Chapter Forty-Seven: Fury

Evening was settling in.

On the way back to the residential complex, Qin Yang glanced at Liu Molan, who was still poring over documents. When he noticed several suspicious cars trailing behind them, he couldn’t help but sigh, “Can’t you give yourself a few days off?”

“There’s just no time right now,” Liu Molan shook her head. “The mall is just getting started, and I’ve already begun planning the next phases. Every day is fully scheduled—where would I find time to waste? By the way, there’s been a last-minute change. Tomorrow we’re going to Jianghai City; I want to check out the market situation there.”

“That doesn’t seem wise,” Qin Yang replied bitterly. “Have you forgotten that someone tried to kidnap you last time? Staying on your own turf is a lot safer.”

“Isn’t that what you’re here for?” Liu Molan said softly.

Qin Yang chuckled and dropped the subject. When he brought her downstairs, he saw Sun Qi already waiting at the entrance. A quick glance around revealed several people keeping discreet watch—clearly police officers Sun Qi had arranged for Liu Molan’s protection. He let Liu Molan head upstairs first, and Sun Qi climbed into the front passenger seat. “Did Molan tell you about going to Jianghai tomorrow?”

“She did,” Qin Yang nodded.

“And you didn’t try to stop her? I have too much work tomorrow; there’s no way I can take time off to protect her,” Sun Qi said with a hint of annoyance.

Qin Yang gave a wry smile. “Young lady, I’d like to stop her, but do you think I really can? She has no idea there’s a bounty on her from the underworld—unless you’re willing to tell her.”

“No, I can’t tell her. She’d be far too worried,” Sun Qi shook her head vigorously. “I haven’t even told her father about the bounty. If he found out, he’d forcefully take her away. I wouldn’t be at ease, and I doubt you would either. As for who’s behind this, I’ll need your intelligence. I suspect it’s probably one of her father’s business rivals. Thankfully, the bounty is for capturing her alive; otherwise, it would be far worse.”

“I’ve already found out,” Qin Yang rolled his eyes. “There’s a gang of jewel thieves operating out of Haitian City. They’ve struck a deal with Cao Xianhu—the man behind Deng Qi. During the Hailong Jewelry Exhibition, the thieves plan to steal the Star of the East, while Cao Xianhu and his men will conduct a massive drug deal. It doesn’t have much to do with Liu Molan directly, but if you can catch Cao Xianhu, you’ll have your answer about the bounty.”

“Are you sure?” Sun Qi immediately felt a surge of energy; a gang of jewel thieves and a band of criminals—she wanted to bring them all in, and now that they’d converged, she was eager to catch them all at once.

Qin Yang nodded. “I’m sure, but I still need to investigate the exact time and place of the drug deal. I’ll let you know when I have it.”

“Good,” Sun Qi nodded.

After getting out of the car, she tapped on the window and said to Qin Yang, “Thank you. Don’t worry, I’ll keep your help absolutely confidential—though I’d love to break your intelligence network myself.”

“Boring,” Qin Yang shot her a look, then added, “Be careful. There’s a real expert among the jewel thieves—he killed Deng Qi with a single strike, and his fighting skills are far beyond yours.”

“We have our own secret weapons,” Sun Qi replied confidently.

Qin Yang just smiled, drove out of the complex, and was just about to head home for dinner when an unfamiliar call came in. Frowning in suspicion, he answered.

“Hello, who is this?”

“Is this Qin Yang?” an unfamiliar voice asked. “Who we are isn’t important, but we have two people in our hands. Interested?”

“Qin Yang, don’t listen to them! Call the police, hurry!” Tao Caijie’s desperate scream came through the phone, mingled with Cheng Xiaomei’s sobs. The sound ignited a furious blaze in Qin Yang’s chest. He was never one to meddle, and he hadn’t wanted to get involved in Liu Molan’s affairs, but having nearly lost his life, he would find the truth with or without her. Tao Caijie had helped him greatly, and he truly cared for Cheng Xiaomei. Hearing the mother and daughter’s distress, his anger flared uncontrollably.

