Chapter 221: A Letter for Twenty Thousand! Let’s Do It!

Chapter 221: A Letter for $20K! Deal!

Wang Changjie couldn't resist the temptation; he was ready to hand over Quan Ruifeng immediately in exchange for the hefty ransom.

He had risked everything for money, so naturally, he'd side with whoever offered the highest price!

If this deal went through and he got his share of twenty thousand, he'd never have to worry again. Not only could he clear his gambling debts, but he'd never have to stoop to shady dealings again—just lie back and enjoy life with food and drink at his fingertips. Who would say no to that?

"Exactly! I'm in! Who would ever complain about having too much money?"

Out of the eight men, four immediately defected, ready to trade Quan Ruifeng for the money and disregard their original employer.

The remaining four stayed silent, instead looking toward one among them.

"Boss, what do you say? We'll follow your lead."

"Right!"

It seemed this "boss" was their true leader, the one who had organized the group. So even though Wang Changjie and the others were tempted, if the boss disagreed, the plan wouldn't proceed.

The man called "boss" had a grizzled beard and a burly build. He sat frowning in deep thought for a long while before finally speaking, under the expectant gazes of the others.

"Hold on. Forget about betrayal—since we're in this line of work, none of us care much about that. But do you really think this money is so easy to get? I still think it's a trap. What kind of normal person would make such a huge fuss? They're offering a whopping $160,000 ransom right off the bat. Even if they have that much money, who would willingly bankrupt themselves?"

"If they could solve this with a smaller sum, why jump straight to such a huge amount? Shouldn't they test the waters first and then slowly raise the price?"

The boss made a valid point, but the problem was they had no way to communicate. Who would they negotiate with slowly? A huge offer had to be made upfront to grab attention—otherwise, they wouldn't even be sitting here discussing it.

Quan Ruifeng overheard their debate. What a coincidence—it aligned perfectly with his own thoughts. His groundwork from yesterday was paying off.

He had told them he was worth a lot, and now his family had openly confirmed it. Since there was no way they could have conspired together, it could only mean Quan Ruifeng truly was that valuable—far beyond their imagination.

"Mmmph! Mmmph!"

Quan Ruifeng began to struggle again, trying to speak.

His movements interrupted their discussion.

Wang Changjie walked over and pulled the cloth out of his mouth.

"What now? Spit it out! Don't waste our time! Your life is still in our hands!"

He tapped Quan Ruifeng's cheek—not too hard, as he still planned to trade Quan Ruifeng for money with his family.

"I know my life is in your hands, and my family knows it too. They would never dare to play tricks!"

"Look, if you're worried about a trap, how about this? Give me paper and a pen. I'll write a letter to my family, asking them to give you ten thousand first. How's that?"

"They recognize my handwriting. Once they see my letter, they'll pay. After you get the money, you can decide whether to go through with the second transaction, whether to use me to get that hundred and fifty thousand."

"I don't know who I've offended or who hired you to kidnap me, nor do I know their purpose. If they want me dead, then murder carries a much heavier penalty than kidnapping and extortion—and for less money. Besides, I've been kidnapped for a while, and they haven't told you to act, which means they probably don't want me dead. So, it's possible they also want my parents to pay."

"In that case, they're getting a huge bargain. They only paid you a little, but they can use me to extort so much more. In the end, they remain hidden, and no one knows what they've done, while you bear all the blame. Such a person is too devious. I'm afraid they might pull another trick later. I'm genuinely worried about my life, so honestly, I'd rather you deal directly with my family for the money."

Quan Ruifeng spoke earnestly, feigning fear and timidity.

With his life in their hands, his fear seemed natural—no one suspected him.

And his suggestion wasn't bad. If a single letter could get them ten thousand, then trading him for the remaining hundred and fifty thousand would be no problem!

Besides, sending a letter wouldn't cost them anything. His family wouldn't expect them to send one, nor would they know where to pick it up.

Collecting the money might be dangerous, but then again, since when was their line of work safe?

After hearing him out, Wang Changjie immediately stuffed the cloth back into his mouth to prevent him from shouting and attracting attention.

"Well? I think he makes sense. A letter for ten thousand already matches our share. If you're still not willing, you might as well go home and sleep! If you don't have the guts, don't bother with kidnapping!"

Wang Changjie kept pushing, and sure enough, the other four also started to waver.

The boss thought it over for a while and decided it wasn't a bad idea. Moreover, if he continued to object, he might lose credibility, and more trouble would arise, which would be problematic.

So he made the decision.

"Alright, we'll send his family a letter—but not for ten thousand. We want twenty thousand! If we're doing this, let's go big! If his family can't even come up with twenty thousand, then the hundred and sixty thousand is definitely a bluff, and we can forget about it!"

"Deal! Let's go for twenty!"

Of course, they wanted as much as possible—they'd have loved to demand fifty or a hundred thousand directly with just a letter. But his family wasn't foolish; asking for too much upfront without even meeting them would likely backfire.

Hearing their decision, Quan Ruifeng relaxed slightly, his goal achieved. As long as they took action, the police could follow the clues.

And once they took the money, the mastermind would likely find out and probably rush over—just in time for a clean sweep!

Quan Ruifeng was still thinking about how to write the letter to convey more information. And when they let him write, they would untie his hands and remove his blindfold, perhaps giving him a chance to escape.

In any case, being allowed to write a letter was entirely beneficial to him.

However, they also knew Quan Ruifeng was strong. If he hadn't surrendered that day, they might not have caught him. So, if they were to untie his hands, they naturally had to be fully prepared.

Soon, Quan Ruifeng felt himself being lifted and placed on a chair, then tied securely to it, layer upon layer.

Then a knife was held to his throat.

"Don't move. We're untying one hand now. Write the letter honestly, no tricks. Otherwise, one flick of my wrist, and you're gone!"