As the group of black-suited men made their way out of the apartment, dragging the unconscious Hu Xian and carrying his parents, a heavy silence seemed to descend upon the building, making the atmosphere inside transform from one of normalcy to one of eerie tension and unease. The residents who had witnessed the arrival of the enigmatic group and the ensuing chaos peered out of their doors in fearful silence, their voices hushed as they exchanged worried glances.
Outside the building, The atmosphere had grown tenser as the crowd of curious onlookers continued to gather, their hushed whispers creating an undercurrent of anticipation. The presence of the black cars and the enigmatic blackguards that stood in formation like ominous sentinels formed an invisible barrier, preventing the gathering crowd from approaching the center, where young master Ron remained seated on the fancy chair that had been placed before the entrance of the building.
The enigmatic black-suited guards, standing stoically like guardians of a hidden realm, reinforced this barrier. Their presence was a silent warning to the onlookers, a reminder that this was a space governed by a power beyond their understanding.
Young Master Ron's gaze remained unwavering, his eyes locked onto the entrance of the building. His posture exuded an air of confidence, superiority, and authority, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the armrest of the fancy chair. It was both a display of impatience, arrogance, and nonchalance, as if he held all the strings in this theatrical performance.
As time ticked by, the anticipation in the air continued to mount. Whispers and speculation floated through the crowd, creating a low hum of conversation. They were on the brink of witnessing something that transcended their understanding, a display of powers and authority that were far beyond their reach. Young Master Ron's presence only amplified the aura of mystery that enveloped the scene.
Right then, black five, who had been silently standing behind Young Master Ron like an imposing statue, suddenly opened his eyes. His gaze was sharp and focused, as it cut through the atmosphere like a blade, staring at the building for a few seconds before he retracted his gaze and turned his head towards young master Ron. He bent over and whispered in young master Ron's ears, ''Young master, they are coming out,''
Young Master Ron's smirk deepened when he heard black five's words, he stopped tapping his fingers against the armrest of the fancy chair and leaned back in his fancy chair, ''Hmmm! Is that so?'' he voiced out, a look of satisfaction crossing his arrogant face.
And then, finally, as if guided by an unseen cue, the entrance to the building swung open once more. Reveling a scene that shocked the onlookers, be it the gathering crowd behind the formation of black cars or the people peeping out of their building doors, windows, and balconies. The atmosphere seemed to freeze momentarily, a collective gasp rippling through the bystanders as they beheld the scene before them.
From the entrance emerged four black-suited men, the one in the lead seemed to be leading the other three men who were following him from behind respectfully. two of them carrying Hu Bao and his wife Emma above their shoulder as if they were carrying pigs to the slaughterhouse. The last one was pulling Hu Xian by his arm, his unconscious form stumbling forward like a ragdoll, making him unrecognizable from too many bruises that appeared on his legs, hands, face, and every place on his body that was not covered by his clothes. In general, he looked as if he has just run from a bee hive after being chased by every single bee of it.
Moments later, The atmosphere which originally seemed to freeze momentarily, completly exploded as gasps, murmurs, and startled exclamations erupted from the crowd. The sight of the captives being paraded in such a degrading manner by the black-suited figures had taken them off guard, sending waves of discomfort and unease through the onlookers.
''Wh…what the f**k?!'' one of the onlookers suddenly exclaimed in shock, being the first person to break the silence that had descended upon the area.
''Is… isn't that… the Hu family?!'' a woman next to him, who was also observing the event, recognized the familiar faces of Hu Bao and Emma, immediately concluding that they were the Hu family. ''What the hell is going on here?!'' she continued with widened eyes.
''The Hu family?'' a middle-aged man at the side chimed in when he heard about the identity of the captives, shock and disbelief were all over his face. ''Why are they… being captured by these black-suited men ?'' he wondered in bewilderment.
''I also know them… they were just a normal family. How can something like this happen?'' Another voice cut through the noise, full of doubts.
''Who are these black-suited guys anyways ??'' someone else among the crowd murmured, his voice laced with fear and uncertainty. The question hung in the air, a collective sentiment that echoed the confusion of the onlookers. The identity of the enigmatic figures and their motives were a mystery that seemed to loom over the minds of the bystanders.
On the balcony of one of the residential buildings close to the Tang residential, two young men and a young woman were looking down on the scene, watching the unfolding event with interest and curiosity. However, like everyone else present, their original interest and curiosity were replaced with horror and shock when they saw the black-suited men capturing the Hu family, especially when they noticed Hu Xian being pulled on the ground like a dead body.
The first young man, named Zhang Yong, had an expression of disbelief as he leaned against the balcony railing, his brown eyes reflecting the unbelievable scene before him. ''This… this…,'' he stuttered, not believing what he saw. ''is… isn't that Hu Xian?'' he exclaimed, attracting the attention of the other two Beside him.
