Chapter 179: Kidnapping and Interrogation

“So, you are Mr. Lin Yan?”

“Yes.”

“Your work... oh no, what was your previous job?”

“A caregiver, and before that, I also studied Sanda.”

“A caregiver? At which hospital?”

“Not a hospital, it was a private clinic... Do you know Dr. Chu Muyun?”

In a coffee shop across from the hospital, Chen Ling sat on the sofa opposite Wen Shilin and his companion. He slowly pushed up his glasses, resembling a highly cultured and amiable scholar.

“Is that the legendary ‘Miracle Doctor Chu’?” Wen Shilin asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise. “I know him; a colleague of mine interviewed him. Since you were the Miracle Doctor Chu's caregiver, why are you seeking employment at a hospital?”

“I...” A complex emotion flickered in Chen Ling's eyes. “I have some personal reasons.”

Seeing this, Wen Shilin, understanding the hint, didn't press further and changed the topic:

“Do you know the survivors from District Three?”

“No, I don't.”

“So your intervention yesterday was purely an act of bravery?”

“You could say that. I just happened to see it and found that reporter quite disgusting.” Chen Ling smiled. “After all, not all reporters are as righteous as you.”

Upon hearing this, Wen Shilin's eyebrows subtly rose. “I'm righteous? How did you conclude that?”

*By your righteous iron fist...* Chen Ling thought to himself.

“You stood up for those refugees; naturally, you wouldn't be a bad person.”

As Chen Ling spoke, a waiter brought three cups of coffee. He lightly held the cup handle and took a sip.

Wen Shilin and Ah Cheng, sitting opposite, also took a few sips and set their cups down.

“There's something else I'm curious about... Yesterday, you knocked out several of Zhuo Shuqing's teeth with one punch, which suggests considerable strength, and you just mentioned you've studied Sanda...” Wen Shilin blinked, asking seriously, “If, and I mean *if*... if you had fought that group of ruffians yesterday, how many could you have taken on?”

Hearing this question, Chen Ling's mouth twitched slightly. From Wen Shilin's expression, this seemed to be the topic he was most interested in.

Ah Cheng, standing beside them, also had a strange expression. He scrutinized Chen Ling from head to toe. Chen Ling didn't appear to have obvious muscles; Ah Cheng estimated he was probably about the same strength as himself.

Ah Cheng saw Chen Ling's lips part slightly, as if about to say something, but the next moment, his vision began to darken, and his consciousness felt uncontrollably sinking, as if into a deep sea...

At the same time, a weak voice came from nearby:

“Damn it... we've been hit...”

Thud—

Their vision plunged into darkness.

After an unknown period, a low roar emanated from nearby.

Whirrrrr—!!

It sounded like large machinery starting up, gears meshing with a guttural roar like a beast, causing an involuntary tremor in one's heart. Amidst this clamor, Wen Shilin slowly opened his eyes...

Before him, it was still pitch black.

A black cloth bag had been pulled over his head; his eyes could only perceive faint slivers of light through the gaps in the fabric. The warm air he exhaled churned inside the bag, giving him a hot, suffocating sensation.

He tried to remove the bag, but his hands were tightly bound, the clanking of chains swallowed by the machine's roar.

“Damn it... was something in the coffee?” Wen Shilin wondered to himself. “Who would be targeting me? The Starlight Merchant Guild? The White Swan Charitable Foundation? Enforcement Officer Lu Songling? Qian Ao? Nangong Wei? Or someone even higher up? Is it Qiong Xuan? Or... *him*?”

In that instant, countless names flashed through Wen Shilin's mind. He counted for more than ten seconds, yet hadn't finished. At the same time, Ah Cheng's weak voice came from nearby.

“Mr. Wen? Mr. Wen! Are you there?”

“I am!” Wen Shilin immediately replied. “Are you okay?”

“I'm fine...”

Wen Shilin's expression changed as if he'd just realized something. “Oh no, Lin Yan hasn't been dragged into this too, has he?!”

“Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough...” No sooner had Wen Shilin finished speaking than a series of coughs came from his left, followed by Chen Ling's voice. “Mr. Wen... where are we? How... how did we get here?”

Chen Ling's voice held a hint of panic, but overall, he remained calm, not as panicked or flustered as Wen Shilin had imagined.

A wave of guilt washed over Wen Shilin. Whoever had kidnapped them, it must have been because of him. Chen Ling had merely been pulled in for an interview and had unwittingly stepped into someone else's trap with him... He shouldn't be here.

“You can take me, but let Lin Yan go! I dragged him into this! He's innocent!” Wen Shilin took a deep breath and shouted.

Amidst the hum of the gears, a voice spoke unhurriedly from in front of them:

“Wen Shilin, I recall us warning you.”

It was a man's voice, as cold as an iceberg adrift in a frozen sea. The moment Wen Shilin heard it, his heart jolted, and his mind began to race once more.

“You're from the White Swan Charitable Foundation... no, that's not right... Are you from Qiong Xuan?”

“Truly worthy of our great reporter Wen; you've certainly offended quite a few people...” The voice drew closer, almost whispering in his ear. “But you still chose to ignore our warnings, didn't you? Do you know how many people's fates are tied to that matter? Is it something a mere reporter like you can investigate?”

Hearing this, Wen Shilin seemed to realize something and spoke with certainty:

“The ‘Hand of Redemption’ project... I see, you're from Tan Xin!”

Ah Cheng, nearby, trembled slightly.

“Heh heh.”

The voice neither affirmed nor denied, but gradually receded. Moments later, a cold gun barrel pressed against Wen Shilin's forehead.

“I'll give you one last chance... Where did you hide the items?”

“I don't know what you're talking about.” Having guessed the identity of his captors, Wen Shilin became calm, answering serenely, “If you have the guts, then kill me.”

“I know our great reporter Wen isn't afraid of death, but I wonder if your assistant... is as tough?”

As he spoke, the voice moved in front of Ah Cheng and said coldly:

“Tell me, where did he hide the items?”

“I... I don't know.” Ah Cheng's voice trembled slightly.

“Alright, then you can go first.” The click of a bullet being chambered rang out. Just then, Ah Cheng's pupils suddenly contracted.

“No, you can't kill me!” Ah Cheng immediately blurted out. “Brother, this is a misunderstanding! I was ordered by Officer Chu to secretly keep an eye on Wen Shilin. I stole all the articles and evidence about the ‘Hand of Redemption’ project yesterday and placed them at the designated location... Haven't you received them?”

At this declaration, the person holding the gun visibly froze.

Wen Shilin also froze.

In the vast space, only the low hum and rumble of machinery remained.