearing heavy bulletproof vests.

"But this is only from the first and second robberies," Lacey interjected with a frown, not waiting for Roan to answer Mona. "In the other four robberies, the robbers didn't make that gesture."

"You're right, Lacey," Roan nodded, explaining in a low voice. "But just as Mona guessed, these two are most likely soldiers, police, or members of some special unit.

Moreover, their relationship is probably that of comrades-in-arms, or else they're extremely familiar, used to operating together."

No one objected to the theory that the robbers knew each other well—after all, robbing a bank together means you trust your partner.

"Let's assume they're comrades," Roan continued. "Now, look here."

He rewound the video to the moment the two robbers entered the bank, then slowed it down again.

"In the first four robberies, when the robbers entered, the first would always fire a shot upward to intimidate everyone inside, while the second would hurry to the counter with a bag, pull out a transparent sack, and threaten the staff to fill it with cash.

These steps always occurred in sequence, but they happened so quickly that without slowing the video, it looked simultaneous to the naked eye."

"That's right," the others agreed after carefully reviewing the slow-motion footage.

"So, while their relationship is close, there is clearly a leader," Roan went on. "In these four cases, the one controlling the scene is the dominant partner."

He then closed the earlier videos and pulled up footage from the fifth and sixth robberies, playing them in slow motion.

"But now, watch these two cases."

At normal speed, these robbers also split their roles—one fires, one threatens the staff. It looks the same.

But in slow motion, Mona, August, and Lacey suddenly noticed: in the fifth robbery, before firing, the gunman's eyes instinctively flicked toward the partner heading for the counter. The same subtle gesture occurred in the sixth case.

"This..." Mona's face showed her surprise; Lacey raised an eyebrow, while August turned to Roan.

"Are you suggesting the robbers switched roles in the last two cases?"

"No, what I'm suggesting is this," Roan replied, a slight smile on his lips. "What if the first four robberies were carried out by one group, and the last two by another?"

The group was silent as Roan continued.

"In the second group, the leader is actually the one threatening the bank staff, not the gunman. They're imitating the first group's methods."

"Copycats?" August narrowed his eyes, Lacey frowned.

"Isn't it too much to conclude they're different groups based on a single gesture? Could it not just be the same group swapping roles for some reason?"

She recalled noticing other differences in their behavior, but Roan hadn't drawn the same conclusions then.

"Every time the robbers enter, they encounter different people and situations, so there will be minor variations in their actions," Roan explained patiently.

"But in something as serious as bank robbery, roles within a team must be clear. Who leads, who plans, who executes—once set, those roles rarely change. Especially since we've already deduced that the original robbers were likely soldiers, police, or special forces. Such people pay close attention to detail and wouldn't casually swap responsibilities."

Lacey frowned, but before she could ask more, Roan returned to the earliest footage.

"There's another crucial reason I believe the last two robberies were committed by different people," he said, cueing up the footage from just before the fifth robbery.

"Watch how these two robbers walk."

"Eh?"

The bank's cameras were positioned inside the lobby, and the robbers' walk outside the bank wasn't captured for more than a second and a half. So neither Lacey nor the previous investigators had focused on this.

They had reviewed the surveillance, but their attention had been on what happened after the robbers entered.

Now, following Roan's cue, they watched the slow-motion footage of the robbers just before they entered.

Suddenly, Lacey's eyes widened, and she slapped her palm on the table.

"Damn! Their walking posture is deliberately disguised!"

(End of chapter)