It was summer vacation, so students weren't in school.
To avoid complications from delay, Wang Hu and his crew had scouted the location long ago, specifically waiting until Duoduo's parents went to work on the day of the live stream to make their move.
The location they chose was very strategic; not only were there few passersby, but even the surveillance cameras were broken.
Seizing the right moment, they would drive the van straight over, pull the person inside, and be done with it.
But even the most meticulous plan can have unexpected turns, and what Fang Ming said was one of those possibilities.
"Report to the police?" Old Ghost asked. Upon hearing this, he realized the gravity of the situation and instinctively looked toward Qin Xiao.
Qin Xiao hesitated for two seconds: "Execute Plan B. Have him evacuate."
Old Ghost nodded: "If that's the case, it'll be trouble. You need to get them out of there immediately."
"Should we take the grandmother and granddaughter too?"
"Leave them there; don't worry about them," Old Ghost said succinctly. "I've already sent you the route. As long as you retreat according to the route I've planned, there won't be any problems."
Originally, they had planned to hold the grandmother and granddaughter hostage for a week, but now that Liu Changqing had been replaced by Mu Qingxue, the pair naturally lost their utility.
But... this place was in the middle of nowhere. Their hands and feet were tied, and they had no phone to contact the outside world. If left here, they would surely starve to death.
"Fine!"
Fang Ming already had a countermeasure in mind and didn't panic in the slightest.
After receiving the evacuation route from Old Ghost, he looked at the three desperadoes who were boredly playing cards, and then at the grandmother and granddaughter tied up like rice dumplings in the warehouse, before shouting loudly to everyone.
"We're exposed! Let's go, now!"
"What?? Exposed?"
Wang Hu suddenly stood up from a beer crate, his bloodshot eyes staring fixedly at Fang Ming.
"I dodged over a dozen surveillance cameras on the way here and even changed the license plate three times. The police aren't clairvoyant; how could we be exposed?"
Zhang Dapao, who was nearby, also spoke up: "Buddy, you aren't just scaring yourself, are you?"
"Yeah, you can't joke about stuff like this."
"The boss just called me personally. Our target was changed at the last minute. If the plan hadn't leaked, why would the other side dare to change their key player so suddenly?"
"Damn!"
Wang Hu spat a thick glob of phlegm heavily onto the ground and tucked away his dagger.
"Bamboo Pole, go put out the fire. Dapao, stuff everything we have left into the bags. Anything we can't take, deal with it on the spot. Don't leave any fingerprints!"
He turned to look at the grandmother and granddaughter huddled in the corner, a flash of ruthless malice in his eyes: "What about these two? Should we..."
He made a throat-slitting gesture, his eyes brimming with murderous intent.
Fang Ming's heart sank, but his expression remained unchanged.
"Are you worried you don't have enough murders on your record, or do you think the police are too slow at solving cases? Our boss said to just leave them here. Their hands and feet are tied and their mouths are sealed. By the time the police track them down, we'll be a hundred miles away."
"If someone dies, the nature of the crime changes completely. There'll be a city-wide lockdown, and you'll only have more trouble."
Wang Hu hesitated for a moment before his reason finally overcame that flash of brutality.
"Fine, we'll do what the client says. Dapao, let's move!"
The three moved extremely fast. Their years of experience living on the edge made them exceptionally skilled at destroying evidence.
In less than five minutes, only a faint smell of instant noodles and the despairing grandmother and granddaughter remained in the abandoned lumberyard warehouse.
Fang Ming carried his bag and followed the three into that old vehicle model. The van sped away, arriving at a spot on the national highway in the suburbs where there were no cameras and forest on both sides, where Fang Ming got out early.
The three didn't have time to question Fang Ming as they quickly drove toward the agreed-upon county town.
The money was in a locker somewhere in the county town.
Although there was an unexpected turn in the plan, Qin Xiao wouldn't risk offending these desperadoes over a few million, so he wouldn't go back on his word.
With just one phone call, they would know the exact location of the money.
After Fang Ming got out of the car, he didn't immediately change back to his original appearance to evacuate. Instead, while no one was around, he went into the roadside bushes and changed his clothes, pants, shoes, and socks from head to toe.
His appearance was no longer that of the previous sleazy man, but of a middle-aged man with resolute features.
Following his usual practice, he tossed the discarded clothes and shoes to Gu Bai.
He didn't leave in the direction Wang Hu and the others were fleeing, but instead quickly walked back.
There were no cameras for another kilometer back, and a city bus stop was two kilometers away.
Fang Ming wasn't in a hurry, but he didn't stay idle either.
While walking, he pulled up the Chat Group and clicked on Mu Qingxue's avatar.
[.]: "Abandoned Lumberyard in the Western Suburbs of Rong City. Go save the people, quickly."
After sending this, he immediately used the Chat Group's anonymity and voice-changing features to dial the police.
"Hello, I want to report a crime."
"I think I saw the fugitives from your wanted list. There are three of them... yes, driving a gray van."
"One with a scar, one bald, and one thin as a Bamboo Pole. They headed toward the county town south of Rong City."
"What? License plate? The current plate is Chuan A357XX, but the car seems to have fake plates because I saw them changing them..."
"Okay, okay. Please hurry, or they'll get away."
Cutting the call, Fang Ming let out a long breath.
"Damn, this money really isn't easy to earn."
In fact, with Fang Ming's current abilities, he could have easily taken out the three kidnappers before calling the police.
But doing so would not only arouse Qin Xiao's suspicion but also potentially lead to a full-scale police manhunt. He'd be caught between a rock and a hard place.
The best choice was to let the police capture them while completing Qin Xiao's mission and keeping the hostages safe.
As for why report it?
It was mainly because Fang Ming felt a deep-seated loathing for these scumbags.
He wasn't exactly a good person, but he certainly wasn't evil either. Punishing evil was just a small effort for him.
Although this might make him a suspect, he really didn't believe the police could deduce the existence of his Chat Group and the thousand illusions mask through normal investigative means.
...Yunlan International.
While Fang Ming was changing his appearance and heading to the bus stop, the test results appeared in the live stream.
"The levels of heavy metals and hormones are all far below national standards. Yunlan International's 'jade dew' fully meets the standards for medical-grade skincare products, and its unique active ingredients have even reached top international levels!"
The old expert's voice through the microphone shattered all the online rumors.
Qin Xiao's mental state exploded, and the live stream comments instantly flipped.
"Holy crap, where are the people who were just bashing Yunlan? Come out and apologize!"
"I knew CEO Mu was too beautiful to sell products that ruin people's faces."
"Am I the only one who noticed that the 'Disfigured Woman' leading the protest shut down her live stream?"
Mu Qingxue stood on the stage, showing no wild joy, only saying calmly to the camera.
"Facts speak louder than words. Regarding the individuals and organizations that maliciously smeared Yunlan recently, Yunlan's legal team has finished gathering evidence. We will sue to the end and will not settle."
Mu Qingxue stepped down quickly after saying this and whispered to her trusted assistant.
"Immediately notify the police to go to the Abandoned Lumberyard in the Western Suburbs of Rong City to save the people. Hurry!!"