Sakura Avenue was one of the new cityscape projects in Peace City. It was planted with the most well-known Somei Yoshino cherry trees. At the end of March when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, the entire avenue would be occupied by pink petals, like a dream.
But now it was summer, and the cherry blossoms had long withered. The location was also relatively remote, with few pedestrians on the road, only a small number of vehicles coming and going.
The reason why the kidnappers chose this place was not hard to guess - there were few people here, and the surveillance was not yet fully covered.
After Sister's husband arrived, he randomly found a place to park and waited for the kidnappers to contact him.
The sunlight was glaring. He sat blankly in his seat, spaced out for a while, not knowing what he was thinking about, until the ringtone of his cell phone sounded, and he was startled awake as if from a dream.
"I'm here," he swallowed with a hoarse voice.
The kidnapper said, "Drive from south to north, and stop by the sixth trash can."
Sister's husband started the engine and found the place.
The sixth trash can was no different from the other trash cans, the only anomaly being a special hook above it.
"Hang the box on it, then you can leave," said the kidnapper.
The box's handle fit perfectly with the hook. As soon as it hung on, the concealed magnets clung tightly, difficult to detach. Then, whether by remote control or automatic sensing, the hook's wire began to automatically retract, lifting the box, gradually rising until it was hidden in a patch of lush greenery.
Not to mention a passerby that happened to pass by, even Sister's husband, after staring under the tree for half a day, could not see where the box was hidden.
"Okay," he tentatively asked, "then my son..."
"Wait for notice," said the kidnapper, before promptly hanging up.
Sister's husband lingered under the tree for a while, but still obeyed orders and drove away.
He called his wife, "I've given the stuff."
"What about the child?" Second Sister Si anxiously asked.
Sister's husband uneasily said, "He said he'd notify us..."
Second Sister Si suddenly raised her voice, "What?"
Sister's husband was embarrassed, "That's it, he hung up the phone."
"You--" Second Sister Si wanted to say something, but didn't know what she could say. Si Yingjie, who was next to her, advised, "Money can be earned again, just do as the kidnapper says for now, Cong Cong's safety is most important."
Second Sister Si reluctantly nodded, "Yes, then come back. We--we'll wait a little longer."
"It'll be fine," Sister's husband reassured powerlessly, but even he didn't believe it himself.
Cong Cong... can he really come back safely?
As the car drove away, the clouds obscured the glaring sun, and the light suddenly darkened.
For a time, the road was empty, with only the occasional car speeding by.
The wind blew through the treetops, and noisy sounds arose, accompanied by a few green leaves falling. A drone emerged from the foliage, circling twice in the air. After making sure no one was around, it suddenly ascended and flew towards the nearest tall building.
However, the drone only stayed on the building's rooftop for a while. Ten minutes later, it took off again, flying back in the direction it came from. It crossed over Sakura Avenue and turned into the intersection.
A nondescript black sedan had been waiting there for a long time.
The drone landed and was taken back by the person inside. But after unloading the wooden box, he put an identical box back on and started it up again, flying in another direction.
At the same time, the car drove away.
It looked like the most ordinary car on the road, slowly stopping in front of a cheap motel.
The driver didn't get out. Instead, he took apart the wooden box, poured out the diamonds inside, and checked them one by one. They all looked fine, but when he touched the largest blue sapphire, his fingertips seemed to touch something foreign.
He was shocked and immediately held it up to the sunlight to examine.
The blue sapphire was amazingly beautiful, like a pool of seawater. But in the light, one could vaguely see what appeared to be a thin, transparent film on the surface, with a slight difference in luster.
He carefully nudged it, and quickly tore off a small circular piece, as thin as a sticker. When he pinched it between his fingers, he didn't feel any traces of a chip, unlike any device. But to be safe, he immediately rolled down the car window to throw it out.
But the instant the window lowered, a pungent odor rushed in through the crack.
His eyes stung badly, unable to open at all. If it was an ordinary person, they would surely lose mobility. However, this man reacted quickly, immediately covering his eyes with his arm, starting the car, and recklessly reversing.
At the same time, he opened the car windows and air conditioning to quickly dissipate the mist.
To be fair, his speed was not slow, but at the same time he started the car, the attacker had already reached in and opened the door from the inside.
As the car reversed, the attacker also grabbed his collar.
"Don't move," the opponent threatened. "My knife is on your neck."
He could feel it.
The sharp blade pressed against his throat, giving him goosebumps.
"Stop the car," said the attacker, using the car door for support while stepping into the car, maintaining this difficult stance like in an action movie to keep the advantage.
He had no choice but to hit the brakes and discerned the attacker's identity from his limited field of vision.
It was that female writer the family had brought in.
Wasn't she led away?
"If you catch me, the child will be killed immediately," he reacted quickly and threatened. "Which is more important, money or life? You figure it out."
"So you have an accomplice?" Jian Jing smiled.
The kidnapper glanced at her but didn't answer.
"It doesn't matter if you have an accomplice," she said casually. "After all, money is the kind of thing that's definitely more addictive to keep for yourself rather than split with someone else."
The kidnapper sneered.
"Where's the child?" Jian Jing asked. "If you don't say, consider the consequences."
"This is the city center. You're also a public figure. Are you going to commit murder?" said the kidnapper dismissively.
"Quite the attitude," said Jian Jing. "Aren't you afraid of the police station?"
