It was 2:50:23 AM!
Time passed by, second after second. Wen Xinya lied down on the cold hard ground while the chilliness of the night penetrated through her bones. It made the pain of her injuries debilitate and she felt like her blood was going to freeze.
Compared to the freezing temperature, hunger was much more intolerable for her; she had yet to eat or drink anything since dinner. The pain in her body continued to drain her of her energy and she felt like she had lost a significant amount of weight. She seemed to have returned to the time when she was still living in famish and away from the Wen Family.
Of course, thirst was much more terrifying than hunger and chilliness. Water was essential for life and the pain had dehydrated her. She felt like a thirsty fish and each breath of hers seemed to strike her dry throat.
Gradually, she began to feel colder and colder. Yet, her face was burning hot. She guessed that she must have been running a fever.
She knew that the abductors were much more cunning and cruel than she had imagined. The fact that they had asked for the ransom to be paid earlier and even cut the ransom by half, simply meant that she would not be rescued.
Although she did not know what time it was, she could vaguely guess that there was less than half an hour until the deadline for the ransom. That meant that she would soon be dead!
She was suddenly reminded of the time when Shen Mengting tried to assassinate her outside the hospital.
Back then, the fear of death consumed her, and it was the first time that she realized how frail and small humans could be when faced with death. Despite having tried her best to broaden her knowledge, she still could not save herself. No amount of wisdom or combat skills could save her.
She felt the same now.
Back then, Si Yiyan shielded her from the knife and saved her!
How about now? Where’s Si Yiyan? Who can save me now?
All her hopes had been dashed.
It was as if she could hear the bell of death in her ears ringing rhythmically and infiltrating her eardrums.
She was drowned in fear, terror, horror and hopelessness.
Although she wanted to cry, her eyes were very dry, to the extent that they were painful. She could not tear up at all.
She allowed the warmth of her body to pull her into hell.
While in a daze, Wen Xinya felt her body being picked up, after which she heard a loud sound ringing in her ears. Just as she was trying to find out where the sound was coming from, she felt a numbing pain in her face.
“Bitch, who told you to play dead!?!” No. 3 barked while strangling her neck.
Wen Xinya opened her eyes and stared at the daunting face in front of her. She could not even recover from the shock yet and all she felt was an intense pain that numbed her senses.
No. 3 glowered at her menacingly and tightened his grip. “Do you really think that I’ll let you off just because you’re playing dead? Dream on!”
“No… don’t!” Wen Xinya felt like her breathing began to turn irregular and she instinctively opened her mouth while trying to breathe. The pain was truly agonizing.
No. 3 continued to tighten his grip while basking in the joy of watching Wen Xinya being in pain. “Aren’t you hoping that someone will come and save you? There are only ten minutes left to the deadline for the handover of the ransom. Even if the Wen Family is formidable, death is the only thing that awaits you.”
Wen Xinya’s eyes widened in shock and all her hopes were dashed. It turns out there was only ten minutes left.
No. 3 guffawed manically.
She stared at him with her eyes wide open. Her eyes were bloodshot because of the fever and the veins looked like intricate spider webs. Her lips were pale and she gibed coldly. “You… ruthless and despicable scums. You’re inhumane. One day, you will get your reputation. You will be punished for your sins.”
No. 3 stopped laughing and he grabbed her neck tightly. “Bitch, say another word and I’ll end your life right now.”
Wen Xinya chuckled and said, “I thought that you people were dauntless. It turns out you’re afraid of being criticized. Don’t think that you can escape the law. You’ll definitely pay for your sins, sooner or later. I believe… that day will come soon. Did you guys forget… about your friends who have died in the hands of the police in the West Region? What happened to them yesterday will happen to you tomorrow.”
No. 3 teared up at the thought of his accomplices who had died in the West Region and barked. “Bitch, I’m going to kill you.”
Wen Xinya kept her eyes fixed on him, never once struggling. She allowed his grip to rid her chest of air.
The man in gray dashed forward and gave him a tight slap. “No. 3, let go!”
Touching his red and hot face, No. 3 let go of Wen Xinya reluctantly. He screeched. “Bitch, just you wait and see. Once we get the ransom, I’ll kill you.”
Wen Xinya began coughing violently on the ground while struggling to take in some fresh air.
The man in gray kicked No. 3 and slapped him again. “No. 3, can’t you tell that she was just spiting you on purpose? She wants us to end up with no ransom at all. Are you brainless?”
No. 3 hung his head low, not daring to say a single word.
The man in gray ordered coldly. “Go outside and calm yourself down. Take the time to check the areas nearby too.”
No. 3 had no choice but to leave.
Silence filled the air and time continued to pass. The man in gray suddenly asked, “No. 2, has the money been transferred to our account yet?”
Shaking his head, the man in black said, “Not yet. There’s only five minutes left until the deadline. I’m guessing that the Wen Family is waiting for us to call. They’ll only hand the money over after ensuring that the hostage is safe.”
Fortunately, the leader managed to stop No. 3 from killing Wen Xinya. Otherwise, it’d be impossible for them to get a single cent.
The man in gray remained silent.
At this moment, No. 3, who was dressed in black, entered the house and said, “Boss, I’ve already checked the nearby places. There isn’t anything unusual. We’ll be safe after getting the ransom.”
The men heaved a sigh of relief and the tension on their faces eased up.
The man in gray said, “No. 2, contact the firearms people and tell them that we have to get the weapons in an hour’s time.”
There were only five minutes to go before the ransom would be paid. They reckoned that the Wen Family would not be able to get up to any tricks and hence, they could leave as soon as they got the money.
The man in black hung up and exclaimed, “No problem, Boss!”
The man in gray nodded and called Old Mr. Wen again to rush him to pay the ransom!
