Chapter 47: Caught Before Even Making a Move!

After hanging up Liu Yan's phone, the scarred man in Spring City curled the corners of his mouth into a wild grin.

"Brothers, a massive job has landed in our laps!"

"Just how much must this bitch hate her husband? She actually wants us to find a way to abduct both Zhang凡 and Zhu Qing'an to northern Myanmar."

"Do you have any idea how much she's paying us?"

The scarred man lit a cigarette and burst into laughter, coughing a little—evidently overcome with excitement.

The cohorts sitting on the sofa in front of him all rubbed their hands together eagerly.

"A million?"

"Not long ago, some weirdo paid us a whole five hundred thousand just to kidnap his girlfriend to northern Myanmar!"

"Since the boss is making us guess, it's probably not less than half a million. I'll guess two million!"

The scarred man shook his head repeatedly.

These henchmen of his, including the man himself, spoke standard Chinese, but all carried a faint accent.

By the sound of it, they were locals from northern Myanmar who made a living year-round by tricking people into crossing over.

Whenever the Chinese authorities cracked down and rounded up one batch, another would inevitably pop up. After all, the profits were simply too lucrative. Selling people to the telecommunication fraud syndicates in northern Myanmar was a genuine goldmine.

To make money, these people from northern Myanmar literally kept their heads on the line.

The scarred man flashed a wicked smile, shaking his head and waving his hands.

"Two million? No, no, no. Ten million!"

Over thirty dark-skinned men hailing from northern Myanmar widened their eyes in shock, staring blankly at the scarred man.

"Holy shit! Ten million?"

"This woman must have a blood feud with her ex-husband!"

"Exactly! Spending ten million just to drag people to northern Myanmar and torture them personally—what on earth did this guy do to her?"

The scarred man laughed even louder.

"Wrong! Dead wrong!"

"That ten million is just the down payment. She also said that as soon as we successfully deliver both of them to northern Myanmar, she'll pay us another ten million!"

The thirty-odd dark-skinned men all leaped to their feet in excitement, exchanging glances.

Finally, they all turned their gazes toward the scarred man.

"Boss, just give the word. How do we pull this off?"

"Yeah! This fortune is practically in our pockets!"

However, the scarred man stubbed out his cigarette, tossed it to the floor, and shook his head.

"Don't get ahead of yourselves. The money is great, but this job won't be easy."

"You probably don't know that kid's background. He's the chip expert who recently exploded in popularity all over the Chinese internet—Zhang Fan, the man who developed the picometer lithography machine."

"He has countless people dispatched by the Chinese high command guarding him, at least a hundred special forces operatives trailing him. It's truly a tough nut to crack."

"Let me figure out how to snatch him."

***

Meanwhile.

The plane successfully touched down at Dali Airport.

The two had already agreed along the way to visit Erhai Lake, and upon stepping off the vehicle, they headed straight for the destination under the escort of the Ministry of State Security.

Zhu Qing'an smiled as she hugged Zhang Fan's arm, her face radiating pure happiness.

"Honey, it's so wonderful to be able to be with you."

"I want to buy a camera to capture our memories in photographs."

***

Zhang Fan stroked her hair.

"That's not a problem at all. We'll figure it out once we get to Erhai Lake."

"That place is a major tourist hotspot where tons of people go to check-in. There'll be plenty of camera shops."

Tian Xiao, who was driving, received a message, her brows instantly knitting together as a trace of anger flashed in her eyes.

"Mr. Zhang, our bureau personnel just investigated and obtained the latest intelligence."

"Dozens of human traffickers from northern Myanmar are plotting to sell you and Ms. Zhu Qing'an to northern Myanmar."

"I am going to issue the order immediately to wipe them all out."

Zhang Fan paused for a moment, then immediately pressed further.

"Wait, with so many people out there, why target us out of everyone else?"

"Have you figured out who is pulling the strings behind the scenes?"

Tian Xiao shook her head.

"The phone the other party used to communicate with the traffickers was encrypted and routed from abroad, making identity verification impossible."

"She was clearly using someone else's identity."

Zhang Fan fell silent for a brief moment, his eyes narrowing.

