Sienna Tang sat casually on the sofa, her gaze icy as she stared at Michel sitting across from her. One wouldn't think that two heavily armed mercenaries stood behind her, guns trained on her.
The room was filled with other mercenaries, ransacking the place.
"Don't look at me like that, dear Sienna. Not everyone has noble patriotic feelings or grand ideals for humanity," Michel shrugged innocently, flipping through TV channels. "My research went bankrupt, and I need funding. But that's not important. I've always looked forward to cooperating with Stargate Corporation."
"You betrayed us!" Sienna said coldly.
"No, I betrayed you for the world," Michel laughed. "The five Primal Stones hold much more value together. It's a waste for one person to have them."
"Sienna, you missed your chance," Michel said regretfully. "But it's not too late to change your mind. Stargate Corporation could use a brilliant doctor like you."
"What happened to the others?" Sienna demanded.
"You mean the last pair, the German Kohler couple?" Michel's tone was full of mock sympathy. "You know how stubborn Germans are. They handed over their stone but refused to work for Stargate Corporation. Unfortunately, an accident happened. Such a pity."
Michel's face showed a hint of schadenfreude, typical of the historical tension between the French and Germans.
"Go to hell, bastard!" Sienna, enraged, sprang at Michel with a punch.
But before she could strike, a burly man punched her down onto the sofa.
"Don't move!" The burly man, gun in hand, glared coldly. To him, even the most alluring woman was just a skeleton.
"Valand, you're too harsh," Michel said, feigning concern.
Sienna wiped the blood from her mouth, glaring at Michel with hatred.
"Valand here is a real special forces soldier. He kills without batting an eye. Sienna, if you don't want to suffer, you'd better behave," Michel warned kindly.
"Hmph, seems Stargate Corporation has invested quite a bit," Sienna scoffed.
"Of course. You refused fifty million, so we'll settle this with five million," Michel laughed.
After a while, a few mercenaries approached Valand and whispered to him. The cold man shook his head at Michel.
Michel's gaze turned icy. "Sienna, where did you hide the Primal Stone?"
"I told you, I gave it to the government. If you're so capable, send your mercenaries to take it," Sienna sneered.
Michel's expression darkened. "Mr. Smith has confirmed you didn't give it to the government."
"Tell me, where did you hide it?" he demanded.
Sienna's face remained impassive as she stared at Michel, memorizing his dirty face.
Michel drummed his fingers anxiously on the table.
In this tense moment, Sienna's phone buzzed on the table.
Michel's expression changed, and he answered the call. A boy's voice came through, "Professor Qiu... who are you?"
"I'm Michel, Sienna's friend. You must be the one she gave the stone to," Michel's eyes lit up with a cunning smile.
Sienna's heart sank. She was about to shout when Michel gestured, and Valand immediately covered her mouth.
"What's going on? Who are you?" the voice on the phone demanded, sensing the situation.
Michel gestured for Valand to release Sienna's mouth. She shouted, "Don't listen to them! Run!"
"What do you want?!"
Michel laughed. Despite the boy's voice being filled with concern, Michel could sense the murderous undertone. "Alright, your professor's stone belongs to us. She needs to return it. If we don't get it, your beautiful professor's fate will be uncertain."
"You want the stone?" the voice suddenly became calm.
Michel assumed the boy understood the severity of the situation. "I like talking to smart people. Bring the stone to Pier 4 in twenty minutes. If you're late, your professor will lose a finger every minute. If you call the police, I promise you won't recognize her body."
"Wait, Professor told me to leave Xijing. I'm far from the pier and can't get there in twenty minutes," the voice pleaded urgently.
Michel glanced at Sienna, who seemed surprised by the boy's response. She hadn't instructed him to do that.
"Alright, forty minutes then!"
"Don't come! They'll kill you!" Sienna shouted.
There was silence on the other end.
"We just want the stone, not lives," Michel laughed and hung up the phone.
"Sienna, your student is quite interesting. Now, your life is in his hands."
Sienna's face was grim. "He won't come."
"I also think a student wouldn't have the guts. But it doesn't matter. If he doesn't come, we'll find him eventually," Michel said smugly.
"We can't stay here long. Take her to the pier!" Valand ordered coldly.
Michel nodded, his eyes filled with triumph as he looked at Sienna. "Things always turn out well. As you say, we'll wait by the tree for the rabbit."
"Bastard," Sienna spat.
...
The gentler someone usually is, the more terrifying they become when enraged. Upon learning Sienna had been kidnapped, a murderous intent filled Leon Chen.
His expression was ice-cold. Fortunately, he was in the restroom; otherwise, his appearance would have terrified anyone who saw him.
Despite his efforts to control his emotions, a chilling aura still emanated from him as he stepped out.
Leon asked Emma Su to take care of Lily Lin and then ran out of the hall. Even before the student council president could mention his role as a social club judge, she felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity from Leon.
Leon quickly arrived at the research lab, phasing through the walls.
The lab had been ransacked, evidence of a struggle apparent.
"Ah, Dr. Tang? Yes, she left in a hurry earlier," the elderly gatekeeper said, startled. "Seems like another long-term expedition. She had just returned a few days ago."
Leon flagged down a taxi without hesitation and headed to Pier 4.
During the ride, Leon forced himself to calm down. Anger only added brute force, but it didn't help with thinking. He began to analyze the situation.
Leon wasn't afraid of the thugs. With his numerous abilities, taking them down would be easy. However, he was deeply worried about Sienna's safety.
His deception about needing forty minutes was deliberate. If he bought more time, the thugs would lower their guard in the first twenty minutes, allowing him to strike unexpectedly.
Leon clenched his fists. If the earlier incident at the mall had been a small test of his abilities against terrorists, this would be a true test of life and death.
His demeanor scared the taxi driver, who thought he might be dealing with a late-night hijacker. Seeing the atmosphere at the under-construction Pier 4, the driver sped up, reaching the destination five minutes early, much to Leon's satisfaction.