380: Chapter 374 Cleanup 380: Chapter 374 Cleanup Just past four in the morning, in an underground parking lot in Kowloon East.
With a creak, a sedan came to a stop in a parking space; the door opened, and Zhong Zheng, tired to the bone, stepped out.
Some things are inconvenient to discuss over the phone due to the risk of leaks.
After learning from his son about the sudden disappearance of several paparazzi, he met with a few members of his team and discussed the situation for most of the night.
As he had anticipated, as long as the hostage situation remained under control and they still had the upper hand,
no one was willing to walk away before the money was in their hands.
The disappearance of the paparazzi had only slightly heightened the vigilance of the group.
After their deliberation, the final decision was simply to proceed as planned, while quietly observing any changes.
Zhong Zheng had no other choice.
Honestly, when he found out about the unexpected disappearance of the paparazzi, he had a very bad feeling.
At the very first opportunity, he had prepared for the worst.
If not for that, he wouldn’t have hesitated before sending his son, Zhong Zhi, away from Xiangjiang to Siam that very night.
As for himself, despite being the mastermind behind the operation, his relationship with the other team members was strictly professional cooperation.
If he wanted to back out now, he wouldn’t need anyone else to do it; the other team members would likely take his life.
“I hope I’m just overthinking it…”
“If everything goes smoothly and I can get the ransom from Gong Yuxin, I’ll leave Xiangjiang the moment I have the money in hand…”
Zhong Zheng sighed in his heart and muttered to himself.
The underground parking lot was a distance away from the building where he lived.
After closing the car door, he looked around and oriented himself.
“Zhong Zheng…” Just at this moment, a shout suddenly rang out next to his ear.
“Who is it?” he instinctively responded.
A figure emerged from behind a support beam some twenty or thirty meters away.
There was a “bang…”
Before he could make out what the figure looked like, Zhong Zheng heard the sound of a gunshot.
Following that, a sharp pain pierced his chest, blood spurting uncontrollably from his body.
He collapsed to the ground, convulsing a few times before losing consciousness, his body still.
The shadowy figure was undoubtedly Bai Baoshan.
Taking long strides, he reached Zhong Zheng’s body, pulled out a camera, and ‘click-click’, took a couple of photos.
Then, flicking a Corpse Transformation Talisman, in less than a minute, with only some clothes left on the ground, Zhong Zheng’s body had completely vanished.
Baoshan pulled out a plastic bag, collected the clothes, and disappeared into the darkness, now out of sight.
In Tunmen, inside an old and shabby tube-shaped high-rise building.
Chen Qiyuan, in a suit, carrying a briefcase, walked in leisurely from outside.
On the surface, he was the boss of a small trading company, but in reality, he came from Tai Island as a spy, reporting to a certain investigative bureau.
Before Zhong Zheng had even retired, Chen Qiyuan was already well-acquainted with him; the two were old friends for many years.
On Wang Dehui’s case, they were completely in sync.
Within the team, he was second only to Zhong Zheng, and was responsible for most of the operations.
The run-down tube-shaped building was not his real residence.
The reason he came here was solely because several operatives he was in charge of were hiding in a room inside this building.
Naturally, an old building like this wouldn’t have an elevator.
Age does not spare anyone; nearly fifty years old, he felt somewhat exhausted just climbing from the ground floor to the fifth, even taking a few deep breaths.
These old buildings in Xiangjiang had not just a few households per floor, but several dozen.
The room where the operatives under Chen Qiyuan’s command were hiding was at the very end of the corridor.
Emerging from the stairwell, he walked down the corridor towards the room.
Not far away, a topless, muscular man who clearly was no good samaritan was holding a paint bucket in one hand and a brush in the other, doodling on the wall.
Though the light in the corridor was dim, Chen Qiyuan could still clearly see the blood-red words, “Pay Back What You Owe,” on the wall.
And the burly man was now writing the character for “kill”.
After finishing the character for “kill,” he casually drew a circle around it.
Debt collectors making a house call at this hour by splashing paint outside a debtor’s home?
Such occurrences were common in the old buildings of Xiangjiang, and Chen Qiyuan was well accustomed to them.
However, seeing this scene now, he couldn’t help but frown.
Because he discovered that the wall written in oil paint with the blood-red characters “Debts must be repaid” seemed to be right outside the room where a few of his operatives were staying.
Although he frowned, Chen Qiyuan slowed his steps but made no other move.
After all, he couldn’t figure out whether this burly man had gotten the wrong place or if his men really owed and hadn’t repaid a high-interest loan.
