Chapter 1633: Editing
Xie Feng thought she would get a message from Dong Luorong, but her phone remained silent; there was nothing.
In fact, she wasnât even sure if Dong Luorong had her numberâbecause she certainly didnât have Dong Luorongâs.
She shoved the silent phone back into her bag. Once her anger burned out, all that remained was exhaustion. Even though things were only now reaching the most critical moment, she couldnât summon the energy she neededâmaybe because she was still recovering from her recent illness.
After unexpectedly capturing their hostage without a hitch, the next step was a chase and an escape.
Their advantage was that it was still early in the morning. The streets of Tear City, where people were used to sleeping in, were still empty, and traffic was smooth. But Qiu Chantian held a high rank, and his kidnapping was nothing short of a political earthquake. Soon, the entire cityâs security forcesâpolice, soldiers, patrols, and surveillanceâwould be mobilized to find him.
âCall your deputy,â Ah Chengâs voice came through the phone, still connected on the open line. âTell them you suddenly felt like going for a walk alone. Make sure they donât overreact or send anyone after you.â
Smart, Xie Feng thought appreciatingly in her heart. Even if the deputy didnât fully believe it, it would create some confusion and a layer of doubt. And confusion was valuableâone hint or vague suggestion from a superior could ripple downward, spreading uncertainty among the lower-level staff and producing unexpected effects.
âWhat if they ask where I went?â Qiu Chantian asked.
âSay you went to Tai Lion Mountain.â
Tai Lion Mountain was a well-known leisure spot in Tear City, offering panoramic views of the city. It was popular among the wealthy and influential, so Qiu Chantian going there seemed perfectly plausible.
Following Ah Chengâs instructions, Qiu Chantian repeated the story over the phone, keeping the call on speaker the entire time. No sooner had Qiu Chantian ended the call than another phone began to ring inside the carâa sound that jolted Xie Feng. She immediately realized the other party had placed a call to the driverâs phone.
âYou know what to say, right?â Shortie asked as he frantically pulled the phone from the driverâs pocket. He shot the driver a warning. âFocus. Say that Chief Qiu told you to drive off. Got it? Or weâll toss you into the ocean.â
The driver swallowed nervously and nodded.
âh.e.l.lo?â Shortie answered, lowering his voice to a gruff tone. âYeah⊠right⊠thatâs correctâŠâ
At that moment, an idea flashed in Xie Fengâs mind. She quickly typed out a message on her phone, turned, and showed it to the driver. She whispered, âSay this.â
Shortie froze and leaned in for a look.
The message on the phone was brief: âSister Dong knows too. The chief said sheâll come by later.â
The driverâs eyes widened in surprise at the mention of âSister Dong,â and he instinctively glanced at Xie Feng with his mouth slightly open.
Using Dong Luorongâs name made Xie Feng feel uneasyâit felt like a cheap trick. But if invoking the words âSister Dongâ made the story more convincing, it was worth it. Besides, she had already thought of a way to distance Dong Luorong from the situation if things went wrong.
Just as the driver opened his mouth to speak, Shortie nudged him sharply. âDonât say it yet,â he muttered, glancing at Xie Feng with a look that told her to wait.
The driver hesitated for a moment, and the chance to speak slipped away.
Xie Feng kept her phone raised mid-air for a few seconds before lowering it, suddenly overwhelmed by a strange sense of shame, as if she wanted to disappear into the ground.
âDid Chief Qiu say when heâll be back?â the voice on the speakerphone asked.
âNo⊠no, he didnât.â The driver glanced between Xie Feng and Shortie, hesitating again before adding, âIâll let you know if I hear anything.â
After ending the call, Shortie cleared his throat and asked, âWhoâs this Sister Dong?â
âWhatâs going on?â Ah Chengâs voice came through another phone, sharp with curiosity. Shortie gave a quick explanation.
âI saw Qiu Chantian with a woman, right? Before she got into the elevator, there was a guy who looked like a driver, and he called her Sister Dong,â Xie Feng explained awkwardly. âI thought if we mentioned someone familiar, theyâd trust it moreâŠâ
âShortie was right to stop him from saying it,â Ah Cheng said once he understood the situation. âWe donât know what kind of relations.h.i.+p they have. If sheâs just a high-end escort or something and leaves after the night, using her name might backfire on us. Next time you get an idea, check with us firstâdonât act on impulse.â
This whole operation was born from her impulse, wasnât it? And since when would a driver call an escort âSister Dongâ? âMiss Dong,â maybe, but not that.
Despite feeling a bit reluctant, Xie Feng only muttered, âOkayâ in a rather abrupt manner. She didnât want to argue over something so minor.
Ah Cheng, still next to Qiu Chantian, was using a headset to stay on the call. While Qiu Chantian probably hadnât heard the mention of Sister Dong, he could easily guess they were discussing the woman with him. The fact that they had speculated she was an âhigh-end escortâ only confirmed to Qiu Chantian that these people had no connection to Dong Luorong.
At least, Xie Feng thought, even though the plan didnât work perfectly, it hadnât caused any harm to Dong Luorong⊠right?
She sank back into her seat without a word, and both cars drove in silence for nearly ten minutes.
Ah Cheng seemed to have decided long ago where they were taking Qiu Chantian. It wasnât even far from the hotel where they had abducted him. After the driver finished his call, Shortie blindfolded him with a scarf. As they approached a stretch of open land with the sea visible in the distance under a hazy sky, Xie Feng felt a sudden surge of energy and sat up straighter.
âWhere are we going?â she typed on her phone and showed it to Shortie.
Shortie, perhaps feeling a bit guilty after what had happened earlier, gave her a detailed answer.
âBecause of the heavy rain, the sea level has risen. Lots of areas around the nearby port are floodedâyou knew that, right?â his reply read.
She had spent the past few days sick in the hotel and hadnât heard any of this.
âThe flooded areas have been evacuated, and the flood barriers are set up around the perimeter of the port, leaving the entire port underwater. Thereâs no one there now. Youâve probably heard about us because of the cruise nightclub incident, right?â
Xie Feng nodded.
âThat night, the mayorâs son took a yacht to the floating nightclub⊠and after we found him, well, you know what happened next.â Shortie chuckled as he continued typing: âThat yacht is still floating in one of the flooded port warehouses.â
âYouâre planning to head out to sea?â Xie Feng asked on her phone.
âNo, thatâs where Ah Chengâs brilliance comes in,â Shortie replied. âThey might send a coastal patrol team, so going out to sea isnât safe. But the lower deck of the yacht has no windows. If we lock him in there, he wonât be able to see outside, but heâll feel like the boat is drifting on water.â
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