Lanjiaqiao is the name of a neighborhood in western Shanghai, and also the southernmost working-class neighborhood. The terrain here is quite complex, with many small roads and alleys nearby, making it easy for people unfamiliar with the area to get lost.
Lai Huaiwu chose this location because he was familiar with the terrain and environment, and that it would be easier to evacuate should anything go wrong while accepting the ransom.
His consideration was not superfluous. In a typical kidnapping case, the most important step is receiving the money, which is also the most dangerous step because this is when things are most likely to go wrong.
When kidnappers abduct their victims, they plan and premeditate the attack, taking advantage of the victim's unpreparedness to strike unexpectedly, and the success rate of the kidnapping is generally very high.
However, when it comes time to collect the money, the hostage's family knows that the kidnappers will definitely show up to collect it, so they are prepared. If the family is concerned about the hostage's personal safety and doesn't dare to tamper with anything, that's fine.
However, if the family members are unwilling to pay ransom and instead choose to retaliate with violence, such as calling the police to arrest the kidnappers or, if they are capable, taking matters into their own hands to capture the kidnappers who are taking the money, and then rescuing their kidnapped family members, this is also possible. This has happened in previous kidnapping cases.
Of course, Lai Huaiwu believed that the Wei family would not do such a thing. Wealthy people with such assets are used to solving problems with money and would not usually risk killing Wei Hongde for money. However, there is always a chance of something going wrong, so it is still necessary to make the necessary preparations.
At first, Lai Huaiwu planned to have his men collect the ransom, but then he thought that this exorbitant ransom of three hundred thousand US dollars was of great importance and could not afford to make any mistakes, otherwise Wu Shicai would never forgive him. To be on the safe side, he decided to collect it himself, as he would not trust anyone else.
Lai Huaiwu arrived at the intersection of Lanjiaqiao Street ahead of time and had his men check the area. Finding nothing amiss, he left lookouts around the area after confirming that everything was in order.
Then they found an observation point nearby and waited quietly for the Wei family to arrive. It was almost time for the transaction, around 9:50, when a car slowly drove up and stopped at the street corner.
Under the streetlights at the intersection, Lai Huaiwu could clearly see the other party's actions. He saw the front door open, the driver get out of the car, then open the back door, take two suitcases out of the car, put them on the ground, close the door, and then look around.
Lai Huaiwu was secretly delighted. The Wei family had indeed come as promised. According to the previous agreement, the one who came to deliver the ransom should be Wei Xilin, the eldest son of the Wei family.
Lai Huaiwu didn't go over immediately, but instead patiently observed Wei Xilin. Judging from his figure, he should be quite good, but due to the distance and poor lighting, he couldn't confirm his appearance.
Lai Huaiwu had deliberately asked Wei Xilin to deliver the ransom on the phone beforehand, firstly to draw the attention of the Wei family, and secondly because he had previously investigated and found that Wei Xilin was a weak and uneducated young man, so he was not afraid that Wei Xilin would play any tricks when delivering the ransom.
Seeing that time had passed, Wei Xilin, standing at the street corner, was clearly anxious. He kept raising his hand to check his watch and looking around, waiting for the person to pay to appear.
Lai Huaiwu looked around and saw that there was no movement, and the sentries around him did not sound any alarms. He knew that the other party was not playing any tricks, and he was finally relieved.
He emerged from the darkness, slowly approaching, and finally appeared before Wei Xilin.
Wei Xilin quickly noticed Lai Huaiwu approaching and stepped forward, saying, "Friend, I brought the money, three hundred thousand US dollars, it's all here!"
After Lai Huaiwu approached, he carefully examined Wei Xilin. He had only seen Wei Xilin from a distance during his investigation and felt that his appearance was somewhat familiar. He nodded and said in an icy voice, "You're smart enough. Alright, put down the money and leave. Go home and wait. We also follow the rules of the underworld. We'll release him once we've taken the money."
Lai Huaiwu wasn't worried about the US dollars going wrong, because the Wei family wouldn't dare do that unless they didn't want to save Wei Hongde. So, without even checking, he let Wei Xilin leave.
The Wei Xilin in front of them was naturally Ji Hongyi in disguise. He and Wei Xilin had similar builds, and he had also asked Zuo Rou to disguise him. He believed that these kidnappers would not notice anything amiss.
Ji Hongyi was only responsible for the ransom handover this time. The task of rescuing Wei Hongde was handled by Zuo Gang. However, Ji Hongyi had not received any news from Zuo Gang and did not know whether the rescue operation had been successful. Therefore, he did not dare to take action against Lai Huaiwu. He could only say, "Brother, we talked on the phone before. You kidnapped my father. There should be some proof, right? How do I know that the money was given to the right person?"
Lai Huaiwu nodded. This was something the Wei family had requested before. He didn't say much, just took out a seal from his pocket and casually tossed it over.
Ji Hongyi reached out and took it, then carefully examined it. It was Wei Hongde's personal seal, used as proof for handling important matters. Ji Hongyi nodded, and seeing that the time had passed, he said no more. He immediately decided to pay the ransom. Anyway, he had made thorough arrangements and was not worried that the other party could escape his grasp.
Thinking of this, he put away the seal, bent down and carried the two suitcases to Lai Huaiwu, then turned around to get into the car and leave.
Just then, his eyes swept across the street corner and he saw a car speeding towards him. Under the headlights, Ji Hongyi immediately stopped in his tracks.
Lai Huaiwu also saw this situation. His expression changed, and he pointed at Ji Hongyi, saying, "Hey, you surnamed Wei, what do you mean?"
Upon hearing this, Ji Hongyi ignored him. He had brought enough people with him to the city and had already made arrangements around the area, even setting up tracking personnel. Even after the ransom was handed over, he could still find Lai Huaiwu's hideout and rescue Wei Hongde. In short, no matter what happened, he had already prepared a countermeasure.
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