Just at that moment, the burly man suddenly turned around and flashed Chen Qiyuan a grin.
Chen Qiyuan was taken aback and hadn’t even reacted when the burly man suddenly erupted, flipping the paint bucket onto his head.
Then, with two ‘snap’ sounds, Chen Qiyuan’s neck was broken, and he slumped to the ground, lifeless.
Not far away, the room where the kidnappers’ operatives were hiding timely opened, and Tian Mingjian poked his head out.
The man painting the walls, of course, was Bai Xiaohang.
Grinning at Tian Mingjian, he then dragged the lifeless body of Chen Qiyuan into the room.
…
All night, a bloody storm raged—of course, only the people involved knew this scene was unfolding in various parts of Xiangjiang.
In the eyes of the uninformed, Xiangjiang was still a society ruled by law, and harmony prevailed everywhere.
Originally, Gong Yuxin, who had wanted to watch the kidnapper’s death with her own eyes, lost interest in continuing with Chen Hai and his men in these dirty and rotten deeds after reuniting with her husband Wang Dehui.
After disembarking from the yacht at Victoria Port, the couple had already gone ahead to their villa in Shallow Bay.
Chen Hai expressed his understanding.
After all, given the incident that happened to the wealthy businessman Wang Dehui, and the great shock he endured, he surely needed time to calm down and ease his mood.
Chen Hai did not personally take on the task of dealing with the remaining kidnappers but left it to his subordinates.
His next job, rescuing Wang Dehui from the dilemma, was the real priority and absolutely could not afford any mistakes.
Now that the task had been successfully completed, minor slip-ups in what followed would be inconsequential.
After informing his men of which kidnapper would appear in which location at which time, he went straight back to his hotel.
The third day, just past ten o’clock in the morning.
In Shallow Bay, inside a mansion that spanned over ten acres.
“Mr.
Chen, the master and mistress are waiting for you in the living room, just follow me closely!”
At the entrance of the mansion, after reporting his name, a middle-aged man who introduced himself as Uncle Qi and claimed to be the housekeeper, led Chen Hai inside.
Lawns, gardens, swimming pools…
In Capital City, back at his residence in Liuhua Alley, Chen Hai’s facilities were already very complete, but compared to the mansion before him, they were worlds apart and beyond comparison.
As he walked, aside from the guiding Uncle Qi, Chen Hai saw at least ten other people.
Aside from the gardeners, the rest, judging by their attire, were obviously professional security personnel.
Perhaps it was because of the kidnapping incident that Wang Dehui and Gong Yuxin, the couple, had strengthened their villa’s security.
This explained why Chen Hai saw so many security personnel as he walked through the villa.
“Mr.
Chen, hello, hello!” As he appeared at the door of a large living room within the mansion, Wang Dehui and Gong Yuxin, already full of enthusiasm, ushered him inside.
Compared to two days ago, when they had just disembarked from the cruise, Gong Yuxin’s face now had a few more smiles.
And Wang Dehui looked much more vigorous compared to the disheveled appearance that day, obviously a completely different person.
Uncle Qi, who had led Chen Hai in, discreetly excused himself.
Now inside the living room were only Chen Hai and the couple, Wang Dehui and Gong Yuxin.
“Mr.
Chen, what would you like to drink?
Tea or coffee?” Gong Yuxin asked with a beaming smile.
“Just a cup of tea is fine!” said Chen Hai, who had just sat down on the living room sofa, with a smile.
“Alright, please wait a moment!” Gong Yuxin got up and temporarily left.
“Mr.
Wang, have a look at these photos!” Taking out an envelope from the briefcase he had brought with him, Chen Hai handed it over to Wang Dehui.
Tian Mingjian knew a bit about developing photos.
The photos inside the envelope were developed by them using a makeshift darkroom.
“This…” With a puzzled face, Wang Dehui picked up the envelope and opened it.
Having only glanced at a few of the photos inside, he quickly stopped and looked back at Chen Hai.
“As per Ms.
Gong’s request, none of these kidnappers were to be spared, all must die!”
“These photos capture moments just before the kidnappers’ deaths, taken by us!”
“Three paparazzi, five kidnappers on a fishing boat, and including the remaining kidnappers, there were a total of twenty-one.”
“Except for the gang leader’s son who escaped to Siam, where we couldn’t act, the rest of the twenty are all here!”
Chen Hai explained, pointing at the envelope in Wang Dehui’s hands.
Then, after a slight pause, he continued, “We have almost fulfilled our promise!”
“Now, I believe, it is time for us to discuss the matter of payment…”