"Alright, there's no need to rush and take them down yet."

"You guys purposely leak some flaws. Remember to ensure the absolute safety of my wife—I want to use myself as bait to hook the person hiding in the shadows."

Tian Xiao's expression shifted slightly, and she hurriedly tried to dissuade him.

"Mr. Zhang, there is no need for that! If someone of your stature suffers even the slightest bump or scratch, it would be an immeasurable loss."

"We can simply arrest all the traffickers right now."

"We can interrogate them slowly afterward. You don't need to put yourself in harm's way."

Seeing how nervous she was, Zhang Fan suddenly found it amusing.

Normally, he never got the chance to experience anything this thrilling.

"Alright, alright. I'll listen to you."

"Just round them all up then."

When the car finally arrived at Erhai Lake, Zhu Qing'an, accompanied by Zhang Fan, began browsing for cameras in a local shop.

Before long, Tian Xiao walked up to them once more, looking exceptionally respectful.

"All of them have been captured—thirty-seven individuals in total. The scarred man among them is their leader, whose Chinese name is Li Zhen."

Even Zhang Fan was somewhat surprised.

"You guys move that fast?"

Tian Xiao smiled.

"Naturally. Your security clearance is among the highest in all of China."

"Before you even landed in the Miao territory, our agents had already blanketed every single city here."

"Mr. Zhang, the suspects are already on their way here and are expected to arrive by tomorrow morning. Please enjoy yourselves!"

Zhang Fan suddenly felt that being protected by a team like Tian Xiao's made things genuinely secure.

How long had it been since they drove over?

From receiving the news that someone intended to harm him to capturing the entire ring, it had only taken a few hours?

He quickly pushed the matter to the back of his mind, bought the camera with Zhu Qing'an, and went cycling and sightseeing around Erhai Lake.

***

Since it wasn't a holiday, the crowds at Erhai Lake were moderate.

A honeymoon ought to feel like a honeymoon; after spending the day touring and indulging in a grand feast, they ended up booking an entire hotel for themselves.

The extra rooms were allocated to the bodyguards, while the newlyweds, Zhang Fan and Zhu Qing'an, stayed right in the heavily guarded center suite.

The moment any danger arose, at least sixty-six bodyguards could force their way through the doors within ten seconds.

Time flew by to the morning of the next day.

Because Zhu Qing'an had been far too shy the previous night, the two of them hadn't actually consummated their marriage.

Upon waking up, Zhu Qing'an wore an expression of deep guilt, standing nervously before Zhang Fan and fidgeting with her fingers.

"Honey, I'm sorry."

"I originally planned that since yesterday was so wonderful, I would give myself to you last night."

"But whenever I thought about your... I still felt so scared..."

Zhang Fan smiled and patted her head.

"It's fine."

"I honestly don't mind."

"Once a man gets a bit older, he doesn't have such intense demands in that department anyway. You don't need to worry."

Those words nearly brought Zhu Qing'an to tears.

Clearly, I am my big brother's wife.

Matters of that nature ought to be my responsibility.

Yet here I am, failing to do it even after two full days.

And yet, big brother is still being so gentle with me, wails...

Forget it!

I'm definitely giving myself to big brother tonight!

Just as Zhu Qing'an was lost in her rosy-cheeked daydreams, Tian Xiao strode in from outside with a solemn expression.

"Mr. Zhang Fan, we have brought the ringleader of the traffickers!"

With that, a bodyguard kicked the scarred man squarely in the rear, sending him crashing to his knees and unintentionally kowtowing right in front of Zhang Fan.

Furious, the scarred man—whose mouth had just had the tape removed—blazed with rage and cursed wildly: "Who the hell are you people? Why did you arrest me and my brothers? We are law-abiding citizens!"

"If you don't give my brothers an explanation today, I'm going to report you to the police station!"

However, the moment he caught sight of Zhang Fan, his eyes nearly popped out of his skull.

How could it be him?!

H-How did I end up falling into his hands?

Zhang Fan crossed his arms over his chest, his expression playful.

"Speak. Tell me who sent you to abduct me."

"Talk."

"As long as you tell the truth, I can grant you the dignity of an intact corpse."