Captured
Three weeks is not a short time; it's enough to accomplish a great deal.
But those three weeks still went by too quickly for Steve.
For the next three weeks, he didn't have to do anything; everything about the mission was taken care of. He was the bait; all he had to do was offer himself up.
He doesn't even need to train like Chen Jiu, since his mission is to be captured by mistake.
He needs to portray the character well, who becomes arrogant and neglects training after becoming Chen Chao's partner, resulting in a decline in his skills.
For the past three weeks, he has been getting up early to cook for Chen Chao and taking him to work. During the day, when he has nothing to do, he goes racing cars, tastes fine wines, and plays golf.
The capital city of Gailal has countless places where you can legally spend money and enjoy yourself.
He can afford all his expenses by using Chen Chao's credit card.
Chen Chao would take him to dinner parties after get off work, openly displaying their relationship in high society and showing his love for him.
In just a few days, the upper class knew that Chen Chao had a steady partner and that Chen Chao doted on him.
On weekends, Chen Chao also unusually started going to luxury shopping malls and lingering in the VIP rooms of luxury brands.
He took Steve with him and spent money like water.
Rumors spread like wildfire throughout the capital region. Even Landpopov couldn't help but message Chen Chao, asking what had gotten into him, how he seemed like a completely different person when it came to dating.
Chen Chao only replied with three words to Lande: He deserves it.
Land felt like he'd been slapped in the face with a piece of dog blood, and was so angry that he ignored Chen Chao for three days.
As Chen Chao's doting became increasingly blatant, Chen Fei finally couldn't stand it anymore. He summoned Chen Chao back to the main residence, but Chen Chao was seen leaving in a huff an hour and a half after returning home.
The next day, Chen Fei signed the minister's order, sending Steve to Migal to carry out the mission.
Everyone felt that Chen Fei was teaching Chen Chao a lesson and giving him a reminder.
On the last night of the third week, Chen Chao and Steve embraced each other tightly in the bedroom, like fish out of water.
Their bedroom was almost exactly the same as it had been three weeks ago, not even a single extra piece of clothing. All the unopened luxury items were piled up in the basement.
Chen Chao kissed every inch of Steve's skin tenderly, and Steve's gaze followed Chen Chao for even half a second.
They couldn't bear to part with it.
But they were destined to part ways.
In the afterglow of the climax, Steve leaned against Chen Chao's chest, his eyes filled with longing and reluctance.
"Boss, I don't want to leave you."
These past three weeks have felt like a dream. Though it was all acting, it was also genuine. During these days, he felt like he was on a high-concentration drug, as if he were floating on clouds.
Chen Chao couldn't help but hold Steve even tighter. He didn't say anything, but kept kissing Steve's eyes and lips, over and over again without stopping.
"Lin Yu, remember, you're with me." After what seemed like an eternity, Chen Chao finally appeared to have kissed enough. He took Steve's hand and placed it on his chest, the place where he could clearly feel his heart pounding hotly.
"Boss, am I yours?" Steve looked at Chen Chao, praying for light before setting off for hell.
"You will always be mine, no one can take you away, not even yourself." A domineering declaration, a steadfast belief.
"Yes, boss." The divine oracle has been given, and the believers are about to head to the battlefield.
"Come back for me."
"I definitely will."
The next day, Agent Z0002 smuggled himself into the country of Migal. He was tasked with escorting a scientist in a sensitive field back home.
But he was suddenly shot at while escorting the scientists to the dock. He abandoned the car and led the scientists to fight his way out, but was eventually outnumbered and captured at the dock.
He suffered a back and abdominal injury and lost consciousness due to blood loss.
When he woke up, he heard the sound of chains, saw the cold cell, and saw Song Zifeng's face.
Steve's hands were chained upwards, and his lower body was locked to the ground in a kneeling position. This is not a professional torture posture. Professional torturers would hang a person so that only their toes could barely touch the ground, in order to quickly wear down the subject's physical strength and will.
It seems that Song Zifeng prefers prisoners to maintain a posture of submission.
Steve glanced at his side; the wound had been treated, and the stitches were very fine.
"As expected of Young Master Song, he is so meticulous in treating the prisoner's wounds."
Song Zifeng noticed Steve's sudden change in expression, not only because of the now rather sarcastic "Young Master Song," but also because of Steve's condescending and contemptuous tone.
Who is kneeling now?
"Do you think Chen Chao will come to save you?" Song Zifeng stepped forward, slowly tracing the surface of Steve's bare upper body with his toes, finally stopping at his chest. There was a tattoo there, bearing the words "Chen Chao."
This was the day Chen Chao gave the order, the afternoon they went to assassinate him. That day, he desperately wanted Chen Chao to possess him completely, so he chose to leave Chen Chao's mark on his heart.
At the time, Chen Chao was worried that doing so would further provoke Song Zifeng and put him in an even more miserable situation.
But he didn't care.
Whether hell is in the sixteenth or eighteenth level makes no difference to him, but this mark will give him the courage to endure hell.
That day, Chen Chao also tattooed a name on his heart. His name was Lin Yu.
He belongs to Chenchao, but Chenchao also belongs to him.
This realization brought him immense peace of mind and strengthened his resolve to consciously step into hell.
“Young Master Song, I am a special agent, a expendable resource. If you are planning to use me for anything, I advise you to give up now.” Steve’s voice was cold. Although he was kneeling and locked on the ground, his upper body was straight, and there was no sign of backing down in his eyes as he looked at Song Zifeng.
Steve is a docile sheep in front of Chen Chao, but he is a tough and arrogant figure in front of everyone else.
He is a top-notch agent, possessing his own unique resilience and composure.
The pride ingrained in their bones is the strength that allows them to never regret a single step in the face of hardship.
