Chapter 217 The Kidnapper's Call

At the same time, Si Yanxiao stepped on the gas and sped off towards the kidnappers' location.

His brows were furrowed, his eyes were filled with gloom, and a terrifying chill enveloped him. He stared intently ahead, his expression unpredictable.

The location indicated that it was in a very remote area in the west of the city. Upon arrival, what came into view was a ruin, with several abandoned warehouses nearby.

Seeing the mess before him, Si Yanxiao's face turned cold, a cold glint flashed in his eyes, and he stopped walking and headed straight for the warehouse.

The warehouse door lock had clearly been maliciously damaged, with the padlock carelessly tossed aside. Upon seeing this, Si Yanxiao's expression changed, confirming that Bai Zhuwei was indeed there.

"Bang--"

Si Yanxiao kicked the door open, but the warehouse was already empty; there was no sign of the kidnappers.

It was obvious that they had moved the people in advance, and I arrived too late and found nothing.

Seeing this, Si Yanxiao glanced around and finally fixed his gaze on the ropes and a small piece of bread scattered on the ground.

As I stepped closer, a glint in my eye caught a coin under the bread slice, and I quickly picked it up.

This must be the clue that Zhu Wei left for herself, proving that she had been here before.

But why hide it under the bread cubes...?

Si Yanxiao frowned slightly, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes, and he couldn't help but wonder to himself.

Unconsciously stroking the coin in my hand, I suddenly felt something uneven.

Looking down closely, one could see a clear scratch on one side of the coin, like a continuous scratch on the ground.

A look of confusion flashed across Si Yanxiao's face, but it was only for a moment before a flash of inspiration struck him, and he instantly understood her deeper meaning.

He quickly looked down and glanced around. His eyes flashed, and he suddenly noticed a faint scratch on the ground not far from the rope.

Si Yanxiao was startled and quickly walked closer to look. He saw that the scratch on the cement floor was very shallow, with a faint mark of the character "氵" (water radical).

Could this be the clue she left for herself?

Upon considering this possibility, Si Yanxiao's pupils suddenly contracted, but what exactly did this mark, which couldn't even be considered a word, mean?

Si Yanxiao looked puzzled, his brows furrowed as he stared at the scratch, his mind filled with a myriad of thoughts.

Why would she think of leaving such a mark? Does it indicate the location of the transfer or the person who kidnapped her?

If it refers to a person, could it be... that she knows them?!

Thinking of this, Si Yanxiao lowered his eyes and looked carefully at the logo.

Who is associated with the character "氵" (water radical)?

Then he went through the names of all the enemies he knew in his mind, but still couldn't find a match.

Just when I thought the trail had gone cold, a name suddenly flashed through my mind, clearly visible.

Jiang Ran!

Si Yanxiao's expression suddenly changed, as if his thoughts had suddenly been cleared.

Jiang Ran's name contains the water radical (氵). Zhu Wei leaving this mark likely means she knew the inside story, but left suddenly, only having time to leave behind a radical of her name.

Very few people knew about finding Bai Zhuwei, but Jiang Ran happened to be one of them.

Although the news of Bai Zhuwei leaving the hospital was promptly kept secret from outsiders, Jiang Ran might not know it.

Furthermore, Bai Zhuwei poses the greatest threat to Jiang Ran, so by carefully piecing together the clues, all the evidence points to Jiang Ran.

She is indeed the most likely culprit to kidnap Bai Zhuwei!

Thinking of this, Si Yanxiao's expression gradually became more and more gloomy. He took photos of the evidence on the ground and collected them, then turned around and walked out of the warehouse.

As darkness fell, Si Yanxiao, sitting in the driver's seat, looked up into the distance, his brows furrowed. Then, he floored the accelerator, and the car sped away like an arrow.

Throughout the journey, Si Yanxiao's expression was grim, his eyes filled with coldness, and the idea that Jiang Ran was the mastermind behind the murder gradually took root in his heart.

A chill ran through them. If it really was Jiang Ran who did it, then her disguise was far too convincing, keeping them all in the dark.

Si Yanxiao's mind was racing, and his eyes grew even colder.

Unable to suppress his doubts, he suddenly turned the steering wheel and drove quickly to the villa.

Upon arriving at the villa, without even parking the car properly, they rushed upstairs to Jiang Ran's room, pushed open the door, and found it empty.

