Chapter 370: 370: Fang Bao Saves Mrs. Lu, Jiang Zhi and Lu Xinglan Join Forces (First Update)
The third in command of the errand company FOR, Xiong Jie, got injured during a mission a year ago when soone slashed his throat. After surgery, his voice sounded very strange, raspy yet not quite.
The sound of footsteps faded as Xiong Jie left and the two n guarding the door began chatting again.
Zhou Xufang broke the rope binding her hands, removed her hood and the tape over her mouth, and whispered to the person next to her, “Grandma Lin.”
She removed Grandma Lin’s hood as well.
“Grandma Lin, Grandma Lin.”
Trying not to speak too loudly, Zhou Xufang nudged her.
Grandma Lin opened her eyes, waking up. They had been kept in different places before, so Grandma Lin hadn’t seen Zhou Xufang on the ship.
Zhou Xufang removed the tape from her mouth.
Grandma Lin quickly composed herself. Hearing voices outside, she knew there were people nearby and quietly asked Zhou Xufang, “Did they tie you up too?”
Zhou Xufang nodded; the kidnappers might enter at any mont, so she kept it brief, “The kidnappers only demanded ten million. There may be other motives. We are on a ship, there are fourteen people outside, one of them has a gun. We don’t have a boat, escaping seems unlikely.”
It would have been easier on land, but on the sea, she was okay, yet Grandma Lin was elderly. Unless absolutely necessary, she was not willing to risk taking her into the water.
Zhou Xufang earnestly advised, “Grandma, you must stay close to , I’ll protect you.”
Grandma Lin smiled, surprisingly calm given the situation, “Just look after yourself. I’m old, I’ve lived enough. If there’s a chance, get yourself out, don’t worry about .”
She couldn’t just leave her behind—she might be Jiang Zhi’s biological grandmother.
Zhou Xufang prepared for the worst case, “I’m a good swimr. If we end up in the water, don’t panic. Hold your breath and wait for to find you.”
Grandma Lin was about to protest.
Zhou Xufang placed a finger to her lips, “Shh, soone is coming.” She reattached the tape over Grandma Lin’s mouth and untied the ropes from her hands, allowing her to hold them, instructing, “Hold onto the rope, don’t let go.”
Grandma Lin nodded.
Zhou Xufang replaced her own hood, sealed her mouth, and wrapped the rope around her hands again before sitting back down.
Thud—
Xiong Jie opened the door and glanced inside. Both hostages sat obediently on the floor. He suppressed his voice, deliberately altering its tone, “Your family will be here to pick you up soon. Don’t try anything funny.”
Zhou Xufang cooperatively whimpered a few tis.
At 8:30 sharp.
Xiong Jie took a call from Ah Win.
“The money has been transferred out of the account. You can send over the address now,” Ah Win said. “Around 9:30, the ‘fishern’ will co to ‘fish’. Follow the original plan.”
Xiong Jie responded, “Understood.”
Fishern? Who are the fishern? Zhou Xufang wondered.
At 8:35.
Jiang Zhi and Lu Jingsong both received the address at Dock No. 7, Xinhai Fish Port.
At 8:37, Chang’an Mansion, Lu Family.
Lu Xinglan rose from the sofa and suggested, “I’ll go.”
Yao Bixi was worried about letting him go alone, “What if you fall asleep?”
“I brought so dicine.”
It was a drug that stimulated the nerves to keep one awake, but it was dangerous to take too much.
Yao Bixi was still uneasy.
“Let my brother go,” Lu Sheng suggested. “He’s accurate with a gun.”
Yao Bixi said no more.
Lu Jingsong handed Lu Xinglan a gun, instructing him, “Only use this if absolutely necessary. Never reveal it otherwise.”
Lu Xinglan nodded, left his phone behind, and took the one given by the kidnappers.
At 8:38, Yuquan Bay.
Wen Baiyang gave Jiang Zhi a watch. Qiao Nanchu briefly explained how it worked, “The button is under the band. The left side is for communication, the right for location and eavesdropping. Notify if anything urgent cos up.”
“Okay.”
Qiao Nanchu said, “Be careful.”
Jiang Zhi strapped on the watch, then got into the car.
At 8:50, Jiang Zhi received a call from the kidnappers.
“The location has changed, go to Dock No. 3.”
He had anticipated this. If they were cautious, they would definitely change the location. Dock No. 3 and Dock No. 7 were at opposite ends, north and south, about twenty minutes’ drive apart.
At 8:55.
Ding—
It was a text ssage. Lu Jingsong checked his phone, “The location has changed, not at Dock No. 7. It’s at Dock No. 3.”
Lu Sheng took the phone and after reading it felt sothing was wrong, “Didn’t they give you a contact phone? Why would they still send the address to your phone?”
Lu Jingsong was puzzled as well.
Lu Sheng had a bad feeling, “Sothing seems off.”
Where was it off?
At 9:00 AM, at the Xin Hai District police station.
