Chapter 88

Chapter 88

The man glared at Shen Muyun, his face dark, as his henchmen roughly stuffed a rag into Shen Muyun's mouth.

Shen Muyun felt a surge of exasperation. He never imagined he would be kidnapped twice in just a few months—worse still, both times by his enemies. The odds were truly stacked against him.

CRACK!

A thunderclap boomed outside, followed by the onset of a torrential downpour and fierce winds.

Trees beyond the window thrashed wildly, swaying violently, while the warehouse door banged and clattered incessantly.

Shen Muyun could clearly see the scene outside. In such a torrential downpour, Lu Huainan must be having an incredibly difficult time.

“Young Master Shen, to be honest, it’s your Shen Group’s inaction that caused all this. Don’t you agree? If there hadn’t been so many restrictions back then, none of this would’ve happened?”

Shen Muyun was helpless. With his mouth gagged, he couldn’t explain anything. If only this were actually his doing—but it had happened five years ago, when he was still a university professor in his original world.

“Brother Yun!”

A frantic voice shouted from outside the warehouse, drawing closer with every second.

Shen Muyun felt a surge of hope—but instantly, he didn’t want the person to come any nearer. He saw the gun in the kidnapper’s hand.

“Mmph… mmph…” Shen Muyun struggled desperately.

The kidnapper slapped his cheek. “What now? Got something to say now that your people are here?”

Shen Muyun stared into the kidnapper’s eyes and nodded urgently. “Mmph…”

“Fine, I’ll let you speak. Not that it matters—you’ll both die here anyway. Oh, wait—this isn’t quite how I planned it. Why hasn’t Shen Liuyun shown up? If both of you were here, it would’ve been perfect. Blood is the most perfect work of art.”

Shen Muyun froze. That phrasing sounded familiar—art. He immediately thought of the previous kidnapper and suddenly understood something, struggling even more violently.

The kidnapper yanked the rag from Shen Muyun’s mouth.

“What do you want to say? Getting all worked up. Even if you tell Lu Huainan to leave, it’s too late. The bomb here has already started its countdown.”

Shen Muyun spotted the bomb in the corner and felt his heart stop.

“Huainan, don’t come in! Run! Now!”

His voice echoed through the rain—not loud, but Lu Huainan heard it clearly.

“Brother Yun, I’m almost there. Hold on—I’m coming.”

“How touching. Let me tell you something—the one who kidnapped you last time was my brother. We share similar interests, like turning you all into works of art. But if the bomb goes off, it won’t work—it’s too quick. You won’t suffer enough. Anyway, I’m already a dead man. Might as well go reunite with my brother.”

Shen Muyun went cold. They were working together? Had Officer Zhou missed this?

Lightning struck right at the warehouse entrance, illuminating the dim interior. A figure stood in the doorway, already soaked by the heavy rain.

Shen Muyun stared in disbelief. Another flash revealed it was Lu Huainan.

“Huainan, don’t worry about me. Even if you brought the ransom, we can’t escape. They’re targeting the Shen Corporation.”

Lu Huainan stepped inside, dripping rainwater, bringing a chill with him.

“I have the check. What else do you want?”

The kidnapper took two steps forward and glanced behind Lu Huainan to confirm he’d come alone.

“Lu Huainan, I can’t believe you actually came by yourself.”

Lu Huainan smiled. “Actually, there *are* people. But you said not to bring the police, so of course, the hostage’s safety comes first.”

He’d hidden a listening device in Lu Huainan’s bowtie, and the police were monitoring everything in real time.

The kidnapper waved his hand, and his men quickly bound Lu Huainan.

“Lu Huainan, where is it?”

Lu Huainan remained calm in the chair and glanced at the kidnapper. “If I tell you, will you let us go?”

The kidnapper paused, then laughed. “Didn’t you say business runs on integrity? I used to be a businessman too, so—”

Shen Muyun couldn’t stay silent. “Huainan, don’t believe him. Just look at what they did to the driver.”

The driver had been beaten beyond recognition. Shen Muyun couldn’t help feeling guilty—he never wanted innocent people dragged into this.

“I think taking a life isn’t the right choice. Why not let the innocent go?”

The kidnapper let out a crazed laugh. “I don’t harm the innocent. Let me tell you—this driver refused to pick up a pregnant woman five years ago. She waited for hours, and by the time she reached the hospital, both she and her child were gone. Whose fault is that?”

