Chapter 91: Chapter 47: There Is Great Terror in the Vacuum
In the vacuum lies great horror, akin to the presence or absence of life and death. If even the "me" disappears, many may awaken instantly and leave the realm of meditation.
Thus, the vacuum feels like a threshold, with many people stepping one foot in only to be bounced back out. But when meditation penetrates deeply enough, one inevitably encounters this barrier.
Without entering the empty realm, it’s impossible to seek a higher realm of cultivation. Hence, some are blocked before this threshold; while others, with great resolve and courage, step through, though they may also fall into the vacuum.
He Kao hasn’t had this experience, as he’s only practiced the Observation Method for several days, far from the realm of "All Five Aggregates are Void."
These past two days, experiencing extraordinary Perception Ability, he was very excited, an excitement undoubtedly due to taking the Essence Nourishing Pill. But upon waking, a lesson was instantaneously supplemented—an instant of great horror.
His head covered, hands bound, he doesn’t know where he’s been taken, equating to erasure of self.
Even an idiot would now realize they’ve been kidnapped. His heart couldn’t help but race wildly, quickly followed by dizziness and nausea, with discomfort around his mouth and nose.
He feels his body weakened, his brain seemingly unable to command his body... no wonder he slept so deeply, unaware when bound, he must’ve been drugged.
Calm, he must calm down... he wants to force himself to think, but his mind is chaotic, like a sticky mess.
"Control the mind with intent, chaos returns hard to calm; control the mind with body, harmony leads the mind to peace."
He Kao inexplicably recalls the annotation Lin Qingshuang left on the set of Cultivation Techniques, so he begins to adjust his breathing, from deepening to leveling, leveling to stabilizing, stabilizing to relaxing, relaxing to tranquility, and his heartbeat slowly returns to calm.
As his breathing and heartbeat stabilize, his brain gradually recovers calmness, able to think normally...
Ordinary people in normal circumstances seek tranquility but feel thoughts scattered, while facing great horror often leaves the brain blank.
He Kao, under normal circumstances, can enter the state through the Observation Method, keeping consciousness empty, and facing sudden upheaval, can still enter a state of thought, representing a kind of Willpower.
Everything has a motive; understanding the kidnappers’ purpose essentially equates to understanding who they are, determining the possibility of escape, and how to escape.
Firstly, the kidnappers might be after money, with rumors in his hometown suggesting he acquired a box of gold bars.
If this is the case, the kidnappers might be somewhat foolish, regardless of whether that box of gold bars exists, bringing him here, how could they fetch those gold bars?
Could they force him to find someone to send the gold bars over, which equates to leaving a clue for the police?
Or forcing him to lead them to get the gold bars? Or asking where the gold bars are hidden, perhaps in some secret place at home, and the kidnappers go fetch them themselves?
The kidnappers might impulsively act, for believing such rumors usually indicates poor judgment.
But foolish and rash people often act harshly, heedless of consequences, after seeking wealth they might harm lives... if they truly want the gold bars, one must find a way to cooperate, ideally by leading them to retrieve.
Secondly, the kidnappers might target Hidden Moth, unable to determine its identity, though they know he isn’t Hidden Moth, they suspect he knows Hidden Moth.
Either trying to extract Hidden Moth’s identity from him or using him to lure Hidden Moth out... if this is the case, it’s a big hassle, these are no ordinary hands at work.
He Kao thinks this way because Liang Kai once threatened him with a gun in the apartment at midnight. The hands this time are clearly bolder, afraid they won’t leave him alive if no clues are left.
He Kao feels conflicted, on one hand, hoping Huang Xiaopang can be as resourceful as rumors suggest, finding a way to rescue him, but on the other hand, should Huang Xiaopang act, it signifies the kidnappers’ goal is achieved...
They want to lure Hidden Moth out!
There’s also a third possibility, the kidnappers might be after the materials in the safe deposit box. Though only he and Qian Guran have seen it, he believes Old Qian won’t leak, but who can say for sure?
Suppose Old Qian has issues; solving him means the secret remains hidden... no, no, it shouldn’t be Old Qian, someone else knows this situation.
Twenty years ago, someone should know the material’s existence, upon hearing Zhou Du left a safe deposit box behind, even without knowing its contents, suspicions are inevitable.
So they simply kidnapped him to take the materials and ensure no backups exist... finally, they might even kill to silence.
In this third scenario, the perpetrators are easy to judge, likely subordinates of Bada Group’s Chairman, Gu Yunpeng, or related parties of interests, low chance of being enemies.
The more He Kao thinks, the colder he feels, then he starts lightly moving his body, attempting to settle his mind to perceive the surrounding environment. Having practiced Secret Techniques for days, just discovered his extraordinary Perception Ability, now it’s time to utilize.
Firstly, he senses his body, gradually feeling normal again, but wrists and ankles bound make movement difficult, especially hands are bound behind, feeling particularly uncomfortable.
He’s barefoot, only wearing socks, with long pants, belt still intact, upper body wearing a short-sleeve T-shirt and a long-sleeve shirt. This is his sleeping attire, having collapsed onto the bed without undressing.
Temperature’s low, sitting motionless feels chilly, the time should be night.
Qi Yuan is by the Great River; early October weather remains warm, daytime highs over twenty degrees, nights at coldest around ten... about now’s feeling.