"Is that so? That's a pity." Song Zifeng looked down at him, his eyes icy. "But as your bedmate, you should know something that others don't. Give me information that can bring down Chen Chao, and I'll let you go."
Steve looked up at Song Zifeng, but his eyes showed no fear or caution befitting someone in a lower position. Instead, his bright eyes shone with clear contempt and disdain.
"I'm sorry, no."
"Slap!" Song Zifeng slapped Steve hard across the face. "Like father, like son! You'd better keep your mouth shut!"
Fine droplets of blood were carried into the air by the sharp tip of the whip, dispersing into a hazy blood mist. Suppressed groans echoed dully in the cramped cell, and the heavy breathing was filled with the stench of blood.
Steve exhaled a mouthful of metallic taste from his throat, his eyes still sharp and unyielding as he looked at Song Zifeng.
"What kind of mind-altering drug did Chen Chao give you?" Song Zifeng was furious and kicked Steve in the groin.
The intense pain made Steve tremble all over. He wanted to speak, but the pain prevented him from uttering a word.
Cold sweat dripped down his hair, pooling on the ground to form a sizable puddle.
Song Zifeng looked down at him, her tone icy: "Let's see how long you can last!"
The footsteps faded into the distance as Song Zifeng and his thugs left the cell. Steve finally got a moment to catch his breath.
Exhausted, he pressed his entire weight onto the chains binding him and gently closed his eyes. Between heavy breaths, he repeatedly recalled Chen Chao's tender kisses, trying to forget the pain in his body.
He knew the road ahead was long, and he needed to find a way to hold on for as long as possible.
He was the bait, but they were never really after Song Zifeng. Song Zifeng was just a stepping stone; everything they were doing now was merely an appetizer.
The real ordeal is yet to come.
Song Zifeng hadn't expected that capturing Steve would provoke Chen Chao's fury. He thought Chen Chao would at most send someone to rescue him, and with a hostage in hand, they could at least negotiate some terms. But Chen Chao did nothing.
Chen Chao directly revealed evidence of his drug trafficking crimes in China, as well as evidence that he accepted bribes to arrange for his people to monopolize the supply of primary school lunches, withhold meal allowances, and supply expired food to primary school students.
The incident caused an uproar.
Song Zifeng resented being kicked out of the core circle by Chen Chao and destined to a life of mediocrity in a foreign land, so he never had a moment of peace after going abroad.
His exile by the Song family was not publicly announced, and many scholars, unaware of the true situation, still believed he was Young Master Song and thought he was simply on vacation abroad. Meanwhile, he continued to use the guise of Young Master Song to act as a go-between for the Kingdom of Migal, continuously encouraging top scholars to betray their homeland and serve Migal. He used this to gain political leverage and secure Migal's protection.
Chen Chao discovered this, but he was not going to stop a single incident; he wanted to uproot it completely.
Just as public opinion surrounding the school lunch controversy reached its peak, Nutag dropped an even bigger bombshell: Song Zifeng had arranged for underage girls to accompany him for sexual services. Along with releasing the evidence, Nutag issued a statement accusing Migal of providing political asylum to Song Zifeng for harming children, and urging Migal to act justly and make the right choice.
If drug trafficking is not a big deal to the people of Migal, then child abuse is a red line for most people in the world.
Moreover, Migal is a democratically elected country, and politicians there care about votes.
Migal's asylum of Song Zifeng was solely to extract the last bit of value from him, not out of any genuine affection. Now, with Nutag's actions, the political risks Song Zifeng has brought far outweigh the rewards.
No one was willing to protect him anymore.
Nutag and Migal do not have an extradition treaty, but as long as Migal withdraws his asylum, Nutag will naturally have a way to quietly get rid of Song Zifeng.
Nutag knew this, Migal knew this, and Song Zifeng knew it even better.
Song Zifeng vented all his anger on Steve. He stopped using thugs and started punching and kicking Steve himself. Steve's face was swollen to the size of half a fist, and he had difficulty speaking. He was either unconscious or being tortured while fully conscious every day, but after several days, the look in his eyes when he looked at Song Zifeng remained as cold and disdainful as a knife.
Song Zifeng was forced by Chen Chao to start saving himself.
He had originally thought that even if capturing Steve couldn't bring down Chen Chao, he could at least extract some information to sell to Migal and prolong his life. But to his surprise, he couldn't get anything out of Steve.
He was forced to reveal all his cards to Migal in exchange for a chance to survive.
This was the moment Chen Chao had been waiting for.
He wanted to push Song Zifeng to the brink, see through all of Song Zifeng's tricks, and know who Song Zifeng would contact in his despair.
Who exactly are the people Song Zifeng considers to be bargaining chips in a deal with Migal?
Those on Song Zifeng's list will be removed from Nutag's national plan.
Those who are exceptionally talented and have no connection with Song Zifeng will be invited back to China through various channels in the future, so that they can bring back the skills they learned in Migal to serve their country.
From the moment Steve was captured, Song Zifeng's every move was completely under the surveillance of Te'an. Every phone call he made and every message he sent was transparent to Te'an.
For this mission, the Special Security Service dispatched a total of 10 Z-class agents, an unprecedentedly high level of deployment.
The place where Song Zifeng was holding Steve was so poorly guarded, in Chen Jiu's eyes, that it was as weak as his own backyard. He could rescue Steve at any time, but he couldn't at the moment.
Steve deliberately let Song Zifeng know that he was going to Migal to carry out a mission, and deliberately chose a scientist who was on good terms with Song Zifeng as the escort, all in order to leak the escort route to Song Zifeng and make Song Zifeng take action against Steve because of his hatred for Chen Chao.
But their target was never just Song Zifeng.
They wanted to use Song Zifeng to send Steve to Karim in a reasonable and unsuspecting way.
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