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墨書 Inktalez
Zhong Kui's Diary
Zhou Mu Yang took a deep breath and asked, "Mr. Qian, what exactly do you want from me?"
"I sell insurance and work as a real estate agent, do you believe that?" Mr. Qian chuckled. "Alright, I'm not joking with you anymore. Yesterday, I sincerely invited your son Zhou Zhixiong to come visit me..."
"Zhixiong is with you?" Zhou Mu Yang shouted angrily.
"Tsk tsk, you scared me. You should calm down," Mr. Qian laughed lightly and hung up the phone just like that.
The call lasted for a minute and a half.
From the moment Zhou Mu Yang answered the call until Mr. Qian hung up, Mr. Qian controlled the conversation very well. There are many software applications that can locate someone based on their phone call, but they all require time. Even the most advanced location software needs at least three minutes to accurately pinpoint someone's location.
Clearly, the other party was taking precautions against us tracking him; this guy is quite meticulous.
"Did you get a caller ID?" I casually asked, not really expecting much.
As expected, Zhou Mu Yang shook his head. "No number, it only shows 'private number.'"
After receiving that call, Zhou Mu Yang sat on the sofa, frowning in thought, without letting us leave. We naturally pretended to forget about the matter and sat down comfortably.
After a while, the phone rang again, and Zhou Mu Yang pressed the speakerphone button once more.
"Mr. Zhou, can you calm down a bit?" It was indeed Mr. Qian's cheerful voice again, but this time there was some noise on his end, as if he was in a bustling market. I even heard a woman asking how much cucumbers cost.
"How much ransom do you want?" Zhou Mu Yang tried to keep his tone calm.
"Zhe zhe, what ransom and what not, how unpleasant that sounds." Mr. Qian chuckled lightly, "We are just a hotel struggling to survive under the financial crisis. Ever since your young master Zhou Zhixiong came to our hotel, we have treated him like a god. However, your young master is a bit picky; he won't even eat dishes cooked with gutter oil. Zhe zhe, this has made our expenses quite high, so now I would like you to pay for your young master's accommodation and dining expenses."
"What is the total cost?" Zhou Mu Yang asked eagerly.
"One million," Mr. Qian replied slowly.
One million? When we heard this number, we were all somewhat dumbfounded, not because it was a huge amount, but because it was too low. The Boss of Three Good Dining has a net worth of at least several hundred million, with over a hundred chain stores under his name; selling just one would fetch more than a million... These kidnappers went through so much trouble to kidnap the young master and only asked for a million in ransom? This is simply unscientific; you are insulting Billionaire Zhou Mu Yang and also disrespecting such a noble profession as kidnapping.
"Are you sure it's one million?" Zhou Mu Yang asked in surprise.
"I am sure," Mr. Qian laughed. "From your tone, it seems I've hurt your pride? Well, brother, I originally planned to ask for more, but that would affect the market. After thinking it over, one million will do."
"How do we proceed with the transaction?" Zhou Mu Yang asked urgently.
"Ah, I forgot to flip my inflatable doll on the balcony; let me go help my beloved Lin Zhiling turn it over," Mr. Qian exclaimed dramatically before hanging up the phone.
I smiled wryly; the call had lasted about three minutes.
This time we waited for about ten minutes before the phone rang again. Mr. Qian said cheerfully, "Mr. Zhou, there's a question I want to ask you." This time it seemed he was back home; everything around him was quiet.
Zhou Mu Yang paused for a moment. "What question?"
"Your name is Zhou Mu Yang; it's quite literary. Why is your son's name so plain—Zhou Zhixiong? Such a rustic name," Mr. Qian laughed heartily. "Alright, that was just a joke; now let's get down to business. You need to prepare one million in old bills, but don't make them too old; if they are too old, it will affect my mood. If I'm in a bad mood, I might end up taking one of your son's kidneys."
Zhou Mu Yang quickly replied, "You can rest assured about that; one million in old bills will definitely be no problem."
"I really can't understand how you do business. You didn't even ask me if it's true or not, whether you really have your son. What if I were to deceive you?" Mr. Qian sighed and said, "However, in this morally deficient era, people need this kind of trust between each other. I'm a bit moved. Alright, let me first let you hear your son's voice."
Before long, Zhou Zhixiong's voice came from the other end of the phone: "Dad, Dad."
"Xiong! Are you alright?" Zhou Mu Yang immediately stood up in excitement, as if Zhou Zhixiong were right in front of him.
"Dad, please come save me!" Zhou Zhixiong cried out hoarsely upon hearing Zhou Mu Yang's voice.
"It's okay, Xiong! Dad will come to save you soon!" Zhou Mu Yang shouted loudly.
