"That should do it."
Meng Wanyue handed the phone back to Xu Mu. "But I think it's better not to take his phone with us. There might be a tracker in it."
"Alright, I’ll follow your lead."
Xu Mu nodded and tossed the phone onto the ground.
"There might be fingerprints on it. We should still be careful."
Meng Wanyue stomped on the phone with her foot.
Crack!
The phone shattered instantly, and the ground seemed to tremble slightly from the force.
"Wanyue, I’m glad you’re here."
Xu Mu gave her a thumbs-up.
[Affection Points +5]
Meng Wanyue lowered her head slightly, a little embarrassed, before asking, "Director Xu, where should we go next?"
Xu Mu hesitated for a moment before pulling out a keycard with the name of a hotel and a room number written on it.
"Let’s check out this hotel."
"Got it."
Meng Wanyue nodded.
……
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Mu Qingying watched as the feed on her laptop disappeared, unsure of what had happened to Xu Mu.
Lin Yang tapped his fingers rhythmically against the desk. He knew Jiu Zhi well.
If nothing went wrong, Jiu Zhi would likely extort some money first before killing Xu Mu.
But so much time had passed—why hadn’t he called yet?
Jiu Zhi was the type of man who couldn’t resist women.
He even liked recording videos while doing his "business."
Feng Yue was definitely his type—he wouldn’t just leave her behind.
"Lin Yang, seems like the guy you hired isn’t reliable. Maybe he’s already betrayed you."
Feng Yue sneered from the side. She had given up on pleading for mercy.
If she was going to die anyway, why not go out defiantly?
Lin Yang glanced at her with disdain. "Once he gets back, you’ll be thrilled. After all, he’s another old man."
Feng Yue’s gaze sharpened like a blade. "I’ll haunt you even as a ghost."
"Too bad I don’t believe in ghosts."
Lin Yang replied flatly.
Mu Qingying’s tears continued to fall, though she wasn’t entirely sure why.
Maybe it was because Xu Mu had risked his life to save her, even though he was also a victim in this situation.
……
Xu Mu and Meng Wanyue arrived at the hotel listed on the keycard.
It was located in Wu City.
"Wanyue, wait here. Go check his room and see if you can find anything useful."
Xu Mu parked the car on the roadside and handed her the keycard.
"Got it. This should be easy. Director Xu, wait for me in the parking spot ahead."
Meng Wanyue adjusted her sports cap and stepped out of the car, heading into the hotel.
Xu Mu drove off and parked further down the street.
After about ten minutes, Meng Wanyue reappeared and slid back into the passenger seat.
"What did you find?" Xu Mu asked immediately.
"I disabled the camera on the third floor. His room only had a small suitcase—just clothes, weapons, passports, and IDs. Nothing useful."
Meng Wanyue rummaged through her backpack. "As for electronics, there were some cameras and listening devices. Oh, and this."
She pulled out a high-tech smartwatch, likely the latest model.
Xu Mu took it and scrolled through the apps. One in particular caught his attention—the map.
When he opened it, his eyes lit up.
"Director Xu, what is it?" Meng Wanyue noticed his reaction.
"Look at his search history." He handed the watch back to her.
Meng Wanyue’s eyes widened in realization.
Several locations were logged: Wu City, this hotel, and one more—Wu City’s Old Street Steel Factory.
Xu Mu had just been to a fertilizer plant. Why would he search for a steel factory?
He quickly checked his phone and discovered that the steel factory was on the far east side of Wu City, also abandoned for years.
The fertilizer plant was on the west side—completely opposite ends of the city.
"It looks like Feng Yue and Mu Qingying might be held there."
Xu Mu closed his eyes, deep in thought.
"Director Xu, let me go rescue them. I can move faster alone," Meng Wanyue suggested.
"No. Lin Yang isn’t someone to underestimate."
Xu Mu rejected the idea outright.
No matter what, Lin Yang was the protagonist—a man with unnaturally high luck.
Even if Meng Wanyue was stronger, Lin Yang might still find a way to turn the tables through sheer chance.
Besides, Meng Wanyue might not even be stronger than him.
Just as Xu Mu was racking his brain, a police car drove past.
"Right! Why didn’t I think of this sooner?"
A grin spread across his face. "If we know the location, we can just call the police."
After all, the kidnapped women weren’t someone as close to him as Ye Tong.
Reporting this to the authorities was already going above and beyond.
With that in mind, Xu Mu pulled out his phone. But he wasn’t sure how to phrase the report.
After some deliberation, he decided to tell the truth.
Logically, someone like Lin Yang wouldn’t openly defy the law.
And since Xu Mu hadn’t broken any rules—aside from eliminating a criminal—he shouldn’t be implicated.
He dialed the number.
Xu Mu explained the situation—how he’d received a threatening call that morning, demanding he go to the steel factory.
The Xu family held considerable influence in Jiang City. The moment the authorities verified his identity, a rescue team was immediately mobilized.
Soon after, officers from the security bureau arrived to meet with Xu Mu.
The leader, a middle-aged man with a square jaw, approached him. "Xu Mu, is everything you said on the phone true?"
"Absolutely. If I’m lying, I’ll take full legal responsibility."
Xu Mu spoke with complete seriousness.
"Good. Then let’s move out."
The man immediately ordered the surrounding officers to follow in their vehicles.
……
At the same time.
Lin Yang was still waiting for Jiu Zhi’s call when one of his men rushed over in a panic.
"Boss, we’ve got a problem!"
"What is it?" Lin Yang frowned.
"I set up cameras along the only road leading here. Police cars are heading straight for us!"
The young man spoke urgently.
"What? How do they know about this place? Damn it—Jiu Zhi, that traitor!"
It never crossed Lin Yang’s mind that Jiu Zhi, a seasoned professional, could be dead.
The only explanation was that Xu Mu had offered enough money to buy Jiu Zhi’s loyalty—and now he’d betrayed Lin Yang.
"Boss, what do we do? The cameras are five kilometers out. At their speed, they’ll be here in minutes."
The young man was sweating bullets.
"Hah! I told you your teammate wasn’t reliable."
Feng Yue burst into laughter.
Mu Qingying, on the other hand, finally felt a weight lift from her chest.
If Xu Mu had convinced Jiu Zhi with money, then he must be safe.
Lin Yang’s hand flicked, and a dagger appeared. In an instant, he lunged at Feng Yue, stopping just a centimeter from her left eye.
Feng Yue instinctively shut her eyes in terror.
"Feng Yue, do you really think I won’t kill you?"
Lin Yang glared at Feng Yue and said coldly, "How about I start by ruining that pretty face of yours that seduces older men?"
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
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?!
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."
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
