Inside the iron cages, which were hardly different from dog cages, lay several people covered in scars and bloodstains, looking as if they were barely clinging to life.
If it weren't for the slight, slow rise and fall of their chests, Lu Ting would probably have thought that these people had already breathed their last!
Even when Ah Cai led Lu Ting into the room, these people lying in the iron cages showed no interest whatsoever.
If they had a bit of strength left, they would raise their heads and glance towards Lu Ting, but it was just a glance before they averted their gaze and lay back down.
Perhaps the only thought in their minds when they saw Lu Ting being brought in was, "Another poor sod like us!"
"Mr. Zhao, come in."
At this moment, Ah Cai had already opened the door of one of the empty iron cages in the room, then turned to look at Lu Ting and said, "Originally, we prepared a separate room for you, but you had to upset our supervisor, didn't you?"
"So, for the time being, you'll have to make do and stay here with this group of 'piglets'!"
Supervisor?! So, that small leader with the golden-rimmed glasses was just a supervisor here?!
Although Ah Cai's words sounded somewhat apologetic, in reality, his face was full of mockery and sneers directed at Lu Ting.
And as for the nonsense he just spouted, the one portraying as 'Zhao Ting', Lu Ting, couldn't help but wear a look that said, "If I believe your one more word, I'm an idiot."
However, despite Lu Ting's apparent extreme anger and humiliation, in the face of the gun that Ah Cai kept in his hand, he dared not show any resistance or defiance.
After hesitating for two seconds in place, Lu Ting slowly stepped into the iron cage designated for him.
Seeing that Lu Ting was relatively obedient for now, Ah Cai didn't make things difficult for him. After all, the big boss above was waiting to make a big profit through him!
If he accidentally damaged something, he might be in trouble too!
So, until the orders came from above, let this tender Chinese young master stay quietly in this iron cage for now!
After closing and locking the door of the iron cage, Ah Cai glanced at Lu Ting, who was already sitting obediently inside, then sneered and left the room.
As the door of the room was firmly closed from the outside, the room instantly fell into darkness. Apart from the light coming in through the gaps in the door and window, there was no other source of light.
Lu Ting, locked inside the iron cage, listened to the footsteps outside the room gradually moving away from his location, then began to carefully survey the furnishings in the room.
Of course, besides the iron cages, there was nothing else in this room. At this moment, Lu Ting's observation focused on whether there were surveillance cameras in the four corners of the room's ceiling.
If there were surveillance cameras in this room, it would definitely be a disadvantageous factor for Lu Ting's subsequent actions.
If there were surveillance, then he would probably be discovered by these fraud and kidnapping thugs as soon as he made a move!
But fortunately, after Lu Ting's eyes scanned the room, he did not find any surveillance devices.
Perhaps these fraud and kidnapping thugs believed that the place where they detained the 'piglets' was already secure enough, and escaping was simply impossible, so they did not install any surveillance here.
Moreover, there wasn't even a guard in this room at the moment!
After confirming that his subsequent actions would not be noticed by those fraud and kidnapping thugs, Lu Ting's gaze then fell on the piglets in the other iron cages in the room.
Among these people, some might be targeted by these fraud and kidnapping thugs just like himself because of their wealthy status, while others might have been brought here purely for the purpose of being exploited by these people.
Lu Ting's eyes swept over them one by one, trying to find the familiar figure he was looking for. But unfortunately, in such dim lighting and with these people lying half-dead on the ground, even with Lu Ting's exceptional eyesight, he couldn't discern whether Wang Tianyu was among them!
Sigh—
Lu Ting couldn't help but let out a sigh in his heart, at the same time silently cursing, "This task is really damn tricky!"
Although he had considered a sufficient number of factors when planning his mission before taking action, the situation now was far more complex and unpredictable than anticipated.
The most important thing now was to determine whether Wang Tianyu was actually in this area of the telecom fraud park, or perhaps, even in this room!
But how exactly should he proceed?
As Lu Ting brainstormed inside the iron cage, pondering frantically about what he should do next, suddenly there was a rustling sound coming from the iron cage next to him.
Hearing this, Lu Ting's train of thought immediately halted, and he turned his head to look at the iron cage next to him. If there really weren't any better options, then he could only focus his attention on these people.
They had been here much longer than him. Although Lu Ting couldn't extract information about Wang Tianyu's whereabouts from the mouths of those fraudsters and kidnappers, he could certainly ask the other victims who were also being held here!
At this moment, under Lu Ting's scrutiny, the person in the neighboring iron cage propped himself up with his hands and slowly sat up.
And in that moment when Lu Ting observed a small detail on his body, he furrowed his brows slightly. His gaze towards the person in the neighboring iron cage became filled with suspicion and speculation.
Immediately, even before Lu Ting could think much further, the person in the neighboring iron cage leaned closer and asked, "Are you also from China?"
The man's voice was unusually hoarse, making it impossible to discern his original tone.
However, upon hearing the other person speak in Chinese immediately, Lu Ting's eyes flickered with surprise.
Subsequently, instead of immediately responding, Lu Ting carefully observed the man's face through the bars of the two iron cages.
At this moment, the man's face was incredibly dirty, making it impossible to discern his original appearance.
