Chapter 878 — Another Fifty Million
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"You're quite mistaken, Mr. Gu. I'm nothing but a good Samaritan. All I can guarantee is that your daughter and her friend come back alive. As for whether they get hurt—that's beyond my concern. That's for the kidnappers to decide!" The caller, utterly unafraid of Gu Pengzhan's threat, spoke with shameless composure.
Gu Pengzhan's heart went cold. What he feared most was his daughter and Xiaoshu falling prey to the kidnappers' abuse, and from the caller's words, there was every chance they would do exactly that. Gu Pengzhan gripped his phone until his knuckles went white, his body trembling slightly. "What will it take for you to leave Yaoyao and Xiaoshu unharmed? Name your price—I'll pay whatever you want!"
"Oh? So it seems you're unwilling to cooperate with me after all, Mr. Gu?" The caller's tone shifted abruptly, and he gave a cold laugh. "Fine, then. Wait to collect the bodies of your daughter and her friend..."
"Wait!" Gu Pengzhan sighed. It seemed he would be fortunate if his daughter and Xiaoshu simply came back alive. As for any humiliation—that was beyond his control now. In circumstances like these, it wasn't as though the girls had chosen it; so long as word never got out afterward, it would be all right. Better than death, at any rate.
"Oh? Changed your mind again, Mr. Gu?" The caller sounded as though he had Gu Pengzhan completely figured out, certain that he would come around and keep talking.
"All right, I agree. But please, try not to harm them. If possible, I'll find a way to raise another fifty million afterward as compensation." Gu Pengzhan said, "My word is my bond—ask anyone in the business world about my reputation. When I say yes, I mean yes; when I say no, I mean no. I hope you'll believe me!"
"I'm well aware of your reputation. But heh—that's not for me to decide." The caller spoke blandly. "Go and gather the money now. I'll call again shortly with instructions on how to hand it over!"
"No problem. I'll have it ready as soon as I can!" Gu Pengzhan said.
"Don't call the police, or your daughter will die a very ugly death." The caller offered Gu Pengzhan one final warning.
Gu Pengzhan sneered inwardly. Weren't you the good Samaritan who provided the tip? Now you're telling me not to call the police? Finally showing your true colors, are you?
Of course, Gu Pengzhan knew better than to voice his thoughts. He dared not provoke the thugs, and merely said, "I won't. Rest assured!"
In truth, Gu Pengzhan hadn't intended to call the police anyway. The other side clearly had skilled hands at their disposal, and police involvement would only enrage them. Even if he rescued his daughter in the end, he might not be able to hold those experts; and then what of the days to come? It would only invite even more frenzied revenge from these people, and next time it wouldn't be a mere kidnapping—most likely they would be struck down outright, just like Uncle Qing.
Not long after Gu Pengzhan hung up, Wei Zhao's phone rang.
Though Wei Zhao had been cultivating in the jade pendant's space all this while, he could still hear the conversation between Gu Pengzhan and the kidnappers. He had said nothing, however, because he wanted to seize every second to recover his strength as quickly as possible.
Now that the phone was ringing, Wei Zhao had no choice but to emerge from his cultivation space back into reality and answer it. He had assumed it was the kidnappers again, but the screen showed Qiu Lingshan's number.
"Hello? Any news?" Wei Zhao asked.
"We've been monitoring Mr. Gu Pengzhan's phone. We heard the kidnapper's earlier call, but we couldn't trace their location—the call was routed through a network to an overseas IP phone server." Qiu Lingshan spoke with some regret. "Do you need us to do anything?"
"Not for now. I can handle it myself. The other side clearly has experts—you're no match for them." Wei Zhao turned down Qiu Lingshan's help.