Hai Ning’s brain was momentarily in chaos.
He had to pinch a scrape on his calf with one hand, forcing himself to calm down with the pain.
Who was Charlemagne?
He knew who Charlemagne was.
His father’s superior, the head of “White Shield” in Yunmeng District, transferred here two years ago.
When he had just transferred, his father mentioned him, his eyes gleaming with pride: “I heard he’s a top student, a prodigy, and a sharp-looking guy! Just over thirty, with a boundless future.”
Between the lines, it sounded as if this young man’s arrival meant Yunmeng District’s long-standing rotten law enforcement finally had hope.
At that time, Hai Ning thought seriously about it but didn’t say anything to dampen his father’s spirits.
A prodigy, but he came to Yunmeng District. He was either a truly ambitious person with great aspirations or had offended someone.
Or maybe his family background wasn’t strong enough to get him a better post.
As expected, the arrival of the “prodigy” didn’t make any difference in Yunmeng District.
It remained as rotten as ever.
Over there, the voice of the prodigy Charlemagne sounded righteous: “All you want is money, and we want the children to be safe. These two things don’t conflict. I also have a child, only eight years old. The hearts of parents are so pitiful, so I make the call on this. ‘White Shield’ will pay, and we can transfer all the money to the account you provided. The only condition is that the child must be safe—”
The swollen-eyed man sneered: “Don’t take us for fools, okay? Cash.”
Charlemagne continued to negotiate seriously: “The most commonly used form of currency now is credit points, and cash is not easy to gather quickly. Aren’t you also worried the longer you wait, the more complications could arise?”
The swollen-eyed man grinned: “I’m not worried. But the righteous Officer Hai should worry more about his precious son. It doesn’t matter if the money comes slowly. I can let him hear something pleasant first—”
He raised his foot, aimed his hard, pointed leather shoe at Hai Ning’s stomach, and kicked hard!
After that sound, he felt like he wasn’t kicking a living person but a sandbag.
Hai Ning didn’t make a sound.
The swollen-eyed man clicked his tongue, clearly dissatisfied with his reaction.
But the phone was quickly snatched away by Hai Ning’s father.
His father knew Hai Ning too well.
He was always someone who took a beating in silence!
Through the scattered radio waves came his father’s tearful voice: “No! Don’t hurt our Ningning! I’ll deliver it, just name the place! I’ll bring it!”
The swollen-eyed man got the result he wanted, stopped his foot, and didn’t forget to mock: “Oh, how come our righteous Officer Hai is shedding golden tears?”
What responded to his taunt was endless sobbing and the repeated murmuring of “Ningning,” which could almost break a person’s heart.
After reporting the address, the swollen-eyed man looked smugly at Hai Ning from the side.
Hai Ning, who had just sat up from the ground, slightly lowered his head.
The dirty, mottled light struggled to penetrate the curtains, as if a gift, barely dusting the edge of his hanging hair.
The swollen-eyed man hung up the phone, walked over to him, and used the toe of his dust-and-mud-covered shoe to lift his chin: “Little thing, give us a smile.”
Hai Ning calmly let him act, with only one clear thought in his mind:
Kill them.
Because he had heard it clearly. The address the swollen-eyed man gave was the fishing area of Yunmeng District.
They didn’t intend to act like normal kidnappers, who keep the hostage in one place and arrange the exchange somewhere else. Instead, they were tricking his father directly to their location.
This wasn’t a normal way of doing business.
From the way they had tied him up, Hai Ning was sure they had no intention of letting him leave alive.
Therefore, they wouldn’t want to let his father, who was coming to deliver the ransom, live either.
But his father didn’t know.
Even now, he still thought he had Charlemagne backing him up.
He had hastily reported his son’s kidnapping to “White Shield,” and the first to arrive was his boss Charlemagne, who even agreed to let “White Shield” pay the ransom to get his son back from these vicious kidnappers.
It was imaginable how grateful and trusting his father must be towards Mr. Charlemagne.
At this moment, the fog clouding Hai Ning’s mind gradually cleared.
Why would the big company even notice his father?
His father’s investigation wasn’t on a large scale at all.
So, it was very likely that the first to notice something unusual were the internal personnel of “White Shield” in Yunmeng District.
After all, whenever his father went out to investigate, he always obediently showed his police ID everywhere.
If… Charlemagne wasn’t there voluntarily, but rather “exiled” to the chaotic and remote lower district, this so-called “prodigy” would do anything to get out.
If he could serve the big company by eliminating a “problem,” that would be a major achievement.
Of course, Hai Ning knew that his father’s pitiful greed wasn’t a real problem in the eyes of the big company.
If he had really gone to blackmail them, and if they were in a good mood, they might have even given this little police officer a bit of hush money.
The problem was, his father didn’t report it, nor did he blackmail them, but instead left a record of his investigation.
