After a brief period of unconsciousness, I woke up. I tried my hands and feet, finding only my hands were bound. Keeping my eyes tightly shut, I lay still, listening intently to my surroundings.
My nose pressed against the ground, a strong scent of dampness filled the air. Beneath was unfinished concrete, and any slight movent would grind the fine sand against it. I waited quietly for a while to make sure there was no one around before attempting to get up. The ropes behind tied to a column, greatly diminishing my mobility. However, it seed my captor wasn't worried about escaping, taking only basic asures to restrain . Did they underestimate ?
I thought silently to myself. But then again, it was no surprise. I didn't even notice the intruder; with only this much skill, how could I expect others to take seriously? Feeling annoyed, I realized I was captured because of my inadequate skills.
Adjusting my position, I leaned my back against a segnt of the room. The unease in the room was palpable, and through the crack under the door, I could see light. I was locked alone in a windowless room. The enclosed space had moisture but no other slls, indicating it was rarely used and had a heavy mildew odor. Curling my legs, I tried to pull my hands forcefully outward, only to fall back weakly. It was really tight.
"What are we doing with a useless kid? The boss wanted soone else." Giving up the struggle, I leaned to one side, and a voice from outside the room caught my attention. It was unfamiliar.
"Why care so much? We just need to hand over the person when the ti cos, and that's it. The chick's intel can't be wrong, didn't she even flash her police badge?" Another voice rang out, evidently bored with the previous person's concern.
"Let's hope so!" The first voice spoke thoughtfully. It seed more composed than the second one, I thought. But it sounded like I was not the person they intended to capture. Could their target be the boss? "Go check if the person's here. The sooner we hand over, get paid, and leave, the better. Staying in a place like this too long is bound to stir up trouble."
"What's the rush? How can you accomplish anything great with such caution?" The latter replied impatiently. "Didn't we co here to make a fortune? Quit ruining my mood with your nonsense; go see if the person inside has woken up. Don't beat them to death."
Accompanied by mumbling, soone was pushed inside from the outside. Still pretending to be unconscious, I remained on the floor. A pair of pointed leather shoes ca into view. The owner of the shoes stood there for a long ti, then suddenly kicked my abdon.
Ugh! I groaned, the pain from my stomach made curl reflexively. I opened my eyes to look at my assailant. "Playing dead, are you?!" Before I could see their face clearly, another kick landed in the sa spot. My stomach churned as if sothing wanted to escape it, and I lay on my side, dry heaving.
"He's awake!" The man, seemingly satisfied, walked out, leaving alone inside.
"You didn't do anything to him, did you?" a sowhat concerned voice asked.
"Just woke him up."
Damn, is this what they call waking soone up? It felt more like murder.
Fuming, I thought to myself, I needed to find a way out of here. Who knew what else that bastard would co up with to tornt ? Struggling to sit upright, I felt around the column behind with my fingers, trying to determine what it was. It felt like a water pipe, possibly an abandoned one. Its cold, hard surface dealt a heavy blow to my escape hopes, as getting away from a tal pipe seed unlikely. However, the gap between the pipe and the wall allowed so range of movent, so I cautiously searched for an opportunity bit by bit.
"What are you trying to do?" An intruder burst in, seeing shifting my body, and punched .
"What can I do? You don't think I'm trying to escape, do you?" I tilted my head, the punch grazing past . "In this state, how could I escape!" As I spoke, I tugged at my bindings a couple of tis to show him.
"Hmph, as if you could escape."
"What's going on?" From the voice, it seed to be the second person. He followed in and saw sitting on the ground, looking up at both of them.
The two, who didn't look like bad guys from any angle, left feeling rather puzzled. With round faces and tender expressions, they resembled high school students. Were they just slow to mature?
"This kid's not being honest."
"Be careful not to hurt him." The round-faced man disregarded and cautioned the small guy beside him, reiterating to keep an eye on before the buyer arrived and not to let get away.
The round-faced man clearly disliked the room. Upon entering, he pinched his nose with his fingers. The short guy beside him looked appropriately his age. But was there sothing wrong with his head? The round-faced man said to keep an eye on , and he took it literally, staring at motionlessly, which was eerily creepy.
"Hey, were you the one who knocked out earlier?"
"Not , it was him!"
"Oh, and why did you capture ?" This guy wasn't just off in the head; he seed completely dense.
"We weren't trying to capture you, it was soone else."
"Since it's a mistake, just let go!"
