Chapter 43 Come on, you little brats, let's see...
As public opinion intensified, Shiliu TV, in conjunction with the agencies representing the nine guests, decided to temporarily refrain from issuing a statement.
"Netizens don't care what we posted at all; they just want to vent their emotions online. Even if we issue a statement, they will question it and even make a bigger fuss. Let's wait for the local police to investigate before we make a public announcement."
Don Juan, representing StarMaker Media, attended the meeting. He disagreed with the opinions of the others, saying, "In ancient times, when it came to controlling floods, it was better to dredge than to block. If fans' emotions cannot be released, it will only attract the attention of the higher-ups, and no one will benefit from that. My personal suggestion is to make a simple statement first."
After another round of voting, the crowd agreed with Don Juan's point of view, and the official Weibo account of "The Adventure Journey" Season 2 released a statement.
The statement was concise and clear, directly announcing the driving routes of the ten guests that morning, describing in detail the six elements of an essay: time, place, people, cause, process, and result, and briefly stating that the robbery by thugs was an accident.
Finally, he stated that all investigation results would be provided by the local police, and tagged Don Juan and the other nine guests, along with their respective agencies, in alphabetical order.
Following closely behind, the agencies representing the nine individuals reposted the message.
As expected, some netizens remained unconvinced after the statement was released.
The statement made no mention of why only Sister Jiang was kidnapped.
I'm not a hater, I'm just curious why there were eight grown men in the car.
Sisters, please delete this post. Don't start a fight! Those people are ruthless thugs! Do you even know what ruthless thugs are?! Our brothers are unarmed!
Even Sister Jiang was unarmed.
[Logically, it's understandable that a ruthless criminal would kidnap a woman, given that women are generally timid. But wasn't there another woman present?]
[Sister Xia is a retired track and field athlete; she looks strong. Of course, ruthless bandits would target someone like Sister Jiang, whose appearance is deceptive.]
The online speculation was chaotic, and many of the guests' rivals took the opportunity to buy articles to stir up trouble. Wei Lai and others couldn't help but scroll through the comments, and were furious when they saw them. However, they couldn't tell the truth, which made them extremely frustrated.
In the end, Wang Xia couldn't hold back any longer and took the lead in posting on Weibo.
【Xia who loves to run】: I once promised my son that I would be a brave mother, so I dared to tell the truth. When these ruthless bandits got on the bus to take hostages, they were originally going to take me instead. Mingyue stepped forward and took my place. I'm sorry everyone, I've let you down.
Shortly after Wang Xia posted her Weibo, it quickly became the number one trending topic. However, her fans did not criticize her; on the contrary, they all gave positive and encouraging comments.
Sister Jiang, I'm speechless, you're amazing!
[Sister Xia, don't be sad. We understand how you feel. Thank you, Teacher Jiang. We admire you.]
[Sister Jiang, I'm sorry, I've gone from hating you to loving you. I was wrong before, and at this moment I have to admire you as a heroine.]
[I'm adding 1 point to my list of haters who have become fans. I'm returning the money I spent on criticizing you. I just couldn't bring myself to criticize you anymore; my conscience would bother me.]
[Waaaaah, I'm crying]
May Sister Jiang return safely.
May Sister Jiang return safely.
The screen was filled with messages of "May Sister Jiang return safely," and the most vocal trolls vanished overnight.
As for Xinghui Entertainment, Zhu Min, and the Clover Girls Group, when they learned that Jiang Mingyue had been kidnapped by ruthless bandits, some were happy and some remained silent.
The wicked and malicious people hope that Jiang Mingyue will die at the hands of ruthless bandits. The junior employee who had worked with her before doesn't dislike Jiang Mingyue much and hopes that she can escape danger.
[The second season of the variety show is having a bit of bad luck lately. Should you guys go burn some incense and pray?]
Superstitious people, get out! It's just a matter of probability.
