Upon learning of his son's kidnapping, Hong Yushu immediately rushed to Hancheng Airport and took the afternoon flight to Baiyun Airport.
Luo Peng drove his BMW, with Shen Bing, to pick him up.
Having parted ways with his uncle only that morning, Shen Bing felt Hong Yushu had aged considerably upon seeing him again.
"Bingbing, do you have any news about your Xing ge?"
Hong Yushu's first question to his nephew was whether his son had been found. His phone had been off during the flight, and the less than two-hour journey felt like twenty years, a period of intense torment.
"Not yet. We've already reported it to the police. They've reviewed traffic surveillance footage, and the commercial vehicle used by the kidnappers was a scrapped car with a fake license plate. The vehicle was abandoned in the suburbs of Nanhai City, indicating they switched vehicles midway."
Shen Bing's reply plunged Hong Yushu into an icy abyss, chilling him to the bone. The longer time passed, the greater his son's danger became.
"Has anyone contacted the chamber of commerce to demand a ransom or make any demands?"
"No, nothing. Their objective might not be money, but revenge."
"You only arrived from your hometown this morning, and the perpetrators managed to track your whereabouts so quickly. They impersonated police officers and directly took Xingxing from the Xiangbalao Restaurant. This was clearly a meticulously planned operation requiring time; it couldn't have been an impulsive kidnapping of Xingxing."
As the saying goes, experience is the best teacher. Hong Yushu immediately pointed out the suspicious aspects.
Luo Peng, who was driving, tensed up. Fortunately, both Hong Yushu and Shen Bing were in the back seat, so his expression couldn't be seen.
"Uncle, are you suggesting there's a mole in our chamber of commerce?"
"How many people knew you were coming to Nanhai?"
"All the staff in the chamber of commerce knew. Xing ge had called Old Zhang and the others yesterday to say we were coming. Over a dozen people went to the airport today. After returning to the chamber of commerce, Xing ge even convened a meeting with all the managers, so everyone in the chamber of commerce knew our whereabouts."
"Alas, it's not the time to investigate a mole. Finding your brother is the priority. Have you taken any measures?"
Hong Yushu was distraught, unsure how to find any clues about his son.
This relieved Luo Peng. If they were to investigate a mole, he might indeed be suspected, as he was once Yang Jian's brother.
"Uncle, we've dispatched all our men to gather information and sent text messages to all drivers from Xinhe, asking for their help in searching. Old Zhang has been at the police station, hoping the police can find some clues."
Hong Yushu was not entirely satisfied with this arrangement but had no better ideas. For now, he could only place his hope in the police and the kidnappers making contact. Otherwise, in the vast expanse of people, deploying more men would be futile.
News of Hong Xing's kidnapping quickly spread among the people from Xinhe. Except for those with vested interests in Hong Xing, all other kiln owners and drivers secretly applauded.
Hong Xing had extorted countless amounts of their hard-earned money over the years. No one genuinely wished to help the chamber of commerce find clues for him; they all hoped Hong Xing would never return.
Without Hong Xing, the Xinhe Chamber of Commerce would collapse, and the oppressive force weighing down the kiln owners and drivers would disappear. Their income could be taken home entirely, instead of feeding the lazy, arrogant, and belligerent thugs in the chamber of commerce's casino.
Meanwhile, the news also reached Xinhe, causing a strong reaction in Chengguan. If Hong Xing met with misfortune, it would undoubtedly alter the power dynamics in Chengguan's underworld.
Chengguan Longxing Tobacco and Alcohol Merchant House.
Baoguo rushed from the casino to meet his master, Brother Mao. San Pang brewed them a pot of Tieguanyin tea.
"Master, have you heard about Hong Xing's kidnapping?"
Baoguo, without waiting to drink his tea, eagerly delivered the news to Brother Mao.
Brother Mao nodded, "I just found out. I don't know if it's true or not."
"It's true. I have contacts with people at the casino there and have confirmed it. Hong Xing was taken away by people impersonating police officers. It's been six hours, and there's still no news."
"Taken away by people impersonating police? That's a rather clever tactic. Most people wouldn't dare do something like that."
"Master, who do you think did this? Is it possible they'll kill him?"
Brother Mao pondered for a moment and said, "It's hard to say. Hong Xing has offended too many people, and many want him dead. It's not just here in Chengguan; he's also blocked the financial interests of many people in Nanhai. Anyone could be responsible for dealing with him."
"But I feel this matter is related to Yang Jian. In the past few months, Yang Jian has suffered the most losses, all related to Hong Xing. First, the murder of Shen Hua, and now this direct action against Hong Xing himself, it's logical."
Brother Mao shook his head, "Not necessarily. The one who wants Hong Xing dead the most is Zhou Tao. If we're talking about losses, Zhou Tao's losses are even greater. Yang Jian's old factory is worth at most two to three million, while if Hong Xing remains alive, Zhou Tao's sand quarry would lose over a hundred million. If I were Zhou Tao, I'd have to get rid of Hong Xing too."
"That makes sense, Master. If Hong Xing is killed, will Zhou Tao target us?"
This was the real reason Baoguo had come to see Brother Mao. With Hong Xing's backing, no one dared to provoke Baoguo in Chengguan. Zhou Tao could only swallow his pride in front of him, watching his sand quarry being encroached upon.
But if Hong Xing died, Baoguo wasn't confident he could withstand Zhou Tao's retaliation, primarily due to the lack of political protection.
Brother Mao naturally understood his meaning, "If Hong Xing is truly eliminated, our situation will be very precarious. Not only will Zhou Tao target us, but all the forces we previously suppressed will also kick us while we're down."
"Then what should we do? Other forces are not a concern; our current strength is not something anyone can shake. But we are still weaker than Zhou Tao. This old fellow is not to be trifled with and will surely retaliate."
"Shrink our operations. You notify them immediately to pull our people out of the sand quarry, and stop operating the casino. We cannot wait for Zhou Tao to make a move; that would put us in a very passive position, and the losses would be unbearable."
Brother Mao made a decisive decision after two minutes of consideration, aiming to nip the potential threat in the bud.
Baoguo, however, did not understand, "Master, there's no need to overreact like this. Pull out of the sand quarry today and don't open the casino? Perhaps Hong Xing will be back soon and be fine. Why don't we wait a few days? It won't be too late to make a decision after Hong Xing's fate is confirmed."
"We cannot wait. If Yang Jian or Zhou Tao kidnapped Hong Xing, Hong Xing would never survive. Especially Zhou Tao, if he sent people to kidnap Hong Xing, Hong Xing should be dead by now. He might even be planning to strike against you, possibly tonight."
"That's impossible, right? What if it wasn't Zhou Tao? Then we'd be at a huge loss. After Hong Xing withdraws from the sand quarry, our income in Daxinhe is over two hundred thousand a day. My brothers have all tasted the benefits, and they'll likely oppose withdrawing."
More than eighty percent of Daxinhe's sand quarry was controlled by Baoguo. He had over a hundred men stationed at these sand quarries, and more than half of the income had to be distributed to these men; otherwise, no one would risk their lives for him.
Therefore, whether to withdraw from the sand quarry also required their opinion, and he, as their leader, could not arbitrarily cut off their source of income.