"Trying to trick into letting you go, huh? You're asking for a beating!" Quicker with his fist than his words, before he finished speaking, my head was already buzzing from his impact. He may have been small, but he was awfully strong. Just as I was about to say sothing, I heard a commotion outside, as if soone else had entered.
"The person's in here." Footsteps quickly approached from outside. The round-faced stood all the way at the edge, covering his nose with his fingers. In the light, I could vaguely make out a figure. It seed familiar, but I couldn't place where I'd seen them before. However, the face did strike a chord.
"This isn't the person I wanted." After looking at , the newcor imdiately turned back and said to the round face behind him.
"I know, but with him here, isn't it just perfect to lure the other one over?" Yuan Yuan had anticipated the opponent would say this, so he didn't hurry. "That person is formidable, brute force alone won't work. With this kid in hand, how could we fear he won't co seeking us voluntarily?"
The man let out a cold snort and made no comnt on Yuan Yuan's excuse, directly facing Shi Shuai. The latter imdiately brought a chair in from outside.
"Where's the stuff?" The man impolitely sat down on the chair, crossed his legs, and fixed his small eyes on Shi Shuai.
"What stuff?" Shi Shuai, sowhat baffled by the question, stared at him in confusion, sure he had seen him sowhere before.
"What did you do at the hardware store?"
"Going to the hardware store, of course, is to buy hardware, what else would you do?" Shi Shuai chuckled twice; the other's intention should be the sa as his!
"I'm not the violent type, so you'd better speak the truth." The man lowered his leg, hands braced on his knees.
"If you don't say what you're after, how would I know what I have?"
"The ledger, where's the ledger?"
"Oh, is it that? I haven't found it either; if you don't believe , ask them." Shi Shuai didn't deny it, gesturing with his chin at the other two. "I've only been in for a short while when they knocked out and dragged here—how would I have ti to look for it?"
"Nonsense." The short guy swung his hand over Shi Shuai's head.
"Stop!" The man voiced out to prevent the short guy's action. "You could kill him."
Yuan Yuan seized the chance to pull the short guy behind him; the person had been brought here, so there was nothing left for him to do. "We've delivered the person to you, so..."
"Wait a bit more, the person I'm looking for isn't this one; let's talk when the main player shows up."
"Heh, that doesn't sound very good!" Yuan Yuan feigned a chuckle, the smile never reaching his eyes.
"How? Afraid you'll be left with nothing?"
"No, that's not what I an." Yuan Yuan had so reservations about the man, retreating outside the door. The short guy unhappily wanted to step forward but was held back by Yuan Yuan, who signaled with his gaze.
"Kid, where's the stuff?"
"I told you, but you don't believe . I only have this much space on ; if you don't believe it, co search, you can take it if you find it." Shi Shuai generously moved his body, letting the man approach him.
"You'd better not play any tricks, or I'll blow your brains out." The man approached Shi Shuai, searching him while staring at his face, never relaxing his vigilance.
Shi Shuai had nothing on him; the man examined his police badge, flipping through it. "Transferred from the city, previously working with Xu Ming?"
"Why? Is there a problem?"
"Your area doesn't have much economic activity, coming here naturally has its perks for you."
"You're a cop too!" Shi Shuai rembered where he had seen this person—in the group alongside Ji Weihua in Beigong.
"You figured it out, then there's no way I can let you live." The man tutted, noticing the scar on Shi Shuai's palm. "You damn kid lied to ."
"I didn't!" Shi Shuai's chin was suddenly grabbed, the man's fierce eyes exuding a murderous intent. "This wound is fresh, where did you hide the stuff?"
Shi Shuai shook off the man's hand with too much force; his head hit the wall with a bang, leaving him dizzy. "Doesn't matter if you won't say, I'll find it eventually." The man took out a gun and pointed it at Shi Shuai's head. "Since you've recognized , I can't let you live."
"Killing won't benefit you." The gun was so close, Shi Shuai panted, realizing the man wasn't threatening but truly intending to kill him.
The sound of the bullet chambering, as the man pulled the trigger, Shi Shuai's life would end here today. The man chuckled, "Seems like you're really scared!" He put away the gun, and Shi Shuai thought he had abandoned the idea of killing him, but he was wrong; as the man put away the gun, he had already shot at him.
Am I going to die?
At that mont, a shadow dashed inside, flashed past the man's side, and with a clang, Shi Shuai felt a familiar presence whisk by his breath. His hands were freed, his whole body rolling with the ground, sliding to the side. "Are you okay!" (To be continued. If you like this piece, feel free to go to Qidian (qidian) to cast your recomndations and monthly votes; your support is my biggest motivation.)
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