After a long deliberation, Wei Zhao ruled out the possibility of the Yu family, leaving only one name: Zhen Yingjun.

Although Wei Zhao knew nothing of Zhen Yingjun's background, if Zhen had truly been able to find such capable hands to help him, it was quite possible that he was behind what had happened! For one thing, the enmity he bore was not directed at Wei Zhao but at Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu.

It was Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu who had made him lose face in the billiard room, and although Wei Zhao had secretly aided them, Zhen Yingjun knew nothing of that. Later, at the door of the billiard room, although it was Wei Zhao who had punished him, the one who had demanded the punishment was Shen Yushu.

So if the kidnappers were Zhen Yingjun's men, everything could be explained! But the thought that Zhen Yingjun might be the kidnapper made Wei Zhao uneasy. He had long coveted Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu. In this kidnapping, would he do something wicked to them?

Liu Wangli's deduction had been correct: the kidnappers swapped vehicles in a secluded place. Two identical Land Rovers on the road were far too conspicuous and would easily attract the attention of the police. So in a deserted alley, the man in black and Ma Zhu led Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu onto an old Toyota Previa minivan that had been prepared in advance.

The Previa, also known as the Big King, was an early-model minivan with a large market presence. After the switch, the group was hardly noticeable, looking perfectly ordinary.

As for the two Land Rovers, the contacts quickly removed the fake plates and replaced them with the real ones. One person to a car, they drove off in two separate directions. In this way, no one would grow suspicious.

Once in the van, one of the men in black made a call to Zhen Yingjun. "Young Master Jun, the hostages are in hand. We've changed vehicles safely."

"Oh? Excellent! You've done well. I'll call Gu Pengzhan right away!" The moment Zhen Yingjun heard that the plan had gone off flawlessly, he danced with joy. "By the way, how is Master Ma?"

"Master Ma has followed your instructions. He didn't beat Li Fu to death outright—he left a breath of life in him. If Wei Zhao wants to save him, he'll have to expend a great deal of true qi. By then, his strength will be diminished and no longer worth fearing," the man in black reported.

"Good, very good! Then come back quickly. I can hardly wait!" Zhen Yingjun nodded again and again.

Earlier, in order to kill Wei Zhao without a hitch, he had specially told Ma Zhu not to kill Uncle Qing but to leave a breath of life in him. Wasn't Wei Zhao a doctor? If he wanted Uncle Qing to live, he would have to expend a considerable amount of true qi.

This was a strategy Zhen Yingjun had conceived when the Medicine King had healed Wei Zhao himself. If Uncle Qing's injuries could be used to pin Wei Zhao down and make him burn through a great deal of true qi, then no matter what kind of master Wei Zhao was, he would be no match for Ma Zhu and the firearm squad.

That a skilled healer had to expend a great deal of true qi to treat the wounded had been confirmed by Ma Zhu's own words. That was why the earlier scene had been arranged. Otherwise, Ma Zhu would have had no need to go to such extra trouble, wasting his breath telling Uncle Qing that he had left him a breath of life, merely to satisfy his curiosity! It was all meant to confuse Uncle Qing, to keep him from guessing the true objective. Otherwise, Ma Zhu would hardly have had the patience to chatter with him!

Gu Pengzhan sat on the sofa, waiting for the kidnapper's call, but he felt restless and uneasy, utterly unable to calm down. He glanced at Wei Zhao, who sat with his eyes closed in repose, then rose abruptly to his feet. He felt he had to do something, but once he was on his feet, he didn't know what to do.

Wei Zhao, though seemingly resting with his eyes shut, was not idle either. He was mulling over countermeasures in his mind. What Zhen Yingjun had done had crossed the line that Wei Zhao could tolerate. He thought that if his strength recovered and the kidnappers still had not called, he would go straight to the Zhen family and, tearing the earth apart three feet down, dig them out!

No sooner had Gu Pengzhan stood up than the phone in his pocket rang abruptly. He quickly took it out and glanced at the caller ID. It was a hidden number, displayed entirely as a string of "0".

"Hello? I'm Gu Pengzhan!" He was now all but certain that the caller was the kidnapper. After all, no ordinary person needed to hide their number when calling.

"Mr. Gu, hello there! A first acquaintance—what an honor!" The voice on the phone was grating and clearly processed by a voice changer, already somewhat distorted. His deliberately insincere pleasantries made it even more uncomfortable to the ear.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Gu Pengzhan knitted his brows and asked.

"Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is—do you want to know where your daughter and her best friend are? I happen to be a man who knows. Wah ha ha ha ha!" The man on the phone was reckless, even brazen, as though he had nothing to fear.

"So it was you who kidnapped my daughter and Xiaoshu! What do you want?" In that instant, Gu Pengzhan was fully certain of the caller's identity: the kidnapper, no doubt. Yet this realization actually calmed his nerves somewhat. As long as the kidnapper was willing to take the initiative to contact him, it was a good sign. Gu Pengzhan was not afraid of the other side making demands; he feared the opposite—that they would demand nothing, snatch his daughter away without a sound, and then vanish.

"Mr. Gu, the way you put it is hardly fair! What do you mean, I kidnapped them? I'm merely an informant." The man said shamelessly, "I merely heard that you have put up a reward of two hundred million for anyone who provides a clue. Is that correct?"

Gu Pengzhan was infuriated beyond words. The man clearly wanted a ransom, yet dressed it up as a reward—a prostitute erecting a chastity arch for herself!

"Yes!" But knowing he must not provoke the kidnapper, Gu Pengzhan could only nod. "That's correct. You want two hundred million? I'll give it to you. But you must guarantee the safety of my daughter and Xiaoshu. If they suffer even the slightest harm, you won't get a cent from me!"

Two hundred million was not a small sum. Gu Pengzhan's total personal assets amounted to only about five hundred million, and that included company shares and real estate. In terms of liquid cash, two hundred million was nearly the absolute limit he could muster. It seemed that the other party had investigated him beforehand, knowing exactly how much cash he could lay his hands on. That figure of two hundred million was hardly a random number.

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