The production team has stopped paying attention to public opinion. They've said what they needed to say, and things are as they are. Right now, their biggest wish is for Jiang Mingyue to return safely.
Everyone was unable to eat, but they forced themselves to eat something even though they couldn't, because they were waiting for Jiang Mingyue to come back.
At 11 p.m., Wei Lai sat on the open-air balcony outside Don Juan's room. "Brother Tang, do you think we've been too cowardly?"
Back at the hotel, Wei Lai kept watching the edited live stream videos that netizens had made for him. Seeing the joyful scenes, he both cried and laughed, and slapped himself hard twice.
Don Juan is smoking. He rarely smokes, but he can't help but smoke one when he's feeling irritable.
Wei Lai's self-deprecating humor silenced Don Juan. After a long pause, he replied, "We're all the same."
Meng Qinzhou was also there. He gazed at the bustling night view in the distance. The city seemed glamorous, but in reality, it was full of dangers.
"To be honest, if I had the ability, I would definitely have followed along. But human nature can't withstand the test. I was scared and afraid. Really, brothers, I'm so sorry to you and to Mingyue."
Ji Wenxuan and Xie Fei exchanged a glance. "We've dragged everyone down."
Qiu Zhenlong was frightened and received psychological treatment in the medical room. Wang Xia was not there either. Her husband and children thought she was very brave and were already on their way to pick her up and take her home. Qi Sheng and Lin Chaosheng accompanied her to the airport to pick her up.
Don Juan stubbed out his cigarette and turned to look at the dejected crowd. "Don't be so discouraged. We need to believe in Mingyue. Netizens say that Sister Jiang never talks nonsense. She chose to go with the thugs to protect the nine of us to the greatest extent possible."
“If we had all rushed over to help, we would have only made things more complicated for her, and she would have been more hesitant and restrained.”
Don Juan was right, but even so, Wei Lai and the others still felt uneasy.
Seeing the guests looking dejected, the production team discussed the matter and edited a video overnight, inviting the guests to the rented conference room.
"Originally, we didn't plan to broadcast this video out of respect for Teacher Jiang. However, seeing that everyone is worried about Teacher Jiang, our production team feels uneasy. So we want you to see this footage. Perhaps it can ease the teachers' minds a little. I think Teacher Jiang wouldn't want you to worry about her too much right now."
Therefore, the program team released the scene of Jiang Mingyue dealing with the pickpockets at the Aura Hotel.
In the video footage, Jiang Mingyue floated down from the second-floor terrace of the hotel, quickly dealt with the pickpocket, and ghost-like reached out to control the pickpocket's movements, rendering him unable to make a sound. Finally, she climbed back onto the terrace like a gecko and threw something resembling a stone, releasing the pickpocket's acupoints. The pickpocket ran away in a panic.
Upon closer inspection, the pickpocket looked very familiar; he was the local male fan who had brought food to Jiang Mingyue at the square the next day!
Everyone's worldview has been reshaped.
Although Don Juan and his companions already knew how formidable Jiang Mingyue was—after all, during their late-night conversation, she had mentioned having a very powerful Taoist master who could also catch ghosts—they were still shocked to witness this scene firsthand.
A faint smile finally appeared on Wang Xia's face, and her guilt lessened a little. "She can't just take advantage of her skills to replace me."
Wang Xia's husband was present. Upon hearing this, he patted Wang Xia's hand, offering silent comfort.
Qi Sheng: "Director Wang, you said Mingyue is so skilled, she should be able to take on a heavy machine gun, right?"
The director couldn't smile, but gave a very positive reply: "We hope so."
The following morning at nine o'clock, local Pike sent a message: "Our people have been tracking the surveillance cameras along the way, which showed that their bus went north after reaching the outskirts of the city. Unfortunately, they were too cunning and changed vehicles several times along the way. We lost them and have not found any trace of them yet. You will have to wait."
The production team did not accept this explanation and insisted, "But officer, please understand that our guests have other work to do afterward and cannot stay here indefinitely. Could we discuss allowing them to return to their home countries first, while our production team stays to coordinate?"
