The truth came too fast, like a tornado.

The vehicle went down the mountain without encountering any kidnappers, only two people with severed hands heading down to the hospital and some kidnappers holding guns at the road.

Since it was an internal car, they assumed it was an ally, so they didn’t stop it.

By the time Ah Rong’s confident smile disappeared, the truth was clear. The vehicle had passed through smoothly because Ah Qiang not only knew about the small road but had also set up an ambush there, confident they would take that route.

If they had changed paths, they would have been shot full of holes.

Ah Rong’s face turned ashen at that moment.

They were not far from Ah Guishi’s place. The Silver Stab car was just ahead in a nearby mountain bay.

Su Linlang got out to check the situation, leaving Liu Bo and Xu Tianxi waiting anxiously.

Finally, she waved her hand, signaling them to drive over.

As she confidently stood in the middle of the road, it was clear that there were no kidnappers lying in wait ahead, and the road was safe.

This was truly a moment of escape!

Liu Bo was ecstatic: “The Silver Stab car is wide. Now Young Master can finally sit more comfortably.”

The car was cramped with five people. He Puting, still unconscious with bullet wounds and injuries all over his body, was in excruciating pain with every bump.

The spaciousness and stability of the Silver Stab were incomparable to the Beile vehicle.

After rescuing the Young Master from the enemy’s den, Liu Bo felt like he was in a dream, overwhelmed with the joy of victory.

Xu Tianxi was also pleased but didn’t forget to warn Ah Rong: “We can send you straight to the police station now, and we suggest you be smart and cooperate with the police to help catch all the kidnappers.”

Liu Bo added: “My master was shot and gravely injured by you. His life is hanging by a thread. You’re going to the gallows!”

Xu Tianxi suddenly thought of something and glared at Liu Bo: “Liu, you’ve been tipping off the kidnappers, you’re guilty too!”

“I haven’t! I was deceived by Ah Mu!” Liu Bo hurriedly defended himself.

Xu Tianxi turned the gun toward him: “You almost got Young Mistress killed, and you’re still stubborn? Watch me blow your head off!”

But then he saw Ah Rong’s smirking expression and quickly stopped the internal conflict.

Domestic issues could wait; right now, their common enemy was the kidnappers, Ah Rong.

They parked the Beile vehicle in front of the Silver Stab, and Xu Tianxi, with his gun on Ah Rong, began moving He Puting into the Silver Stab.

Su Linlang had one more thing to do: to disguise both vehicles.

Brother Qiang wasn’t an easy opponent and must have already figured out they would be tracking the Beile vehicle.

The simplest way to track a car was by its color and license plate.

The car’s color was hard to change quickly, but the license plate could be removed and thrown away easily.

Su Linlang removed the license plates from the Beile vehicle and then checked the Silver Stab. There were only a few of these cars in the whole port, making them incredibly conspicuous.

It couldn’t be modified much. Once seen, people would immediately recognize it as one of the few big bosses’ vehicles.

Su Linlang sighed.

The old master had given her such a car out of affection, but it was also a headache.

It wasn’t just a means of transportation; it was a moving target.

…

For professional matters, she needed to talk to Liu Bo about the cars and figure out their next move.

Inside the car, Ah Rong and Xu Tianxi tended to He Puting while chatting.

“Your Young Mistress, what’s her background? I clearly heard she’s…” Ah Rong lowered his voice: “She’s a big fool!”

To kidnap the heir to a wealthy family, the kidnappers naturally had informants and knew everything about the He family, including the rumor that the new Young Mistress He was a big fool.

But along the way, Ah Rong had been thoroughly impressed by Su Linlang.

To call her a fool?

Everyone else on the streets was just a pawn in comparison.

After spending the night, Xu Tianxi finally understood what it meant to be the daughter of a military family.

He adjusted He Puting’s position and said, “Young Mistress used to be a model worker on the sugarcane farm.”