The duty detective received a call and imdiately ran to the small office, “Captain Wang, a report just ca in, soone has been kidnapped at Xinhai Fish Port.”
Wang Xiao asked, “Who reported it?”
“Lu Family from Imperial City, Lu Jingsong.”
At 9:30 AM, at Dock No. 3 at Xinhai Fish Port.
Jiang Zhi and Lu Xinglan arrived almost simultaneously, driving cars that weren’t their own, having switched to vehicles pre-arranged by the kidnappers on the road.
Both got out of the cars, and Jiang Zhi glanced at Lu Xinglan, “Don’t cause any trouble, I just want the person back safe and sound.”
Lu Xinglan’s face was expressionless, “Likewise.”
They both shared the sa attitude, focusing only on the safety of the person for now, leaving the kidnappers to be dealt with later.
The cruise ship was moored a kiloter away from the dock, and soone on the deck was using binoculars to watch, noticing the two cars and imdiately went inside to report.
“Brother Jie, they’re here.”
Xiong Jie loaded his gun and tucked it into his pants pocket, “Who’s here?”
“Jiang Zhi and Lu Xinglan.”
Xiong Jie walked to the bow, confird through his binoculars, and then turned around to instruct, “You four, bring the hostages out.”
Those four were originally the top n of the Hu Hai Gang.
The Hu Hai Gang was a ‘minor faction’ ford by a few societal miscreants involved in smuggling via water routes. In recent years, due to stringent police crackdowns, business was tough, and the gang was nearly falling apart due to lack of sustenance. Xiong Jie had joined them recently, pulling off several major jobs with the gang. Not only did he have the guts and capability, but he was also generous to his brothers, not only treating them to good food and allowing them money and won. After the gang leader, Brother Chou, had died recently, Xiong Jie was unanimously elected as the new leader. Not many knew his real na, as everyone just called him ‘Brother Jie’. They didn’t know much about his background and hadn’t even seen his face as he claid his face was scarred hence he always wore a mask.
“I feel like sothing is not quite right.”
The man speaking was Congtou, a mber with a distinctive sharp-featured face, the second-in-command of Hu Hai Gang.
Beside him was the fourth-ranking mber, Tie Lang, who asked, “What’s not right?”
Followed by Lao Ba and Lao Jiu.
Hu Hai Gang consisted of nine n, having lost two in recent tis but having also recruited several new mbers.
Congtou was the strategist of the group, quick-witted the most, “Think about it, the money has already been transferred, we have got the cash. So why didn’t Brother Jie escape in a small boat?”
Tie Lang, towering over Congtou by two heads, thought it over, “To return the hostage?”
Congtou didn’t think that was it, continuing to speculate as they walked, “Returning the hostage is sothing we underlings could manage. Why didn’t he run away instead? Isn’t he afraid that the police might intercept him halfway?”
Being a bit dim-witted, Tie Lang couldn’t comprehend.
One of those behind, Lao Ba added, “Maybe this hostage is no ordinary person. One from the Jiang Family, one from the Lu Family, these are two major players from Imperial City. If anything goes wrong, both families could hunt us to the ends of the earth.”
Congtou shook his head, “Even more reason it doesn’t add up. Deceiving two major powers from Imperial City and just for that small amount of money? How much would we even get from twenty million?”
“Wan Ge”, the other brother, suggested, “If he asked for a small amount, those two tycoons might not bother much. If it had been more, they would have pursued relentlessly.”
Still, Congtou felt sothing was off.
Tie Lang pushed him, urging him to speed up, “Stop dragging and overthinking. Just release the hostage, and it’s done.”
The four brothers then took the hostage to the bow deck.
Xiong Jie, with his face covered in a mask, walked over, removed the hoods from the two hostages, and instructed his subordinates, “Secure them.”
The subordinates promptly bagged the hostages in burlap sacks and tied them up with a rope.
“Is the boat ready?” Xiong Jie asked.
Congtou replied to the boss, “It’s ready.” They had specifically prepared a small boat to transport the hostages, as their main ship wouldn’t dock.
“Get the hostages on the boat.”
Before Xiong Jie had finished speaking,
Suddenly—
“Bang!”
A gunshot sounded.
Xiong Jie was startled, “Where did that gunshot co from?”
The man with the binoculars turned pale, “Brother Jie, it’s the police!”
“The police are here!”
It was the people from Xin Hai District’s homicide division.
Hidden in the shadows, the head of the major criminal squad, Captain Wang Lixian, turned and cursed, “Dammit! Who the heck fired that shot?” Weren’t they just alerting the enemy?
Without reply, it was unclear who had discharged the weapon.
Under the dim lights of the dock and mingled with the moonlight, Jiang Zhi’s gaze was somber and icy as he looked at Lu Xinglan, “Did you call the police?”
Lu Xinglan frowned, “No.”
Then who?
Jiang Zhi imdiately pressed the button on his watch strap, “Nanchu, Dock No. 3, situation has changed.”
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