Chapter 60 The Hunter Becomes the Hunted

Chapter 60: The Oriole Behind

The little boy trembled like a small creature encountering a predator in the wild...

In the evening, Ning Ruxue gently tapped on Bai Suizhi's door. "Suizhi, are you ready? It's time to leave," she whispered.

A voice from inside responded, "Just a moment."

Bai Suizhi rose irritably from his bed, quickly dressed, and stepped out. A luxury car idled outside. With an unreadable expression, he got in. Beside him, Bai Chenshan's voice was low and stern, "You're three minutes late."

As the driver started the car, Bai Suizhi turned his face to the window, propping his chin on his hand. He gazed indifferently at the rapidly receding scenery. "I lost track of time," he replied blandly.

"Didn't I tell you how important this banquet is?" Bai Chenshan pressed.

"Yeah," Bai Suizhi acknowledged. The host of the banquet was Qu Baining, the formidable head of Weiyuan Biotechnology—a man Bai Chenshan had repeatedly stressed they needed to impress.

Bai Chenshan, exasperated by his son's passive and dismissive attitude, simply fell silent. The two rode in quietude all the way to the banquet venue.

The event was held at Qu Baining's villa, arguably the most opulent residence in all of Zone A—no, in the entire base. Beyond a courtyard twice the size of others and a climate-controlled swimming pool, a serene lake stretched behind the villa, where the setting sun painted beautiful, shifting light.

Bai Suizhi followed his father inside. Many guests were already mingling, glasses in hand. As soon as Bai Chenshan entered, several quick-witted individuals immediately flocked to him.

What followed was the familiar, tiresome cycle of mutual flattery and sycophancy. When the conversation inevitably turned to him, Bai Suizhi would offer an occasional nod or a polite, modest remark.

After completing a full round with his father, still without a glimpse of the "important figure," Bai Suizhi couldn't resist a barbed comment: "Mr. Qu seems to be more than three minutes late. A whole crowd is waiting. Dad, why don't you send someone to hurry him along?"

Bai Chenshan shot him a warning glare, lowering his voice. "Stay put and don't cause trouble."

Bai Suizhi smiled, about to speak, when Bai Chenshan's expression abruptly shifted. He looked past his son's shoulder, greeting someone behind them. "President Qu, long time no see. Why haven't you been playing golf lately?"

Bai Suizhi turned. A tall man, backlit by the evening glow, was approaching them. The sleeves of his dark shirt were rolled up to his forearms, and he moved with a steady, unhurried stride, exuding an air of calm composure.

Qu Baining offered a perfectly measured smile. "President Bai, it has indeed been a while. And who is this?" He directed his gaze at Bai Suizhi.

"My son, Bai Suizhi," Bai Chenshan replied.

Qu Baining extended a hand to shake Bai Suizhi's. "We seem to have met before," he said.

Bai Suizhi was certain he had never encountered this President Qu. "Hmm?"

Qu Baining's brow furrowed briefly, as if searching his memory. "Perhaps I'm mistaken."

Bai Chenshan interjected smoothly, "Well, you know each other now, anyway."

Qu Baining chuckled. "Right, right. We know each other now."

Bai Suizhi had no interest in their conversation. His eyes darted anxiously to his watch. It was getting late, and he needed to call Kahn soon. He cut in, "President Qu, I have an urgent matter to attend to. Please excuse me."

Bai Chenshan's anger flared, and he was about to reprimand his son when Qu Baining spoke. "It's quite alright. Young people these days don't much care for events filled with elders. I understand. Suizhi, you may go ahead."

Given Qu Baining's words, Bai Chenshan could say no more. He spoke in a gloomy tone, "Then at least offer President Qu a toast before you leave."

Bai Suizhi had already consumed a considerable amount of alcohol that evening and felt a bit lightheaded. But since he was leaving anyway, one more glass wouldn't hurt. He raised his glass with an easy grace. "President Qu, I toast to you."

Qu Baining clinked glasses with him. "May we meet again if fate allows."

"May we meet again if fate allows."

Bai Suizhi chose not to take the car. He walked along the lake, letting the evening breeze clear his head, and pulled out his communicator to call Kahn. The call rang unanswered for a long time.

Frowning, Bai Suizhi was about to redial when a small boy suddenly bumped into him. Bai Suizhi steadied the startled child. "What's wrong?" he asked.

The boy trembled like a small wild creature encountering a hunter, shaking uncontrollably and unable to utter a word. Bai Suizhi didn't press him, instead patting his back reassuringly until the boy's breathing steadied.

The boy swallowed hard several times, then managed to stammer, "Someone... was... kidnapped."

Bai Suizhi's expression hardened. "What?"

