Chapter 161 Negotiation

There was silence on the other end.

Jiang Luo pressed on, "Secretary Bi from Hexu Town, how about this: you come and meet me. Once we've talked things over, I'll make the call to have the money truck dispatched. When it arrives, you can collect it, and at the same time, release me and Huo Zongzhuo. What do you say?"

The voice on the other end finally spoke, a stern tone, "How did you know who I am?"

Jiang Luo chuckled, his usual swagger evident, "The people detained by Hexu's public security—it couldn't have been ordered by a leader from somewhere else."

"No matter how remote Hexu is, it has names and records. All officials' names are registered."

"If I wanted to find out, I always could."

"Are you wondering how, out of all the members in a town's leadership, I could pinpoint it was you?"

Jiang Luo's tone was casual, "Come here, meet me, and I'll tell you in person."

He added, "And don't be afraid, don't have any misgivings."

"Even if I know it's you, I won't cause any trouble."

"You want money, I want people. We each get what we need."

"Once you release me and Huo Zongzhuo, rest assured—once I'm out of Guizhou Province, I won't breathe a word of this."

"I may not have much else, but I know how to be discreet."

"And you know we're businesspeople—money is no object for us."

"As long as you keep your word and let us go, forget 60 million U.S. dollars, even more, I can get it to you discreetly through an offshore account."

...

On Zhao Guangyuan's end, 20 minutes after Jiang Luo left, they handed out cigarettes and chatted with the three men who had stopped them. After about 20 minutes, when the men's guard was down, Zhao Guangyuan exchanged a glance with two of his companions. In an instant, they all drew guns from behind their backs and aimed at the three men, quickly subduing them with practiced coordination: "Don't move!"

Soon after, Zhao Guangyuan and his team drove through the "checkpoint."

At a certain intersection, the driver took the right fork—a road without checkpoints, leading to Hexu. But they didn't know Jiang Luo hadn't been taken to Hexu Town.

—

When Bi Kang arrived, Jiang Luo was sitting inside on a wooden stool, his arms resting on a nearby table, idly playing with his phone. He looked relaxed and composed.

His youthful face and unsettling calmness made Bi Kang uneasy—the young man's gaze was far too steady.

Over the years, Bi Kang had shaken down countless businesspeople who ended up detained in the mountains. Without exception, they had been terrified—pale, panicked, and trembling. Bi Kang had always relished their fear, which made Jiang Luo's composure all the more unsettling.

This isn't how it should be, Bi Kang thought.

"I'm here," Bi Kang said calmly. "What did you want to tell me?"

This was his territory, so even if his identity was uncovered without him showing his face, he didn't even flinch—so what if they knew it was him? Neither the province nor the city could touch him, let alone a businessman from another province.

Besides, once the money was brought into the mountains, who could prove he took it?

He kept his hands clean, not even owning a local property in his name, let alone other assets.

Bi Kang was truly cool as a cucumber and fearless.

After asking, still curious, he added, "How could you be so sure it was me?"

Jiang Luo remained seated, his arm resting on the table while toying with his phone: "In a town this size, who holds more sway than the Party secretary?"

"Of course, I couldn’t confirm it was you."

"I was just testing the waters."

"Whether it’s you or not doesn’t matter. The leadership team is just a small circle—if not you, it’s one of the others."

Bi Kang put his hands behind his back: "Make the call, have the car drive into the mountains here."

"Sure."

Jiang Luo played along, immediately stopping fiddling with his phone to scroll through his contacts and make the call right in front of Bi Kang.

After hanging up, Jiang Luo set down his phone: "It’s arranged. Now we wait. You can also have your people go ahead to meet them."

"But let’s be clear upfront—there aren't that many U.S. dollars. I’ve mainly prepared RMB. As for the exact amount, I didn’t ask. It was too rushed—I just brought all the money I could get my hands on."

Bi Kang grunted in acknowledgment but said, "You brought police from Haicheng with you."

This wasn’t a question; he was certain.

