Chapter 631: Chapter 631: Rescued
"How is it?" Xu Ke asked.
The leader approached Xu Ke and said, "There’s just this last area left to search. If we haven’t made a mistake, they should be here."
Everyone standing here showed signs of fatigue on their faces to varying degrees, but their eyes were bright, like small light bulbs, full of energy.
"Thank you for your hard work. Once this is over, I’ll give each of you a big red envelope," Xu Ke said.
Given Xu Ke’s status, no one doubted the amount or number of the red envelopes he mentioned, and the already excited bodyguards now seemed even more invigorated, as if they were on adrenaline.
"Rest assured, we will definitely bring back the two misses safe and sound as quickly as possible," the leader said.
"Then I’ll leave it to you. I’ll go in with you. Let’s go." Xu Ke patted the leader’s shoulder, no longer in the mood to continue talking, and took the lead into the last industrial area, with thirty bodyguards following behind him.
Once they entirely entered the industrial area, the thirty people orderly split into several groups, searching according to the directions and areas discussed in advance.
"You don’t need to mind me. Just go at your own pace; I’ll act alone." Xu Ke noticed the hesitant look in the leader’s eyes and understood his thoughts, so he said.
The leader of the bodyguards, seeing Xu Ke’s words, no longer hesitated and quickly regained his previous spirit, leading his men in another direction. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, only Xu Ke was left at the original spot. He looked around and followed his instincts, walking randomly in a certain direction.
Lying in the river, Yu Xia’s mind began to feel a bit foggy.
The autumn river water was icy cold. Lying in it, Yu Xia felt the chill penetrating her body, making her feel as if the cold was seeping through her bones. She couldn’t even smell the stench of the river anymore. Perhaps due to the river water’s stimulation, her stomach began to ache.
Yu Xia raised her hand in the river and placed it on her stomach, cautiously rubbing it, trying her best not to agitate the water and make noise that might reveal her position.
It was unclear how long this had gone on, long enough for a thought to emerge in her mind that she didn’t care who would find her, as long as someone did. Yu Xia wanted to sit up in the water, but unfortunately, her body lacked the strength to do so. The icy river water and her aching stomach kept her trapped in this stinking gutter. Worse still, the air in her lungs seemed insufficient, and her constantly compressed lungs made her chest burn with pain.
In a daze, Yu Xia seemed to hear Xu Ke’s voice.
Could it be that she was going to die? Die in this stinking ditch, otherwise why would she hear Xu Ke’s voice? Yu Xia thought hazily.
Just when she couldn’t hold her breath any longer and was about to open her mouth, a large hand pulled her out of the stinking ditch. The sudden intake of fresh air made Yu Xia greedily take several deep breaths.
"Are you feeling better? Why did you hide there? Do you know how hot you are?" Xu Ke asked, somewhat fearing for Yu Xia as he lifted her from the ditch. He felt a sense of relief at gaining what was almost lost, but this relief did not last long as it was quickly replaced by anger at her burning temperature.
Xu Ke took off his jacket and put it on Yu Xia, frowning deeply.
"Do you know you almost died in that stinking ditch today?" If he hadn’t noticed the bubbles in the river and sensed something was wrong, he might not have pulled her out in time. Given her temperature, she might have burned herself to death in that ditch. The thought of this possibility made Xu Ke unable to contain his anger.
The target of his anger, however, was only half-opening her eyes, revealing a silly smile to Xu Ke.
"It’s nice to see you... too bad I didn’t see my sister," Yu Xia said in a small voice, not taking in Xu Ke’s words. Just as Xu Ke was about to scold her further, Yu Xia closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Without hesitation, Xu Ke, disregarding the stinking river water still on Yu Xia, carried her to where he parked his car.
Since Yu Xia is here, Tang Zhongwei shouldn’t be far off. Moreover, with thirty bodyguards on his side, Xu Ke believed it was impossible not to rescue her. For Xu Ke, Yu Xia’s condition was more pressing, so without hesitation, he took Yu Xia away, leaving Tang Zhongwei’s safety to the thirty bodyguards.
On the other side, Miss Lu and Feng Yiwen were unaware that Yu Xia had been rescued, or that Xu Ke’s people had found their hiding place. Soon, they would be unable to keep hold of their last hostage. Feng Yiwen was still furious that Brother Diao hadn’t responded to her messages.
In her anger, Feng Yiwen called Brother Diao again.
In the dusty, empty floor, the sudden ringing startled Tang Zhongwei. Brother Diao, who was annoyed by Feng Yiwen’s call, didn’t expect the unexpected delight of finding the hidden person.
He hung up and walked towards Tang Zhongwei.
The approaching footsteps became more intense, and Tang Zhongwei’s breathing seemed to stop. Her mind was focused on one thought: she absolutely mustn’t be caught by them again.
She didn’t know what she was thinking at that moment, but as she dashed out, her long-unused mind began to function again, but it was too late. The sensation of weightlessness overwhelmed everything.
"Bang!"
Tang Zhongwei felt her insides ache as if they’d shifted out of place. She wanted to stand and escape, but her body was too pained and weak. In despair, Tang Zhongwei closed her eyes and slipped into darkness.
What she didn’t know was that as she fell, the bodyguards had just searched the floor. Seeing her fall, they immediately lifted her and rushed her to the hospital. The rest stayed to catch the kidnappers.
Brother Diao and the bodyguards played a cat-and-mouse game, while Feng Yiwen kept calling him until a message played that his phone was out of service, prompting her to give up.
"What now? Didn’t they answer? Could something have happened?" Miss Lu looked at Feng Yiwen with questioning eyes, but her heart had already assumed the worst. Her question was a final hope against despair.
Feng Yiwen gripped her phone in silence; sometimes silence is an answer. Seeing Feng Yiwen’s reaction, Miss Lu understood their worst fear had come true. Her strength seemed to drain as she sat on the sofa.
"Xu Ke must have found them. He knows what’s been done, and he won’t let my family off. What should I do?" It was only now that Miss Lu began to feel fear, a fear that layered upon her until it suffocated her. She looked at Feng Yiwen as if she were a lifeline.