"We'll discuss it internally and get back to you as soon as possible."
Three hours later, the production team received a message that the rest of them could return to China first, but at least three staff members needed to stay behind to coordinate.
The assistant director and executive director decided to stay and coordinate, while the chief director and the rest of the team returned to China first.
The guests all had other work to do, and although Wei Lai and the others wanted to stay, they couldn't leave their jobs back home and had to go back first.
Don Juan stayed behind. His original plan was to finish filming this variety show and then take a short vacation in a nearby country, so it wouldn't interfere with his subsequent schedule.
Before leaving, Wei Lai and the others instructed Tang Huang, "Brother Tang, please be sure to report any news about Mingyue to us in the group. When Mingyue returns, we will come to welcome you back."
To avoid the crazed fans in China, the group chose a flight that arrived in China late at night and left through the VIP channel.
Less than an hour after Jiang Mingyue was kidnapped by ruthless bandits yesterday morning, Renato learned of the incident and immediately contacted Don Juan, also inquiring through friends.
"Tang, these people are wanted criminals by Interpol for many years. They are well-organized and trained, and they have been committing crimes in these eastern countries. Each time, only a few small fry are caught. Their bosses are almost impossible to catch, and the hostages are usually killed on the spot. So I am very worried about Mingyue."
"I believe she will return safely."
Before leaving, Jiang Mingyue took off the diamond bracelet that Renato had given her and hid it in a hidden pocket of her backpack. Renato and Don Juan looked at the bracelet, both feeling depressed.
Subsequently, Renato's uncle Daniel also sent a message through someone: "They're not from Mafia. Should we try to find them through their connections?"
Don Juan refused. He knew Jiang Mingyue; she didn't want to get involved with Mafia.
Renato pinched his temples. "If they want a ransom, everything is easy to handle. It's a pity that our ancestor Beatrix has gone back..."
Don Juan smiled wryly. Renato was out of options, which was why he wanted to ask Beatrix for help.
“Mingyue went through the trouble of sending him back, she certainly wouldn’t want to see him come back.”
"That's true."
In a small town in the north, on the port coast, Jiang Mingyue was locked in a ship's cabin.
This group of people probably wanted to transfer the money and smuggle herself out of the country. She was detained for two days without food or water. They wanted to starve her to death, but they miscalculated. With the energy she has accumulated, she can easily survive for seven days without food or water.
Come on, you foolish little brats, let's settle the score.
It's time for her to stretch her muscles.
The cabin was dark and gloomy, with only a lingering fishy smell. Looking around, there was a large stack of thick, sturdy, and rot-resistant wooden crates.
Jiang Mingyue leaped up and searched her surroundings for a few handy tools. She had used up all the pebbles in her pocket and didn't have many silver needles left, which she would need to use at a crucial moment.
She was arrested and imprisoned for two days. Is it illegal to beat up bad guys abroad?
Forget it, she can't care about that anymore, this is called self-defense!
After searching around, she only found a fishing rod in the corner. She picked it up and weighed it in her hand. Hmm, not bad, it's made of iron.
With a gentle squeeze, Jiang Mingyue shattered the extra claws at the end of the pole, transforming it into the Ruyi Jingu Bang (the magic staff) of the Monkey King.
Afterwards, she activated her stealth and concealment function, easily dodging the probes in the cabin as she walked toward the exit.
She went up to the next floor, which was similar to the dormitory for lower-level employees. There were surveillance cameras installed around the corridor, but there were no fully armed people. She could only hear some people laughing and joking in the dormitory, bragging and discussing how to divide the money.
Jiang Mingyue listened intently and quickly estimated that there were about seven or eight people. She couldn't see the sky outside clearly, but based on the time, it should be around seven or eight o'clock in the evening.
She continued to move forward discreetly, past three dormitories, each with two or three people inside.
She went into the dormitory room closest to her and closed the door.