Ah Rong suddenly understood: “No wonder her knife skills are so good. She must have practiced cutting sugarcane.”

Xu Tianxi didn’t find it quite right and tried to add, “Her dad is the head of a PLA commando unit. Young Mistress, the daughter of a military family!”

“PLA?” A Rongge was stunned.

Then he sighed: “No wonder. The PLA is the royal prime minister’s force. Even Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher was scared out of her wits. The mainland people may be rough, but when it comes to ruthlessness, they’re unmatched!”

It was 1984, and the two countries were discussing the handover of Hong Kong.

In 1982, under global attention, Margaret Thatcher had tripped and fallen in the grand hall, shaking the royal navy and making half of Hong Kong’s people shiver.

The PLA, the underworld big shots all feared them.

No wonder Su Linlang was so fierce.

“So don’t try to play tricks. We have the PLA behind us!” Xu Tianxi couldn’t help but feel proud.

A Rongge smiled: “Don’t get too happy. When the handover happens, the PLA will first deal with the rich, and that’s called communism!”

Xu Tianxi wanted to retort but couldn’t find the words.

He saw his phone and quickly reached for it: “I’m calling home to report and get my bodyguards to come pick you up. Your death is imminent!”

But just as he was dialing, Su Linlang suddenly pulled open the car door: “Xu Tianxi, what are you doing?”

That night was long for some people, but for others, it was a night that passed in the blink of an eye.

Take He Mo and Butler Liu, for example.

In the morning, as usual, Dr. Huang Qinghe from Deming Hospital came to check on the old master in person.

It was okay.

After a day and night of rest following his kidney wash, the old master’s health indicators had stabilized.

After the doctor left, He Mo looked at Butler Liu. “This is your doing. Go ahead and report it to the old master.”

Over the course of one night, Butler Liu’s hair turned completely white, and he said with a trembling voice, “I will, of course, report honestly, but Second Master, you must prioritize Master’s life. Money can be earned again, but if we lose a person, we lose everything.”

With the disappearance of Su Linlang and her group, He Mo had become the de facto leader of the family without contest.

At the same time, he also had to face the ruthless kidnappers.

Things couldn’t be hidden anymore.

The two heads of the He family had been seriously injured or kidnapped, and the media would know. Paparazzi would chase after the story, shaking Hong Kong to its core.

The immediate consequence was that the He family’s stock price would plummet.

After years of tracking, the peninsula land they were about to secure would likely be divided up by other powerful families, such as the Ji, Guo, and Lu families, and the He family would be completely ousted from the money-printing real estate world.

But the kidnappers had asked for 1.6 billion—should they agree?

1.6 billion in cash—if they handed it all over, the He family would immediately become the most indebted family.

After a long silence, He Mo muttered, “It’s all Su Linlang’s fault. What a venomous woman, ruining her husband and family!”

Butler Liu covered his neck and said, “Second Master, now is not the time for complaints. Eldest Master’s life is the most important!”

He Mo grew angrier, gritting his teeth. “Didn’t you say Su Linlang had the backing of the police and the PLA? Where’s that backing now? It’s just a venomous woman!”

Just as he finished speaking, the phone on the coffee table suddenly rang.

He Mo’s forehead tightened with tension.

The phone rang again and again.

Was it the kidnappers? This time, they would surely demand the ransom.

He exchanged glances with Butler Liu, and even the maid who had come to deliver breakfast was startled by the strange atmosphere and quietly left.

He Mo hesitated. He should answer the phone, but he was torn.

If he bargained recklessly, the hostage might be harmed. If he agreed to the 1.6 billion, would the He family become the most indebted family?

“Second Master, pick it up. Don’t negotiate yet—just agree, then we can figure out what to do next,” said Butler Liu.

He Mo huffed, “If it were my son Xu, I’d let them kill him. I wouldn’t pay the ransom.”

His son was already 24 years old, saying he was becoming a director, but in reality, he was just spending money.

