C16 Kidnapping

When Wuh Lingyue saw Nie Feng return with someone slung over his shoulder, she was startled but remained silent, her curiosity piqued as she watched him intently.

Nie Feng dumped the black-clad figure in a corner and removed a capsule from the man's mouth—a poison pill intended for suicide. Securing the capsule safely, Nie Feng slapped the man awake with two sharp strikes.

The man in black stared at Nie Feng, terror-stricken, unsure of his captor's intentions. "Speak up. Who are you? Who sent you? And why did you want to kill Zhang Menglin?" Nie Feng's voice was calm, almost detached.

Realizing he was outmatched, the man in black had resolved to end his own life, only to discover the capsule was gone. He looked at Nie Feng, panic-stricken.

"Thinking of suicide? Forget it. You'd better just answer my questions, or I'll make you regret being alive," Nie Feng warned, his presence emanating a chilling aura that made even Wuh Lingyue shudder.

"I... I know nothing. Just kill me!" the man in black pleaded, his voice thick with the resignation of a man ready to face death.

"You won't talk without a little persuasion, it seems." Nie Feng's words were barely out before he swiftly pressed several acupoints on the man's body.

At first, the man in black was confused, not grasping Nie Feng's actions. But a second later, agony surged through him as if a swarm of ants were tearing at his flesh, pain and itchiness overwhelming him. He screamed, writhing on the ground, clawing at his face until it was a bloody mess.

"Please, just kill me! I'm begging you!" he cried out, pleading for death as a sweet release.

"Tell me what I need to know, and I'll grant you a swift end. If you refuse, I can make your suffering tenfold," Nie Feng stated icily.

"I truly don't know anything. Please, I'm begging you—let me go! Kill me, just kill me!" The man in black continued to roll on the ground, his face now a raw, ravaged ruin.

Nie Feng's brow furrowed. He was well aware of the effectiveness of his methods; 99% of people couldn't endure such agony. Judging by the man's panicked eyes earlier, he was not among the elusive 1% who could. It appeared he truly was clueless.

With a sigh, Nie Feng pressed on the man in black's acupoints once more, and the man's pain vanished instantly. The relief was palpable as he lay on the ground, gasping for air.

"What's your name? Where are you from?" Nie Feng inquired.

"I... I don't know. I'm known only as number two. My task was to kill the girl. Beyond that, my memory is blank. I don't even know who I take orders from or why she must be killed. But I do know that failing to kill her means death for me," the man in black confessed, not daring to withhold any information from Nie Feng.

Nie Feng's frown deepened. His earlier hunch was right; this man was in the dark about everything. Such scenarios were commonplace among some large international organizations that trained desperadoes, known as Death Servants.

These Death Servants underwent brutal training and carried out perilously dangerous missions. Prior to each mission, their memories were wiped clean, and they were indoctrinated with only their target and the dire consequences of mission failure.

The man in black was likely one of these Death Servants, making it nearly impossible to extract any valuable information from him.

"Alright, rest easy. I'll make it quick," Nie Feng said with a resigned sigh.

"Thank you," the man in black responded, nodding before kneeling before Nie Feng. A second later, Nie Feng's dagger pierced the back of his skull. Without a sound, the man in black collapsed.

His body then began to sizzle and decay rapidly, leaving behind nothing but a heap of clothes in moments.

Nie Feng was no stranger to such sights; it was clear that the man had been coated with corpse-dissolving powder. What intrigued Nie Feng was the nature of the organization capable of producing Death Servants. After all, only the most notorious organizations in the world had such capabilities, and none were known for their benevolence. It was possible that this organization was an old adversary of his.

While Nie Feng remained unfazed, Wuh Lingyue was another story. The sight of the body disintegrating so swiftly was enough to terrify her.

"What... What's happening here? How did the man in black's body just vanish?" Wuh Lingyue exclaimed, her eyes wide with incredulity.

Nie Feng didn't keep her in the dark and shared the details about the corpse-dissolving powder, "You must keep today's events to yourself, understood?"

"You can count on me; I won't breathe a word," Wuh Lingyue assured him with a nod.

Nie Feng felt relatively confident about Wuh Lingyue's discretion. Despite their brief acquaintance, he sensed she was trustworthy.

As Nie Feng gathered the black-clad man's clothes to incinerate them with his lighter, he caught sight of a shadowy figure lurking in the hallway. Without a second thought, he gave chase.

The figure was swift; by the time Nie Feng reached the bottom of the stairs, it had vanished.

Puzzlement creased Nie Feng's brow, but his concern quickly turned to alarm. When he got back to the rental, Wuh Lingyue was nowhere to be found. Nie Feng cursed himself for falling for such a classic diversion.

