Chapter 34 Led by the Nose

All along the way, the car was pushed to its limits.

By the time they reached Snake City, it was already seven in the evening. Shen Xin and his companions were exhausted and famished.

Before they could rest, another phone call came through, demanding they arrive at Xiaowang Village within an hour, or suffer the consequences.

There was no time for respite. They pressed on toward Xiaowang Village, the place with the sinkhole and gemstones.

Speeding through the night, they finally arrived just before eight o’clock.

At eight, the mountain village was shrouded in darkness, save for a few lonely lights.

Lao Mo parked and immediately tried to return the call, only to find the number was invalid. In frustration, he hurled his phone far into the night.

“These bastards, what tricks are they playing now?”

Now Lao Mo’s phone was broken, leaving only Shen Xin’s in working order.

He anxiously checked the battery—seventy percent remaining—and quickly plugged it into the car charger, fearful it might die.

Moments later, Shen Xin’s phone rang again.

“You have thirty minutes to get to the sinkhole!”

“Hello? Hello, what do you want from us?” Shen Xin demanded, but was met only with the busy tone. The caller had hung up.

“What did they say?”

“They want us at the sinkhole.”

“Damn scum!”

Despite his curses, Lao Mo was the first to leap from the car, the others following close behind.

Tang Ziran handed over a biscuit. “Shen Xin, have something to eat!”

“Alright.”

Though Shen Xin had no appetite, he forced himself to swallow the large biscuit. Tang Ziran then passed him a bottle of yogurt, which he upended and drank in one gulp. By the time they reached the sinkhole, Shen Xin received another call ordering them to descend.

“Ziran, you stay hidden. The rest of us will go down.”

Lao Mo, furious, nodded in agreement. Someone had to guard the rim—it would be a hassle when they needed to come back up.

Without hesitation, Lao Mo leapt into the sinkhole, his body plummeting rapidly. Nearing the bottom, he drew his knife, drove it into the rock wall to slow his descent.

Chen Jiawang and Shen Xin moved swiftly along the rocky walls, descending with agility.

Without waiting for another call, the trio, flashlights blazing, made their way to the edge of the cave inside the sinkhole. Shen Xin’s phone rang again, confirming they were to enter the cave. Without hesitation, they strode inside.

When they reached the familiar cavern hall, the place was brightly illuminated.

Floodlights bathed the interior in dazzling brightness.

Numerous excavators, massive shield machines, and big trucks were parked inside. How these machines had been brought in was a mystery.

Shen Xin scanned the area by the light, but saw no sign of Shen Lan or Mo Ying.

Unable to restrain himself, Lao Mo shouted, “Mo Ying, where are you? Come out! Don’t be afraid, Dad’s here to rescue you!”

His voice echoed throughout the cave. Soon, people emerged from tents, surprised to see Shen Xin and his companions.

At that moment, Chen Chunsheng stepped out from a tent, his face full of confusion upon seeing Lao Mo and the others. He quickly regained composure and smiled, “So it’s you! What brings you here?”

“Release my daughter!”

Chen Chunsheng looked perplexed. “Your daughter? Why are you asking me for your daughter?”

“Drop the act. If you don’t hand her over, I’ll start a massacre!”

Lao Mo drew his twin blades, murderous intent radiating from him, as if surrounded by mountains of corpses and oceans of blood.

“If I haven’t taken anyone, how can I release them? Are you sure you’re not mistaken?”

Shen Xin studied Chen Chunsheng’s face, sensing no deceit. Besides, Chen Chunsheng had no reason to kidnap Shen Lan and Mo Ying; there was little enmity between them.

Unless Chen Chunsheng had lost his mind, he wouldn’t have abducted Shen Lan and Mo Ying.

“I’ll count to three. If you don’t hand her over, I won’t hold back! One!”

“Wait, is there some misunderstanding between us?”

“Two!”

Chen Chunsheng hurried back toward his tent.

“Three! Time’s up! Give me my daughter, or you’ll all be buried with her!”

Chen Jiawang restrained the furious Lao Mo. “Uncle Mo, calm down. If they really took her, a little more time won’t hurt.”

“Fine! I’ll give them a little more time!”

Lao Mo stopped, fixing his gaze on Chen Chunsheng’s tent.

A few minutes passed. Instead of Shen Lan or Mo Ying, a group of black-clad men with machine guns appeared, unleashing a hail of bullets at Shen Xin and his companions!

Seeing the guns, Shen Xin instantly teleported behind a stone pillar, dragging Lao Mo and Chen Jiawang with him.

“Damn it, Chen Chunsheng, you’re courting death!”

Lao Mo was on the verge of exploding. Before Shen Xin and Chen Jiawang could react, Lao Mo had already charged forward. In a blink, he was upon the gunmen, his blades flashing as he felled seven or eight of them, then stormed into the tent.

“Bang! Bang!”

Two gunshots rang out, but Lao Mo dodged nimbly. He grabbed the trembling Chen Chunsheng, slashed away his gun, then pressed his blade to the man’s throat, urgently demanding, “Where is my daughter?”

Chen Chunsheng was pale with terror, but more confused than frightened.

“I’m asking you! Answer me, quickly! Answer!”

Lao Mo pummeled Chen Chunsheng’s head with his fists.

By the time Shen Xin and the others arrived, Chen Chunsheng’s head was swollen like a pig’s.

“Are you going to talk or not? Let’s see if your mouth is tougher than my fists!”

“Uncle Mo, stop! Any more and you’ll kill him!”

Chen Jiawang grabbed Lao Mo’s arm. Something about the whole situation felt off.

Shen Xin quickly asked, “Uncle Mo, did you find out anything?”

Lao Mo shook his head, growling, “Chen Chunsheng’s got a backbone. I’ll force it out of him! Don’t stop me!”

Chen Chunsheng spat blood, finally catching his breath, and wailed, “At least give me a chance to speak! I swear I didn’t take your daughter.”

At that moment, Shen Xin’s phone rang. He hurried to answer, putting it on speaker.

Lao Mo snatched it away and shouted, “You damn schemer, what are you up to?”

Mocking laughter came through the phone. “We want gemstones. Now that you’re in the cave, you have one hour to deliver ten thousand gemstones, or else!”

“Damn it, you think I’m some tentacled monster? Five hundred at most.”

The caller paused, sounding uncertain. “Aren’t there Chen Chunsheng’s men as well?”

“Already slaughtered.”

“Ha ha ha, well done! In that case, we’ll make it easy for you—one thousand gemstones.”

The laughter was hearty; evidently, the caller was delighted at Chen Chunsheng’s demise.

“Where do we deliver the gemstones once we’ve mined them?”

“That’s not your concern. We’ll call in an hour.”

“You…”

Before Lao Mo could finish his curse, the caller hung up.