Chapter 217: Voyage of the Ocean

With a nod from Xu Zhihong, Maoqiu immediately grinned and switched the phone to speaker mode, emitting a man's somewhat restrained and controlled voice from within.

"Hello, is it Xiaoye? Xiaoye, how are you?"

Upon hearing the voice on the phone, Yuan Ye immediately perked up, for it was the voice of his father, Yuan Hewei. "Dad, I'm fine, don't worry, I'm okay."

"That's good, is Tangtang there?" Yuan Hewei asked with concern.

"Uncle Yuan, I'm here, they've handcuffed us," Tangtang said, glaring fiercely at Xu Zhihong.

The voice on the phone changed, calling out urgently, "Hey! Tangtang, it's Dad, don't be afraid, Dad will definitely rescue you!"

"Dad, they've locked us up in a wharf!"

Tangtang was about to describe the wharf where they were being held captive, but Maoqiu's large hand covered her mouth, stabilizing her head and preventing her from speaking.

Tangtang wanted to bite, but Maoqiu's hand was dirty and emitted a foul smell, leaving her unable to do anything but hold her breath, too afraid to bite.

"Hey hey, little girl, you can't talk nonsense after eating, and you can't speak nonsense," Maoqiu grinned.

"You bastard! Let go of Tangtang!" Yuan Ye's face flushed with anger.

On the other end of the phone, Fang Zhongping exclaimed angrily, "What are you doing to my daughter?! If you dare to harm her! I won't let you off!"

"Secretary Fang, calm down, we are here to negotiate peacefully, we won't harm your daughter."

Hearing that slightly weathered voice, Yang Chen frowned. Yuan Ye and Tangtang might not know, because they weren't accustomed to dealing with such people, but Yang Chen remembered vividly the owner of that voice, it was none other than Zhou Guangnian, the ringleader of Dongxing's underworld!

With this revelation, everything became clear. Apart from the formidable head of Dongxing, which controlled half of the black market in the Central Sea, and the boss of Dongxing Group, a company filled with dirty money, Zhou Guangnian, there was hardly anyone in the Central Sea who dared to go mad alongside Xu Zhihong and confront the Yuan and Fang families. Zhou Guangnian's trump card lay in his intricate underworld connections, not just money and local government support, which couldn't be easily eliminated, even if they openly confronted the Yuan and Fang families, they could still use various means to restrain them, forcing the two families to compromise after paying a price.

"Uncle Fang, don't listen to them! They dare not do anything to us!" Yuan Ye shouted loudly.

Xu Zhihong sneered, "Young Master Yuan, don't be too naive. Since we dare to tie you up, of course, we dare to do other things. I advise you to beg your parents nicely and ask them to regard material possessions, power, and the like lightly, and cooperate with us in a friendly manner. That way, perhaps you can leave here sooner."

"Xu Zhihong! You're colluding with that old scoundrel Zhou Guangnian! You've tarnished the reputation of the entire Xu family!" Fang Zhongping shouted loudly over the phone.

Xu Zhihong shrugged indifferently. "Secretary Fang, whether the Xu family's reputation is black or white is not for you to decide. Might makes right, and both the Yuan and Fang families have their shady pasts. You don't need to lecture me with these grand principles. I suggest you stop being so verbose. Your children are all here with me. If we're not satisfied, we can tie them to weights and throw them into the sea to feed the fish. You won't even find their bones. I'm not joking. Chairman Zhou will speak with you personally. I advise you to treat him well. That's all I have to say. The rest, you big bosses, big officials, can handle it yourselves."

"Xiaoye, Tangtang, don't worry, we will definitely rescue you!" Fang Zhongping shouted one last time before the phone was disconnected.

Maoqiu finally released his hand from covering Tangtang's mouth. Tangtang gasped for air, nearly suffocated.

"Boss, I've always said, when you're doing big things, you have to do it this way. Look how worry-free it is. Kidnapping those two brats, everything becomes easier to negotiate, right?" Maoqiu laughed heartily.

Xu Zhihong ignored him, looking at Yang Chen with a meaningful gaze. "Mr. Yang, I've come this far partly thanks to you."

"What's that got to do with me?" Yang Chen asked, puzzled.

"If it weren't for your sudden appearance, I would have used Lin Kun's pawn to make Lin Ruoxi my woman a long time ago. Then I wouldn't be in this situation, forced to take risks after being coldly betrayed by her." Xu Zhihong's tone was flat, but every word was filled with resentment, evident to anyone listening.

