Chapter 95: Chapter 95: Concealing Achievements and Fame
He originally thought Yun Bing would react like everyone else and assume he was spouting nonsense. Unexpectedly, she cut right to the chase and asked where the hideout was.
Xia Liang stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and then said, "It should be where I just delivered takeout."
"Delivered takeout?"
The mere mention of it made the corner of Yun Bing’s mouth twitch. She couldn’t help it; who knew what was wrong with Xia Liang? For a wealthy tycoon, he had the strange quirk of delivering takeout in a luxury car.
Forget it. Yun Bing shook her head. Now wasn’t the time to make fun of him.
She looked up at Xia Liang expectantly. "Do you know how many of them there are?"
"How would I know?" Xia Liang shrugged. "I’m not one of them."
"That’s true," Yun Bing admitted, feeling a bit embarrassed. She wasn’t sure why she had asked such a foolish question. Just as disappointment began to set in, Xia Liang spoke again.
"But she knows," he said, pointing at Scorpion on the ground.
The others looked on in confusion.
Come on, even if she really is a human trafficker, how could she possibly tell you something like that?
But to their surprise, the female Protector named Yun Bing actually believed him.
She tapped her own head. "Right, how could I have forgotten about you?"
Facing everyone’s stares, Xia Liang took his foot off Scorpion and squatted down to look at her. Scorpion’s once-pretty face was now covered in dust, and she glared defiantly at him.
"We just run honey trap scams to make a little money! We’re not human traffickers."
Xia Liang completely ignored her. "You are now under my hypnosis. I will count to three. From this moment on, every word you speak will be the truth."
"One."
"Two."
"Three."
After finishing the count, Xia Liang snapped his fingers and used the Contradictory Card on Scorpion.
Scorpion had been worried, but when she realized she felt no different, she stared at Xia Liang like a complete fool. To be precise, except for Yun Bing, who was watching with anticipation, everyone else was looking at Xia Liang as if he were an idiot.
Xia Liang spoke to Scorpion coolly. "Are you human traffickers?"
Is he an idiot? Scorpion couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Does he really think I’d admit it?
It wasn’t just Scorpion; even the onlookers in the crowd began to chuckle.
Scorpion put on a serious expression, preparing to say, "We are not."
But the words that actually came out of her mouth were, "Yes, all four of us are human traffickers."
At that moment, everyone was dumbfounded.
What the hell? How is this possible? What kind of human trafficker just admits to their crime?
Everyone present felt the situation was utterly absurd. Only Yun Bing’s face lit up with excitement.
It worked! This hypnotism is just like a superpower! Even seeing it for the second time, it’s still so shocking!
Compared to everyone else, Scorpion was, naturally, the most terrified.
I know that’s not what I meant to say. Why did the words change the moment they left my mouth?
While Scorpion was reeling from self-doubt, Ah Cai, lying on the ground, couldn’t help but roar, "Scorpion! What the hell are you doing?"
Seeing Ah Cai still had the strength to talk, Xia Liang kicked him squarely in the face. "Shut up. Did I say you could talk?"
Xia Liang had put some force into that kick, and Ah Cai immediately screamed in pain.
"AHHH!"
Two streams of blood trickled from his nostrils. The onlookers assumed Yun Bing might intervene, but she merely shot him an indifferent glance and said nothing, instead feeling a surge of satisfaction.
She hated this group that trafficked women and children to the bone. If she were allowed, she would want to kick these animals to death herself. How many lives had they ruined, forcing people to live a life worse than death?
As for Xia Liang, people like this deserved to be kicked. He didn’t feel the need to explain himself and cared even less about what anyone else thought.
He continued to question Scorpion. "Where’s the den, and how many people are there?"
I can’t say it! I absolutely can’t! As long as I keep my mouth shut, I’ll be fine!
So Scorpion thought, preparing to keep her mouth shut. But to her dismay, her lips began to move on their own.
"The den is just ahead. Turn left at the intersection. There’s a surveillance camera at the main gate. In total, there are thirty-two people inside, including fifteen children and six young women. Besides the four of us, there are seven other accomplices in the den."
Fifteen children and six young women! Hearing the numbers Scorpion reported, Yun Bing’s heart leaped into her throat.
This perfectly matches the number of recently reported missing persons. This means... I’m about to crack the major child trafficking case in Qingyun City!
Having gotten the information he wanted, Xia Liang deactivated the Contradictory Card. Scorpion was filled with despair, her gaze toward Xia Liang now filled with terror. She couldn’t understand what he had done to her.
In contrast to Scorpion’s fear and Yun Bing’s excitement, the surrounding crowd was simply bewildered.
What the hell is this? Are they filming a TV show?
Everyone instinctively looked around for a camera. After all, the situation was too bizarre. The man asks a question, and she just answers truthfully? They couldn’t think of any other explanation besides acting.
Several enterprising onlookers even took videos and posted them online, with the title, "Filming on the set of an unknown movie or TV series."
Thanks to Xia Liang’s heaven-defying good looks, the post garnered thousands of comments within minutes.
"Damn! This guy is so handsome. Is he the male lead?"
"This show looks kind of silly, but with a face like that, I’m sold!"
"Does anyone know the name of this show? And what’s the actor’s name?"
"Seconded!"
Xia Liang was oblivious to the fact that he was already gaining a legion of fans online. He stood up and turned to Yun Bing. "Alright, now that she’s told us everything, I’ll leave the rest to you Protectors."
Yun Bing nodded solemnly. "Don’t worry, we will definitely bring these criminals to justice." With that, she took out her walkie-talkie and began calling for reinforcements.
Meanwhile, Xia Liang took the opportunity to ask the one question that had been bugging him. "Why did you try to capture me?"
The crowd also perked up their ears to listen.
By now, Scorpion had nothing left to live for. Since there was no escape, she figured she might as well tell the truth.
"Because you’re handsome. They wanted to kidnap you and sell you to a rich woman."
Hearing this, Xia Liang couldn’t help but give his hair a vain flick. "Ah, this accursed, inescapable charm of mine."
With that, Xia Liang turned and vanished into the crowd, concealing his deeds and renown.
By the time Yun Bing finished her call for backup, Xia Liang had already disappeared without a trace. Though she felt a tinge of regret, more pressing matters were at hand. Yun Bing couldn’t go looking for him; she had to focus on capturing these criminals first. She would just have to thank him properly later.
Ten minutes later, several Protector vehicles converged on the old district.