“No matter what, without my call, they won’t drive here from Guiyang,” Jiang Luo said.
The voice on the other end, perfectly standard Mandarin, was calm: “Call them. Let them drive over.”
“Once they reach the mountains, someone will meet them. Once they get the money, you can all leave.”
Jiang Luo remained even: “A verbal promise isn’t enough for me to trust you.” He paused, then added, “Am I right, Secretary Bi?”
……………………………
Silence on the other end.
Jiang Luo pressed on: “Secretary Bi of He Xu Town, how about this: you come see me. We meet, talk it through. I’ll call the money transport over. Once the vehicle arrives, you collect it and release me and Huo Zongzuo. How does that sound?”
Finally, the voice replied in a low tone: “How did you know it was me?”
Jiang Luo smiled lightly, his usual self-assured flair showing: “The people you detained in He Xu—can’t be anyone else giving orders. He Xu may be remote, but officials there all have names, all recorded. If I check, I’ll find out.”
“Strange that I could pinpoint one town’s leadership?” the voice asked.
Jiang Luo’s tone was casual: “Come see me, and I’ll tell you face to face. Don’t worry, no need to be cautious. Even if I know it’s you, I won’t act against you. You want money, I want people. We each take what we need. Once you release us, I won’t breathe a word outside Guiyang. I know discretion—trust me, I know it well. We’re businessmen; we have money. As long as you let us go as agreed, whether sixty million dollars or more, I can send it to you through an offshore account without anyone knowing.”
Meanwhile, twenty minutes after Jiang Luo left, Zhao Guangyuan and his group chatted with the three men blocking the road, loosening their vigilance. At the right moment, Zhao Guangyuan and two companions exchanged a glance, simultaneously drawing their guns from their waists, and with coordinated precision, subdued the three men: “Don’t move!”
They quickly drove past the checkpoint.
At a junction, the driver took the road on the right, which had no more checkpoints, leading toward He Xu—but unbeknownst to them, Jiang Luo had not been taken to He Xu Town.
By the time Bi Kang arrived, Jiang Luo was sitting on a simple wooden bench in a small room, elbows resting on the table, fingers twirling his phone, calm and composed.
His youthful face, unnervingly serene, struck Bi Kang—a man used to seeing captured business owners panic in the mountains. Over the years, Bi Kang had extorted countless sums from terrified captives. Now, faced with this young man’s icy composure, he was baffled.
“You came. What do you want to tell me?” Bi Kang asked, measured, confident in his domain. Even if his identity was exposed, it didn’t matter—an out-of-province businessman could not touch him. And anyway, with the money in the mountains, no one could prove he had taken it. Bi Kang’s hands were clean, no local properties registered in his name. He was calm, fearless.
Curious, he asked again: “How could you be so sure it was me?”
Jiang Luo, still seated, arms on the table, phone in hand, replied: “Who could outrank the secretary in a single town? I can’t be certain it’s you, just testing. If not you, it would be someone else in the leadership. Either way, the options are limited.”
Bi Kang put his hands behind his back: “Call the car to bring the money here.”
“Alright,” Jiang Luo said, picking up his phone, scrolling through contacts, and making the call in Bi Kang’s presence. Afterward, he set the phone down: “It’s arranged. You can have your people meet them ahead of time. But note, the bulk is in RMB, not dollars. I didn’t check the exact amount—just brought all that could be transported.”
Bi Kang nodded but remarked, “You brought police from Haicheng?” Not a question—he was sure of it.
“Impossible?” Jiang Luo asked evenly. “Such a major event, in such a remote area—you expect me to risk it alone? And what could out-of-province police do? You’re not scared. Besides, with all the checkpoints, they couldn’t reach you anyway.”
Bi Kang checked his watch, didn’t speak, then noticed two bulging bags by the wall. He zipped one open, confirmed it held cash, zipped it closed, lifted it, and walked out.
Jiang Luo’s voice turned cold: “Secretary Bi, I’ve sent the money. You should at least let me see you before we go.”
Bi Kang ignored him, stepping outside. Jiang Luo rose and followed quickly, but the wooden door slammed behind him.
He ground his teeth in frustration. He had known nothing would be reciprocal. Trash.
Meanwhile, the truck carrying the money, accompanied by a business vehicle, approached through the mountains from the Guiyang direction. After five hours, surrounded by mountains and forests, dusk falling, two vehicles suddenly sped toward them, flashing high beams alternately.
The driver shielded his eyes and braked.
The approaching vehicles stopped. Several men jumped out, yanked the truck’s driver and passenger out, climbed in, and took full control of the truck, sending the driver and accompanying business car away.
Once alone, the men opened the truck’s rear compartment. Flashlight beams revealed thick stacks of cash piled high.
Early the next morning, Jiang Luo was leaning over the table in the small room, eyes closed, suddenly jolted awake by a loud kick at the door.
He opened his eyes to see Bi Kang entering, face cold.
Bi Kang: “This isn’t what we agreed.”
“Only 25 million, not in dollars.”
Jiang Luo rose slowly, expressionless: “The bank isn’t mine. I could only arrange what I could through contacts. Time was short, this is all there is. Don’t worry. I’ll open an offshore account and transfer all the funds there.”
Bi Kang’s icy gaze made him look like a greedy demon.
“Talk of offshore accounts—if traced, it’s all evidence. I want cash, here in the mountains!”
Bi Kang snapped: “Sixty million in U.S. dollars. Not a penny less!”
Jiang Luo countered firmly: “I brought the money the first day you detained people. I said time is tight. You want money, fine—but you cannot keep us here…”
Bi Kang cut him off: “Call them! Arrange it! If you stall, or bring more people, I’ll chop a finger a day and feed it to you myself!”
Jiang Luo’s expression hardened—this was reckless, audacious.
He glared: “How do I know if bringing money here will get Huo Zongzuo and me out safely? If you never intended to let us live, you think I’m foolish to bring the money?”
Bi Kang: “You have no choice. Call! Or I’ll have his fingers chopped now!”
Jiang Luo snorted coldly: “Go ahead. Chop them. Mine too. One death solves it. You won’t get more money.”
Bi Kang lunged, grabbing Jiang Luo’s collar: “You said you were sensible! Is this your sense?”
Jiang Luo didn’t flinch. He knew submission wouldn’t work; if yielding and paying could ensure Huo Zongzuo’s safety, he would even kneel. But this man didn’t play fair—soft words would be used against him.
Jiang Luo answered rigidly: “I am sensible only if you honor the contract. I pay, you release the person. Now I’ve paid, yet you refuse to release and threaten fingers.”