Yuan Ye and Tangtang didn't fully understand the meaning behind Xu Zhihong's words to Yang Chen, but they both sensed that Xu Zhihong seemed to harbor a strong hostility towards him. Without realizing it, they both worried for Yang Chen, after all, they still had some value to Xu Zhihong, and perhaps wouldn't face substantial danger. But Yang Chen was different. As far as they knew, Yang Chen didn't have any backing!

Xu Zhihong chuckled sinisterly, then dialed a number on the modified phone.

After three rings, the call was answered.

"Hello, Yulei, Lin Ruoxi."

Hearing the familiar voice, Yang Chen furrowed his brow.

"Ruoxi, it's Xu Zhihong. I just wanted to let you know that your husband, Mr. Yang, will have to die soon. But you don't need to bother collecting his corpse because you won't find it."

With that, Xu Zhihong hung up the phone, not giving Lin Ruoxi a chance to speak.

Yang Chen sighed. "Hey, at least let me bid farewell to my wife and tell her the password to my bank account. I still have a lot of money to leave her."

"No need. Once this cooperation with Chairman Zhou is complete, Yulei International will be my next target," Xu Zhihong sneered. "It seems destined. Mr. Yang, when I've already made up my mind to do something big, to burn the bridges behind me, I didn't intend to kidnap you, but you've been brought to me. Since fate wants to fulfill my wishes by letting you die, then I won't be polite."

"You're not allowed to hurt Uncle Yang! He's innocent!" Tangtang yelled immediately upon hearing Xu Zhihong's intention to kill Yang Chen.

Yuan Ye shouted hoarsely, "Yang Chen is my best friend! If you hurt him, my parents won't let you off! We will definitely hold you accountable!"

Yang Chen felt slightly touched. These two kids, really. If he were truly going to die, would they shed a few tears for him?

"You should worry about your own lives first," Xu Zhihong said indifferently after giving them a cold glance. He then waved his hand, and two men wearing large sunglasses and holding tasers stepped forward.

With a cruel smile, Xu Zhihong ordered, "Shackle his hands and feet tightly, tie some lead weights to him, take the boat to a faraway place, and then throw him overboard."

"Yes, sir!"

The two men mechanically replied, took out two pairs of handcuffs, secured Yang Chen's ankles, and added another pair to his already bound hands.

In this way, Yang Chen's legs and arms were completely immobilized.

"Mr. Yang, I hope you enjoy your voyage to the depths of the sea," Xu Zhihong said coldly.

"Can't we negotiate a bit? I admit I mooched off you before, ate and drank at your expense, and even took the woman you liked first. You're quite pitiful, being rendered speechless by me. But as the saying goes, the punishment should fit the crime," Yang Chen said with a grin.

"Drag him out!" Xu Zhihong yelled furiously, as if he had been stepped on the tail.

The two men immediately lifted Yang Chen and carried him out like a long box, swiftly walking away.

Tangtang and Yuan Ye shouted hoarsely. Tangtang's tears flowed down, but they couldn't stop it.

Maoqiu smacked his lips. "That kid's got some tricks up his sleeve. If I weren't busy today, I would've had a fight with him before he died."

Xu Zhihong snorted, "If you want to fight, I can send you to the sea to accompany him. Even after death, you can still fight as ghosts."

"Hey, no, boss, this isn't a joke. I'd rather stick with you, make some money, and enjoy some women. It's much more satisfying," Maoqiu refused Xu Zhihong's proposal.

Watching Yang Chen being taken away, about to sink to the bottom of the sea, Xu Zhihong felt refreshed and in a much better mood. He smiled with satisfaction, "Let's go back. Let's wait for Chairman Zhou to bring us good news."

"Sure thing, I'm starving. Haven't had lunch yet. Boss, why don't you treat me to a meal? Hehe!" Maoqiu immediately followed, eager.

After walking a few steps, Xu Zhihong turned back and said to the man with a sharp chin who was in charge of the group, "Stay here for now. If there's any trouble, I'll contact you by phone. Keep a close watch. If you notice anything wrong, go into action immediately!"

"Yes!"

Yuan Ye and Tangtang seemed oblivious to everything around them. At this moment, they were just staring blankly in the direction where Yang Chen was being carried away, especially Tangtang. Countless complex thoughts flashed through her mind, as if she had been petrified, motionless.