After evading the possibly lethal shot, Ling Chen did not stop moving. At the same time, he ferociously flicked his wrist, and the bullet that he was clasping flew out, landing squarely on the right eye of the mask.
"Arghh!"
The kidnapper let out a miserable scream and hurriedly covered his right eye, fresh blood leaking from between his fingers.
An opportunity!
Taking advantage of the fact that the kidnapper was distracted, Ling Chen hastened his footsteps and shot forward, like a fierce predator pouncing on its prey. In the blink of an eye, he reached the kidnapper's side and in one swift motion, he snatched away the kidnapper's gun while simultaneously embracing Xiao Hua's body. He then quickly distanced himself from the kidnapper.
At that moment, the kidnapper had torn off his mask. One of his hands was clutching at his right eye, while his left eye squinted slightly, viciously glaring at Ling Chen.
"Friend, surrender. Considering the magnitude of your crimes, you will be sentenced to life at worst, if you perform well you may even be released in this lifetime. "
"Don't dream of it."
The kidnapper coldly replied, before slowly allowing his hand to drop. Suddenly, Ling Chen could see a bullet embedded in the kidnapper's right eye. His entire face was red with blood, embarrassing and terrible.
"Since the mission has failed, my death is just a matter of time. Shoot me."
Ling Chen shrugged. "If you want to die, then find a wall to smash your head against. I will not play with you."
The kidnapper nodded his head. "Brat, you should watch your back. Since you thwarted our mission, my superiors will definitely not let you off."
As he said that, he then swiftly turned his body and dashed towards a stone pier beside the guardrail.
Seeing his actions, Ling Chen's complexion changed. Ling Chen only meant it as a joke but never expected the kidnapper to actually try to commit suicide. Knowing that even if he moved, he would not make it on time, Ling Chen fired a shot with the gun.
Peng!
Immediately, a new hole bore through the foot of the kidnapper, and his entire body crashed heavily onto the ground, collapsing a few metres away from the stone pier.
"Friend, there's still an underage child here. If you want to die, then find another location."
"You..." The kidnapper glared at Ling Chen with a visage full of rage and resentment.
Ling Chen ignored his gaze, however. His attention focused on unravelling the cable tie restraint around Xiao Hua's body. He removed the old cloth stuffed into her mouth and asked concernedly, "Lass, are you okay?"
Xiao Hua dabbed at the tear stains streaking across her face. As though she had forgotten about the mortal danger she had been in moments ago, her face broke into an incomparably wide and ecstatic grin. "Big Brother, thank you for saving me!"
"No need to be so polite. Lass, weren't you staying beside Elder He all this while? How did these people capture you?"
Although he had never actually sparred with He Ziyun, his intuition told him that He Ziyun was absolutely a formidable expert. He was even stronger than Ye Yongliang. Due to this fact, Ling Chen could not understand how the kidnappers managed to abduct Xiao Hua.
Xiao Hua lowered her head, staring pointedly at her toes and sheepishly saying, "I... I heard someone was selling candied apples outside. Usually Master doesn't allow me to eat sweets, so I snuck out to buy some."
Ling Chen gave a wry smile. I couldn't tell, but this little girl is actually a glutton! He caressed her small head and brought the cable tie over to the kidnapper to bind him. However, at this instant, the kidnapper grabbed onto his wrist. Clenching his teeth to resist the sharp pain in his eye and thigh, the kidnapper hoarsely pleaded, "Kill me. I'm begging you, please kill me!"
Ling Chen knitted his brows. "Why are you so hell-bent on dying?"
"As long as I'm alive, they definitely won't let me off. If they find me, I'll suffer a fate worse than death."
"Who is this 'they' you speak of?"
"They are... No." The kidnapper shook his head frantically. "I cannot reveal their identities... I can't... O-or else they'll kill me even more miserably."
When speaking of these people, a man who was able to murder his companions in cold-blooded was actually ashen and left trembling with fear.
Seeing that the kidnapper was unwilling to divulge any other information, Ling Chen had no interest in asking as well. After all, he was but an outsider. As for where these kidnappers came from and why they wanted to kidnap Xiao Hua, those details had nothing to do with him, he would leave it to Xia Mutong to figure out the details.
He made a call to 110, who would be rushing down to the scene and carried Xiao Hua back to the Santana.
After getting in the car, Xiao Hua looked at Nanrong Wanqing, who was sitting in the front passenger seat and a sweet, innocent smile bloomed across her chubby face. She obediently called out, "Hello, Big Sister."
Looking at this adorable girl, the frost on Nanrong Wanqing's face dissolved and she revealed a slight smile. Ling Chen, who had been watching the whole scene, was sent into a trance. He had been beside this woman for so long, yet he had never seen her smile before. So, when she smiles, she's actually so radiantly beautiful. Hundreds of flowers seemed to come into bloom and all the beauty between the heavens and earth had coalesced into one person.
"Brother, is this your girlfriend? She's so pretty, just like sister Xiaozhu." Xiao Hua made a face full of innocence as she said that.
Hearing her words, Ling Chen smiled and glanced at Nanrong Wanqing. The little lass is actually good with words. It seems like I saved her life in vain.
Nanrong Wanqing did not seem to notice the teasing glint in Ling Chen's eyes and corrected, "Little sister, you're wrong. I'm not his girlfriend. Your elder brother is just my employee."
"Big Sister, why is that so? Big Brother is so outstanding, is it because you look down on him?"
"This..." Nanrong Wanqing did not expect the adorable young lady in front of her to pose such a difficult question to her. She wondered, was this still a seven-year-old girl? The gears in her mind were churning, as she looked at Xiao Hua's rosy little face, Nanrong Wanqing revealed a mesmerizing smile.
She seriously explained, "This is not a matter of me despising him. There are two types of relationships in the world. One is love at first sight, while the other is a relationship cultivated through time. Any relationship requires affinity. If two people were meant to be with each other, then regardless of the adversities, they will definitely pull through. If they have no affinity, then no matter how hard they try, their efforts would be futile. Little sister, you are still young, and one day, you'll understand what I'm saying."
Xiao Hua gave a radiant smile. "Big sister, I know everything that you just said. I was just casually asking. Since you're not Big Brother's boyfriend, then I want him!"
"You want him?"
Not mentioning Nanrong Wanqing, even Ling Chen was stunned by her words. Aren't young girls today too bold? She's so young, but she actually knows how to snatch men. Ling Chen eyed the dazed Nanrong Wanqing and he grinned, proudly boasting, "Ai, guess there's nothing to do about it. I can only blame myself for being too charismatic, attractive to both the old and young."
"Big Brother, I think you misunderstood." Xiao Hua slyly added.
"What did I misunderstand?"
"I will never want you. I only wanted to introduce you to a girlfriend."
Ling Chen stared at Xiao Hua with interest, playfully asking, "Is it? Then who were you planning on introducing to me?"
"Sister Xiaozhu, of course! Big Brother, last time at the dojo, you already saw how pretty Sister Xiaozhu was, she definitely would not lose out to this Big Sister here. Sister Xiaozhu is the best! She will always listen to me. If you want, I can arrange a date for the two of you."