Bindings aren’t ropes, but nylon straps.
The zip tie tightens with each pull, almost impossible to untie, making forceful escape very difficult. But it must have its weaknesses: firstly, it fears fire, becoming soft and losing strength when exposed to high temperatures; secondly, it is afraid of sharp objects repeatedly slicing it...
He Kao suddenly remembered a method for breaking zip ties he had seen online, using shoelaces to thread through and tighten, then quickly rubbing.
Unfortunately, he currently had no shoelaces, not even shoes. But there must be a way to open it, as long as he could find something to repeatedly rub and quickly heat it up, or something thin that could be inserted into the opening.
Underneath him, the sofa felt very dusty when touched with his fingers, an old object unused for a long time.
This was an empty room with a closed door, a small table ahead with something seemingly placed on it...beside it surprisingly another sofa on which someone seemed to be tied!
The general shape should be a woman...a woman with a very good figure, somehow feels like Gao Xue’e?
In this situation, He Kao could only sense a general outline, not enough to directly recognize someone, just a baseless feeling.
He instinctively sniffed, attempting in the unpleasant moldy and dusty smell filling the room, to discern the scent of the person...it’s pleasant, familiar—it’s definitely President E!
He Kao’s heart sank, he had already guessed the kidnappers’ purpose, which was targeting the Hidden Moth! He even locked onto a suspect, Peng Xian, the owner of Jinxing Media.
The last time at Qile Manor, Peng Xian had teamed up with Zhao Hai Zhen, so it’s very likely that Zhao Hai Zhen is involved in this kidnapping too.
If the kidnappers were targeting the rumor of gold bars or that piece of material, then there is no reason to also kidnap Gao Xue’e. Therefore, they can only be targeting the Hidden Moth.
As far as He Kao knew, Peng Xian, a sorcerer of the Xingshen Sect, had taken an apprentice under the guise of being part of the Observing Body Sect, and her voice suggested she was a girl working at the 110 command center.
President E’s house once had a mysterious occurrence in the middle of the night—a plate of apples inexplicably turned into oranges, and then the oranges disappeared without a trace. She reported to the police, which caught Peng Xian’s attention, believing it to be a prank by the Hidden Moth.
Many people were eyeing He Kao, as if only Peng Xian also set sights on Gao Xue’e, thinking the Hidden Moth should be related to both of them.
So it’s highly likely Peng Xian is among the kidnappers, otherwise he wouldn’t have kidnapped both him and President E.
Listening to President E’s slightly troubled breathing, which seemed wet, she must have been drugged with anesthetics, yet still unconscious.
As he opened his perception to the surroundings, He Kao became increasingly calm, entering a sort of selfless state, even forgetting fear, then heard the sound of a lighter being flicked, coming from outside the door.
He Kao was not a Tier Three Sorcerer mastering Divine Sense, he wasn’t even a Tier One Sorcerer, merely having some achievements in Observing Meditation Method, his perception ability was exceptional, but without sound, he couldn’t judge the situation outdoors.
With sound, however slight, he could use it to gather more information.
There was someone outside, seemingly seated against the wall on the left of the door, perhaps getting restless now, lit a cigarette and began pacing.
Judging space structure from the echo of footsteps, outside was a corridor, opposite the corridor there was a room, seemingly without a door... what it meant by no door was a situation like in He Kao’s home on the second and third floors, only having doorways, not fitted with door frames or panels.
It was likely not unfitted, but damaged or torn down...this was the space structure unfolding in his mind, not very clear.
There was not just one person outside the door, on the right by the wall was another who also lit a cigarette and yawned, then quietly said to his companion: "Brother Niu, when will those two wake up?"
This accent was not local, since locals couldn’t differentiate "Liu" and "Niu" in speech.
Brother Niu: "The boss said, it will take another two hours for the drug effect to wear off. The guy might recover faster, the woman slower. If we hear anything, let’s quickly notify the boss."
This Brother Niu spoke with the local Qi Yuan accent.
Non-local accent man: "That woman is really alluring! How about we have some fun with her, give her a pleasant time?"
Brother Niu seemingly swallowed some saliva, appeared tempted too, but shook his head saying: "The boss said they are mere debtors, brought over to scare a bit, make them too afraid not to repay, then throw them back.
The woman can’t be touched now, mustn’t turn this into a serious crime, let alone cause a fatal incident... moreover, the boss only ordered us to watch over them, specifically instructed not to lay hands on them.
Even if they are returned, they likely wouldn’t dare to report to the police. Even if they did, no evidence would prove who did it. Old Turtle, be cautious; we’re just here for dirty work paid, no need to get ourselves involved."
Non-local accent Old Turtle reluctantly said: "I’m saying, since she’s temporarily unconscious, the boss isn’t here..."
Brother Niu: "You think I don’t want to have fun? But... forget it, let’s take the money to a hotel and find a girl, do any fun tricks we want, choose whichever positions we want."
Old Turtle: "The most relaxing positions, don’t need to move oneself... Hey, isn’t that woman a debtor, if the boss arrives later, talks it over to repay with her body..."
Brother Niu cuts him off: "That’s the boss’s matter, why do you keep thinking about this?"
Old Turtle: "Sitting idly in the dead of night, what else is there to think about?"
They assumed they spoke very quietly but amidst the silent night, He Kao heard very clearly.
**