Luo Haodong stared blankly at the extinguished cigarette in his hand. He took a few steps back to put some distance between himself and Ruan Qing, his gaze tinged with a faint yet unmistakable hint of vigilance and scrutiny.
He had started smoking to calm himself down, yet the moment he heard the boy cough, his body reacted before his brain even processed it.
Luo Haodong couldn’t tell if his recent actions had been voluntary or if he’d somehow been influenced in that instant.
Something was definitely off about this person.
Moreover, ever since he’d returned, he hadn’t seen any sign of the four others.
Logically, those four were responsible for guarding the hostage, so they should be around. They certainly couldn’t have missed his return.
But he’d been back for several minutes now, and there was still no sign of those four.
Could something have happened to them?
Luo Haodong narrowed his eyes slightly, and in the next moment, he turned his gaze to the seemingly innocent figure by the wall, asking coldly, “Where are those four?”
Ruan Qing’s long lashes trembled uneasily, and he pressed his lips together without answering, as if he hadn’t heard the question at all.
It wasn’t that Ruan Qing didn’t want to answer; it was that he didn’t know what the man’s question even meant. Even if he guessed that the “four” referred to the people he’d seen before, he still couldn’t answer the man’s question.
After all, he had no idea where those four had gone.
Luo Haodong looked at the silent boy before him, and his suspicions deepened—those four had likely already met with trouble.
"Speak."
Luo Haodong's voice didn’t rise in volume, nor did it carry any harshness. It sounded almost as if he were merely making casual conversation, yet the calm tone sent a chill down one's spine.
Ruan Qing's body trembled in fear, his voice quivering, almost on the verge of tears. "I—I don’t know..."
Upon hearing this, Luo Haodong tossed aside the cigarette he had extinguished and moved closer to Ruan Qing once again. This time, he made no effort to restrain the oppressive force emanating from him.
Seeing the man approach, emanating a menacing aura, Ruan Qing instinctively shrank back, pressing himself rigidly against the wall. He inadvertently brushed his cheek against an iron rod beside him.
The iron rod was rounded, so it wouldn’t cut his skin, but its cold touch made Ruan Qing shiver slightly. Yet he dared not move, for the man now stood directly in front of him once more.
Luo Haodong extended his hand, his fingers resting on Ruan Qing's slender neck, almost as if he were caressing it with an ambiguous tenderness.
But Ruan Qing knew otherwise, for the man’s fingers rested precisely over his carotid artery.
With just a bit of force, the man could end his life here in the basement.
A death that would go unnoticed.
Ruan Qing was forced to lift his head, trying to evade the man’s fingers, but there was nowhere to retreat. He could only stare at the man before him, clutching his own pale fingers so tightly that they began to hurt, and his eyes brimmed with fresh tears.
Luo Haodong looked at him, seemingly unmoved by the fear that was about to make him cry, and spoke in a low voice, "Do you understand now?"
Luo Haodong’s words did not sound like a threat, yet they felt more intimidating than one—as if, should Ruan Qing fail to reveal the whereabouts of those four, he might be killed on the spot.
Tears slipped from Ruan Qing's eyes again, his voice trembling with pitiful fear. "I—I really don’t know..."
"Think carefully before you answer." Luo Haodong cut him off sharply, his hand pressing harder against Ruan Qing’s fair skin.
It was as though he would truly act if he didn’t get the answer he wanted.
In reality, Luo Haodong wouldn’t take any drastic action before clarifying the situation, and it seemed he couldn’t bring himself to, either.
But without employing some unconventional methods, this person wouldn’t speak the truth.
However, Luo Haodong still didn’t receive the answer he was looking for, because just as he finished speaking, a cold voice came from the doorway: “What are you two doing?”
Luo Haodong found the voice exceedingly familiar, and he instinctively turned his head to look in the direction of the basement door.
"Duan... Ming?"
Seeing that the man standing at the door was indeed Duan Ming, Luo Haodong didn't relax. On the contrary, he grew even more vigilant.
His gaze wasn't one you'd give a teammate—it was more like he was facing an enemy.
Duan Ming recognized Luo Haodong as well, but his expression remained dark. Looking at the scene in front of him, which clearly annoyed him, he didn't even notice Luo Haodong's gaze and walked briskly toward the two of them.
As Duan Ming approached, Luo Haodong seemed to discern something, finally relaxing his guard and releasing Ruan Qing.
He turned to face the approaching Duan Ming and asked, "What happened in the past two days?"
With Luo Haodong turning around, Ruan Qing behind him was now fully in view. As Duan Ming took in Ruan Qing, whose clothes were intact, the darkness in his eyes lightened somewhat.
