Chapter 199: Sanctions

It was a dark and windy night.

Wen Shilin anxiously paced inside a remote factory building.

The empty building held only him. There were no residents nearby, and only a few scattered lights twinkled in the distance. Everything was silent... except for Wen Shilin's restless heart.

"Why isn't Lin Yan back yet... Did something go wrong during the abduction?""Was he too gentle and got discovered?""Or was he seen dragging three people back and reported to the authorities?""Lin Yan has probably never done this before, he lacks experience, so there's a high chance of a problem... Ah, it's my fault for making him abduct them, isn't this forcing him to break the law?!""No, this is on me. I have to go get him out."

Wen Shilin agonized for a long time, a look of determination flashing in his eyes. He immediately strode towards the factory entrance. Just then, a figure, slowly and deliberately, approached from a distance, dragging three sacks.

"Mr. Wen, where are you going?" Chen Ling raised an eyebrow in surprise, seeing Wen Shilin rush out.

Wen Shilin froze, seeing him return safe and sound.

"I was worried something might have gone wrong during the abduction, so I wanted to check..."

Wen Shilin's gaze fell on the three sacks. "You succeeded?!"

"Kidnapping someone, what could possibly go wrong?"

Chen Ling waved his hand nonchalantly and opened all the sacks. Inside lay three unconscious figures, their mouths gagged with strips of cloth and their hands and feet tightly bound. They were Xin Youquan, Qiu Dong, and Wang Yuning.

Wen Shilin's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected Chen Ling to actually succeed in capturing the three, let alone transport them here undetected by others...

"How did you do it?" Wen Shilin couldn't help but ask.

Chen Ling replied casually, "I just hid on their way home from work, knocked them out one by one when no one was around, then borrowed a cargo van and came straight here... Don't worry, no one noticed us along the way."

For Chen Ling, abducting three ordinary people was naturally no challenge. He could have even done it more simply and directly, but considering he didn't want Wen Shilin to become suspicious, he tried to be as discreet as possible.

Wen Shilin nodded. "You've worked hard."

As they spoke, the two of them carried the people from the sacks into the factory. Wen Shilin looked at the three figures laid out in a line on the ground; despite the rough handling, there was no sign of them waking up. He turned to Chen Ling and asked:

"Did you hit them hard? Why aren't they waking up?"

"...I don't know. It's my first time hitting anyone, so I wasn't sure how much force to use," Chen Ling replied, shaking his head blankly.

"Ah... Alright."

"How about we splash them with a basin of water to wake them up?"

"No, let's not. We're not kidnappers. We abducted them simply to ensure their safety," Wen Shilin said, glancing at the unconscious figures. "Anyway, we have time. We can just wait for them to wake up gradually."

Chen Ling narrowed his eyes slightly but said nothing more.

Just then, Wen Shilin seemed to remember something and quickly walked towards the factory exit.

"What's wrong?"

"I need to go back. My camera is still at home... Without it, I can't take pictures of the three of them, and we'll lack evidence for the interview."

Chen Ling glanced at the sky outside, a slight frown on his brow. After a moment of hesitation, he spoke:

"Give me the keys, I'll go get it."

Wen Shilin was about to say something more, but Chen Ling quickly interjected, "They should be waking up soon. If I stay here, I'm afraid I won't be able to resist beating them."

"Why?"

"Last night, they personally hollowed out a child... just like they hollowed out my brother back then."

Wen Shilin froze, and silence suddenly fell over the factory.

Chen Ling took the keys from his hand and walked out of the factory alone, his figure gradually disappearing into the night.

Watching Chen Ling's departing back, Wen Shilin's expression became complicated. He turned back to look at the three unconscious figures on the factory floor, lost in thought.

A few minutes later.

*Splash!*

A basin of cold water was poured over the three, almost freezing them solid in the chilly night.

They jolted awake from their unconsciousness, seeing the factory building around them and Wen Shilin standing silently before them, holding an empty bucket. Their eyes were filled with shock and bewilderment.

"It's you?!""You kidnapped us?! What do you want?""Damn it! This is illegal!!"

Amidst their terrified shouts and curses, Wen Shilin casually tossed the empty bucket aside, where it landed with a dull thud. He reached up and forcefully loosened his professional tie at the collar, then coolly stared down at the three with an indifferent gaze.

"Next, I will conduct an in-depth interview with all of you..."

"The content of this interview will determine your fate. If you cooperate, you will be judged by the public and the law. If you don't cooperate..."

"I will punish you on behalf of that child, understand?"

Under the moonlight, Chen Ling, dressed in a brown overcoat, entered a low-rise residential building.

Chen Ling was no stranger to Wen Shilin's home; he had even delivered a body here that very morning. Compared to the residences in District Three, this place was undoubtedly much better, but when compared to other parts of Aurora City, it felt cramped and crowded, like a slum.

The reason Chen Ling didn't want Wen Shilin to return alone was his concern that the people behind the hospital, upon learning they were investigating forbidden matters, would send more people to intercept them. Chen Ling himself wasn't afraid; anyone who came would simply be dealt with. However, if Wen Shilin were to get injured, the investigation would be delayed.

Fortunately, there appeared to be nothing unusual in the vicinity of the residential building for now.

The residents here were likely asleep at this hour, and the entire stairwell was completely silent. Chen Ling walked up to the fourth floor and noticed that there weren't many residents on this level; most rooms were still in their rough state or showed signs of long-term vacancy.

Chen Ling went directly to the innermost door, quietly opened it, and stepped inside.

"Messier than I thought..."

Chen Ling's gaze swept over the slightly disheveled room. The walls were covered with clipped news articles, unpublished article excerpts, and secretly taken photos. At first glance, it strongly resembled a spy's room that Chen Ling had seen in movies in his previous life.

However, this certainly fit Wen Shilin's image as an older single man; apart from news, he seemed to have no other interests in life.

Chen Ling quickly found the camera inside, closed the door, and left. Just as he reached the stairwell corner, faint footsteps echoed from the stairs on the floor below.

*Tap—tap—tap...*

The footsteps were steady and light, slowly ascending from the third floor towards the fourth. Hearing this sound, Chen Ling paused slightly, then several thoughts flashed through his mind like lightning!

He quickly raised a hand to his chin...

By the time he rounded the corner and entered the stairwell, he had transformed into a middle-aged man around thirty, carrying a briefcase in one hand, descending the stairs from the fourth floor.

By the moonlight filtering into the stairwell, Chen Ling finally got a clear look at the ascending figure: a pale, hunched man who seemed listless, walking with his head bowed.

And on his back, a strange paper figure with glowing red eyes lay quietly, motionless.