Both Bai Min and Li Jun's eyes widened when they heard Zhang Yong's words, and followed his gaze to where he was pointing. ''What? where?'' they asked urgently, their voices tinged with concern. They Both leaned over the balcony railing, trying to catch a glimpse of what had caught Zhang Yong's attention.
Bai Min's slim hand flew to her red lips in shock, her green eyes welling up with tears. "Oh my god... that's him! And that's Uncle Bao and Aunty Emma! What… what happened to them? Why are they treating them like that?".
the second young man, Li Jun, clutched the balcony railing tightly, his knuckles turning white. Even though He was the quietest among them, his mind was still lost in thought due to the scene before him. After a moment of silence, he spoke in a contemplative tone filled with concern, ''Why is he being pulled out like that? is… is he dead ?!''.
''De…Dead?!'' Bai Min's heart raced when she heard Li Jun's words, her brows furrowing as she turned to her companions beside her, ''hurry… call the police, hurry!'' she cried out.
''I…I just called them, but…'' Zhang Yong, who had been listening intently, voiced out with a frustrated tone, his worry deepening. He lowered the phone from his ear and stared at it, a look filled with a mix of uncertainty, shock, and disbelief appeared on his face.
''What ?... what's wrong?'' asked Bai Min, her voice tinged with concern as she turned towards Zhang Yong. ''What did they say ?'' she continued, her watery green eyes searching his face for answers.
''I… they…'' Zhang Yong struggled to find the right words, his voice faltering.
''they what??'' Bai Min asked urgently, her eyes widening as she sensed something amiss in Zhang Yong's faltering voice.
''Forget it, I will call them myself,'' Li Jun interjected, reaching for his phone.
After a tense moment, a voice finally came through the other end of the line, saying, ''Hello! This is NYPD, how can I help you, sire?''
''Hello, it's like this… there is a group of black-suited men in… '' The fat young man, Li Jun, wanted to quickly explain to the officer on the other side of the phone about what was happening in front of him, however, just as he mentioned the 'black-suited men', he was immediately interrupted by the police officer, questioning ''In Chinatown?''.
''Yes,'' replied Li Jun, not thinking too much of the police officer's interruption.
Beep!
''What the f**k !'' Li Jun suddenly cursed, staring at his phone with bewilderment all over his face.
''What happened?'' asked Bai Min, her voice urgent.
''He hung up on me!'' He answered, his eyes wide open in shock. The police officer actually hung up on him when he heard the sentence 'group of black-suited men in Chinatown'! what in the world is going on here?
''What ?!'' Bai Min exclaimed, her voice filled with disbelief and shock.
''Did they also hang up on you just now?'' Li Jun asked, looking at Zhang Yong who still had his phone in his hand.
Zhang Yong's face had turned ashen, and he nodded slowly. ''Yeah… as soon as I mentioned the black-suited men, they just… hung up.''
A cold sensation settled over the three young men as they exchanged worried glances. The fact that the police would hang up on them when they mentioned the black-suited men was a chilling realization. It was as if the enigmatic figures and their actions were beyond the scope of normal law enforcement.
''This… this is insane,'' Bai Min murmured, her voice trembling with a mixture of fear and frustration. ''What are we supposed to do now?''
Her words left the two young men at a loss. They were also grappling with the overwhelming feeling of helplessness that had washed over them.
In the end, they could only succumb to their powerlessness and watch the scene of their friend and his family being treated in such a degrading manner without being able to do anything.
In fact, they weren't the only ones who called the police. Many of the onlookers, witnessing this outrageous scene unfold in front of them, had also dialed 911 in hopes of seeking help. Yet, each call ended in frustration and disbelief.
One by one, the calls to the police were met with baffling responses. Some were interrupted and hung up on abruptly, leaving the callers bewildered and angry. Others were met with outrageous excuses such as 'Sorry sir, we aren't on duty today so we can't help you,' 'Apologies, sir, we don't have enough available manpower at hand,' 'We have more urgent matters to attend to,' or 'This doesn't fall under our jurisdiction.'
The more they tried to seek help from the authorities, the clearer it became that something was amiss. It was as if a shroud of secrecy had enveloped this entire situation, preventing any form of official intervention.
The crowd of onlookers, frustrated and fearful, could only stand witness to the unfolding events, their sense of powerlessness growing with each passing moment.
Meanwhile, while the crowd's anxiety and fear escalated as they realized that the authorities were unwilling or unable to provide assistance, The four black-suited men who had captured Hu Xian and his family had already reached the spot where young master Ron was seated on his fancy chair.