However, Lu Ting, who had looked at Wang Tianyu's photo countless times, quickly recognized the person in the neighboring iron cage. Although the overall facial features and bone structure between him and Wang Tianyu might not be identical, there was a resemblance of eighty to ninety percent!
The slight discrepancies in appearance were probably due to the beatings he had endured, and the swollen bruises on his face hadn't completely subsided yet.
Apart from that, Lu Ting couldn't see any fundamental differences between the person in the neighboring iron cage and the photo of Wang Tianyu.
Moreover, when he used his hands to prop himself up a moment ago, Lu Ting also noticed that the man's left pinky finger was missing, with bandages wrapped around it to dress the wound!
Previously, when Chen Yaoguang came to seek cooperation and mentioned that their employer, Wang Fujun, had received his son's severed pinky finger sent by the fraudsters and kidnappers!
Suddenly, excitement flashed in Lu Ting's eyes as he looked at the person in the neighboring iron cage, realizing that he might have found his target!
"Hey!"
"I'm talking to you!"
During the one or two seconds that Lu Ting was lost in his thoughts, the person in the neighboring iron cage became a bit impatient as Lu Ting didn't respond.
When they were brought in by the thugs just now, they were clearly speaking Chinese, so why was Lu Ting ignoring him now that he was speaking the same language?
Seeing this, he spoke again, this time with a hint of urgency, "Are you really from China?"
Upon hearing his question, Lu Ting stood up and approached closer to the iron cage next to him, then, with a probing tone, he said, "Wang Tianyu?"
When these words came out, Lu Ting clearly saw the person in the neighboring iron cage tremble uncontrollably, and his expression immediately became dumbfounded.
Seeing such a reaction, Lu Ting immediately had his answer; it seemed he had indeed found the right person!
Meanwhile, in the adjacent iron cage, Wang Tianyu, upon hearing his name being softly uttered by the newcomer, hesitated for half a second before reacting. Could it be that his old man had arranged for someone to come and rescue him?!
Otherwise, how could this person possibly know his name?
In an instant, Wang Tianyu couldn't contain his excitement, his whole body trembling uncontrollably, and his eyes staring at Lu Ting in disbelief and astonishment.
"You..."
Just as Wang Tianyu was about to say something, he suddenly remembered something unpleasant, and immediately shut his mouth, his expression visibly turning ugly.
Since being captured and brought here by these fraudsters and kidnappers, Wang Tianyu had endured unprecedented torture. They used every imaginable method to inflict pain on him before brutally beating him!
In just a few days, Wang Tianyu couldn't even remember how many times he had been beaten. He only remembered the worst time when he tried to escape while his guard was dozing off at midnight, only to have them cut off a chunk of his left pinky finger!
Since that incident, Wang Tianyu had been confined to this dog cage-like iron cage and hadn't been let out once.
Moreover, in the past day or two, those fraudsters and kidnappers hadn't come to bother him at all.
But this fact made Wang Tianyu feel somewhat strange! Since the day he was captured, those fraudsters and kidnappers had almost come to visit him every day. Of course, that wasn't a good thing; they usually recorded videos while beating him mercilessly, then sent a segment to his old man, demanding a hefty ransom.
However, in the past day or two, none of the thugs had come to see him. Initially, Wang Tianyu found it a bit strange, but gradually, he didn't pay too much attention to it.
After all, being left alone was better than being beaten all the time, right?
Until today, when not only did the thugs bring in a new person, but this new person was also a Chinese national. They even locked him up in the iron cage next to him, and to top it off, this newcomer immediately called out his name.
Wasn't this all a bit too coincidental?!
Therefore, besides thinking that maybe this person was sent by his old man to rescue him, Wang Tianyu also considered another possibility!
That is, could this guy be deliberately planted here by those fraudsters and kidnappers to test him?!
Things like this weren't unheard of for those fraudsters and kidnappers. Initially, when Wang Tianyu wanted to escape the most, they would deliberately say things to encourage him to flee. Then, when he actually tried to escape, he would undoubtedly receive a severe beating!
As the saying goes, once bitten by a snake, one is afraid of well ropes for ten years!
Thinking of this possibility, Wang Tianyu calmed down instantly. Looking at Lu Ting in the opposite iron cage, the excitement in his eyes immediately turned into suspicion and disbelief.
After hesitating for half a second, Wang Tianyu tentatively asked, "Do you know me?!"
Nonsense!
If I didn't know you, could I call out your name?
After silently mocking Wang Tianyu's seemingly redundant question in his mind, Lu Ting lowered his voice again and confirmed, "Just answer whether you are Wang Tianyu or not!"
Faced with Lu Ting's assertive question, Wang Tianyu was stunned once again. With the other party's eyes fixed on him, he couldn't help but nod and honestly replied, "Yes, yes, I am. And who are you?"
Upon hearing this, the stone weighing on Lu Ting's heart finally fell. As long as Wang Tianyu was here, things would be much easier!
Immediately, Lu Ting leaned closer to the iron cage and whispered to Wang Tianyu, "Since I can call out your name, I must be the person who came for you. Who else could I be?"
(End of the Chapter)