"You can have the police investigate. I have an undercover file with them," Tianyi looked at Huangfu Sisong, then at the leading police officer.
The leading police officer had already sent a message to his superiors to verify what Qin Tianyi had said.
Wu Xiufang looked at him with disbelief. Huangfu Sisong remained silent, waiting for the police to confirm.
Tianyi continued his analysis, "Besides me, do you have any better options? If you send your subordinates to deliver the ransom, you might not get the person back even after handing over the money. It's easy for the police to be exposed if they disguise themselves. If you personally deliver the ransom, it will only add to the danger."
Huangfu Sisong still did not express his opinion.
Wu Xiufang said, "I want to save my son, and I'm not afraid of any danger. Our family's affairs have nothing to do with you, please leave."
At this moment, the leading police officer received a reply and said to Huangfu Sisong, "We've checked. Mr. Qin has indeed worked as an undercover agent and helped us crack a transnational criminal group. I also suggest letting Mr. Qin deliver the ransom, as it will be helpful in rescuing the hostage."
Huangfu Sisong pondered for a moment and said, "Officer Chen, do you think this would work? When it's time to deliver the ransom, you can send a plainclothes officer. My wife wants to go along, and Mr. Qin can also go. Having three people would be safer."
The leading police officer nodded and agreed with his idea, saying, "That would work. We'll wait for the kidnappers' call before making specific arrangements."
Only then did Huangfu Sisong ask Tianyi to sit down. He even asked a servant to bring him tea and inquired about his past undercover work.
Tianyi simply said it was for the safety of his family. Just then, Wu Xiufang's phone rang, and everyone held their breath.
Wu Xiufang stared at the caller ID and asked, "It's an unknown number. Should I answer it?"
The leading police officer made a calming gesture to her, signaled other officers to prepare their equipment, and then said in a low voice, "After you answer, try to stall for time by talking about other things. The longer the call, the better."
Wu Xiufang took a deep breath and nodded.
The leading police officer gestured for her to answer the phone.
Wu Xiufang answered, "Hello."
"Wu Xiufang, I'll give you two days to prepare two hundred million in cash, or you can wait to collect a corpse."
"You're Sheng Haoguang, aren't you? Is Shaohua alright? I want to hear his voice," Wu Xiufang said nervously and worriedly.
The other party used a voice changer and said, "If you want him to be safe, prepare the cash. Don't try any tricks!"
"Two hundred million in cash can't be prepared in an instant. Besides, if you don't let me hear his voice, how will I know if he's alright? What if you kill him?" Wu Xiufang was trying to stall for time and genuinely wanted to hear Shaohua's voice.
The other party said impatiently, "You wait."
Soon, Wu Xiufang heard someone on the other end of the phone shouting, "Your family wants to hear your voice, say something!"
Huangfu Shaohua said weakly, "What, my family?"
"Shaohua, it's me, your mother," Wu Xiufang said excitedly into the phone.
Huangfu Shaohua also heard Wu Xiufang's voice from the phone and was a bit stunned.
"Hurry up and say something loudly." The burly man who told him to speak saw him looking dazed and punched him, forcing him to make a sound.
"Mom, hurry and save me, and also..."
Before Huangfu Shaohua could finish speaking, the other party took the phone back, told him to shut up, and continued to negotiate with Wu Xiufang.
"You've heard his voice. Hurry and prepare two hundred million."
Wu Xiufang could tell from the phone that Huangfu Shaohua had been beaten. She said angrily, "Giving you two hundred million is fine, but my son can't lose a single hair!"
"Stop the nonsense. I'll contact you again in two days." The other party was about to hang up.
Wu Xiufang quickly said again, "Two hundred million is not a small sum, and you want cash. It's impossible to prepare it within two days. It will take at least a week."
"I don't care about that. Figure it out yourselves," the other party said and hung up.
Wu Xiufang tightly clutched her phone, still not daring to let go, and asked, "How is it? Have you traced their location?"
The leading police officer nodded and gave her a thumbs-up, saying, "We've got the location of the other party's phone. It's in Lantian Community in the city center. We'll notify the SWAT team immediately to go and arrest them and rescue the hostage."
Wu Xiufang could hardly believe it. Shaohua would be saved so soon?
Qin Tianyi immediately stopped them, "Don't take any large-scale action. First, send plainclothes officers to scout the community where the location was pinpointed. I'm afraid if they know the police have been alerted, they'll kill the hostage immediately. If Sheng Haoguang is colluding with criminal gangs abroad, then these people are ruthless and vicious."
Huangfu Sisong immediately became anxious and said, "Yes, you must ensure my son's safety."
"Without a specific safe rescue plan, we can only gather information first," Tianyi added.
The leading police officer thought his words made sense and changed his mind, saying, "Our team will all wear plainclothes and go to that community to look around and see where they're holding the hostage."
"I'll go too," Tianyi volunteered.
If Huangfu Shaohua was in that community, perhaps Susu was also there. This way, he could at least know Susu's whereabouts.
The leading police officer nodded and said, "Alright, but you must follow orders and not take risks on your own."
"I know."
Wu Xiufang also wanted to go, but Huangfu Sisong advised her, "Sheng Haoguang just wants to vent his anger on our Huangfu family. If you go and they recognize you from the shadows, Shaohua will be in more danger."
Wu Xiufang had no choice but to give up. No matter how anxious she was, she could only wait for news at home.
That damned Sheng Haoguang, she wished she could tear him to pieces.
After Qin Tianyi left with the police, Wu Xiufang pretended to go back to her room to rest. She returned to her room alone and secretly sent a message to her subordinates, asking them to go to Lantian Community as well.
However, she wasn't asking her people to rescue Shaohua, but rather to capture Sheng Haoguang if possible. She was determined to bury him alive herself!
...
Susu had already been separated from Huangfu Shaohua.
She had been locked in a dark room and didn't know how Huangfu Shaohua was doing.
Whenever Sheng Haoguang was in a bad mood, he would have people beat Huangfu Shaohua severely.
When she was untied from the concrete pillar, Huangfu Shaohua was still tied to it and had lost the strength to even speak.
Susu felt that even if Sheng Haoguang received the ransom from the Huangfu family, he wouldn't let Huangfu Shaohua go. She truly hoped that Huangfu Sisong and the others would realize this and come up with a better plan than paying the ransom to save Huangfu Shaohua.
Also, she had been locked up here for at least two days. Tianyi must be very worried if he couldn't find her.
But how could she let Tianyi know that she was in trouble? She was in an unfinished room in some unknown community.
These people hadn't harmed her for the time being. They had even given her bread and a bottle of water. She felt that she was safe for now.