It also dawned on him that he might have misunderstood something.
Duan Ming didn't immediately answer Luo Haodong's question. Instead, his gaze discreetly swept over Ruan Qing, and only after confirming there were no additional marks or injuries on him did he finally speak.
"He blocked us."
Duan Ming didn't specify who "he" was, merely using that pronoun, but Luo Haodong instantly understood who it referred to, unsurprised by this revelation.
After all, a whole day had passed without any news of their group's success, which naturally meant something had gone wrong.
"Did he realize it was a fake?"
Duan Ming frowned at this. "What do you mean, 'fake'?"
Luo Haodong glanced indifferently at Ruan Qing.
This time, Duan Ming grasped Luo Haodong's meaning, but his frown deepened. "He's a fake?"
Luo Haodong shook his head slightly, his tone heavy. "I'm not certain."
Although Luo Haodong said he wasn't sure, Duan Ming began to believe him somewhat.
If the hostage were fake, the plan this time would definitely fail, so whether the hostage was real or not was critical for everyone involved.
There could be no room for error.
Duan Ming immediately began to make calls to inform the others while walking out. He paused at the basement door and looked back at Luo Haodong, who remained in the basement.
"By the way, there's something I forgot to tell you."
Duan Ming slightly raised his chin, looking at Luo Haodong and the person beside him, Ruan Qing. "Now, no one is allowed to go near him."
Luo Haodong: "???"
For a moment, Luo Haodong didn't quite process it, but the next second, he understood why.
It seemed the other four people had also sensed something strange about this individual. Until they figured out exactly what was going on, keeping a distance was the safest option.
Luo Haodong didn't say anything further. After Duan Ming spoke, he simply followed him out of the basement.
The others, after receiving the message, quietly distanced themselves from the other workers and quickly returned to the room above the basement.
This was the first time the five people involved in the kidnapping had gathered together after committing the crime.
"Are you saying that this person is a fake?" Yan Lulin frowned, "Do you have any evidence?"
Luo Haodong shook his head, "No."
He hadn’t found any concrete evidence of disguise on that person. Aside from a faint scent of orchids and a sudden, eerie sense of darkness, he had no proof.
Luo Haodong didn't disclose his suspicions or reasons, simply stating that he had none.
After hearing Luo Haodong's "no," everyone in the room reacted differently, each appearing deep in thought.
Indeed, the young man had nothing in common with Ren Yanqing. And if he truly were Ren Yanqing's only son, Ren Yanqing wouldn’t be reacting this way.
If the young man wasn’t Ren Yanqing's son, then everything seemed to make sense.
Just as the others believed they had figured out why Ren Yanqing was unconcerned about his son's life, Zhou Jinchen contradicted them. He pondered aloud, "He's real."
The others turned to look at Zhou Jinchen, confused, seemingly unable to understand how he could be so certain.
Zhou Jinchen spoke calmly, "Everything else could be faked, but you can't fake Moyamoya disease."
There aren’t many people with Moyamoya disease, let alone someone with symptoms similar to Ren Yanqing's son.
Moreover, prior to this, Ren Yanqing had no idea that they would kidnap his son, so how could he have possibly prepared a stand-in?
So, this young master must indeed be Ren Qing himself.
"He is Ren Qing, but he may not necessarily be Ren Yanqing's son."
Zhou Jinchen shared his thoughts aloud, and as he spoke, a faint “bang, bang, bang” sound came from the basement not far away.
It sounded like someone was banging on a door.
The sound wasn’t very loud, but it caught the attention of all five people, who instinctively looked toward the entrance to the basement stairs.
There was only one person locked in the basement, so it was clear who must be banging on the door.
The young man had always been well-behaved. Even though he was very afraid of the dark, he had never caused any commotion. This was the first time he’d made such a noise.
The group paused briefly, then, as if by silent agreement, they stood up and headed toward the basement.
As they drew closer, the banging sound gradually weakened, as though the person banging on the door was running out of strength.
They quickened their pace, and in less than half a minute, they arrived at the basement door.
Standing at the front, Duan Ming immediately opened the door, and the warm basement light spilled out.
Before anyone could fully see the situation inside, a figure fell forward, straight to the ground as the door swung open.
Duan Ming’s pupils contracted slightly, and he instinctively caught the person as they fell.
Ruan Qing, weak and powerless, collapsed into Duan Ming’s arms, his pale fingers clutching tightly at Duan Ming’s clothes. With difficulty, he spoke.
“My… head hurts…”
Poor Qingqing, this one is a hell a of body
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