"Alright, crying isn't good for your health," Mr. Qian said casually, and Zhou Zhixiong's voice suddenly stopped.
"Mr. Qian, how do you want to trade?" Zhou Mu Yang asked anxiously.
"Trading is simple. Aren't there two police officers with you?" Mr. Qian chuckled.
Hearing this, both Lingfeng and I were startled and quickly looked around. Could this guy see what was happening in the room?
"Stop looking around; I have cameras installed in the room," Mr. Qian laughed. "And don't rush to find the cameras. If the ones I installed are removed, I'll immediately kill Zhou Zhixiong."
Zhou Mu Yang immediately shouted, "We won't remove them! We won't!"
"Officers, please make a statement," Mr. Qian said with a smile.
Lingfeng forced a smile and said, "Alright, we promise not to touch the cameras until Zhou Zhixiong is back."
"Well, now that's a good police officer!" Mr. Qian chuckled. "Oh, I still have fish frying in my pot; it's probably going to burn now. Sorry, I have to hang up."
When Mr. Qian called back half an hour later, it was clear he had moved to another location, this time it sounded like he was in a bustling mall.
"What are your names, officers?" Mr. Qian asked.
"My surname is Lin, and my colleague's surname is Zheng," Lingfeng replied vaguely.
"Officer Lin, Officer Zheng, nice names!" Mr. Qian laughed heartily. "Lin Pingzhi from 'The Smiling, Proud Wanderer' and Zheng He from the voyages to the West are both well-known figures."
Damn, this guy casually picked two examples of useless people; Lin Pingzhi practiced the Sunflower Manual and performed self-castration, while Zheng He was originally a eunuch in the palace.
"Mr. Qian, what do you really want?" I couldn't help but snort coldly.
"Yo Xue, you have quite the personality! Your attitude isn't very friendly. Slap yourself twice right now, or I'll kill Zhou Zhixiong," Mr. Qian said with a grin.
Damn, this guy is simply inhuman.
For a moment, I didn't know what to do. If I didn't comply with his demands, he would kill Zhou Zhixiong; if I did comply, it would be a huge insult to me.
Zhou Mu Yang turned to look at me; he didn't say anything, but his eyes were filled with pleading.
Damn, how should I make this choice?
"I'm just joking! Don't take it so seriously!" Just as I was struggling with my thoughts, Mr. Qian chuckled on the phone. "But if you keep showing those teeth like that, who knows? Next time it might not be a joke."
"Alright, Mr. Qian, what do you want now?" I sighed and said with a bitter smile.
"It's simple. Come out of the main gate of Chaoyang City, and the first trash can on your left has a gift for both of you. Let me check the time... it's 10:00 now, and you have ten minutes. If you don't reach the trash can to find this gift by 10:40, something very tragic will happen." Mr. Qian chuckled twice and hung up the phone.
Lingfeng glanced at the clock, exchanged a look with me, greeted Zhou Mu Yang, and took off running. Although Mr. Qian was eccentric, there was an undeniable confidence in his tone; that trash can might really hold something unusual.
We sprinted all the way to the trash can, finally arriving out of breath. I swear, even Liu Xiang wouldn't be able to match our speed. After catching my breath, I opened the trash can and pulled out a red plastic bag from among numerous garbage bags. It wasn't my sixth sense; it was because there was a note on the Red Plastic Bag that said "Gift."
The plastic bag felt heavy in my hands, but I had no idea what was inside. Looking around and seeing no one else, I squatted down and tore open the Red Plastic Bag. Inside were three items: a mobile phone, a Tiger Claw, and a Timed Bomb.
Ignoring the mobile phone and Tiger Claw for now, both Lingfeng and I focused on the Timed Bomb. It was entirely black and looked quite ugly, as if made from two black cans welded together, with various colored power cords tangled all around it. In between the two cans was an LCD Screen that was counting down; the current display showed 00:00:51.
To be honest, I had never seen a Timed Bomb in my life, but I recognized this one immediately. It was definitely a Timed Bomb. It wasn't just because of the timer counting down; it was also because there was a sticker below the Liquid Crystal Display with "Dragon Flying and Phoenix Dancing" written in large letters with a marker—this confirmed it was indeed a Timed Bomb.
Damn, this kidnapper is too considerate.
Looking at the Tiger Claw and mobile phone beside me, the phone was brand new; the protective plastic on the screen hadn't even been removed yet. The Tiger Claw also looked new, its blade gleaming coldly and appearing very hard and sharp. I had no idea what Mr. Qian meant by leaving a Tiger Claw and a mobile phone here when suddenly my phone rang loudly.
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