Chapter 38 Rolling Stone Mountain can only be forced through; requesting reinforcements.
Jiang Xiliu glanced at the pinhole-sized camera a few times, then her back slumped heavily against the cave wall. She couldn't help but curse inwardly: "Is Assistant Liao out of his mind? Why would he put a surveillance camera in a cave in the middle of nowhere?!"
To leave or not to leave?
A sense of wishful thinking resurfaced: Could she be so unlucky as to be discovered after only appearing on the surveillance footage for a few dozen seconds?
Jiang Xiliu closed her eyes tightly and hesitated for a full half minute.
Exhausted, she put the seemingly sweetest fruit into her mouth, only to be quickly overwhelmed by its sour and astringent taste, causing her to spit it out in shock. The fruit's unpleasant taste also jolted her weary mind awake.
Why does everyone bully her? Jiang Xiliu stepped on the innocent fruit corpse, bent down and crawled out of the cave.
The sky had changed from pure deep black to inky blue.
At this time, walking around in the mountains is much more likely to attract attention than hiding in a cave.
"System, do you think I should leave or not?" Jiang Xiliu really didn't believe in her luck, so she poked the little ball of light in her mind.
[Even System 0777, who was singled out, hesitated to offer advice, saying, "Um... Miss, do you want to leave or not?"]
Jiang Xiliu tugged at her loose hair tie and retied her hair: "Of course I don't want to leave."
This cave is just big enough for her to sleep in; it's better to be cozy here than to be outside in fear.
[System 0777 paused for two seconds, then mustered its courage: Then I think... how about choosing the option opposite to yours?]
Jiang Xiliu:......
Jiang Xiliu also thought that the artificial intelligence made some sense, so she randomly chose a direction that looked pleasing to the eye and walked in it. She hadn't gone far when she realized that something was wrong.
Why do the flashlight beams that were scattered everywhere seem to be converging here? Are they getting closer and closer?
Clearly, Jiang Xiliu was just that unlucky to be caught on camera and discovered.
Jiang Xiliu acted before her brain could. She quickly found a relatively thick tree and, ignoring the pain from the bark rubbing against her hands, began to climb it using both her hands and feet.
It's too late to run back.
Even if they run back, they'll most likely be trapped like turtles in a jar.
"Is it really here? It didn't run away, did it?"
"Just follow orders, why ask so many questions?"
...
Jiang Xiliu found a fork in the road and huddled there, her back pressed against the branch, not daring to move or even look down.
The flashlight beam seemed to sweep across her for a moment, but it was fleeting and quickly moved away.
"It doesn't feel like anyone's here."
"Keep searching, don't miss any place."
The two people below seemed unaware of what was happening. After pausing for a few seconds under the tree, the sound gradually faded into the distance.
Just as Jiang Xiliu was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she suddenly heard a soft "crack" sound, like a tree branch being broken.
Wait, was the branch broken by being stepped on or by being crushed?
In order to hide, Jiang Xiliu climbed almost to the top of the tree.
The leaves at the top were so dense that they could cover a person, but the branches were also pitifully thin. When she pressed herself against them, she began to tremble slightly, and even small cracks appeared.
Jiang Xiliu stared wide-eyed as she watched the crack gradually widen, and she slowly moved to a branch to the side.
With a crisp crack, the branch, unable to hold on any longer, snapped completely.
When Jiang Xiliu heard the sound, she hurriedly grabbed another branch, but that one was thinner and only lasted for a second before falling down with her.
Jiang Xiliu's mind went blank. She didn't have time to think about anything. She subconsciously closed her eyes and protected her head.
The imagined pain did not occur; instead, I was met with a cold, unfamiliar embrace.
Jiang Xiliu slowly opened her eyes. The face of Liao Zhu, whom she had just scolded hundreds of times, was close to hers. His expression was very tense, and he looked frightened by her.
Liao Junqi's arm was numb from the impact, but he still held her tightly. His voice was a little hoarse: "Miss, don't climb so high next time. If I had arrived a moment later—"
A crisp "slap" echoed through the quiet, desolate mountains.
Liao Junqi's face was slapped to the side.
