Shen Bing, leading over a dozen men, gave chase and saw four patrol officers forcing Hong Xing into a commercial van.
"Wait a moment."
Shen Bing shouted and rushed towards the parking lot. He was now quite certain these officers were fake. If they were in uniform and investigating, they would surely be driving police cars, not a commercial van.
By the time he reached the commercial van, it had already started. He touched the back of the van.
"Everyone get in the car, the cops are fake. We have to catch them."
Shen Bing yelled and ran towards their parking spots. kAnshuWu.ξà
Yang Jian and his two companions, who had been observing from the parking lot, were stunned. They never expected A Bao to abduct Hong Xing in such a manner.
"Jun Jun, drive the car over and block them."
Yang Jian saw Shen Bing's intention. They needed to buy A Bao and his men more time to prevent Shen Bing from catching up.
Jun Jun understood him perfectly. He drove the car to the parking lot exit and stopped, turning off the engine.
"Beep, beep."
Luo Peng, driving a BMW with Shen Bing and three bodyguards, was blocked at the parking lot exit. He honked his horn frantically, but the Santana in front wouldn't move.
Shen Bing, impatient, got out of the passenger seat and ran to the front of the Santana, shouting, "Brother, why aren't you moving?"
"So sorry, so sorry, the car stalled. It'll be ready soon, very soon."
Jun Jun, sitting in the driver's seat, rolled down the window and apologized profusely to Shen Bing.
"Hurry up for me."
Shen Bing said this and kicked the car door hard. He saw the commercial van had already merged into the street traffic, and catching up would be difficult.
Jun Jun didn't get angry. He tried starting the car twice, finally got it running, and then slowly drove out of the parking lot.
Luo Peng then floored the accelerator and picked up Shen Bing. By the time they entered the main street, the commercial van had vanished.
"Luo Peng, accelerate, run the red light."
Having lost their target, Shen Bing was frantic and urged Luo Peng to drive faster.
But the street was bustling with heavy traffic, making it impossible to speed.
"I can't, Bing Bing. There are traffic police patrolling ahead. We'll get caught if we run a red light."
"Saving people is more important. Run the red light, we can handle the traffic police."
"Alright, buckle up then."
Luo Peng decided to go all out. Since he couldn't catch up to A Bao and the others anyway, he might as well indulge Shen Bing's recklessness to avoid suspicion.
He stomped on the accelerator and sped through, nearly colliding with a white car coming from the right. Fortunately, the other car was moving slowly, and its driver braked in time, narrowly avoiding a crash.
Amidst the curses of the other driver, the BMW shot forward like an arrow, but the cars behind couldn't keep up and were stopped by the red light.
Seeing someone deliberately running a red light, the nearby patrol officers immediately mounted their motorcycles, sirens blaring, and gave chase, simultaneously calling ahead for an interception.
"Quick, I see their car. Luo Peng, accelerate."
The BMW was much faster than the commercial van. By running the red light, they were indeed closing in on A Bao's vehicle.
Luo Peng felt a pang of anxiety. What should he do now? He couldn't slow down. Even if he couldn't catch the commercial van, sticking close to it would foil today's plan and put A Bao and the others in danger.
"BMW, slow down and pull over."
A traffic officer on a motorcycle had actually caught up.
Luo Peng seized the opportunity to slow down, so Shen Bing wouldn't suspect him.
Shen Bing, however, was getting anxious. "Don't stop, keep chasing."
"Bing Bing, look ahead."
Luo Peng pointed to two police cars that had suddenly appeared ahead and gave Shen Bing a helpless look. They couldn't chase anymore.
"Damn it."
Shen Bing punched the window glass in frustration, furious enough to spit blood. The two police cars ahead were forcing the BMW to stop. They could only watch as the commercial van disappeared from sight once again.
In a bay on the outskirts of Dongjiang City, surrounded by mountains on three sides, A Bao had A Long force Hong Xing to kneel on the beach, waiting for Yang Jian and the others.
"Brother, I have no quarrel with you. Why did you kidnap me? If you want money, I'll give it. Name your price, and I'll have someone transfer it to you."
Hong Xing now knew he had been kidnapped. As soon as these people got into the van, they had taken off their police uniforms; they weren't real officers at all.
No one replied to him. Only A Bao and A Long were present at the scene. The other three brothers were keeping watch nearby. Although this place was secluded, there was no guarantee no one would come.
Less than ten minutes later, Yang Jian and A Feng came over the small hill.
"Yang Jian?"
The moment Hong Xing saw Yang Jian, he understood everything. The shooting of Shen Hua, the vandalism of the Chamber of Commerce, and today's kidnapping were all orchestrated by him.
Yang Jian walked up to him and squatted down. "Hong Xing, I bet you didn't expect us to meet like this."
"Yang Jian, what do you want?"
"What do I want? Don't you think that question is ridiculous? I have no quarrel with you, nor have I blocked your path to wealth, yet you've opposed me time and again. The most outrageous thing was poisoning my factory and setting it on fire. If you were me, could you tolerate it?"
"Those things were planned by Brother Mao, and they have nothing to do with me."
"Without your support, would they dare to do that? Shen Hua is your cousin; he must have listened to you."
"Yang Jian, you've already killed Shen Hua. This matter is settled. What else do you want?"
Yang Jian shook his head. "You're such a smart person, how can you not see the situation? I'm a wanted man. Now that you've seen me, do you think I can let you go?"
"You want to kill me? No, you can't do this. Our feud hasn't reached the point of taking each other's lives. Tell me your demands, and I'll fulfill them if I can."
Hong Xing panicked. He sensed killing intent in Yang Jian's tone.
Yang Jian looked at him mockingly. "Hong Xing, the loss to my factory was only a matter of a few million. Shen Hua paid the price with his life. I really didn't intend to kill you."
"Thank you, Mr. Yang. I'll give you money when I get back. All your factory's losses will be on me, plus compensation. Five million, no, I'll give you ten million. Is that enough?"
"Hong Xing, I didn't plan to kill you, but someone offered eight million for your life, so you still have to die."
"Who? Who paid eight million for my life? I'll offer twenty million, please spare me."
Hong Xing, who had just felt a glimmer of hope, once again felt death approaching him.
"Zhou Tao, you pushed them to a dead end. He wants your life. Don't blame me when you get to the underworld."
Yang Jian wanted to see how desperate this scumbag would be. The more arrogant he was before, the more miserable he was now.
"Yang Jian, Mr. Yang, I beg you to spare me. I'll give you all my assets, and I'll never be involved in underworld activities again. Please."
Hong Xing cried, tears and snot streaming down his face, kowtowing repeatedly. Sand covered his head and face.
"When you walk the rivers and lakes, you'll eventually get hurt. You were born into a wealthy family with excellent family conditions. Whether you went into politics or ran a legitimate business, you would have lived better than ordinary people.
But you chose to get involved in the underworld, doing things that bully the good and harm society. This is your final destination.
Take one last good look at this beautiful world. Be a good person in your next life."
After speaking, Yang Jian nodded at A Bao and left with A Feng.