Xiao Anjing, upon investigation, discovered that Xie Qining and his wife were also abroad, and in the same state.
However, the Xie Qining couple resided in a large city, while their current location was considered rural.
Last week, Xie Qining had been taken to the police station for getting into a fight at a bar. It was rumored that Wen Wei had also visited a bar in a large city around that time.
It seemed that this matter was indeed instigated by the Xie Qining couple, with Wen Wei carrying out the act.
Rescuing the person was the priority now. He and Tianyi were preparing to cooperate with the police to rescue Lan Yu.
He had informed Wen Wei's people, stating that the money had been raised and the person to be exchanged with Lan Yu had been persuaded.
The time for paying the ransom and exchanging hostages was set for the night of the third day.
Wen Wei's men warned him against any tricks, threatening to kill the hostage immediately if he did, and that only he and Gu Susu would be allowed to go with the money.
On the night of the third day, Xiao Anjing, accompanied by a female police officer, arrived at an agreed-upon farm, carrying a briefcase full of cash.
As they approached the farm, they observed the surroundings to be very open, with only a row of single-story buildings that seemed to be used for storing feed.
Two armed kidnappers met them. The kidnappers glanced at them, searched them to ensure they carried no weapons, and then told them, "Follow us. The boss is waiting for you."
The woman posing as Susu was an ethnic Chinese female officer. She calmly said to the kidnappers, "Where is my friend? Since I'm the one you want to capture, you can release my friend now."
"Stop the nonsense. We'll talk when you see our boss." One of the kidnappers poked the female officer with his weapon, signaling her to behave.
An Jing tried his best not to be nervous. The tracker was in the briefcase containing the money, so the two kidnappers had found nothing on them earlier. Moreover, there was a weapon hidden in the briefcase's interlayer, just in case.
He assumed that the police and Tianyi had already tracked their current location and would be arriving shortly.
He needed to find Lan Yu and protect her escape before the police and kidnappers engaged in a firefight.
An Jing and the female officer entered one of the brightly lit houses in the row. Inside, several other armed men stood rigidly.
A fierce-looking ethnic Chinese man with a ponytail was seated. This person was likely Wen Wei.
"Boss, the person is here," the kidnapper who brought them in said respectfully.
Wen Wei waved his hand, and two of his subordinates lunged at the female officer, twisting her arms behind her back and tying them up.
The female officer instinctively struggled. An Jing feigned panic and exclaimed, "What are you doing? Stop! Why do you have to make her exchange with my wife?"
Wen Wei signaled for the female officer to be pulled aside, not answering An Jing. He then asked, "Where is the ransom?"
An Jing tossed the briefcase to the table in front of him. "It's in here."
Wen Wei, assuming he wouldn't dare to play any tricks, opened the briefcase, took out several stacks of cash, and checked them. Seeing no blank paper inserted, he appeared satisfied.
An Jing asked, "Where is my wife? Can you release her now?"
Wen Wei instructed his subordinate to bring Lan Yu out from the adjacent room.
An Jing saw that Lan Yu's eyes were covered with cloth, and her hands were tied behind her back.
His heart ached, and he quickly stepped forward to pull off the cloth from Lan Yu's eyes, asking, "Are you alright?"
Lan Yu, hearing his voice, said weakly, "I'm fine. Why did you come? It's very dangerous."
An Jing replied fearlessly, "I'm here to take you away."
The kidnappers released Lan Yu and pushed her towards Xiao Anjing.
"I'm not afraid of anything to save you," An Jing said, gripping Lan Yu's arm and helping her untie the ropes behind her.
Wen Wei impatiently said, "That's enough. You can leave now. Hurry up and get out!"
An Jing, shielding Lan Yu closely, showed no intention of leaving immediately. He pointed at the tied-up female officer and said, "Release her too. I can give you another million."
Lan Yu looked at the bound woman with fear, not recognizing her at all, and wondered why An Jing wanted to save that woman.
Wen Wei said with amusement, "If you want me to release her, bring three million."
He had a calculation in mind. Xie Qining had given him fifty thousand to teach Gu Susu a lesson.
And Xie Qining's wife had given him one million to tie Gu Susu to a designated location.
The total income would be one and a half million. Now, because the wrong person was kidnapped, he received another million.
If Xiao Anjing was willing to pay three million, he would return the money from Xie Qining's wife.
Before Xiao Anjing arrived to pay the ransom, he would teach this Gu Susu a lesson, and Xie Qining's fifty thousand would not need to be returned.
He could earn a total of four and a half million US dollars, which would likely be enough for the rest of his life.
"Three million is no problem," An Jing agreed readily, wanting to stall for time. "But before I bring the three million to ransom her, you are not allowed to harm her in any way."
Wen Wei was surprised by Xiao Anjing's prompt agreement. He said, "Don't worry. As long as you bring three million, she will be completely unharmed. You can ask your wife; we haven't touched a single hair on her."
An Jing was anxious about why Tianyi and the police reinforcements hadn't arrived yet. Hoping they would come quickly, he continued to stall for time. He looked at Lan Yu beside him and asked, "Is what this person says true? Did they hurt you?"
"No, other than not giving me much to eat, everything else was fine," Lan Yu also deliberately slowed down her speech, sensing that An Jing had some other plan.
At this moment, Tianyi, along with the main police force, had surrounded the row of houses, knocked out the two kidnappers guarding the door, and were preparing to find an opportunity to break in.
An Jing looked at Wen Wei and said, "My wife says you didn't hurt her. Alright, I believe you. I'll go get the money now."
Wen Wei smiled and waved his hand, ordering his men to take the tied-up female officer to the adjacent room where fodder was stored.
As his subordinates escorted the female officer and opened the door, SWAT team members in black immediately snatched the female officer from their hands, kicked their way in, and allowed the following police officers to storm through.
The police shouted, "Drop your weapons!"
An Jing, protecting Lan Yu, tried to escape quickly, heading towards the exit.
Wen Wei realized he had fallen into a trap, and his dream of making a fortune was about to vanish.
He frantically raised his weapon and aimed it at Xiao Anjing.
Lan Yu sensed Wen Wei's movement, suddenly broke free from An Jing, and threw herself behind him, shielding him from Wen Wei's shot. She felt a searing pain as a bullet quickly entered her body from behind.
The police who had stormed into the house all opened fire on Wen Wei, killing him instantly.
The other kidnappers dared not move, dropped their weapons, and crouched on the ground with their hands clasped behind their heads.
A burst of intense gunfire made An Jing realize something. He turned around in panic, looking at Lan Yu behind him.
"What's wrong with you? What happened?"
Lan Yu collapsed weakly into his arms, blood flowing from the corner of her mouth. She looked at him and smiled, "It's good that you're alright."
An Jing quickly supported her, feeling warm liquid on his hand as he held her back. He understood that she had been shot.
He was terrified and picked her up, saying, "Hold on! You'll be alright, you'll definitely be alright!"