Jiang Xiliu's hand was still raised, as if she wanted to slap her a second time. She had been starving for several days and was so weak that her voice was feeble. But this slap was delivered with all her strength: "Without you, I would never have gone through any of this."
Liao Junqi slowly turned his head, grabbed her raised hand, and pulled it back into his arms.
He sighed, his voice as gentle and tolerant as ever: "It's clearly because the young lady isn't obedient."
He held her struggling hands and carried her steadily up the mountain: "Miss, you should trust me. We've been together for almost ten years, haven't we? From ten years ago until now, I've always been your most reliable helper."
Liao Zhu was indeed the same person in the past, but what about now?
Jiang Xiliu glared at his chin: "Bastard, you dare to challenge me?"
She struggled a few times, but her arms were too weak to move. She realized that she was not in a position to fight back against Liao Zhu, so she had to grit her teeth and give up for the time being to conserve her strength.
"If I'm not worthy, then who is?" Liao Junqi paused, thinking of the surveillance footage he'd seen yesterday. His brows furrowed, and the gentle smile that usually graced his face vanished. "Mr. Jin Zhao?"
When Jiang Xiliu heard him mention Jin Zhao, the corners of her lips suddenly curled up, but there was no smile in her eyes: "Ah, I had forgotten if you hadn't mentioned it. You were a penniless wretch just like him, but you were luckier than him because my father took you in and started supporting you. I always thought he was an ingrate, but now it seems that the real ingrate is someone else."
Liao Junqi asked her softly, "Is she luckier than him?"
If he was better off than Jin Zhao, why wasn't he the one Jiang Xiliu kissed on tiptoe?
He stood behind her for ten years, and all he ever got was to be bossed around as a matter of course. In those ten years, she never saw him as a man, did she?
Jiang Xiliu was furious when she heard his question: "How lucky do you want to be? My dad used the best resources to raise you. In the entire company, besides me, who dares to disobey you? If it weren't for my dad, even if you were at the top of everything now, so what? Could you have reached such a high position and earned so much money before the age of thirty?"
Her voice trembled with anger: "You're holding me hostage for some pittance from someone else? You're the one who's truly out of your mind!"
Liao Junqi didn't refute her, nor was he angry at being scolded. He simply carried her around the guarded area and instead of entering the abandoned factory where she had been imprisoned, they took a more secluded road.
After walking for a while, he chuckled, as if laughing at her naivety: "I'm not doing this for the money."
Jiang Xiliu's heart sank upon hearing this.
On her escape, she had already considered many possible reasons for Liao Zhu's betrayal. To be honest, she didn't think Liao Zhu did it for money.
But after thinking it over, the best reason for his betrayal was that he was after money. If it was for any other reason, Jiang Xiliu didn't know if he could go back unscathed.
"Then what is it for?" Jiang Xiliu wanted to find out.
Liao Junqi said in a low voice, "You'll find out soon enough."
Liao Junqi took her to that cliff.
It's the spot where Jiang Xiliu and Jin Zhao jumped down together. Unexpectedly, after all the twists and turns, Jiang Xiliu ended up back here again.
Is Jin Zhao still down there?
Jiang Xiliu didn't know, nor did she have the energy to think about this question.
—On the cliff there was a very heavy-looking iron chair, its corners welded to the rock. On the chair were several bundles of thick hemp rope and a bag, which was full of stuff, but it was unclear what was inside.
Directly in front of the chair, a professional camera was mounted, and the bespectacled man she had kicked unconscious that day was squatting there adjusting the angle.
Jiang Xiliu suddenly remembered what the tall, blond guy had said. So, what kind of video was Assistant Liao going to film for her?
Many scenes flashed through her mind, none of them respectable.
Jiang Xiliu suddenly began to struggle violently. Liao Junqi did not expect her to move and staggered, almost falling to the ground.
Liao Junqi's face instantly turned somewhat gloomy. Why couldn't they trust him? Why couldn't they cooperate obediently?
He gripped her waist tighter: "Do you think this is your home? What if you roll around on the floor and get hurt?"
Liao Ting adjusted the camera angle and was about to tie someone up with a rope when he heard Liao Junqi's words.
