Chapter 35: Kidnapping, Part 2

Licking his lips, Cao Zong added helplessly, "Brother, it's not what you think. This job really has no risk. If you think the money's too little, how about a hundred thousand? Cash upfront."

"And then silence me on the spot afterwards, right?" Beggar Brother sneered. "Kid, you've got quite a few tricks up your sleeve. Save it. Back when I was counting money by the crate, you probably didn't even know what a walk-on role was."

"Damn!" The moment Cao Chuan heard the words 'walk-on role,' his whole mood instantly soured. A surge of anger rose in his heart, and in a flash, he switched from Cao Zong mode to Cao mode. He muttered three "Good, good, good"s through his teeth, slowly stood up, and stuffed the money back into his Western Suit pocket.

Seeing him stand and put the money away, the beggar thought his words had hit the mark and this guy was about to slink off. Little did he know he had unwittingly stabbed Cao Zong, a former walk-on himself, right in the soul. The next moment, a Gun Barrel was pressed against Beggar Brother's forehead.

"Y-you, what do you want?" After snapping back to his senses, someone asked, stammering.

The reply was a "Bang!" of a Gunshot — Cao deflected the muzzle and fired a slanting shot at the wall beside them. The scorching Bullet scraped a trail of sparks across the wall. Despite the attached Silencer, the low gunshot still echoed unceasingly through the alley, nothing like the quiet 'pew' depicted in movies.

In that instant, Beggar Brother was so terrified by the muzzle flash and gunshot roaring beside his ear that his hairs stood on end. He opened his mouth to scream, but the moment the smoking gun barrel turned back toward him, the countless screen images of extras casually offed by villains mid-scream saved him. The howl was forcibly stuck in his throat.

"So it's finally come to this step!" After controlling the scene, Cao sighed inwardly. No choice — facing a man unmoved by Currency, he could only resort to bending him with might.

"Me, you do. Dare make a sound, you know the Consequence. This isn't a water gun, brother, you just got a close look at it, oh." Cao was now straining to make his voice sound as heavy metal as possible. Seeing Beggar Brother nod frantically, he smiled with satisfaction, then covered his nose. "I've put up with you long enough. First, strip for me."

Beggar Brother helplessly began his deep-alley striptease. By the time he was down to just his underpants, his vision blurred — a trench coat had eerily materialized in the other's hand and was tossed flying over.

Two Minutes later, Cao, pressing from behind, escorted the trembling trench coat man slowly out of the alley. Looking left and right, with no one around, Beggar Brother was herded into the car.

Turning on the warm air, he drove all the One Road back to Cuiyuan District. Beggar Brother's bound hands were tucked inside the trench coat sleeves as he was brought back into the house, shivering.

The moment he entered, he was herded into the Bathroom. After a while, One Unit of new clothes was also thrown in. By the time someone had washed up, dressed neatly, and walked out of the Bathroom, what he saw was beer and food on the coffee table, plus Cao sitting on the sofa, toying with a pistol.

"I'm starting to believe what you said earlier, about counting money by the crate and all. Brother, you look like a man with a story at One Point."

Cao Chuan wasn't wrong to say this. After Beggar Brother emerged from the Bathroom, it was like heaven and earth had swapped places — he actually had the air of a Success Person. The outrageous hairstyle was now a long, swept-back look. Western Suit and leather shoes, a broad face with large ears, upright and well-defined features, around 40 years old, about the same height as Cao Chuan, with quite the Old Chief aura.

Upon hearing his words, someone gave no reply whatsoever. The atmosphere was a bit strange, and very awkward.

Smiling faintly, Cao Chuan gestured with his hand. "Please, sit. I haven't asked yet, what is elder brother's honorable surname?"

"Hmph, surname Xia."

"So it's Elder Brother Xia. My deepest apologies for earlier. Hmm, as for today's matter, it's inconvenient for me to explain right now, and even if I did, you wouldn't believe it. So don't ask anything. Later on, you'll naturally understand."

Seeing this brother still silent, Cao Chuan pushed the beer on the coffee table forward. "It's a bit late now. We'll Departure at first light. For now, just eat and drink whatever you like, don't stand on ceremony."

Xia Beggar slowly sat down. After a long silence, he quietly began to eat and drink.

Early the next morning, as the sky was just beginning to brighten, the two walked one after another into the garage downstairs. The beggar spotted the surveillance camera in the hallway and nearly opened his mouth to shout, but the thought of the other's bizarre ability to conjure a gun from thin air made him hold back.

Cao Chuan deadbolted the garage door and turned on the light. What appeared before Xia Beggar was a square refrigerated truck cargo box sitting on the ground.

He walked over and opened the cargo door. Inside, half the compartment was already flatly laid with white cardboard boxes. These were daily sundries Cao Chuan had bought from the Supermarket in his spare time over the past few days, along with the firearms and Ammunition previously stored in the Ring.

Looking at Xia Beggar standing there dumbfounded, Cao Chuan gave a Hehe Smile. "Don't just stand there, brother. Get in, shall we?"

The beggar couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva. Although he still hadn't figured out the situation, the setup before him, no matter how he looked at it, did not seem like a normal Routine. This was definitely criminal activity. Smuggling? Kidnapping? Delivering goods? Selling organs? As the beggar slowly shuffled forward, he used his brain, weathered by many of life's storms, to analyze Desperately.

In just a few short steps, the brother was walking with sweat pouring down his face. By the time he reached the cargo door, he still hadn't managed to analyze a single thing. At the last moment, under the threat of the pistol, all he could do was drop One Piece of tough talk: "The cameras have records!"

Cao Chuan gave a Hehe Smile. "You'll thank me."

After saying this, he suddenly reached out and shoved the beggar into the cargo hold.

The cargo door went "Click," locking shut.

His vision plunged into darkness. Before Xia Beggar could get up from the cardboard boxes, his entire body suddenly levitated. Instinctively, he reached out to brace against the box wall, but he found his body was actually lying Horizontal in mid-air. Following the motion of his hand, he slowly drifted toward the other side of the cargo hold.

"Is this weightlessness?"

What his brain registered was an unbelievable answer, but this was No Use. He still, along with the cardboard boxes beneath him, floated in the dark, cramped space.

Xia Beggar endured the most important three Minutes of his life in Panic. Just when he felt breathing was becoming difficult, the weightlessness suddenly vanished the next moment, and he was violently thrown back down.

The cargo door slowly opened, and morning light streamed in from outside. The beggar, half-sprawled, looked at Cao, who was standing outside with a hehe laugh, and remained silent. Separated by One Side of the cargo door, the two just stared at each other like this.

"You okay, brother?"

"Don't you think you ought to explain something?"

Cao Chuan laughed heartily, moved his body aside, bent over, and extended his hand. "You'd better come out first. I can't explain it clearly. You'll understand at One Point when you see for yourself."

The beggar grew even more baffled. He opened his mouth to say something more, but when he looked through the cargo door and saw that the outside had changed from a garage into a weedy yard with several old-style tiled houses, he was too astonished to speak.

Climbing out of the cargo hold, he looked left and right. After confirming he wasn't seeing things, Xia Beggar asked, his mouth somewhat dry, "Where am I?"