395: Kidnapping

Kidnapping

The elevator halted on the first floor, so we had to take the stairs. I was wearing slippers. I held the bedsheet with one hand while Jing Tian held my other hand. I had a bad feeling.1

Before we reached the bottom of the stairs, we heard a series of screams. It was followed by the sound of gunshots. Jing Tian and Gao Da squatted by the wall. Jing Tian pressed me back.

I sneaked a glance and saw five or six men in heavy armor walking up the stairs. They wore silver masks on their faces, which were shimmering under the light.

The leader carried a machine gun on his shoulder while the man beside him held a tablet in his hand.

We retreated to the corridor.

At this moment, a few people in the same attire walked from the other side of the corridor.

The leader looked at the people squatting on the ground and said in a clear voice, "Don't be afraid, everyone. We are only looking for a few people. Please cooperate and don't make things difficult for us."

What else could the hostages do?

"We are looking for two people on this floor. Once we find them, you'll be safe." The leader said in English and then repeated it in broken Chinese.

My heart skipped a beat.

Jing Tian tightened his grip on my hand and looked at me. I knew he wanted me to control my emotions.

The leader uttered an English name, Max Brown.

No one responded.

He repeated it three times, and still, no one responded.

The man behind him shot a blonde girl.

"I know you're here. If you still don't want to surrender, I'll have to kill more people! One person will die each time I call your name!" The leader's smile was cruel, and his voice was cold.

Low cries came from the crowd.

When the leader said the name again, a tall and thin mixed-race man slowly stood up. "I'm Brown."

Immediately, two masked men came forward to capture Brown. When Brown passed by the blonde girl, he whispered, "I'm sorry."

The leader looked at Brown and smiled, "If you'd come out earlier, you wouldn't need to apologize to her."

"Why did you go through so much trouble to find me?" Brown spoke fluent Chinese.

The leader shrugged. "I'm only responsible for finding you. Follow me. You'll know soon enough." The leader waved, and Brown was dragged away by the other men.

The leader revealed a victorious smile. "Next, Jing Tian!"

My blood rushed to my brain, and there was a buzzing sound in my ear. My body was firmly restrained. I saw Jing Tian stand up to block my way. Gao Da pressed me down.

Jing Tian said, "I'm Jing Tian."

The leader sized up Jing Tian. "Nice to meet you, Master Qi!"

Jing Tian said indifferently, "Who wants to see me?"

The leader replied, "Master Qi, I can't answer that. But please come with us." He avoided Jing Tian's question.

"Can you let these people go?" Jing Tian didn't intend these people to answer him either way.

The leader smiled. "There are no survivors on the other floor. We will allow survivors on this floor to give Mr. Brown and Master Qi face. We'll lock them up in a room. Fate will determine their lives."

Jing Tian said lightly, "I know how many people are here. If anything happens to them, the Ardent Flame Alliance will demand retribution. That is a promise that will be fulfilled even if I die."

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