Chapter 135: Keep an Eye on Him
Rong Yu looked around and said, "There are so many of you, how could the little money you just extorted be enough to split between everyone? When it comes to money, one never thinks they have too much."
The kidnappers, who had been bristling with aggression and ready to swing their iron rods to assert their dominance, all halted. The fury that had been ignited by Rong Yu's defiance was instantly deflated.
Except for the man Rong Yu had stabbed with the needle, who was holding the back of his neck, screaming in pain, and wanting to kill Rong Yu, the others actually hesitated and stopped moving. Some even deliberately blocked the stabbed man, preventing him from impulsively killing someone and causing their potential payout to be lost.
Rong Yu took in their reactions, then bent down to pick up the chair he had smashed on the ground earlier. He set it down, sat on it, and crossed his legs.
Those who had been hit by the chair still glared fiercely at Rong Yu, but presumably, they also considered that Rong Yu was now worth tens of millions. If Rong Yu were maimed, Yin Chengjue would probably give up on him immediately, so they could only grit their teeth and bear it.
The scar-faced man had put the phone on speaker earlier, so the others had naturally heard Yin Chengjue's "scoundrel remarks," which thoroughly adhered to the capitalist principle of profit above all else. If Rong Yu were really missing an arm or a leg, Yin Chengjue might indeed abandon him outright, thinking Rong Yu was useless, and maybe even report them to the police while he was at it.
The group's expressions were varied. Rong Yu felt even more convinced that these people had demanded a large sum of money for him, an amount so substantial that they were greedy for it, only thinking about quickly exchanging him for the money.
Thinking of this, Rong Yu pressed on, saying to the scar-faced man, "Give me the phone. There are so many of you watching me, are you still worried I'll say something I shouldn't?"
The scar-faced man snorted coldly, "I dare you not to!"
"Boss, what if he calls the police?"
Rong Yu: "You don't need to worry about that. I still want to make it in the entertainment industry. If this kind of thing gets out, it would be very disadvantageous for me. Haters would surely seize the opportunity to attack me, fabricating things and making wild guesses. So, unless absolutely necessary, I don't want to cause a sensation."
Rong Yu rested his elbows on his knees, propped his chin with one hand, and curled the corner of his mouth into a faint smile. "I can even double the money for you. Whatever your employer paid you, I can double it. He's just an illegitimate son of the Chang family, after all. I don't even consider him a threat."
This statement was so arrogant that it provoked mocking laughter from the crowd.
The scar-faced man threw Rong Yu's phone back at him, sneering, "Since you dare to boast like this, then call someone to bring the money. But let me tell you first, we've already contacted Yin Chengjue. Do you want to know what he said?"
Rong Yu's expression tightened, thinking, As expected, these people used me to extort money from Yin Chengjue.
The scar-faced man wore an expression of watching a good show. "He said you're just a cash cow for his company, not worth him making the trip."
Rong Yu remained silent.
"Heh, he also said that if it weren't for your potential to become popular and earn him more money, he wouldn't spend a dime to ransom you, regardless of whether you lived or died." The scar-faced man raised his knife and tapped the flat of the blade against Rong Yu's cheek, his face contorting into a grimace of bulging, menacing flesh as he smiled. "He also said that if we damage your face even a little, he definitely wouldn't want you anymore, and would leave you to our mercy."
Rong Yu bit his lip. The recently healed skin split open again, blood seeping out, making his lips even redder and his face paler in contrast.
The scar-faced man observed his expression and, seeing Rong Yu looked upset, was finally satisfied. He simply couldn't stand Rong Yu's composed and effortless demeanor.
"How did you know that by kidnapping me, you should demand money from Yin Chengjue?" Rong Yu's voice was faint.
The scar-faced man didn't think much of it: "Of course Chang Fengyuan told us. He said you two are lovers, and kidnapping you to demand money from him is a sure thing."
Rong Yu pressed further, "And how did he know?"
"Kid, so many questions! I think you haven't grasped your current situation!" The scar-faced man waved the knife in his hand.
Rong Yu raised a finger and pushed the knife swaying in front of his eyes a bit further away. "I'm very clear about the current situation. I'm negotiating with you, I want to hire you to work for me."
Rong Yu then took out his phone, quickly dialed a number, and after just a few seconds, an angry roar came from the other end: "Murong Yu!!! I see your wings have hardened! You only contact me now! You explain to me clearly! Why did you block my number..."
Rong Yu's fingertip swiped the end call button, and the voice from the phone instantly disappeared.
But shortly after hanging up, the other side called back quickly. The first thing Rong Yu said upon answering was, "Second Brother, calm down. I've been kidnapped. Come quickly with the ransom to get me."
There was a moment of silence on the other end before the reply came, "Did you put it on speaker?"