He had even gotten a gang boss as his godfather, and his bodyguard team was made up of retired Flying Tigers, paid 30% more than the family’s own staff.

Who would dare to kidnap him?

Butler Liu, trying to hold back his frustration, said, “If you don’t answer, the kidnappers might start hurting people.”

He Mo’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Let my daughter Linda answer. She took negotiation courses; she’s good at it. I’m afraid I’ll mess it up.”

Originally, the old master was resting after his kidney wash, and Su Linlang was a good mediator, but with her disappearance, the second branch now held all the power.

As the old master had predicted, things were spiraling out of control at an alarming rate.

“You’re the head of the He family. You should decide,” said Butler Liu, his neck aching, his spirits dampened. After all, if the eldest son was harmed, He Mo would undoubtedly become the next chairman of the board.

Finally, He Mo, still unwilling to call his wife, picked up the phone himself, but quickly relaxed. “The other side hung up.”

Butler Liu let out a long sigh, splitting it into three parts before exhaling deeply.

“Why aren’t they coming in?” the old master, in the room, also grew anxious, calling for someone.

They exchanged looks, bracing themselves and carrying the breakfast into the room.

He Mo motioned for his son to bring over the porridge.

Though the old man had no appetite, facing imminent disaster, he understood that simple porridge was more nourishing than expensive nutrients.

He calmed himself and said, “Speak the truth!”

Butler Liu, always loyal, refrained from any bias and reported the car accident from yesterday as objectively as possible. “I believe it’s very likely that Liu Bo took the young mistress away. The problem lies with him.”

He Mo, showing filial respect, fed his father the porridge slowly and steadily. “Father, I think it was Linlang who kidnapped Tianxi and Liu Bo. She’s a poisonous woman, a snake woman. Sigh, if I’d known, we should never have honored that old marriage contract. We should have sent a sum of money to the Northern Aunt and had Jiaqi marry Park Ting. A beauty queen would be a perfect match for a rich young man.”

Three people in one car, all missing for a day and a night.

Now, the bodyguard team was incomplete, and the hospital needed staff, so Butler Liu couldn’t spare anyone to search.

It was just adding to the troubles.

The old man suddenly seemed to remember something. His lips trembled, and the porridge spilled over. “Jewels!”

A set of emerald jewelry, with diamonds totaling 60 carats. It had been his wife’s favorite before her death.

He had never given it to his two daughters-in-law but had given it to the eldest granddaughter-in-law.

He hoped it hadn’t disappeared as well.

Butler Liu quickly reassured the old man. “The jewelry is still there. The young mistress refused to accept it because it was too valuable. I locked it in the jewelry vault for you.”

If the jewelry had gone missing too, it would confirm that Su Linlang was involved with the kidnappers and that the old man had been deceived.

The old man’s anger was limited since the jewelry was still safe, and death’s scythe narrowly missed him.

He Mo, hearing that the jewelry was still there, was both furious and amused. “Father, Northern Woman is so foolish and venomous, collaborating with the kidnappers. Little did she know that the diamonds she rejected were priceless.”

The old man sipped his porridge, swallowing painfully. “A kidnapping takes years of investigation. If Linlang were a co-conspirator, she’d know the value of that set of jewelry. She’s not involved.”

He Mo thought to himself, the old man was not only muddled but also biased.

Couldn’t he see the truth?

His father was so stubborn, and though He Mo was heartbroken, he had no choice but to say, “Father, 1.6 billion is too much. I’ll negotiate with the kidnappers and offer them a flat five billion. If they refuse, we’ll call the police. My daughter Linda is also prepared and will serve as a negotiation expert to ensure He Puting’s safe return.”

Call the police and let a female actress handle the negotiations? He Mo practically wished for the kidnappers to kill the hostage!

The old man, nearing the end of his life, was frustrated beyond measure, and He Mo’s behavior was only making it worse.

He was on the verge of vomiting blood.

Just then, the phone rang again.