In doing so, he gave Charlemagne plenty of room to manipulate.
He could forge a report, exaggerate to the interest company about how his father intended to expose everything in a “righteous” manner, and make the company seriously see his father as a “problem.”
So, this “problem,” whose son was kidnapped, dies at the hands of the kidnappers while delivering the ransom, leaving behind a pitiful widow and orphan who would receive a not-so-bad compensation from “White Shield.”
Meanwhile, Charlemagne, for his service to the interest company, would secure a glorious future and leave the mire of Yunmeng District.
How reasonable and logical?
The swollen-eyed man had no idea what was going through the mind of the half-grown child he had kicked down. He only noticed that the boy’s eyes were half-closed, and his breathing was labored.
He thought, either he had kicked his internal organs, or the boy was finally scared.
He sneered and turned to leave.
After his figure disappeared behind the plastic curtain, Hai Ning, who was bound by chains, slowly stood up.
He gripped the chain that bound his right arm with his left hand, winding it up section by section, trying not to make a sound.
He now resembled a dog tied up on a leash.
He needed to determine the full extent of his movement range.
By his estimation, the chain was 3 meters long.
After dropping the chain, Hai Ning crouched down and felt around the air cushion in the heel of his left sneaker. He fished out a thin razor blade from a crevice.
Yunmeng District was too chaotic, so he was always in the habit of preparing extra measures.
Unfortunately, this tiny blade wouldn’t help him escape.
The blade couldn’t cut through bones, nor could it sever the chain.
He clenched the blade between his fingers and sat down.
At that moment, swollen-eyed man and the tall man, whom Hai Ning had kicked in the groin earlier, probably had nothing better to do. They came in together to check on him and, right in front of him, made some exaggerated remarks.
“This kid, if we could keep him for another two years, he could fetch a good price on the black market.”
The tall man, with a cigarette between his lips, spoke in a muffled voice amid a cloud of swirling smoke, “No need for two years. I know a rich guy who likes them just this age.”
The two of them openly discussed vulgar topics in front of Ningzhuo, becoming more and more convinced they had a plan.
The swollen-eyed man decided to lift the curtain and walk outside to exchange opinions with a strong man who looked like the leader:
“Did the boss say this kid has to die?… What a waste. We could just grab a random street urchin, kill him, set him on fire, let him burn to a crisp—who would know who really died?”
They whispered for a while, seeming to reach some agreement.
The swollen-eyed man left and did not return.
Hai Ning sat there, hugging one leg, calm, as if their conversation had nothing to do with him.
The tall man got bored and turned to leave.
At this moment, Hai Ning made his move.
In the split second that he twisted his body, Hai Ning suddenly pushed off the ground, lunging forward as if making a desperate final attack.
The sound of the chains pulling tight behind him startled the tall man. Instinctively, he turned and raised his leg, kicking Hai Ning squarely in the chest.
Hai Ning took the blow hard, rolled to the ground, and silently coughed up a mouthful of blood.
But he struggled for a moment, then, swaying, stood up again, the chain rattling as it dragged behind him.
In his clear blue eyes, there shone the defiant light of a wolf.
The tall man estimated the length of the chain and, smiling, mocked him: “Hey, you little mutt, you really are like a dog, aren’t you?”
Sure enough, Hai Ning’s face showed the indignation of someone insulted, and once again, he recklessly charged at him.
Unfortunately, one of his arms was still tightly bound by the chain.
He got within a meter of the tall man, but could advance no further. He could only swing his free hand wildly.
It looked both ridiculous and pitiful.
This was exactly what they wanted to see.
This snot-nosed kid had caused them a lot of trouble and made them look bad in front of their employer. What was the point of keeping him tied up?
The more violently this little wild beast struggled, the more pleased they felt.
The tall man stepped just beyond Hai Ning’s reach, smiling as he watched the boy’s hand flail uselessly inches from his chest. He was debating whether to slap him across the face or return the kick to his groin when a large, shadowy figure, as solid as a wall, appeared behind him.
The strong man barely glanced at the now furious and growling Hai Ning, casually remarking, “Damn, he’s really wild.”
The tall man laughed, “So what if he’s wild? If he’s pretty, the wilder, the better.”
“What a pity.”
The burly mercenary tightened his grip on the axe he was holding and looked at Hai Ning.
Seeing this reaction, the tall man hesitated, “Qi-ge, aren’t we keeping him…?”
Qi-ge was succinct: “The client made it very clear—both the father and the son have to die.”
He glanced at the tall man, “You’ve been toying with him this long and still haven’t had enough? How old are you?”
The tall man looked at the slight tremor in Qi-ge’s biceps as they flexed and his face turned pale, but he had no choice but to back down.
Clearly, he couldn’t afford to offend “Qi-ge.”