Yet, Nie Feng didn't panic. With Wuh Lingyue taken, he knew her captors would make contact.

Sure enough, thirty minutes later, a text arrived on his phone: "If you want to save the girl, come alone. No cops, or you'll be picking up her body!" Attached was a set of coordinates leading to a derelict warehouse on the outskirts of Silkwick. Nie Feng wasted no time, dashing downstairs and hailing a cab to the eastern suburbs.

The taxi driver, a middle-aged man, drove at a leisurely pace, which only heightened Nie Feng's urgency. "Hey, Uncle, can you step on it? I'm in a real rush!"

"Why the hurry, young man? What's out in the eastern suburbs at this hour?" the driver inquired, unfazed.

Seizing the moment, Nie Feng flashed a devilish grin and replied, "I'm just heading home."

"Home? There's hardly anyone living out there, just a bunch of abandoned factories and graveyards," the driver remarked, puzzled.

"Exactly, I'm going home. Please, Uncle, could you drive a little faster?" Nie Feng said, the smirk still playing on his lips.

The driver paused, a look of realization washing over him, and suddenly, he was covered in goosebumps. Shivering, he stammered, "Little... Little brother, I've done you no wrong. Please, don't hurt me. I've got an eight-year-old mother to care for and an eighty-year-old daughter at home!"

Nie Feng offered a reassuring smile. The poor driver was so terrified he could barely string a sentence together. If this kept up, he might genuinely give himself a heart attack. "Relax, Uncle. I'm not going to hurt you. Just drive a bit faster, okay?"

"Okay..." The driver, too scared to protest, quickly shifted gears and floored it.

Twenty minutes later, the taxi halted a kilometer from the factory. Nie Feng stepped out and instructed, "Stay here and wait for me, Uncle. I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere, or I'll have to come looking for you at your house tonight."

"You can count on me. I won't budge," the driver assured him, mopping the sweat from his brow.

Pleased, Nie Feng strode toward the factory, vanishing into the night.

Upon reaching the factory, Nie Feng was surprised to find a couple of stylishly dressed thugs on guard. They were the ones who had kidnapped Wuh Lingyue? He had suspected the men in black's organization at first.

With this revelation, Nie Feng shed any last shred of apprehension and boldly made his way to the factory. The thugs at the door spotted him and scurried inside. Moments later, a gang of over twenty emerged, brandishing weapons and looking smug. Leading the pack were Red Hair and Blue Hair, the same pair Nie Feng had put in their place days earlier.

"Hehe, kid, you've got guts showing up here. Impressive, you've got spunk!" Blue Hair sneered.

"Where's the person I'm looking for?" Nie Feng demanded, his tone icy.

"Feeling bold, aren't you? You had the nerve to hit me last time. Do you even know who I am? Try acting tough now, I dare you," Red Hair taunted, puffing on his cigarette with a look of contempt.

"For the last time, where is she?" Nie Feng's voice grew colder with each word.

"That chick? Hahaha, we had our fun with her before we killed her, hahaha!" Blue Hair erupted in cruel laughter.

A chill ran through Nie Feng, but before he could react, a voice from inside the factory commanded, "Red Hair, bring the kid inside."

"Hmph, you catch that? Move it. Our boss is giving you the green light to come in," Red Hair sneered.

Nie Feng paid him no mind and strode into the factory, only to discover over twenty people milling about. At the center, a sofa held court with a middle-aged man lounging on it, puffing on a cigar, draped in a gold chain, looking every bit the stereotype of a nouveau riche.

"So you're Nie Feng? You're the one who roughed up my guys a few days back, huh? Let's get acquainted—I'm Mr. Bobo, the big shot of the city's east side," the middle-aged man stated coolly.

"What do I care? Where's my girlfriend?" Nie Feng demanded, his tone icy.

"Easy there, young man. No need to rush. Your girl's safe and sound. Rest assured, we have no intention of harming her. In fact, we're not here to hassle you—we're looking to partner up," Mr. Bobo proposed, a smile playing on his lips.

"Partner up? Sorry, not interested," Nie Feng dismissed with a wave of his hand. "You've got three seconds to let her go, or you're a dead man."

"Ha! That's rich. Who do you think you are? I'm sitting right here. Show me how you plan to take me out," Mr. Bobo scoffed.

With a faint smile, Nie Feng silently raised a finger.

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

A surge of Genuine Qi coursed through Nie Feng's body as he propelled himself off the ground and in a blink, he was face-to-face with Mr. Bobo, a dark gun barrel pressed against his temple. "In this godforsaken place, killing you would probably go unnoticed. Conveniently, there's a graveyard not too far from here. I might as well take care of your burial too."