The three people who were playing cards looked at each other in bewilderment when they saw the door inexplicably closed.
One of the taller men stood up and cursed, "What the hell? Glass, is this some kind of prank?!"
The words had barely left his mouth when the man's pupils suddenly dilated, his eyeballs bulged, and he collapsed to the ground in the next instant.
The other two were startled and at a loss. They thought the tall man had fallen ill, so they quickly squatted down to check on him. The next second, they also fainted.
Jiang Mingyue regained her figure and, too lazy to look at them, glanced around. Seeing the gun placed on the headboard of the three beds, she shook her head in disgust. It was too dirty to touch.
She picked up one of their phones and, relying on her exceptional memory, called Renato.
Renato and Don Juan were still together when they received a phone call from a hundred miles away, which shocked them greatly.
“Renato, it’s me. Don’t panic. I guess you already know about me, and you should have contacted Brother Tang and the others, so I called you directly.”
"Let me finish. I'm fine, everything's alright. I'm in a cabin on a ship, the exact address should be a port in Taipei. I used one of the thugs' phones to make this call. Track the signal, but don't alert them yet."
Don Juan couldn't help but ask, "Mingyue, are you hurt?"
Hearing Don Juan's voice, Jiang Mingyue smiled slightly, "Brother Tang, I'm fine, don't worry. It's just that these people don't treat me like a human being, and I haven't eaten for two days. I'll get my revenge myself."
Renato and Don Juan breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this. "Okay, we'll not notify the police for now and will cooperate with your operation."
Jiang Mingyue continued, "Okay, don't call back. I'll destroy the phone. I'll give you the coordinates again in about an hour."
Jiang Mingyue was still alive and unharmed. Renato, Don Juan, and the others became excited and cooperated with Jiang Mingyue's instructions to start checking the owner's information.
After hanging up the phone, Jiang Mingyue destroyed the phone.
She concealed herself and went out to the second room. She took down two more people in the same way. They were just low-level thugs, and she wouldn't waste time dealing with them. She wanted to strike a fatal blow and put them to sleep for twelve hours.
The third room had only two people, a man and a woman, engaged in a passionate act. The man was imposing and fierce, while the girl looked very young and was being forced.
Jiang Mingyue was immediately displeased and struck the man with an iron rod, causing him to faint on the spot and bleed from his back.
Scumbag!
The man who had forced himself on her suddenly collapsed to the ground, his back covered in blood. The girl was terrified and quickly got up and huddled in the corner of the bed.
There's a ghost!
Jiang Mingyue did not appear, but only spoke to her, "Don't be afraid, girl. I am the female ghost in the cabin. I couldn't stand the evil things he did, so I came to save you. Don't make a sound. The police will come to save you in about two hours. I have already knocked out the people next door."
You can only hear her voice but not see her. The girl's eyes are filled with terror, but she holds back her screams and nods frantically to show that she is willing to cooperate.
After Jiang Mingyue left, she went directly to the upper level, which was the deck. Looking around, there were more than a hundred shipping containers on the deck, and many people were patrolling with guns.
It turns out she was on a container ship.
Jiang Mingyue clicked her tongue twice. There were too many people. It was such a hassle. One-on-one fights would waste her energy.
Come on, you foolish bandits, let me show you her water manipulation skills!
Jiang Mingyue leaped onto the top of the container, made a hand seal with her right hand and chanted scriptures, and began to manipulate the sea.
When the patrol team sensed something was wrong, the 10,000-ton ship was rocking slightly. They looked around and then a torrent of seawater shot towards them!
It really was seawater, and the force of the current was comparable to that of a fire hydrant. These people were caught off guard by the seawater. When they tried to shoot back, all the heavy weapons in their hands were sucked away by a waterspout at an eerie speed, and they were all swept into the sea!
The screams were incessant!
The ten-person team in the cockpit noticed something unusual on the deck and came down to investigate. When they saw the horrific scene before them, they were completely stunned.