“If you want them to survive, you’d better do as I say,” the voice resumed, now replaced by a rougher tone. “Get out of your car, and get into the van parked nearby. If you call the police, don’t blame me for what happens. Tao Caijie really is quite a beauty.”

Following the instructions, Qin Yang pulled over. A van stopped just ahead, and a man waved him over. Qin Yang got in; the man promptly tied him up, snatched the jade pendant from around Qin Yang’s neck, and took his phone. “Boss, we got him.”

“Take him somewhere and teach him a lesson,” came the boss’s curt reply.

The man grinned viciously, hung up, and drove toward the outskirts of the city, feeling quite pleased with himself. When they reached a deserted spot, he got out, opened the van’s rear door, and moved to rough Qin Yang up—only to be kicked hard before he could react. Looking up in terror, he saw that Qin Yang had somehow freed himself from the ropes and was staring down coldly at him.

“You—you!” the man stammered, shaking with fear. “If you touch me, I swear Tao Caijie won’t end well, you—”

Before he could finish, Qin Yang grabbed him and unleashed a ruthless beating, leaving him bruised and battered. When his anger had cooled somewhat, Qin Yang demanded icily, “Where are they?”

“If you hit me, I’m telling you, if I don’t get back, Tao Caijie won’t—” the thug wailed.

Infuriated, Qin Yang rummaged through the van for a knife. Under the man’s terrified gaze, he stabbed his thigh and twisted the blade. The man screamed like a slaughtered pig; Qin Yang then stabbed his other leg, creating another bloody wound. Only then did he dust off his hands, light a cigarette, and say, “Are you ready to talk? I’m only sparing you because you’re useful. Otherwise, you’d already be dead.”

“I’ll talk!” Faced with such merciless tactics, the thug trembled all over and painfully gave up the address. Then he begged pitifully for his life. Qin Yang spat, knocked him out, retrieved his jade pendant, and drove the van to the location he’d been given—a narrow, somewhat run-down alley that seemed to belong to another era.

In the darkness, the alley felt even more desolate, tinged with the faint scent of blood. Taking a deep breath, Qin Yang rolled his neck and strode in. The alley was thick with loitering thugs—some squatting and smoking, others bragging about their exploits. When they saw Qin Yang, dressed in a suit that made him look completely out of place, they sized him up like wolves eyeing a stray sheep.

He stopped at the entrance of a certain courtyard, confirmed it was the right address, and without hesitation kicked the door open. Inside, a dozen or more startled brutes jumped to their feet. Without a word, they rushed him, but Qin Yang felt no fear—he fought mercilessly, and every punch sent someone to the ground, wailing in pain.

“Where’s Tao Caijie?” After flattening all but one, Qin Yang grabbed the last man by the collar and demanded.

The man was petrified, unable to comprehend how over a dozen of them had been taken down in mere minutes. Qin Yang slapped him across the face, snapping him back to reality. Now the man looked at Qin Yang as if he were a demon, trembling uncontrollably. “Who—who are you?”

“So you’re the one who threatened me,” Qin Yang recognized his voice from the phone call and hauled him close. “Where are they?”

“I—I don’t know,” the man stuttered, shaking in terror.

“Looking for death, are you?”

Without another word, Qin Yang punched him in the throat. The man collapsed, and those lying on the ground heard a sickening crack, their souls half scared out of their bodies. To kill so casually? Everyone swallowed hard; some were so terrified they barely dared breathe.

“Huangjin Pavilion, Guo Jintao, Cao Long—you’ve got some nerve!”

Qin Yang’s eyes blazed with murderous intent, his fists cracking ominously.

The crowd of thugs gathered at the entrance scattered in terror as he emerged. To some, under the moonlight, the suited, merciless man seemed wreathed in black mist, more like a demon from hell than anything human.