Liao Ting: ...Should he tie this rope or not?
"Are you out of your mind?" Jiang Xiliu was placed on the cold iron chair. She struggled to get up, cursing incessantly, "Ungrateful wretch! Bastard! I advise you to let me go right now, otherwise I— um—"
Before she could finish speaking, Liao Ting swiftly stuffed a pre-prepared white cloth into Jiang Xiliu's mouth, silencing him completely. He was afraid that his brother would actually be persuaded.
After finishing, he clapped his hands innocently and looked up at Liao Junqi: "Brother, shall we begin?"
Liao Junqi didn't respond. He squatted down, ran his fingers over the ropes binding Jiang Xiliu to make sure they weren't too tight, and then looked up at Liao Ting and said, "Begin."
The red light on the camera turned on.
Liao Ting walked behind the camera, lit a cigarette, and put it in his mouth. The smoke swirled around him, blurring his expression.
Liao Junqi's voice rang out from behind Jiang Xiliu.
"President Jiang, do you still remember 'Project Thirteen'? You should remember it well, right? After all, it was this project that doubled the size of the company back then."
"Project No. 13 was indeed extremely profitable. President Jiang had a good eye and was ruthless enough. In the early stages of the project, the construction site collapsed once, killing so many workers. Thanks to President Jiang's generous compensation, each company received one million yuan. The news was kept under tight control and was not even reported on the news."
Jiang Xiliu remained seated, staring directly at Liao Ting, who was smoking behind the camera opposite her.
But how could that be? How could her father do such a thing?
The Jiang family didn't just become wealthy in the last few years; their wealth has been passed down from generation to generation. Why would they risk human lives to earn money they already have?
Liao Junqi placed his hand on Jiang Xiliu's shoulder.
The force was so strong that she could hardly breathe.
“The group of people from back then died too cleanly. The compensation you gave was divided up by another group of brothers and sisters who were somewhat related by blood. Those people took the money, but none of them wanted to take responsibility. The children left behind by that group were left like garbage, guarding their gradually rotting corpses and waiting to die.”
“At that time, I was the oldest among those children. I knew that hiding at home and waiting was useless, so I started to frequently appear at the entrance of the construction site to wait for you.”
“I’ve delivered meals to my parents a few times before. The gatekeeper at the construction site has seen me and kindly didn’t chase me away. I’m grateful to them. Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to meet you, nor would I have had the opportunity to be taken away by you.”
"You must be wondering why I would follow you even though I hate you so much."
"Because I need money, justice is in people's hearts, and it's no use for me to fight anymore. At most, I can only get a perfunctory apology. I know it's useless, so I followed you. I barely managed to support those children who suddenly became orphans with the little money that peeked out from between your fingers."
“Taking the young lady away was not my intention.” Liao Junqi squatted down for a moment, gently brushing the stray hairs behind Jiang Xiliu’s ear with his fingers. His movements were so gentle as if he were comforting her, but he said, “I just wanted you to experience what it feels like to lose a loved one.”
Jiang Xiliu's hands, feet, and body were all bound by ropes. She knew very well that things had now turned into the worst possible situation.
She looked up at Assistant Liao.
His eyes were unusually red, and thinking about it, it made sense. After suppressing his hatred for so many years, hiding in his enemy's house, watching his enemies live such glamorous lives, who could feel good about it?
"By the way," Liao Junqi straightened up, looked at the camera, and said calmly, "If President Jiang wants to save your daughter, he should first show some sincerity."
“For example, you abandoned the Linjiang project. Someone like you shouldn’t touch a second ‘Thirteenth Project’.”
System 0777 trembled in her mind: "Young Miss, is it because of the Linjiang project that the next plot point will be brought forward? This wasn't mentioned in the original plot; I have to report it to the main system."
We need to hurry up and get the main system to uphold justice, otherwise, if its young mistress dies, it will also have to go into hibernation.
Jiang Xiliu had no time to pay attention to it; the white cloth stuffed in her mouth only allowed her to mumble a few sounds: "Mmm mmm mmm!" She couldn't give up!
The red light on the camera has been turned off.
Liao Junqi removed the white cloth from her lips and wiped them clean with his fingertips: "Let's go."