"Is that not allowed?"

Jiang Luo replied unhurriedly, "For something this big, in such a remote place, did you really expect me to take the risk alone?"

He added, "So what if they’re police? Cops from another jurisdiction have no power over you. You’re not afraid anyway."

"Besides, with all the checkpoints you’ve set up along the way, they can’t possibly get through."

Bi Kang glanced at his watch but said nothing. Noticing two bulging bags dumped by the wall near the door, he walked over, unzipped one to take a look, confirmed it was money, quickly zipped it back up, picked them up, and turned to leave.

Jiang Luo’s voice took on a chill: "Secretary Bi, I’ve had the money delivered—it’s on the way. As for the person, don't you think you should at least let me see them, no matter what?"

Bi Kang ignored him and walked straight out; he was out the door.

Jiang Luo stood up and hurried after him, but the wooden door banged shut with a thud.

Jiang Luo gritted his teeth, his expression finally turning cold—he'd known from the start this wouldn't be a straight trade.

Damn! Scum!

Jiang Luo seethed through clenched teeth.

—

A cargo truck and a following passenger van, coming from the direction of Guiyang, after five hours on the road. Surrounded by mountains and forests, with the sky now dark, two vehicles suddenly appeared speeding toward them, blasting their high beams in alternating patterns and aggressively at the truck.

The driver threw up a hand against the glare and slammed on the brakes.

The vehicles came to a halt, and the two oncoming cars also stopped. Several men quickly got out, barked at the two people inside the truck to get out, then got in themselves and took full control of the entire truck. They then drove away the driver and the original escort car following the truck.

After everyone left, the men went to the back of the truck, unlocked the cargo compartment, and opened the door. The beam of a flashlight shone inside, revealing thick bundles of banknotes stacked high in the compartment...

—

Early in the morning, in a small room, Jiang Luo, who had been slumped over the table, eyes shut, was abruptly awakened by the sound of the door being kicked open.

Jiang Luo opened his eyes, turned his head, and saw Bi Kang storm in, face like thunder.

Bi Kang: "This wasn't the deal."

"Only a little over 25 million yuan, and it's not in U.S. dollars."

Jiang Luo slowly straightened up, his expression blank: "I don't own the bank."

"I had to pull strings and ask people to prepare the cash from the bank’s vault."

"Time was too tight. This is all there is for now."

He added: "Don’t worry, let us return to Haicheng."

"I’ll set up an offshore account and transfer all the money into it."

"Do you think I'm stupid?"

Bi Kang’s cold expression and eyes made him seem unlike a normal person. In Jiang Luo’s eyes, he was nothing but a greedy monster.

"Fine words. Offshore, no one will know—if it gets investigated, all of that becomes evidence."

"I want cash! I want it brought to the mountains!"

Bi Kang: "Sixty million USD, not a penny less!"

Jiang Luo met his gaze firmly: "You took him hostage on the first day, and I brought the money that same day. I told you, time was too tight."

"I also said, if you want money, no problem, but you can’t keep all of us held here..."

Bi Kang didn’t listen at all and cut him off directly: "Make the call and arrange it."

"If you dare drag your feet or bring more people here, I’ll chop off one of his fingers every day and make you eat it."

Jiang Luo’s expression darkened—this was what it meant to play by unconventional rules. This was what it meant to have audacity bigger than the sky.

Jiang Luo stared coldly at Bi Kang: "How do I know that if I have money delivered, Huo Zongzhuo and I will be able to leave safely?"

"If it’s not possible at all, if you never planned to let us leave alive, and I still bring the money, do you think I'm an idiot too?"

Bi Kang said indifferently: "You have no choice. Call! Now!"

He added: "If you don’t call, I’ll make the call and have someone cut his finger off right now."

Jiang Luo sneered: "Go ahead, cut it off now. Cut mine too. Worst case, we die. Death settles everything, and you won’t get any more money."

"You!"