Rong Yu pressed the speakerphone button.
So the scar-faced man heard a rough male voice roar: "I'll give you fifty million! Keep an eye on him! Don't you dare let him run away! I want him alive! Give me the address, I'm coming over right now!"
Rong Yu said helplessly, "Second Brother, you haven't even asked them how much ransom they want yet."
Second Brother Rong: "I don't care how much ransom they want! I'll double it for them! All of you, keep an eye on him! Not a single hair on his head better be missing! He must be alive! I want to personally chop up this damned kid!"
Rong Yu handed the phone to the scar-faced man, urging, "Give him the address. Don't you want the money?"
The scar-faced man reported the address of this place. Perhaps a bit dazed by Rong Yu's second brother earlier outburst, he didn't notice the faint, almost imperceptible smile that flashed in Rong Yu's eyes upon hearing the address.
This was an abandoned toy factory scheduled for demolition.
There were many factory buildings, lots of abandoned clutter, and many heavily damaged, unwanted machines.
Only one thing was in short supply: people.
This place was sparsely populated, far from the city center, with very few people in the vicinity.
In other words, if a fire or something similar happened at this abandoned toy factory, others would likely assume it was just a small accident caused by dry conditions.
The timing was right, the location was right—all that was missing was the human element.
Rong Yu said as if casually, "By the way, do you have guns? In the kidnappings I see on TV, those people always have guns. I've never seen a real gun in real life in all my years. Can you big brothers let me see one?"
"Huh? Guns? Why would we need something like that to deal with you? Our whole group could poke you to death with one finger each," the scar-faced man snorted.
"Oh, so you don't have any. What a pity~"
Scar-faced man: "Aren't you worth a lot of money? With that kind of money, buying a real gun is easy. No need to look at ours."
Rong Yu: "No, I'm not sorry I can't see a gun. I'm just sorry that without guns, you probably..."
Rong Yu suddenly lifted a foot and kicked the scar-faced man in the stomach, simultaneously snatching the knife from his hand!
After seizing the knife, he didn't hesitate at all and immediately swung it at the nearest group of people, startling them into retreating. They blocked with their iron rods, which were cleanly severed by the blow!
Rong Yu's kick to the scar-faced man was very heavy, the man fell to the ground, clutching his stomach and howling in pain.
Originally, these men had been pacified by Rong Yu's earlier words, their minds full of thoughts of huge sums of money falling from the sky for them to spend. They never expected Rong Yu to be so unpredictable—beating someone up, then smiling and suggesting they could discuss things properly, all while painting a grand, enticing picture of rewards that made them drop their guard, only to turn around, snatch a knife, and start slashing the moment the discussion was over
How could they tolerate this now? Furious, they raised their clubs and charged forward!
Rong Yu had already assessed their numbers and learned exactly what kind of place this was. He had long since simulated the best escape route in his mind. Plus, he was holding a knife, his slashing movements were fierce and powerful, and his eyes carried a ferocious intensity, as if a murderous aura was surging forth, actually making the brawny, muscular men feel a sense of fear.
Moreover, when their iron rods were struck by Rong Yu's knife, their entire wrists would be left sore and numb from the vibration, momentarily losing sensation.
They were just a bunch of thugs gathered together, usually relying on their bulky builds to bully others, succeeding wherever they went, a group with some reputation in the underworld. But today, they had kicked an iron plate.
[踢到铁板 (tī dào tiě bǎn): lit. to kick an iron plate; fig. to provoke or attack someone who turns out to be much stronger or more powerful than expected.]
And this iron plate looked so frail!
These men, who had always relied on brute force, found their minds as underdeveloped as their muscles were overgrown, convinced that their strength could solve any problem. So when their proud muscles proved utterly useless, they couldn't help but feel panic and fear.
It had been a long time since they had been so thoroughly beaten down!
Ten minutes later.
Rong Yu clapped his hands and kicked the last man groaning at his feet to the side.
Although he was holding a knife, he controlled his strength, not letting these people lose limbs or, worse, their heads.
Of course, this wasn't out of mercy... but because... Rong Yu had heard that Yin Chengjue was on his way here alone.
"If brother sees you all bloody and missing limbs, how should I explain it? I'm the one who was kidnapped," Rong Yu explained to the bruised and battered kidnappers lying on the ground with a smile.
"So, since I've spared your lives, could you do me a favor?"
As he spoke, Rong Yu rummaged through the bag from which the scar-faced man had earlier produced the syringe, finding more needles and various types of stimulants—things they had prepared to inject into Rong Yu.
Under their terrified, pleading gazes, Rong Yu mixed certain doses of several stimulants and injected them into their bodies.
Rong Yu said calmly, "This is a new type of poison. Only I know the antidote. If you don't obey me obediently, you won't get the antidote.".
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