His brow furrowed suddenly. Just then, a servant passed by. Si Yanxiao reached into the room and asked in a cold voice, "Where is she?"

The maid was taken aback by Si Yanxiao's question. She paused for a moment, then realized that he was referring to Jiang Ran. She lowered her eyes slightly and quickly replied in a low voice.

"Madam left early this morning and hasn't returned yet."

Upon hearing this, Si Yanxiao's expression suddenly turned cold: "Go out?"

He paused slightly, then asked in a deep voice, "Where did you go?"

"I'm not too sure about that either. We never ask about Madam's whereabouts when she goes out." The maid lowered her head slightly, and seeing Si Yanxiao's displeased expression, a sense of fear rose in her heart.

Upon hearing this, Si Yanxiao frowned slightly, then waved to her. The maid immediately understood, gave a soft reply, and turned to leave.

She's right, Jiang Ran doesn't need to report to them before leaving.

But isn't this all too coincidental in this situation?

Thinking of this, Si Yanxiao's eyes suddenly sharpened, and his suspicions about Jiang Ran's criminal motives increased even more.

Just as he was lost in thought, his phone rang abruptly.

Si Yanxiao looked down and saw that the caller ID showed a virtual phone number, obviously indicating that the call was being made using software.

Seeing this, Si Yanxiao's expression turned cold, and he vaguely made up his mind before swiping to answer the call.

"Were you disappointed by the trip to the suburban warehouse?" A hoarse male voice suddenly came through the receiver, clearly processed with a voice changer.

Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Si Yanxiao's eyes. He had gone to the outskirts of the city to rescue people because of the time constraints, and he hadn't even told Gu Nan.

How could he know?

Unless his every move is under his surveillance...

Thinking of this, Si Yanxiao's eyes darkened, and he said coldly, "Did you kidnap Zhu Wei?"

Although it was a question, he used an affirmative tone, clearly indicating that he had already guessed the caller's identity.

Before the other person could reply, Si Yanxiao spoke again, coldly questioning, "Who are you? If you have something to say, come at me directly. Why make things difficult for the people around me!"

Upon hearing this, the person opposite him suddenly let out a cold laugh, then slowly said, "Going after you? Ha..."

"That's pointless. With such tight security around you, why should we make things difficult for ourselves?"

Upon hearing this, Si Yanxiao's expression hardened. Just as he was about to speak, the person opposite him spoke again: "Actually, it's not impossible for you to save this Miss Bai..."

As he spoke, he paused slightly, his eyes narrowing slightly. He pursed his lips and forced himself to remain calm as he asked, "What are the conditions?"

He dared not appear too eager; this war was an invisible battle, and the slightest misstep would put him at a disadvantage.

The person opposite him chuckled coldly, his tone slightly somber, and replied slowly, "It's simple, exchange Jiang Ran for her."

Upon hearing this, Si Yanxiao originally thought he would take the opportunity to rob him, but he didn't expect him to make such a request.

His gaze darkened, his face instantly turning grim, and he replied in a cold voice, "Impossible!"

"Huh?" Seeing Si Yanxiao's decisive refusal, the man raised an eyebrow and said sarcastically, "Aren't you going to reconsider?"

"I'd like to see what you'd choose between responsibility and your old love. One for one, it's fair."

As the two sides confronted each other, Si Yanxiao failed to notice that a figure in the shadows, upon vaguely hearing those words, changed his expression and hurriedly ran away.

Si Youlin was just passing by by chance when he heard Si Yanxiao asking about Jiang Ran's whereabouts. He paused slightly as he was about to step out, thinking that their relationship had eased a little. But he didn't expect to hear such an unexpected thing.

Bai Zhuwei has been kidnapped?!

More importantly, judging from the words of the kidnappers on the other side, they actually wanted to exchange Jiang Ran for her.

How is that possible?!

But then I thought about it again, Bai Zhuwei is of great significance to my father, so he might very well agree...

Hearing the sarcasm in his words, Si Yanxiao's eyes darkened, a sinister glint flashing across his face. He retorted coldly, "You think you can control me just by capturing Zhu Wei?"

"I have no right to decide Jiang Ran's fate, and I will never put an innocent person in danger. I advise you to give up on this idea as soon as possible!"

He paused slightly as he spoke, a cold glint flashing across his lips, before a look of disdain crossed his face, and he spoke in a cold voice.

"But you did say something quite right."