He could only grumble under his breath, “The black market’s so big, no one would ever find out…”
“Sloppy work leaves no future,” Qi-ge pointed at Hai Ning with the tip of his axe. “Besides, judging by the state he’s in, he’d be second-rate goods, defective even, if we sold him.”
The tall man opened his mouth, “Ronnie already went out to find someone to take his place…”
“Ronnie’s greedy, and he’s got a temper. I don’t want to argue with him and strain our relationship, so I sent him off with an excuse.”
Qi-ge’s tone was as casual as if he were about to slaughter a chicken, “Later, just say the kid tried to escape, so I finished him off with one strike.”
He gave the tall man an indifferent look, “Go outside and keep watch. Make sure Ronnie doesn’t come back too soon.”
The tall man, full of reluctance, obediently pushed aside the curtain and left.
Now only Hai Ning and Qi-ge were left in the warehouse.
Qi-ge stared at the boy, who had suddenly fallen silent.
After a moment of making eye contact with those cold, emotionless eyes, Hai Ning turned and fled.
Qi-ge pressed his lips together.
He liked swift, decisive action and had no interest in playing a game of chase.
If it weren’t for the fact that they needed to keep the boy alive to lure his father here, Qi-ge would’ve killed him a long time ago.
He held the gleaming, cold axe in his hand and strode forward like a dragon, stepping mercilessly on the iron chain that slithered on the ground like a snake as Hai Ning fled.
Hai Ning, who was stumbling as he ran, was suddenly restrained and, caught off guard, fell backward.
Qi-ge tugged the chain with one hand, swiftly winding it around his thick and strong left forearm, pulling the small, desperate animal fleeing for its life back to his side bit by bit.
Only then did Hai Ning finally begin to show the panicked expression Qi-ge had expected from children his age.
He turned his back and used all his strength to try and run in the opposite direction.
But how could he, in terms of strength, possibly win against Qi-ge, who was as strong as three of him combined?
Qi-ge, like a sailor winding an anchor chain, pulled Hai Ning toward him with terrifying, steady speed, one pull at a time.
Once he calculated the distance, he raised his wrist.
The heavy axe aimed at the back of Hai Ning’s head.
At that moment, the muscles on Hai Ning’s thin back made a slight, unnatural contraction.
He suddenly turned around, ramming his body toward Qi-ge.
It was a full-force collision.
The sound was dull.
Hai Ning hit a wall of flesh that didn’t move an inch.
Qi-ge wasn’t surprised by this panicked, reckless action from the wild little beast.
However, in the next instant, Hai Ning performed an astonishing move.
He swiftly and accurately raised his hand diagonally upward, his fingertips grazing less than half an inch from Qi-ge’s throat.
Qi-ge was a bit surprised.
Because the move was too precise, completely at odds with Hai Ning’s earlier panic.
The pain and cold sensation in his throat came after the surprise.
A person-high arc of blood sprayed into the air under the high pressure of a ruptured artery!
Air that hadn’t yet entered his lungs gushed out through the gaping wound in his neck, making a hoarse, gurgling sound.
At this moment, Qi-ge still had a bit of strength left.
In the chaos and suffocation, he abandoned his attack, dropping the axe and trying to press his enormous hand against his throat, desperately searching through the blurred mass of flesh to find his severed artery, to clamp it, hold it, and then rush out for help.
It was something he could have done, something this two-hundred-plus-pound strongman was capable of.
But Hai Ning didn’t run after landing the blow.
He used all his strength to throw himself onto Qi-ge’s right arm, twisting it in the opposite direction with all his might.
Using the power from his waist, he coiled himself around Qi-ge like a twisted vine, kicking hard at his left elbow over and over.
Qi-ge staggered, trying to throw him off, but the slick blood and his muddled mind prevented him from doing so.
The distinct muscles pressed against Hai Ning’s waist, violently twitching in their death throes.
Hai Ning kept his eyes open, counting the seconds by his heartbeat, calm at heart amidst the rushing blood.
Only when Qi-ge collapsed like a massive puppet whose strings had snapped did Hai Ning slump on top of him, regaining his ability to breathe. He covered his mouth with hands stained in hot blood, taking deep, gasping breaths.
He gave himself five seconds.
There wasn’t much time left for Hai Ning.
The tall man was just outside.
The sounds of the struggle earlier could be explained, but the sound of the axe falling was too suspicious.
So before the tall man could enter, he had to quickly resolve one problem.
He grabbed the bloodstained axe handle from the ground, weighing it in his hand, gripping it tightly with force.
…So, should he chop the chain or chop himself?
Author’s Note:
Lip snuff: A Swedish invention, a form of moist tobacco placed between the upper gum and lip to get a nicotine rush. It has strong carcinogenic properties, directly stimulating the mouth like betel nut, easily causing addiction and nicotine poisoning.