Still unable to speak clearly, the boy tugged at Bai Suizhi's sleeve and pulled him back the way he had come. Simultaneously, Bai Suizhi called Lin Xue: "Zone A, someone's been kidnapped." After briefly relaying the information, he dismissed it from his mind, focusing intently on following the boy.

He had no time to verify the boy's story. He knew that if this was true, every second was critical for a rescue, leaving no room for hesitation.

Moreover, the boy's fear seemed genuine. Kidnapping? In Zone A? Bai Suizhi's eyes darkened.

He followed the boy deep into the villa complex. He didn't update Lin Xue with his location, knowing that everyone's communicator had a built-in tracker. As long as the device wasn't lost, she could pinpoint their real-time position.

The boy suddenly slowed his pace and gestured to Bai Suizhi. Bai Suizhi crouched with him behind a bush, surveying the scene ahead.

The villa before them appeared utterly unremarkable. Its only distinguishing feature was its isolation from other buildings, as if it occupied a separately designated area. Furthermore, guards were stationed outside the main entrance. If this were just an ordinary residence, why the need for so many guards?

Bai Suizhi was now 70-80% convinced by the boy's story. There was definitely something fishy going on.

But he had no intention of charging in recklessly with the boy. For one, two people were no match for so many guards. For another, he'd been drinking, and his mind wasn't as sharp as usual. It was better to stay put and wait for Lin Xue to arrive with reinforcements.

Having made up his mind, Bai Suizhi turned to the nervously vigilant boy and whispered, "How did you find this place?" The area was remote, and the boy's clothing didn't suggest he was from Zone A—more like he'd sneaked in from outside.

Perhaps the boy had passed the peak of his fear, as he became more talkative: "I'm from Zone C. I originally came to find my brother, but I accidentally saw someone being kidnapped."

"Why come here to look for your brother? Is he from Zone A?" Bai Suizhi asked.

The boy's answer surprised him. "No, I don't even know where this is," he said. "My brother went missing three months ago. After he disappeared, I went to the admin uncles and aunts to report it, but they said there's no record of my brother in the system—they couldn't find him. But he entered with me. How could there be no record of him?"

His voice choked. "So I started investigating on my own."

"What did you find out?" Bai Suizhi asked.

The boy's expression turned fearful. "I found out that in our zone, a batch of people vanishes every now and then, but no one notices. Only I do."

"Their families didn't notice either?" Bai Suizhi was puzzled.

The boy's caterpillar-like eyebrows furrowed. "Aside from my brother, all the missing people were alone. They had no families."

Bai Suizhi grew serious. The situation was far more complex than he had imagined.

The boy said sadly, "I've told many people about this, but no one believes me. No one believes a child's words."

"What about those who saw your brother? They didn't believe you either?" Bai Suizhi asked.

The boy replied, "Our zone is enormous, with lots of people living there. Everyone meets so many people every day—no one remembers my brother except me."

Bai Suizhi understood the boy's meaning: among thousands of people, unless they had a close relationship, no one would pay special attention to a stranger.

Bai Suizhi posed another question: "How did you get in here?"

The boy answered, "Our zone had a major cleanup today. No one could come out until afternoon, so lunch had to be delivered. Lunch was more complex than breakfast and required more helpers. So I volunteered to help, then sneaked into the kitchen when no one was looking. That's another exit besides the main gate. I hid there, waited for the supply vehicle to leave, and clung to the roof to get out."

"So you came at noon? Why only ask for help now?" Bai Suizhi asked. He wasn't doubting the boy's honesty but was instinctively sensitive to minor logical inconsistencies. To be honest, the boy's detailed account had already convinced him. The boy spoke in a tone mimicking an adult: "I'm a stowaway. I had to wait until everyone was gone before I could get off the truck."

"There's a detection system at the main gate. Didn't it detect you?" Bai Suizhi asked.

"What detection system?" the little boy asked, puzzled.

Bai Suizhi rephrased: "Wasn't anyone stopping you when you came in?"

"No," the little boy said.

It clicked for Bai Suizhi—the delivery truck must have taken some alternative route to avoid being stopped and inspected. Whoever could pull this off... Bai Suizhi was growing even more curious.

And what was the reason for doing all this?

"How did you find out someone was kidnapped?" Bai Suizhi asked.

The little boy grew agitated. "I saw it!"

Bai Suizhi pressed a finger to his lips. "Keep your voice down," he reminded the boy.

The boy quickly lowered his volume but still looked very worked up. "When I was on the roof of the truck, I saw a masked person dragging an unconscious person into the trunk!"

Bai Suizhi's brow furrowed. Just then, something seemed to have happened inside the villa—all the guards outside swarmed into the building.

Bai Suizhi kept his attention fixed on the commotion at the villa, only half-listening to the boy's words. "What was special about him?" he asked casually.

The little boy said, "His hair was very long, and it was silver-white…"

"What?!" Bai Suizhi cut in, shocked.