The kidnapper was fearless. "If I get caught, my partner will immediately move the hostage. You'll never find the child again."
Jian Jing glanced at him and reached for his phone he had left to the side.
The kidnapper immediately seized the opportunity, decisively elbowing her solar plexus, while pushing off the front of the car to twist and lift his hand, actually trying to take advantage and strangle her neck to subdue her in one go.
Unfortunately, he really picked the wrong person.
Jian Jing's close combat skill was already high-level.
Was that one high-level skill card just for fun?
She lowered her head to avoid his arm, her abdominal muscles highly tensed, arching back in an instant, and lifting her elbow to smash his nose bridge fiercely.
The kidnapper underestimated her combat ability. Caught off guard, his nose bridge was broken, blood spurting.
But his response was not weak either. He had already unfastened his seatbelt and rolled sideways to the passenger seat. The increased space gave him more room to maneuver.
With one hand he grabbed the seat cushion and smashed it at Jian Jing's face, buying himself half a second. At the same time he pushed the car door open and leapt out.
Jian Jing said, "Stop, or I'll shoot."
The kidnapper didn't believe a word of it. Let alone it being impossible to get a gun domestically, even if she did get one, during their earlier scuffle he had already observed that the girl cared about looks - she wore hotpants and a crop top, how could she have a gun?
Jian Jing sighed. "Oh well."
Why didn't he believe it?
She casually grabbed a pendant from the car, the weighty amulet, perfect for using.
The aiming skill activated.
She threw it.
"Thud!" The kidnapper only felt a pain in the back of his head, instantly dizzy and seeing stars. By the time he came to his senses, he had already collapsed to the ground.
Jian Jing tsked.
This skill was more useful than kicking a soccer ball.
She found a plastic bag in the car and put it over his head, tying it tight, leaving just a hole at the neck. She aimed and sprayed anesthetic gas. It was for veterinary use (Knight: Woof??), so the effect was of course not as good as proper stuff, but in an enclosed space it was enough to knock out an adult.
The kidnapper was completely unconscious.
She searched him.
His pants pocket contained a leather cardholder, stuffed with a bit of cash, a pack of tissues, a mask, a lighter, and a pack of cigarettes.
Men's pockets sure could fit a lot. She sneered inwardly, then went to check his shirt collar and shoe soles.
There were a few coffee stains on the collar, the soles were ordinary, no unusual mud stuck, just regular dust. But there was a bit of mud splatter on the cuffs of his pants.
After finishing her observations, she stuffed the man in the trunk.
Kidnapping...uh, no, arrest completed.
Jian Jing casually sat back in the car, turning on the navigation and dashcam.
Today's starting point was a mall parking lot.
"Pretty cautious, yeah. Also, this is my first time seeing ransom transferred by drone," she muttered to herself. "Let's go check out that spot first."
She started the car, parked it back at the original location according to the navigation route.
Then, she checked the kidnapper's phone.
Other than the contacts with Second Sister Si and Sister's husband, there was only one phone number.
She called the number around 2pm. The other side picked up quickly with a thick accent: "Hello?"
"Hi, I'd like to make a reservation for dinner."
"Sorry, you got the wrong number."
"Oh, I think I called you before?"
"I run errands."
"Oh I see. Sorry about that," she apologized. "You went to the park for me, right?"
"Yeah, yeah."
"Okay, thanks."
Jian Jing hung up, and verified her guess. It looked like after she said she'd ambush in People's Park, the kidnapper specifically got someone to fake it and lure her away.
However, she bet the park was not the real destination. He didn't even go there at all.
Let's check other info on the phone.
There was not even a payment record, let alone bank cards. No other communication apps either. Even the map was gone.
The car had navigation on, which meant he was not too familiar with the roads. No map on his phone showed that the route from the parking garage to his home was not too complicated.
It was either walking distance or a bus ride.
She had to look for more clues.
Jian Jing turned the car upside down and found a few things: mineral water, bread, parking ticket, coins.
The parking ticket was issued by the parking garage. Parking duration was 26 hours, from 8pm last night to 10am this morning.
She picked up the coins and used her five senses to smell them.
A scent of scallion pancake.
Looks like bread was for lunch and scallion pancake for breakfast.
She quickly searched the map for breakfast places nearby. To be honest there were quite a few, a total of five.
The area was too big. Were there other clues?
Jian Jing thought for a bit: First, Cong Cong was clearly awake during the last call. He bawled loudly. Wouldn't the neighbors be suspicious?
Considering how cautious this kidnapper was, he definitely wouldn't choose an old community. Otherwise the nosy aunties and uncles would notice a child at home and might even call the police thinking it was domestic violence.
It was impossible to hold the child at his own home either.
He planned to escape after getting the ransom. If the police found his home, his identity would be exposed.
So, able to rent short-term, with neighbors who minded their own business, a place where unfamiliar faces did not easily draw suspicion, nothing was more suitable than a homestay.
Jian Jing immediately checked homestay apps, and located ones near the parking garage.
There was a rental apartment only 10 minutes walk away. The room designs were INS style, very exquisite, suitable for aerial shots. Access was also strictly controlled and it was expensive.
Another one had rooms for short-term rental, low prices, but judging by the layout in the photos, many were probably not solid walls. Sound insulation was probably not great.
Neither seemed right.