Bi Kang stepped forward. Though not very tall, he grabbed Jiang Luo by the collar, yanked him closer, and said through gritted teeth: "Didn’t you say you knew what was good for you? Is this how you behave?"

Jiang Luo wasn’t afraid. He knew yielding would be useless. If giving in and spending money could ensure Huo Zongzhuo’s safe return, he’d even be willing to kowtow to this son of a bitch.

But Jiang Luo knew this man’s playbook was dirty, and showing weakness would only give him more leverage.

Jiang Luo replied stiffly: "My cooperation depends on you having some honor. I pay, you release the person."

"Now I’ve paid, but you refuse to let him go, and you talk about chopping fingers."

"Secretary Bi, with your methods, you must have quite a bit of blood on your hands from all the wealth you’ve extorted, right?"

An unusual sound followed as Bi Kang pulled something from behind his waist and jammed it against Jiang Luo’s head.

Then, Bi Kang said coldly: "Make the call. Deliver the money. You have no choice."

Jiang Luo held his breath for a moment—in both his lifetimes, this was the first time a gun had been pointed at his head.

The clear, icy sensation of the gun pressed against him made Jiang Luo think: Fuck you.

Jiang Luo didn’t move: "There are no U.S. dollars. Foreign exchange controls are tight."

"In yuan, what's your actual number?"

Bi Kang didn’t answer immediately. After a few seconds of silence, he said coldly: "I want 200 million yuan."

"Deal."

Jiang Luo agreed decisively.

But Bi Kang said: "No, 300 million."

"..."

This son of a bitch.

Jiang Luo: "How much do you actually want?"

A glint of madness and greed shone in Bi Kang’s intensely close gaze: "How much do you have?"

Jiang Luo thought, *This guy's insane*, and replied: "I’ll call Haicheng. At most, I can arrange another ten to twenty million in cash right now."

"I told you, the bank isn’t mine."

"It’s not like I can give you whatever amount is in my card. I can’t materialize money out of thin air."

"Don’t worry,"

Jiang Luo calmly promised, "as long as I walk out of here alive, I’ll deliver the money to you."

"300 million in cash, no problem at all."

"Any more than that is impossible. There isn’t any. I just make a lot from business; I don’t have a printing press to print money."

For some reason, Bi Kang seemed amused and pressed the gun harder against Jiang Luo’s head, saying: "Weren’t you supposed to be a big fish?"

"300 million, and you call that a big fish?"

"I thought you’d be fatter."

Jiang Luo thought to himself, *You’re a corrupt official who’s embezzled who knows how much—you're the fat cat here.*

Out loud, he said: "Money can always be made."

"Let us leave, and I can keep giving you money."

"Save it."

Bi Kang said, tapping Jiang Luo's head with the gun again, "Make the call, get the money delivered."

Jiang Luo suddenly laughed with a gun to his head, "Money, it's always about money."

"Do I even have a chance to get out alive?"

"You never intended to let us go, did you?"

He went on, "Secretary Bi, why don’t you make the call instead? Call home and ask—ask your wife, your kids, your parents—where they are right now."

Bi Kang froze, his eyes flickered with shock, "What did you say?"

Jiang Luo raised his hand, fingertips brushing against the cold gun barrel, pressing the gun downward. He smiled again, a casual grin, "You actually thought it was just me? Just a few plainclothes officers from Haicheng with me?"

"What do you take me for? Some ordinary person who’s powerless and would just surrender?"

Jiang Luo’s eyes held mockery, "You detain my people, demand money from me, then hold me hostage for even more. Did you think I’d walk into these mountains and negotiate with you without securing enough leverage of my own?"

Bi Kang came to his senses, immediately stepping back and raising the gun to aim at Jiang Luo.

Jiang Luo kept smiling into the dark muzzle, his laughter eerie in Bi Kang’s eyes.

The eerie voice said, "Make the call, go on. Call home and ask how many people are missing."

Then he added, "If Huo Zongzhuo and I don’t make it out, I’ll take your whole family—your wife, your son, your parents, everyone—and sacrifice them to the heavens!"