"Go to hell, Assistant Liao! You know perfectly well how many sleepless nights our team has worked on this project. Your one sentence, 'give up,' has caused so many people to lose their bonuses and made all their hard work go to waste!"
Jiang Xiliu's hands and feet were still bound, and she could only let Liao Junqi pick her up horizontally, keeping her body straight to show her resistance.
"Xiao Luo's wife is about to give birth. Didn't he say before that he would book a better postpartum care center for his wife after receiving the bonus? The youngest guy in the group, Liu something-or-other, his father was diagnosed with cancer recently. Although the company provided a care fund, it doesn't cover all the medical expenses at all. This bonus is a life-saving fund for him; and—"
Liao Junqi suddenly lowered his head, his warm breath brushing against her face. He wanted to cover her mouth, but in the end he didn't move. He just looked at her restrainedly and asked in a hoarse voice, "What about me?"
"Go to hell!" Jiang Xiliu said without thinking, her eyes filled with disgust for him, which pierced Liao Junqi's heart.
"What's my name? Do you remember it?"
"..."
Seeing her silence, Liao Junqi chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Well done, Miss. Remember, my parents named me Liao Junqi."
"...I won't remember! Why should I remember a kidnapper's name?! Get lost."
at the same time.
In the conference room of Liucheng Public Security Bureau, Jiang Fuhuai had just taken a sip of hot tea when his phone vibrated.
He received a video from Liao Junqi.
Jiang Fuhuai didn't even open the phone before handing it directly to the police officer opposite him, saying with a grim expression, "The kidnappers just sent me a video."
Although the Jiang family's base of operations is not in Liucheng, they have many subsidiaries here and can be considered a major taxpayer in the area.
If news were to spread that his heir had been kidnapped, the social impact would be extremely negative.
Therefore, the case was marked as "top priority" and directly handed over to the special task force.
Team leader Yang handed his phone to the technical investigators.
He looked up at Jiang Fuhuai and sighed inwardly: Most victims' families would have been panicking by now, some even afraid the kidnappers would kill them, and wouldn't dare tell the police. But Jiang Fuhuai remained calm throughout, answering all questions and handing over any suspicious clues to the police first.
The technical investigators immediately took the phone and projected the video onto the large screen in the conference room.
When the video started playing, the entire task force stopped what they were doing and looked at the screen.
Almost as soon as Liao Junqi opened his mouth, everyone's expression turned grim.
Kidnapping out of hatred is much more dangerous than kidnapping out of money, and Jiang Xiliu's condition in the video doesn't look good either, clearly indicating that she has been abused.
After reading it through, Team Leader Yang of the task force first looked at Jiang Fuhuai, who appeared calm and composed: "If what the kidnappers said is true, our operation plan may need to be revised."
The "Project No. 13" back then was praised by the higher-ups. Although the project did not take place in Liucheng, Team Leader Yang had heard of it.
Jiang Fuhuai stared at the video that had started playing automatically again. He frowned and remained silent for a while before speaking: "The events of that year were not as he described."
He looked up at Team Leader Yang, a hint of helplessness in his eyes: "This matter involves too many things, I can't tell you directly. If you want to know, you may have to ask your superiors."
"Higher up?" Team Leader Yang sensed something unusual and tentatively asked, "How much higher up?"
Jiang Fuhuai's gaze returned to his daughter in the video, and he said, "At the very top."
Ten years ago, the "Tiger Hunting Operation" at the top was just as famous as "Project Thirteen".
The company that initially won the bid for "Project No. 13" was not Jiang's, but another shell company called Red Top Construction.
The backer of this shell company was a high-ranking official who was exposed during the "anti-corruption campaign" years ago.
The reason this "tiger" was discovered and arrested was because the Red-Top Construction Company was insatiably greedy in "Project No. 13". The protective equipment for workers on site was practically non-existent, and even the safety helmets worn by the workers were of such poor quality that they could be easily broken by hand.
Less than half a month after the project started, a landslide occurred at the construction site, and almost all the workers who were working on site at the time survived.
