After parting ways with Cheng Yunlong, Zhao Yuan left Antique Street. Just as he reached the intersection, a taxi pulled up and stopped in front of him. A man got out of the back seat, gave Zhao Yuan a glance and a smile, then strode toward Antique Street.
'What a coincidence. Just when I was thinking of getting a cab, one stops right in front of me.' Zhao Yuan, suspecting nothing, pulled open the door and got in.
"Where to?" the taxi driver asked, turning back to smile at him.
"West Hua Medical University," Zhao Yuan replied.
"You got it," the taxi driver answered, starting the engine.
About ten minutes later, the scenery outside grew increasingly desolate. Zhao Yuan's brows furrowed. 'This isn't the right way. It doesn't look like we're going to West Hua Medical University. It feels more like we're heading out of the city.'
He didn't overthink it, just assuming the driver was taking a detour. "Sir," he asked, "are you sure you're going the right way?"
"Heh heh, we're not lost. We're almost there," the taxi driver said without turning his head. He slammed his foot on the accelerator, and the car shot forward. After a sharp turn, it charged into a scrapyard on the side of the road.
Two men standing guard at the entrance immediately locked the large iron gate behind them. They even hung woven sacks over the gate to block the view, making it nearly impossible for any passersby to see inside.
The taxi screeched to a halt. Before Zhao Yuan could ask a question, the door was yanked open from the outside. Several men armed with cleavers, steel pipes, and other weapons surrounded the car, staring menacingly at him.
"Get out!" a man with a shaved head and a brutish, fleshy face barked, pointing his cleaver at Zhao Yuan.
The words had barely left his mouth when a long-faced, middle-aged man emerged from a nearby tin shed. He strode over to the bald man and chided him, "Knife Boy, is that any way to speak to our guest? This is Master Zhao, our esteemed guest. Our fortunes depend on him, so you'd better be polite. Don't scare him off!"
Knife Boy lowered his head and kept quiet. It seemed this long-faced, middle-aged man was the leader of the gang.
After disciplining his subordinate, the long-faced man turned to Zhao Yuan, who was still seated in the car. He smiled and said, "Please step out of the car, Master Zhao. Rest assured, as long as you cooperate, we won't harm you."
"It's you!"
Zhao Yuan recognized the long-faced man. It was the same person who had gotten out of the taxi at the intersection near Antique Street.
It all clicked into place. This had been a trap for him from the very beginning! They called him Master Zhao, which meant they must have gathered information from Antique Street. In all likelihood, they'd heard he'd made millions from cutting a piece of valuable Jade and decided to pull a kidnapping and robbery.
It was also easy to understand why they'd targeted him instead of people like Cheng Yunlong or Boss Cao. Those bosses, despite their immense wealth, didn't have much liquid cash. Most of their assets were tied up in antiques and Jade Artifacts. Moreover, they traveled with drivers, secretaries, and sometimes even bodyguards, making them difficult targets. He, on the other hand, was alone and without a car—the perfect target for kidnapping and extortion!
A vicious glint flashed in the long-faced man's eyes, but he quickly masked it with a smile. "Heh heh, Master Zhao, you've got a sharp memory. We only saw each other for a second when I got out of the car, and you still remember me. Alright, stop lingering in the car. Get out now, or my brothers here will have to get rough."
Zhao Yuan cooperated, obediently stepping out of the car. He scanned the men surrounding the taxi and noticed that the driver was now also holding a steel pipe and glaring at him. Shaking his head with a sigh, he said, "I thought I was just being taken on a detour. I never imagined it was a kidnapping and robbery. This is a first for me."
The long-faced man frowned.
In his opinion, Zhao Yuan's behavior was far too composed. He had anticipated that Zhao Yuan would scream, cry, or maybe even wet his pants in fear. He never imagined he would be this calm. It was as if he hadn't been kidnapped, but was merely a guest invited to someone's home!
Zhao Yuan's bizarrely calm demeanor sparked a flicker of worry in the long-faced man. But things had already come to this. He couldn't back down now; he had to see it through.
"You're the first person I've ever met who can remain so composed after being kidnapped, Master Zhao," the long-faced man said.
"Hearing you say that, it sounds like you've done this sort of thing quite a lot?" Zhao Yuan asked.
The long-faced man just smiled, avoiding the question. His expression hardened as he threatened, "Enough with the pleasantries. Master Zhao, my brothers and I brought you here for one reason: money. Hand over your bank cards and PINs, and once we've withdrawn the cash, we'll let you go. But if you refuse to cooperate... well, I'll have to poke a few holes in you to let some blood."
"So if I give you my cards and PINs, you'll just let me go?" Zhao Yuan asked.
"That's right!" The long-faced man nodded. "I give you my word!"
Zhao Yuan laughed, shaking his head in derision. "Do you take me for a three-year-old? You think I'd fall for a lie like that? I've seen all your faces. It'd be a miracle if you let me go. I'm guessing that once you get the money, you'll just kill me, won't you?"
Exposed and humiliated, the long-faced man flew into a rage. He snorted, "So, you'd rather do this the hard way. Don't blame me for what happens next! Knife Boy, cut off one of his fingers! Let's see if he's still so sharp-tongued after that!"
With that, the long-faced man turned and walked back toward the tin shed, intending to grab a beer to cool off.
"You got it, Brother Hong!" Knife Boy snarled in reply. He shot a look at his cronies, and two of them immediately rushed forward, pinning Zhao Yuan and forcing his hand down onto the roof of the taxi.
"Listen, kid, if you don't want to lose a few more fingers, you'd better hold still!" Knife Boy cackled, then swung the cleaver up and brought it chopping down toward Zhao Yuan's hand.
"AHHH—"
A blood-curdling scream tore through the air, startling the birds in nearby trees into a frantic, scattering flight.
'I told you to cooperate, but you insisted on playing the hero. Bet you regret it now, huh?' The long-faced man, Brother Hong, was now inside the tin shed with a beer in his hand. He was just about to go out and witness Zhao Yuan's miserable state when he suddenly heard his men start screaming and roaring.
"Fuck, what the fuck did you do?"
"Shit! Bie the Third is hit! Someone help him!"
"You dare fight back? I'll fucking kill you, kid!"
"Don't kill him! We still need to get money out of him! Just chop off one of his hands first!"
The scene outside descended into chaos, leaving Brother Hong utterly confused.
'What the fuck was going on?'