It's a ghost!
Is this a movie shoot?! Why is a scene from a movie happening in real life?! This eerie scene is absolutely terrifying and sends chills down your spine.
"Who is it?! Show yourself!"
The next second, Jiang Mingyue appeared in the cockpit as if descending from the sky, "It's your great-auntie!"
Among them were the four ruthless bandits who had kidnapped Jiang Mingyue. The four of them were dumbfounded when they saw the Chinese girl, who had been locked up in the cabin on the verge of death, descend in a cunning and ghostly manner.
Wasn't she a weak, helpless little girl? How come she has such great strength? Has she been faking it all these past two days?
They couldn't care less about anything else. All ten of them drew their guns and attacked Jiang Mingyue. But in the next instant, the Chinese girl in front of them disappeared into thin air again, and all the heavy weapons they were carrying were sucked away!
Hunt time!
Jiang Mingyue confiscated their weapons and threw them all into the sea. Then, holding an iron rod, she began to gang up on them.
"You little brats, since you're not behaving properly and have no parents to discipline you, I'll take charge of disciplining you!"
"Robbing a bank, huh? Lazy and lazy, huh? Taking hostages, huh? Come on, let me teach you a lesson!"
After giving each person an iron rod, she simply gave up the iron rod and started punching. Sometimes, only the most primitive way of beating people is the most satisfying.
Jiang Mingyue, who usually had a good temper, was enraged by these thugs. "You're the ones who delayed my flight! You deserve a beating, you know that?!"
"So you're the one who said I'm all skin and bones?! Let me show you what I'm made of!"
Her punches were fast and accurate, landing with every blow. Targeting the wrists, elbows, and knees of these people, you could hear the sound of bones cracking with each punch.
The scene was filled with screams.
Half an hour later, after I had vented my anger, it was already past noon.
Jiang Mingyue found one of the people's phones, called Renato, grabbed one of the leaders by the head, and forced him to reveal his current location.
"If you don't want me to throw you into the sea to feed the fish, then obediently give me your address."
These people were beaten into submission by her, and they didn't dare to resist anymore, obediently revealing their exact locations.
"Call the police, Renato, I'll be waiting for you here."
Three hours later, Renato, Don Juan, and the director's team landed at the port by helicopter and witnessed the absurd and ridiculous scene before them.
The group of notorious criminals wanted by Interpol were all soaked to the bone, lying in a row on the deck. Ten of them were unrecognizable, clearly having been badly beaten.
A dozen or so women, who seemed to have been tricked, sat huddled together a short distance away, glaring angrily at the ruthless bandits.
Meanwhile, the girl who had worried them for two days was sitting on top of a shipping container, gazing at the distant sea view.
"Bright moon!"
"Teacher Jiang!"
Jiang Mingyue looked down at Renato and the others, "Renato, please explain to the local pimps for me later that what I did was self-defense, and I shouldn't be arrested, right?"
Renato glanced at it and gave an affirmative answer, "Of course, if they have any objections, I will find the best defense lawyer to defend you."
Local police arrived and quickly took over the mess. They were naturally full of thanks, and although they could hardly believe that the Chinese girl in front of them was so capable, they had to admit that she was indeed very capable.
The moment Jiang Mingyue jumped down, Tang Huang rushed forward, wanting to hug her, but ultimately hesitated because there were many people around.
He restrained himself, but couldn't help taking her hand in his. "Mingyue, I'm so glad you're alright."
Jiang Mingyue saw the restraint in Tang Huang's eyes, and stepped forward gracefully to hug him. "Thank you, Brother Tang. I'm sorry to have worried you all."
When the assistant director team saw that Jiang Mingyue was safe and sound and that the ruthless bandits had been severely punished, they didn't know whether to laugh or cry. They also didn't know who started clapping, but thunderous applause rang out.
"Well done, Teacher Jiang!"
Author's Note: No more second updates, taking a break, hahaha.
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