What's even more outrageous is that, in order to save money, this red-roofed building didn't hire professional workers at all, but rather a young couple renting nearby, paying them only half the market rate and frequently delaying their wages.
After the incident, the person in charge of the red-top construction company was so frightened that he absconded with the money, leaving behind dozens of corpses and a group of wailing family members.
Back then, the media wasn't as developed as it is now, and fearing it would cause panic, the authorities immediately blocked the news and sent a special task force to investigate. Although they eventually caught the "tiger," so many lives couldn't be saved.
At that time, the Jiang family was the only company capable of and willing to take on "Project Thirteen".
The higher-ups also did not want this matter to escalate further; they hoped to continue this project, which should have been a "win-win-win" situation.
The final plan was to block news of the landslide and erase all traces of the red-roofed buildings, with the Jiang family paying the full amount of compensation, up to the maximum limit.
Jiang Fuhuai still remembers that he personally led people to deliver the money to each household back then.
He feared that when the money was distributed from the top down, someone might have designs on the compensation, and it would end up being half the amount received by the victims.
He and his subordinates went door-to-door, knocking on doors to give money.
Some of the victims' families regarded Jiang Fuhuai as a murderer. They were very careful when they received the money, but after they hid it, they rushed out and threw rotten eggs and rotten vegetable leaves at him.
Jiang Fuhuai never shirked his responsibilities; he understood that they needed to vent their emotions. He would simply wipe the filth off himself with a good temper and then lead his subordinates to the next client.
The plan had already been finalized by the higher-ups, and he had signed a confidentiality agreement, so he could neither explain nor defend himself.
This is also why "Project Thirteen" was specifically praised by the higher authorities and the Jiang family was awarded the title of "Conscientious Enterprise".
However, his forbearance back then was seen as a sign of guilt by the victims' families, which only strengthened their belief that he was the murderer.
Ten years have passed, and Jiang Fuhuai thought the matter was long over. He never expected that it would harm his only child ten years later.
After Team Leader Yang reported the matter, the nature of the case changed again.
In short, this case must be solved, and it must be solved within 24 hours. If the kidnappers kill the hostage... well, let's not dwell on that.
The provincial bureau sent experts to assist.
Jiang Fuhuai followed behind the technical investigation personnel, watching the videos.
"Wait a minute, could you please skip to the 15-second mark in the video?" Jiang Fuhuai suddenly said.
After pausing, he leaned closer for a few moments and asked the detective, "Look at the hand my daughter showed when she was struggling, wasn't she giving the middle finger?"
The technical investigation officer immediately zoomed in on the scene: "...He's definitely giving the middle finger, what's wrong with that?"
It looks like he really wanted to curse, but because his mouth was blocked, he could only express his emotions through international friendly gestures.
Jiang Fuhuai turned around, patted the young man's shoulders with both hands, and asked gently but firmly, "Could you please help me compile the screenshots of my daughter's exposed finger?"
The technical investigation personnel glanced at Team Leader Yang, and only after receiving a nod from their superior did they reply, "Yes, it'll be ready soon."
Team Leader Yang walked over and asked, "Do these gestures have any special meaning?"
"Hmm." Jiang Fuhuai flipped through all the newly generated screenshots of gestures. "My daughter was also kidnapped once when she was little. After she was rescued, we devised a special code. It's a little secret between us, so the kidnappers don't know it either."
Liao Junqi only appeared by Jiang Xiliu's side when she went abroad, so naturally he didn't know about her childhood.
"So much time has passed that I almost forgot myself." Jiang Fuhuai's expression finally changed, his eyes filled with guilt. "If I hadn't noticed that she was deliberately showing her fingers during her struggles, I would have missed the information she was giving me."
The background in the video consisted of only a chair and a blue sky, nothing else, so they were all at a loss as to where to begin.
“She said… in the mountains,” Jiang Fuhuai said. “Could you please have Team Leader Yang check the mountains around Liucheng first?”
Team Leader Yang was about to give the order when Jiang Fuhuai hesitated and said, "Wait, she said she was at the factory?"
"Xiao Wu, go and find out which mountain in Liucheng has ever had a factory built on." Team Leader Yang had a flash of inspiration. "We can skip the scenic spots and mountains that are currently open to the public and prioritize exploring places with fewer people."
