Chapter 55: Why Aren't You Moving?

The vehicle moved along the road, stopping and starting. From the route, Qin Chuan could tell that the car was not heading toward Riverside Park at all; in fact, it was going in the opposite direction. In truth, Qin Chuan had already deduced that the agreed meeting place could not possibly be Riverside Park. At ten o’clock, the park would still be full of people jogging, with plenty of young couples strolling about. To arrange a meeting there was illogical.

What’s more, Qin Youyou almost always read until ten at night. The message had set the meeting for ten o’clock at Riverside Park, but unless the kidnappers acted in advance, it would be impossible to make that happen. Clearly, these were deliberate tests by the kidnappers to probe Qin Chuan. After all, Qin Youyou was the youngest female professor in the history of Riverside University. If they actually carried out the kidnapping and Qin Chuan turned out not to be the Qin family’s only survivor, the school would launch a thorough investigation.

Reportedly, Binhai University’s leadership took Qin Youyou’s safety extremely seriously, so the police resources they could mobilize would be substantial. There would be no guarantee that the kidnappers’ trail could remain hidden. This was the last thing the mastermind wanted, but Qin Chuan had shown no abnormalities during their probes. According to their surveillance, Qin Chuan had not left the Qin family estate all day since returning.

Yet the clan chief, upon learning this, still felt uneasy and immediately ordered the black-robed captain to proceed with the kidnapping. This was a final, forceful test of Qin Chuan’s reaction. Of course, by this point, nearly all the kidnappers involved had become expendable, but they were long resigned to that fate; life on the run had been their norm, and these past years of comfort had already begun to feel dull.

After about ten minutes, one of the kidnappers in the front passenger seat suddenly spoke up. “Vice-captain, Qin Chuan just replied to the message.”

“As expected, he won’t cry until he sees the coffin,” came that cold voice again, tinged now with satisfaction. “What did he say?”

“He said… ‘Are you people insane? Who stays up this late just to scam me for money? All your pictures are stolen from the internet. Do scammers need no training these days? Want me to give you some tips? Send me half a million first and I’ll help you improve your hit rate by ten percent. Here’s my bank account (don’t wire it to the wrong place): 6226XXXXXX…’”

As the subordinate read out the message, the vice-captain’s face darkened to the extreme.

“Looks like Qin Chuan really doesn’t care about that girl’s life. In that case, let’s head to Site Three and spice things up for him. You lot can take turns teaching her what it means to be a woman. Hmph, we should have wiped them all out back then…”

The vice-captain’s words cut off abruptly, seething with hatred.

Lying in the trunk, pretending to be unconscious, Qin Chuan’s heart turned cold. He almost failed to suppress the murderous rage in his chest. This vice-captain had clearly participated in the Qin family massacre years ago; what precise role he played was still uncertain. Even so, Qin Chuan could barely contain his excitement—he would be sure to focus his attention on this man soon.

But since this man was only the vice-captain, that meant there was a captain still lurking behind the scenes, someone higher in rank and privy to even more secrets. Realizing this, Qin Chuan felt ever more certain that infiltrating the enemy’s lair had been the right decision—especially since he had taken Qin Youyou’s place as the hostage.

In fact, Qin Chuan’s original plan had been to let Qin Youyou be kidnapped while he followed in secret to protect her. But if he had tried that, she would have suffered greatly, and that alone was enough to stir murderous intent in his heart toward these people.

The blood feud of the Qin family massacre had yet to be avenged, and now the few surviving juniors were still being threatened with death. Qin Chuan’s patience had reached its limit.

The van suddenly sped up. From the number of turns, Qin Chuan judged they had reached a spot in the western suburbs of Binhai City. As they neared their destination, the road became rough and bumpy. Qin Chuan subtly shifted position without leaving a trace.

He had no choice; if he didn’t adjust soon, the persistent jolting would crush the bread buns on his chest out of shape, and that would ruin his disguise prematurely.

The bumpy ride lasted nearly half an hour before the van finally came to a halt. Qin Chuan felt the trunk open, and he was hauled out.

He kept his head low, sneaking glances at his surroundings. It looked like an abandoned dockside warehouse, overgrown with weeds and completely deserted. In the densest patches, the grass grew taller than a person.

“You two, take care of her first and snap some good shots for Qin Chuan. The rest of you, stay on guard outside. Once they’re done, you can switch in,” ordered the vice-captain, then turned and left.

The two black-robed subordinates who held Qin Chuan burst into laughter. Ever since they learned they were expendable, they had no scruples left. To enjoy such a beautiful woman before they died on the run—well, that was worth it, even if death came immediately after.

With eyes full of envy and resentment from the others, the two men dragged Qin Chuan inside and slammed the warehouse door shut.

With a crash, Qin Chuan felt himself thrown down. As his body twisted through the air, he sneaked a look and saw a thick mattress in the center of the space—clearly a prop these kidnappers had prepared in advance.

Seeing that he was about to land chest-first, Qin Chuan quickly tensed his waist and twisted just enough to avoid crushing the bread buns on his chest and exposing himself.

The two kidnappers, blinded by lust, noticed nothing amiss. The slightly chubby one said, “Brother Chun, you’re good with a camera. Let me be the star of your next love scene, eh?”

“I’ll go first,” argued the thinner one, “I’ve got more experience, and this girl’s a virgin. You have to know how to treat her right.”

The two bickered, neither willing to yield, each seeking a new excuse to claim the “right of first entry.” Suddenly, a sultry voice interrupted them.

“Why don’t you both come at once?”

Startled, the two men looked over. The beauty, somehow already awake, was gazing at them from the mattress, her eyes enticing, her tongue seductively licking her red lips.

“She’s pretty cooperative, isn’t she?”

“Brother Chun, let’s not fight. We’ll do as she suggests—and see who’s stronger!”

They quickly agreed, stripping off their clothes and pouncing on Qin Chuan like wolves scenting prey.

A moan of ecstasy suddenly rang out, leaving both kidnappers bewildered. They hadn’t even started, so how had this woman already reached her peak?

But they didn’t have time to ponder. Suddenly, they felt a crushing grip at their throats.

“This…”

Both stared in disbelief at the figure before them. Just a moment ago, she’d been lying on the mattress; now, in a blink, she was right in front of them.

“Come on, harder!” The phrase, which should have been heard in the throes of passion, now only filled them with dread—for the sense of death was overwhelming.

Crack!

With two crisp snaps, their necks broke, and their heads lolled lifelessly.

“What, giving up already? So quick to fail?” Qin Chuan’s voice brimmed with feigned disappointment and unfulfilled desire.