Xie Feng thought she would get a message from Dong Luorong, but her phone remained silent; there was nothing.
In fact, she wasn't even sure if Dong Luorong had her number—because she certainly didn't have Dong Luorong's.
She shoved the silent phone back into her bag. Once her anger burned out, all that remained was exhaustion. Even though things were only now reaching the most critical moment, she couldn't summon the energy she needed—maybe because she was still recovering from her recent illness.
After unexpectedly capturing their hostage without a hitch, the next step was a chase and an escape.
Their advantage was that it was still early in the morning. The streets of Tear City, where people were used to sleeping in, were still empty, and traffic was smooth. But Qiu Chantian held a high rank, and his kidnapping was nothing short of a political earthquake. Soon, the entire city's security forces—police, soldiers, patrols, and surveillance—would be mobilized to find him.
"Call your deputy," Ah Cheng's voice came through the phone, still connected on the open line. "Tell them you suddenly felt like going for a walk alone. Make sure they don't overreact or send anyone after you."
Smart, Xie Feng thought appreciatingly in her heart. Even if the deputy didn't fully believe it, it would create some confusion and a layer of doubt. And confusion was valuable—one hint or vague suggestion from a superior could ripple downward, spreading uncertainty among the lower-level staff and producing unexpected effects.
"What if they ask where I went?" Qiu Chantian asked.
"Say you went to Tai Lion Mountain."
Tai Lion Mountain was a well-known leisure spot in Tear City, offering panoramic views of the city. It was popular among the wealthy and influential, so Qiu Chantian going there seemed perfectly plausible.
Following Ah Cheng's instructions, Qiu Chantian repeated the story over the phone, keeping the call on speaker the entire time. No sooner had Qiu Chantian ended the call than another phone began to ring inside the car—a sound that jolted Xie Feng. She immediately realized the other party had placed a call to the driver's phone.
"You know what to say, right?" Shortie asked as he frantically pulled the phone from the driver's pocket. He shot the driver a warning. "Focus. Say that Chief Qiu told you to drive off. Got it? Or we'll toss you into the ocean."
The driver swallowed nervously and nodded.
"Hello?" Shortie answered, lowering his voice to a gruff tone. "Yeah... right... that's correct..."
At that moment, an idea flashed in Xie Feng's mind. She quickly typed out a message on her phone, turned, and showed it to the driver. She whispered, "Say this."
Shortie froze and leaned in for a look.
The message on the phone was brief: "Sister Dong knows too. The chief said she'll come by later."
The driver's eyes widened in surprise at the mention of "Sister Dong," and he instinctively glanced at Xie Feng with his mouth slightly open.
Using Dong Luorong's name made Xie Feng feel uneasy—it felt like a cheap trick. But if invoking the words "Sister Dong" made the story more convincing, it was worth it. Besides, she had already thought of a way to distance Dong Luorong from the situation if things went wrong.
Just as the driver opened his mouth to speak, Shortie nudged him sharply. "Don't say it yet," he muttered, glancing at Xie Feng with a look that told her to wait.
The driver hesitated for a moment, and the chance to speak slipped away.
Xie Feng kept her phone raised mid-air for a few seconds before lowering it, suddenly overwhelmed by a strange sense of shame, as if she wanted to disappear into the ground.
"Did Chief Qiu say when he'll be back?" the voice on the speakerphone asked.
"No... no, he didn't." The driver glanced between Xie Feng and Shortie, hesitating again before adding, "I'll let you know if I hear anything."
After ending the call, Shortie cleared his throat and asked, "Who's this Sister Dong?"
"What's going on?" Ah Cheng's voice came through another phone, sharp with curiosity. Shortie gave a quick explanation.
"I saw Qiu Chantian with a woman, right? Before she got into the elevator, there was a guy who looked like a driver, and he called her Sister Dong," Xie Feng explained awkwardly. "I thought if we mentioned someone familiar, they'd trust it more..."
"Shortie was right to stop him from saying it," Ah Cheng said once he understood the situation. "We don't know what kind of relationship they have. If she's just a high-end escort or something and leaves after the night, using her name might backfire on us. Next time you get an idea, check with us first—don't act on impulse."
This whole operation was born from her impulse, wasn't it? And since when would a driver call an escort "Sister Dong"? "Miss Dong," maybe, but not that.
Despite feeling a bit reluctant, Xie Feng only muttered, "Okay" in a rather abrupt manner. She didn't want to argue over something so minor.
Ah Cheng, still next to Qiu Chantian, was using a headset to stay on the call. While Qiu Chantian probably hadn't heard the mention of Sister Dong, he could easily guess they were discussing the woman with him. The fact that they had speculated she was an "high-end escort" only confirmed to Qiu Chantian that these people had no connection to Dong Luorong.
At least, Xie Feng thought, even though the plan didn't work perfectly, it hadn't caused any harm to Dong Luorong... right?
She sank back into her seat without a word, and both cars drove in silence for nearly ten minutes.
Ah Cheng seemed to have decided long ago where they were taking Qiu Chantian. It wasn't even far from the hotel where they had abducted him. After the driver finished his call, Shortie blindfolded him with a scarf. As they approached a stretch of open land with the sea visible in the distance under a hazy sky, Xie Feng felt a sudden surge of energy and sat up straighter.
"Where are we going?" she typed on her phone and showed it to Shortie.
Shortie, perhaps feeling a bit guilty after what had happened earlier, gave her a detailed answer.
"Because of the heavy rain, the sea level has risen. Lots of areas around the nearby port are flooded—you knew that, right?" his reply read.
She had spent the past few days sick in the hotel and hadn't heard any of this.
"The flooded areas have been evacuated, and the flood barriers are set up around the perimeter of the port, leaving the entire port underwater. There's no one there now. You've probably heard about us because of the cruise nightclub incident, right?"
Xie Feng nodded.
"That night, the mayor's son took a yacht to the floating nightclub... and after we found him, well, you know what happened next." Shortie chuckled as he continued typing: "That yacht is still floating in one of the flooded port warehouses."
"You're planning to head out to sea?" Xie Feng asked on her phone.
"No, that's where Ah Cheng's brilliance comes in," Shortie replied. "They might send a coastal patrol team, so going out to sea isn't safe. But the lower deck of the yacht has no windows. If we lock him in there, he won't be able to see outside, but he'll feel like the boat is drifting on water."