Such tragedies were, sadly, all too common.

“I understand how you feel. That was your wife, wasn’t it? But why punish only him?”

The man laughed bitterly. “It was pouring rain that day too. He was the only one I saw. I even knelt in front of his car, begging. But he just drove away. Tell me, what does that make him? Don’t I have the right to make him suffer?”

Shen Muyun pressed his lips together. He’d assumed the driver was innocent, but now realized there was more to the story.

Lu Huainan glanced at the barely conscious driver. “It’s been five years. Holding onto hatred must be painful. But you’ve already taken your revenge. Why go further?”

“What about Liu Dawei? What did he do wrong? You people are nothing but selfish rats, hiding in the shadows. When have any of you ever cared about us?”

“The Shen Corporation has already made the greatest concessions. I think you should consider moving on. The bomb has less than an hour left. There are residents nearby—do you really want to drag innocents into this?”

The man shook his head. “Baitou Village—what’s so great about it? Do you really think those villagers are innocent? When my wife was driven out of the village, it was because she fell in love with me, an outsider. What did she do wrong? She couldn’t even return home.”

Shen Muyun fell silent. It seemed the man before him had indeed suffered greatly.

“But that doesn’t justify what you’re doing now! Why not seek resolution? Why not fight for justice? Why resort to this?”

Lu Huainan’s emotions were nearing their breaking point. Shen Muyun could sense his rage.

“Huainan, calm down.”

Lu Huainan shook his head. “If kindness only invites violence, then I’d rather not be kind.”

With tremendous effort, Lu Huainan broke free from the ropes behind him, his wrists already bruised and raw.

The kidnapper never expected Lu Huainan to be so strong. By the time he reacted, the gun in his hand had already been snatched away.

“You enjoy seeing blood, don’t you? Which hand did you use to touch Brother Yun? Don’t think I’m afraid of you just because the bomb has less than an hour left.”

Lu Huainan pinned the man down directly, while his underlings nearby dared not act rashly.

He pressed the gun against the man’s temple and said, "Let's play a game. Time is tight, so we’ll decide the outcome in three rounds. I’ll load three bullets into this pistol—or maybe they're blanks. Let's see how lucky you are."

The man showed no fear, instead grinning widely. "Sure, name your terms."

"It’s simple. If we win, you lose your life. If we lose... I don't plan on losing."

Lu Huainan tied the man up and signaled his underling to step forward.

The first round began. The man felt uneasy, having heard Lu Huainan wasn't quite right in the head. Now, it seemed those rumors weren’t unfounded.

*Click!*

It was a blank.

The man smirked at Lu Huainan. "Well, would you look at that? A blank. Looks like Lady Luck's smiling on me."

The second round started.

Lu Huainan came up with a question on the spot.

"Alright, guess how long Brother Yun and I have been together."

The man laughed mockingly. "How would I know about your affairs? But what I do know is that Shen family’s boy used connections to get where he is—not a real man. In the past, he'd be a laughingstock. Now he's strutting around like he owns the place!"

"You!" Shen Muyun snarled, his eyes flashing with anger.

*Click!*

The second shot was also a blank.

The man began to feel lucky. Was he winning?

"Three rounds, two wins, right?"

Lu Huainan shook his head. "You’re wrong. I make the rules here. Tell me, what’s the thing about your wife that made your heart skip a beat?"

The man had always believed his love for his wife was profound, but when suddenly asked this, his mind went blank. He couldn’t recall anything that truly made his heart flutter—in fact, he often found her annoying.

After waiting a moment with no response, Lu Huainan said, "Some deep love this is? Seems like you've only been fooling yourself."

The third round was practically a death sentence. The man prepared to meet his end.

"Brothers, if I die, make sure these two pay."

*Click!*

Another blank.

Lu Huainan had loaded no bullets from the start. He knew the legal boundaries well.

"What a rush, huh?"

The man was drenched in sweat, shell-shocked by the last shot.

"You claim to love your wife, yet you can’t even name what made your heart skip a beat."

"You say you hate me and Shen Muyun, yet you don’t even know when we got together. You’ve turned yourself into a joke. Now, about that bomb—tell us, is there any way to disarm it? The bystanders nearby are innocent. You can kill us, your enemies, but not them."

The man laughed, his face darkening. "There’s no way. Once the bomb starts, it can’t be stopped."