Although Liucheng has many mountains, very few factories are built on them.
Jiang Fuhuai slowly added, "Perhaps we can start by investigating bankrupt factories that have received environmental administrative penalties."
Team Leader Yang: "?"
Team Leader Yang stared at the hand gestures, wondering if there really was that much information in them.
Jiang Fuhuai explained, "There are very few companies that are specifically located on mountains. They are obviously trying to hide something by using the geographical location, most likely because their emissions do not meet national standards. This is just my opinion as a grassroots entrepreneur. Team Leader Yang can take it into consideration, but since you have more experience, we should prioritize your opinion."
Team Leader Yang thought it made sense: "Xiao Wu, go check it out."
In Liucheng, there are only two companies that meet both the requirements of opening a factory on a mountaintop and being a bankrupt company that has been penalized for environmental violations.
One of them was built on Wuyuan Mountain, and the other was built on the top of Gunshi Mountain.
These two mountains are located at the southernmost and northernmost points, respectively.
The deadline for submitting bidding documents for the Linjiang project is 8 p.m. tonight. Jiang Fuhuai guessed that Liao Junqi would probably have someone keeping an eye on the site.
Jiang Fuhuai would naturally not gamble with his daughter's life, but no one could guarantee that the kidnappers would be satisfied if the Jiang family refused to hand over the child.
With time running out, the police didn't have time to investigate which was the real crime scene. In the end, the entire police force split into two groups and headed to the mountain roads they needed to investigate.
Jiang Xiliu was taken by Liao Junqi to his own room on the fourth floor.
The shoes she was wearing, made by Jin Zhao, were thrown away by Liao Junqi. Her foot wound was also treated briefly before she was given new socks.
Before kidnapping her, Liao Junqi brought her a pair of shoes, but he let her run away before he could let her put them on.
After changing her shoes and being forced to wash her face, Jiang Xiliu stood far away and thought, "What a fake kindness."
Liao Junqi didn't refute her, but seeing her constantly moving towards the window, he reminded her, "This is the fourth floor. If you jump down, you probably won't be able to run away with all four limbs intact."
He took two steps closer: "Don't get any funny ideas."
"Don't come any closer." Jiang Xiliu denied it. "I'm not stupid. I almost twisted my ankle jumping from the second floor, how could I possibly jump from the fourth floor!"
Liao Junqi obediently stood a distance away from her: "Okay, I won't go over. Are you starving? I'll go get you something to eat."
Jiang Xiliu remained silent, only staring warily at Liao Junqi.
Who knows if they're trying to drug her again!
Having been by her side for so long, Liao Junqi naturally understood what she meant. He chuckled helplessly and said, "You should rest well in your room."
After saying that, he turned and walked out of the room.
Once inside, Jiang Xiliu's hands and feet were finally untied.
She waited there for a while, and when she was sure Liao Junqi had really left, she rushed to the door.
Sure enough, the door was locked.
This room is just a comfortable version of a cage.
The bed here is a wooden plank bed, and there are no sharp objects in the room.
Jiang Xiliu squatted down and patiently and meticulously pulled out the fine threads used for decoration on the shoes. One thread was too soft and not enough.
She pulled out a second one, then a third one...
Because it strained her eyes so much, she felt dizzy and lightheaded towards the end.
After smoking more than a dozen cigarettes, Jiang Xiliu was trying to twist them together; she wanted to use them to unlock the door.
There was a sudden commotion downstairs.
Jiang Xiliu quickly hid the thin silk at her waist and walked to the window to look down.
"Don't move—"
"There are many kidnappers. Wait, the kidnappers have weapons."
"All the entrances on the first floor of the factory have been closed by the kidnappers. We have no choice but to force our way in. We are requesting backup."
...
Jiang Xiliu was about to open the window and shout, "I'm here!"
Suddenly, the policeman at the front slowly collapsed, an arrow lodged in his chest.
He saw Jiang Xiliu in the fourth-floor window, and with difficulty, he raised his hand and pointed at her.
The sound of a gunshot and the turning of a keyhole rang out simultaneously.
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