At the same time, on the mountaintop platform.
Duan Shuce was debugging a small signal repeater, trying to increase the locator's reception range. Ning Xiwan, holding a telescope, aimlessly scanned the valley below and the outline of the distant villa.
Suddenly, the satellite encrypted phone in her pocket vibrated and made a special, extremely soft beep.
The relaxed look on Ning Xiwan's face froze instantly. She immediately pulled out her phone, and on the screen, a red triangle symbol flashed, indicating the highest level of alert.
Attached below was a coded message from Ye Qingliu: [In distress. Coordinates: XXXXX. Strong shielding interference. Do not move. Waiting for instructions.]
Duan Shuce also immediately noticed the change in Ning Xiwan's aura. He stopped what he was doing and cast a sharp gaze at her: "Wanwan?"
Ning Xiwan turned the phone screen towards him, and the usual bright smile on her face disappeared without a trace, leaving only a cold sharpness tempered under her quiet appearance.
Her voice was low but remarkably clear: "Qingliu is in trouble. His coordinates are at the water pool. He's sending the highest level of distress signal, and there's strong signal shielding and interference."
Duan Shuce's eyes behind the glasses suddenly became as sharp as a knife.
Without any hesitation, he immediately connected the locator in his hand to the repeater, and his fingers moved quickly on the screen to call up the coordinate points sent by Ye Qingliu. At the same time, he began to try to crack or bypass the interference source to track the signal.
"The interference source is very strong and has a limited coverage area, but it's very professional, like... a portable jammer." He analyzed rapidly, his brow furrowed.
"Can you locate them?" Ning Xiwan's voice was as cold as ice.
"He's in a shielded area, and conventional signals can't penetrate. But... I implanted an independent transmitter in his watch. If activated, perhaps..."
Duan Shuce's fingers left afterimages on the screen, and beads of sweat oozed from his forehead. It was obvious that he was performing high-intensity calculations and cracking.
“It takes time, and there’s a risk of backtracking.”
"Start it," Ning Xiwan said firmly. "I'll take the risk of positioning. Also, immediately synchronize the coordinates to the villa security department and the nearest police emergency center via an anonymous encrypted channel."
Content: Suspected kidnapping, targets Ye Qingliu, Chao Youye, and Mu Xinrong, coordinates XXXXX. Requesting immediate assistance.
Her instructions came one after another, clear, calm, and unquestionable, as if she had instantly switched from a climber to a commander in control of the overall situation.
"Understood." Duan Shuce didn't say anything, and his fingers moved faster. He also took out another encrypted phone and began to operate it according to Ning Xiwan's instructions, his eyes focused with terrifying concentration.
Ning Xiwan walked to the edge of the platform, raised the telescope again, and locked onto the area where the coordinate point was located, which was blocked by dense forests and mountains.
The sunlight fell on her quiet face, but it could not melt the cold solemnity.
The mountain breeze blew her ponytail, making a rustling sound.
At the end of the creek tracing, beside the turquoise pool, the tranquility and peace from ten minutes ago were gone.
Mu Xinrong and Chao Youye were roughly shoved and tied together back to back, with rough hemp ropes tightening around their wrists and ankles, and thick tape taped over their mouths.
Mu Xinrong stared ahead quietly, his eyes filled with surprise. Chao Youye, like an enraged trapped animal, stared at the two kidnappers, wearing dirty camouflage uniforms and cheap ski masks, holding steel pipes and with icy eyes.
His body was tense and his muscles were bulging. Every struggle made the rope rub against the heavy weight, which in turn resulted in more ferocious kicks and curses from the kidnappers.
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## Weekend team building? Gaoling Flower leads us...
"Damn it! Behave yourself!" A kidnapper cursed and kicked Chao Youye again, earning an even more ferocious glare from the other party.
The other kidnapper nervously looked around at the dense forest, his knuckles turning white as he clenched a steel pipe tightly in his hand. "Fuck! Why hasn't the third brother dealt with that pretty boy yet? What are you dawdling for?"
Their target, Ye Qingliu, was currently standing in a clearing in the woods a little distance from the pond.
He was still standing straight, his short black hair was a little messy and stained with grass debris. There was a fresh scratch on his forehead, and the blood that seeped out slid down his cold white skin, leaving a glaring red mark.
His coat was torn off, leaving him wearing only the black T-shirt underneath, which outlined his thin yet powerful shoulders and back.
A kidnapper with a larger build and wearing the same cheap mask (obviously the leader, "Old Three") was using a thick steel pipe to press hard against Ye Qingliu's chin, forcing him to raise his head.
The cold metallic feel of the steel pipe and its immense force caused pain in his jaw.
"Young Master!" The kidnapper leader's voice came through the mask, with a greedy hoarseness and forced ferocity, and his saliva almost sprayed on Ye Qingliu's face.
"Look carefully at what happened to your friend! Be smart! Call your family right now! Tell your awesome Ye family to prepare a billion! In cash! Non-consecutive numbers! Old bills! If you dare to play tricks..."
He suddenly moved the steel pipe down and hit Ye Qingliu's collarbone hard. The severe pain made Ye Qingliu's body shake, but he immediately stabilized himself, just groaned and clenched his teeth.
"Otherwise," the kidnapper leader pointed at Chao Youye and Mu Xinrong who were tied up tightly with a steel pipe, then pointed at Ye Qingliu's face, his voice suddenly rising with a crazy threat.
"I'm going to destroy them first! Then I'm going to chop your pretty face into pieces! Do you hear me?!"
Ye Qingliu was forced to tilt his head back, his gray-blue eyes narrowed slightly due to the severe pain in his jaw and collarbone, and his thick eyelashes cast a small shadow under his eyes.
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