The Mastermind Behind the Kidnapping Case

By the riverside.

The wreckage of a crashed helicopter.

Butcher, covered in blood, limped out of the water with great effort, dragging two people in his hands—Red Poison and Viper.

The timed bomb had struck the helicopter, and Red Poison, being the closest, was now barely clinging to life. Without immediate medical attention, he would likely die here today.

"An Yi! Lin Chen!"

Butcher's expression was icy, his fists clenched so tightly that the muscles in his face trembled.

In the Paradise organization, S-rank assassins had their own teams.

He had worked diligently for over a decade to recruit five elite A-rank killers, dominating across nations with no match.

Never had he imagined that today, they would all be wiped out in this insignificant Jiangbei City.

Buzz buzz!

A vibration sounded from his waist.

Butcher pulled out a small, specially designed black phone and tapped it open.

A middle-aged man's voice came through: "Butcher, how did the mission go?"

"Mission failed. Almost died here. Blue Shark, Wolf Eye, and Tiger Cannon were captured. Viper and Red Poison are severely injured."

Butcher spoke calmly, but his eyes gleamed with cold fury.

"How is that possible? Were there others involved?"

The man on the phone sounded utterly disbelieving.

Even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit.

Though Lin Chen was young, he hadn’t underestimated him—even going so far as to pay a fortune to hire an S-rank assassin team from Paradise to ensure success.

Yet, even with such preparation, they had still failed.

"That kid Lin Chen brought backup," Butcher said darkly, sitting on the grassy bank.

"Who?"

The middle-aged man’s voice grew serious.

In Jiangbei City, there were only a handful of notable figures.

But given Butcher’s team’s strength, even if all those so-called experts joined forces, they wouldn’t necessarily stand a chance. Yet Lin Chen had only brought one person.

The man couldn’t help but wonder—which legendary figure had emerged?

Butcher gritted his teeth. "His name is An Yi. A damn weird kid."

Thinking back, that kid had been the biggest wildcard.

Especially in the last minute.

He had single-handedly turned the tide!

Butcher still couldn’t figure out how An Yi had dismantled that timed bomb in mere seconds, given its complex wiring.

"An Yi…"

The man on the phone sounded thoughtful.

Butcher caught the tone. "You know him?"

"I’ve heard of him. A young man with potential, but I always thought he was just a minor player. Never expected he’d be the one to trip you up."

Butcher’s face darkened at that.

Who could’ve predicted that a simple kidnapping would turn into such a disaster?

The original plan had been straightforward: spend a week surveilling Qin Yao’s every move, wait for her to be alone, lure Lin Chen away, and kidnap her.

Then, use Qin Yao to extort Qin Zhengwei for a ransom of one billion.

If the money wasn’t enough, they could’ve tricked Qin Zhengwei into transferring it in installments.

Once the money was secured, they’d kill Qin Yao, board a prearranged helicopter, and vanish.

There might’ve been variables, but with their skills, they could’ve handled anything.

Yet, in the end, they hadn’t gotten the money, hadn’t killed the target, and instead suffered devastating losses.

"Should we continue the mission?" Butcher asked, his voice laced with venom.

"No. We’ve already alerted them. Trying again would be far more complicated—and it might lead back to me."

"The helicopter’s destroyed. Send someone immediately. Viper and Red Poison need urgent medical care."

Butcher glanced at the two barely breathing men and exhaled sharply. "My three subordinates—Blue Shark, Tiger Cannon, and Wolf Eye—are in the hands of the Law Enforcement Bureau. Get them out."

"Impossible. Three A-rank assassins appearing at once? Even the higher-ups in the capital are paying attention. Extracting them would be harder than scaling the heavens."

"I don’t care! You have the connections—I know you do!"

Butcher hung up, his gaze lingering on the factory by the river before he hauled Red Poison and Viper into the forest.

---

"Ow, ow—easy! That hurts like hell!"

An Yi winced as Shen Muxuan carefully applied antiseptic and wrapped bandages around his bare torso.

"What happened last night? You’re so badly hurt," she murmured, her fingers lightly tracing the deep gash on his waist.

Had he not quickly pressed pressure points to stop the bleeding, he might’ve bled out.

"Nothing much. Just saved a billionaire’s daughter from a hit squad, fought an internationally notorious S-rank assassin, then they cheated by strapping a bomb to me. I dismantled it with ten seconds left, threw it back, and blew up their helicopter."

He said it casually, as if recounting a mundane errand.

Most people would’ve scoffed, calling him a liar.

But Shen Muxuan’s face paled, her eyes wide.

"Th-that sounds so dangerous! Why would you do something so reckless without telling anyone?"

She glared at him, her voice trembling with worry.

An Yi shrugged. "Didn’t think it’d be that bad—OW! Why’d you bite me?!"

Shen Muxuan had sunk her teeth into his arm, leaving a neat row of marks. She only let go when his skin turned red, huffing, "That’s to remind you! No more life-threatening stunts!"

"Oh? So you do care about me," An Yi teased, raising a brow.

"I—I just don’t want my rent-splitting roommate to die!" she retorted, hands on her hips.

An Yi chuckled. This girl couldn’t hide her feelings if she tried.

"Hey, An Yi… I have a surprise for you."

She suddenly grinned, looking mischievous.

An Yi eyed her suspiciously. "Please don’t tell me you broke something again."

"Broke something?! Ugh!"

He cleared his throat and began listing her past "surprises": "Last time, you tried cooking and set the range hood on fire. Before that, you poked the TV screen wondering where the people inside were. And let’s not forget the time you dismantled the toilet tank to see where the water came from—"

"Okay, okay! Stop!"

Shen Muxuan pouted, then proudly presented a shoebox.

"New sneakers?" An Yi’s eyes lit up.

"Open it and see if they fit!" She beamed, her smile crescent-shaped.

He eagerly tore it open—then froze.

…They were slippers.

Not the issue.

The issue was the price tag: 250 yuan.

Who spends 250 yuan on slippers?!

"Do you like them?" Shen Muxuan asked nervously, her face hopeful.

An Yi's face lit up with joy. "Of course I like them! I love wearing slippers the most! With these on for the school exam this afternoon, I’m sure to ace it!"

"Hehe, I knew you’d love them."

Shen Muxuan let out a relieved sigh, a hint of pride flashing in her eyes.

Then, a loud growl came from her stomach.

"You haven’t eaten?" An Yi asked with a wry smile.

Working for Aunt Zhou at that small grocery store barely brought in any money, given the low foot traffic. And with Shen Muxuan’s big appetite, most of her earnings went straight to food.

Two hundred and fifty yuan wasn’t much, but saving up that much from her meager wages was brutal—unless she cut back on meals, and not just for a day or two.

"No, no! I’d never starve myself just to save up for shoes," Shen Muxuan insisted, lying through her teeth.

An Yi’s eyes grew slightly red. He ruffled her hair and declared grandly, "Come on, your big bro’s got plenty of cash today. Let’s go for hot pot!"

"Really? What’s hot pot? Is it even better than meat buns?"

"Absolutely!"