Chapter 20: A Torrential Storm Approaches (Please add to your favorites and vote~~)
“Wake him up!”
Inside the dim warehouse, a man was pinned to a battered wooden chair, his head lolling to the side, still unconscious. At the command, one of the two burly men standing beside him raised a thick arm and slapped him hard across the face.
With a sharp crack, half his cheek instantly swelled.
“Ugh...” he moaned, slowly coming to.
His expression remained dazed, unable to distinguish east from west. But as memories of what had just happened began to surface, panic flooded him.
“You... you all...”
Unfortunately, the bloodied mouth could manage only a few words before terror cut him short.
A razor-sharp knife pressed against his throat, its tip already piercing the skin, and blood began to slowly trickle down from the wound.
Frantic, the man tried to struggle, only to discover in shock that both his arms had been dislocated—he was utterly powerless.
He gasped for breath, sweat slicking his hair and forehead, even though the room was not particularly stuffy.
“Now you’re afraid?” A woman’s voice, clear yet chilling, sounded above him, tinged with a bloodthirsty coldness that made him shudder uncontrollably.
“I... no, I...” he stammered incoherently, clearly terrified out of his wits.
But Mu Qingcheng, who had barely done anything, was already growing bored.
She had never intended to kill him—just to frighten him.
“Who sent you?”
She tossed the knife to one of her subordinates, turned away, and seated herself on a pile of straw.
The man looked at her, trembling.
He couldn’t understand, nor did he have the strength to think, how such a delicate, seemingly innocent young woman could radiate such a murderous aura.
When a person is pushed to the edge, all the senses heighten, becoming almost painfully acute. So he didn’t dare doubt for a moment that the beautiful girl before him possessed the ability—and the will—to kill him.
“I... it was Miss Ran who sent me.”
“For what purpose?”
“T-to violate you...”
Before Mu Qingcheng could react, the two men standing at his side were already exuding a deadly air.
The man convulsed with fear, the stench of urine suddenly filling the room.
...
“Damn you...” Mu Qingcheng pinched her nose in disgust and stood up.
“Keep questioning him, and deal with him quickly afterward.”
“Boss, what’s the standard?”
“No need to keep him conscious—he just has to stay alive. He’ll still be useful later.”
“Understood.”
“Oh, and be discrete—don’t leave any traces.”
“Got it.”
After giving her orders, Mu Qingcheng left the warehouse.
She’d been delayed for a while; the races at the stables were probably about to start.
She found a restroom, cleaned herself up to rid any lingering odors, and after making sure nothing was out of place, headed toward the center of the racetrack.
Meanwhile,
On the top floor of the racetrack’s office building, a man in an ink-black suit stood before a one-way floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out at the flags fluttering above the distant competition grounds, his expression deep and inscrutable.
Soon, hurried footsteps approached, and Si Bei pushed the door open, speaking cautiously,
“Boss, there’s been an incident at the racetrack.”
“What happened?” The man turned, a sharp gleam flashing in his seasoned eyes.
Si Bei drew a deep breath and reported, “Security cameras show that a kitchen worker at the racetrack may have been kidnapped. He’s likely in the storage warehouse behind the main building. I’ve already sent people to investigate—we’ll have a report soon.”
“Let’s go take a look together.” Without another word, the man strode out.
His expression was as calm as ever, but those who knew him understood: the quieter he seemed, the more a storm was gathering behind the composed façade.