Tung Garden residential area, in a secluded corner of the underground parking garage.
This was a blind spot not covered by the security cameras.
Xu Mo sat in the car, smoking.
While smoking, he looked around patiently, waiting until he was sure no one else was around before putting out his cigarette and getting out of the car. He headed towards the trunk.
After a few steps, Xu Mo stopped by the trunk.
He looked around again.
Still no one there.
Only then did he open the trunk.
"Mmm... Mmm..."
As soon as he opened the trunk, the actress Yang Jingxuan tied up inside made muffled noises, her forehead and dainty nose covered in sweat.
At this time, the scene on the show's livestream suddenly changed.
It switched to a view that was only the size of the car trunk.
Clearly, this was Yang Jingxuan's perspective.
On the livestream, the host's voice provided appropriate narration:
"We installed a miniature camera on Yang Jingxuan."
"I knew it!"
"Wait... Yang Jingxuan?"
"The currently popular rising starlet Yang Jingxuan?"
"Damn, isn't this a bit too awesome? Isn't she super popular right now? How did she end up here playing the hostage?"
"Who would mind being more popular? This show and the production team are so hot right now, and have connections with officials, lots of celebrities are clamoring to squeeze their way in."
"This plot is getting more and more intense!"
From the perspective shown on the livestream, the audience could see and hear Xu Mo's voice.
Xu Mo's low voice said:
"Later I'll help you undo the ropes and tape over your mouth, but first I have two conditions."
Although his voice was low, it was steady and powerful, giving off a sense of calm.
The viewers in the live chat were clearly somewhat surprised by Xu Mo's state.
"This guy can still remain calm now?"
"I judged wrongly, I judged wrongly. Over these three episodes, I'm suddenly starting to feel that this Xu Mo could be a dark horse."
"He does seem a bit stronger than the previous two challengers."
Amidst the viewers' surprise, Xu Mo stated his conditions:
"First, when I help peel the tape off of your mouth later, it'd be best if you don't scream or shout. If I sense you're about to start shouting, I'll immediately gag you back up again, got it?"
The scene on the livestream shook up and down, clearly Yang Jingxuan nodding her head.
"Very good. The second condition is, after I untie you later, you'd best not move around randomly or try to escape. Otherwise, it's very likely you'll end up tied back up in the trunk again. At that time, I won't care about you anymore, and I'll abandon this car too. If you're lucky the police might find you within a day, if you're unlucky you might starve to death in there before the police even find you. Understand?"
The scene on the livestream shook up and down again.
The viewers were dumbfounded.
"Damn, this is the celebrity Yang Jingxuan! Such a beautiful woman, and Xu Mo can actually say such ruthless words to her!"
"6666!"
"Saying stuff like this, could he be planning to go through with it for real?"
"If he actually follows through, then holy shit, this would be epic!"
"This is the first time I've seen a challenger like this, pretty impressive."
......
Seeing that Yang Jingxuan nodded, Xu Mo slowly peeled off the black tape over her mouth. He could have ripped it off quickly in one go, but was afraid she would start screaming as soon as the tape came off, so he removed it slowly to prevent that situation.
Fortunately, the actress was very obedient.
Until Xu Mo removed the black tape from her mouth, she did not let out a scream.
"Very good."
Xu Mo looked at Yang Jingxuan, her face pale and her pretty eyes full of terror.
He felt like he had changed.
If this had happened before, there was no way Xu Mo could have remained so calm, but now he was able to force himself to stay composed and get into character.
Was this the effect of the 2 point increase to his Cell Activity Level?
He really liked being in this state, it gave him a feeling of having control over the situation.
He thought of that game of cat and mouse again.
This was just a beginner's reward of sorts, and it could already do this much, what about the subsequent rewards?
For a moment, Xu Mo felt his heart race a little faster.
If the rewards were all like this...
Then what was wrong with playing a round of cat and mouse with the incoming police?
But the most important thing right now was still getting some information out of this actress' mouth.
Thinking of this, after freeing Yang Jingxuan from her bonds, Xu Mo pinched her slender, fair right wrist and twisted it behind her back. This would allow him to easily control Yang Jingxuan if she tried anything funny.
Xu Mo truly felt like he was a changed man.
Feeling her right wrist controlled by Xu Mo, Yang Jingxuan felt a slight pain.
She thought to herself that this guy sure had a lot of strength.
But outwardly, she maintained an expression of extreme panic.
Half of it was an act, and half was real, because Xu Mo gave off a very different vibe.
The mix of real and fake made Yang Jingxuan's acting extremely natural.
"Come with me upstairs, don't make any shouting or screaming sounds on the way, and don't think about running away either."
Xu Mo whispered into Yang Jingxuan's ear.
Naturally, Yang Jingxuan would not scream or try to escape.
She knew this was just a variety show.
Her role was to act as an actress kidnapped by Xu Mo.
So she trembled and nodded.
Only then did Xu Mo bring Yang Jingxuan back to the rental apartment he was staying in.
Why did he return to the apartment?
Firstly, Xu Mo did not see himself as an actual kidnapper.
Secondly, to him, having Yang Jingxuan tied up in the car trunk was like a ticking time bomb, bound to cause trouble if they wandered outside for too long.
That was why he brought her back here.
But he would not stay for long. After asking Yang Jingxuan some questions, Xu Mo did not plan on continuing to stay in this apartment.
Once they entered the apartment, Xu Mo reflexively locked the door.
He motioned for Yang Jingxuan to sit on the sofa, while he sat down beside her. He placed his lighter and cigarette pack on the coffee table, about to question Yang Jingxuan.
Just then...
A thin, long strand of hair on the coffee table caught Xu Mo's attention.
Xu Mo's eyes narrowed as he looked up at Yang Jingxuan and said, "Come here!"
Yang Jingxuan was somewhat confused for a moment.
Then she realized Xu Mo was leaning in, practically pressing his head against hers. At the same time, he reached out to comb through her hair.
The viewers in the livestream chat were flabbergasted by this scene!
"What the hell, what's he trying to do?"
"F*ck, could he be going through with it for real?"
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
