"What's the saying... Your father is still your father!"
At this point, Jiang's parents could no longer care about the teasing remarks from the viewers. Their eyes, bloodshot from worry, were glued to Xiang Wan, desperately hoping that their money hadn't been wasted. They were at their wit's end, grasping at straws to save their only child. They had already pulled every string they could and even hired a renowned master, but the location he provided was too vague. Even after informing their nephew, it was impossible to pinpoint the exact spot.
By the time the police arrived at the general location, the kidnappers had already vanished.
If it weren't for their nephew, Lu Jingcheng, suggesting this as an alternative, the couple would have had no other options. Even with their wealth, without knowing where the kidnappers were hiding, everything would be in vain. If they had a concrete location, they could even hire the Blackwater mercenaries to rescue their son, no matter where it was.
The kidnappers, hidden in the shadows, left the parents in the open, losing sleep every night, haunted by dreams of their son being tortured.
What's five million? They'd give 50 million, even 500 million, if it meant getting their son back safely.
Xiang Wan gazed at the anxious couple, her eyes growing distant as her previously clear sight turned deep. She saw the boy she had met briefly, now imprisoned in a mud house. The bed was made of stone, with iron bars welded to it. Jiang Xiao's feet were chained to the bars, his body battered and bruised by what looked like bamboo sticks or whips.
His already slender frame was now so thin that his chest bones pressed against his skin. Stripped of his clothing, he lay on the stone bed, his dignity shattered. Outside the dilapidated door, two men's voices echoed:
"The heat is on outside. I think five million is enough. We won't be able to take any more."
"Five million? You might as well be throwing crumbs at a beggar! Do you know how much that kid's worth? Over a billion! Five million won't even buy him a car."
"Didn't we agree on five million? That's enough for us to live comfortably for a while. Let's get rid of him quickly. We can't let him live."
"Didn't you see how easily his father handed over the five million? No way. I think we can squeeze out a bit more."
"Stop it! What if we get caught?"
"This is the only chance we'll ever have to make this kind of money. Are you just going to let it pass? I'm sick of hearing you brag about how amazing your cousin's family is. What does that have to do with you? It's not like you've benefited from their success."
"You're right. Look at this guy, even his t-shirt costs over 60,000 yuan. Why should he have it all?"
"Pang Ang, you and I are the only ones who've got each other. Have I ever left you out of anything fun? Didn't I pay off your gambling debts last time?"
"Chen Xinyuan, don't kid yourself. The only reason I started gambling was because of you."
"Alright, alright. Now we're both in the same boat. After we get this final payment, we'll kill him and bury him on Luoxia Mountain. No one will ever find him."
Xiang Wan caught onto this key information from their conversation and quickly refocused her attention, looking at the desperate Jiang parents.
"Do you know Luoxia Mountain?" she asked.
"Luoxia Mountain?" Jiang's parents immediately tried to recall any memory of this mountain.
Seeing them struggle, Xiang Wan sighed and added, "Do you know Pang Ang and Chen Xinyuan? They are the ones behind Jiang Xiao's kidnapping."
Jiang's mother widened her eyes in shock. The name "Chen Xinyuan" seemed somewhat familiar, but the moment she connected it with "Pang Ang," everything became clear. Chen Xinyuan and Pang Ang were cousins!
And Pang Ang was her own nephew, her brother's son.
But the unbelievable part was that Pang Ang and Jiang Xiao were also cousins! Pang Ang and Jiang Xiao were paternal relatives, while Chen Xinyuan was related to Pang Ang through his mother's side. If you stretch the connection, Jiang Xiao and Chen Xinyuan could be considered distant relatives, and the three of them had played together as children.
However, no matter how hard Jiang's mother tried, she couldn't come to terms with the fact that her spoiled nephew, whom she had always been disappointed in, would conspire with his sinister cousin to kidnap her son!
Suddenly, Jiang's mother sat up straight. "Luoxia Mountain! I know it! That's the little mountain my brother leased back in our hometown!"
Meanwhile, Lu Jingcheng, who had been keeping an eye on the livestream, immediately got out of the car and headed straight to the police station, leading the team towards Luoxia Mountain in the county. Both Luoxia Mountain and Tengyun Mountain were located within Baimu Province, but the major difference was that Luoxia Mountain was much more accessible, unlike the remote and hidden Tengyun Mountain.
Additionally, Luoxia Mountain was not as well-known locally, but for the police, this didn't matter. Local officers were well-acquainted with all significant landmarks. Now that the kidnappers' hideout had been identified, they sped off toward the mountain.
Jiang's parents, overwhelmed with urgency, hurried to end the call, instructing their driver to take them to Luoxia Mountain in Baimu Province right away. Xiang Wan, sensing the urgency, revealed more detailed information in the livestream:
"He's trapped in a small stone house. Inside, there's a stone bed with iron bars welded to it. His feet are chained to the bars, and he's severely injured. He hasn't had food or water in three days. When you go to rescue him, make sure an ambulance is on standby."
"Got it!" Jiang's father nodded immediately. At this point, his anxiety was so overwhelming that he didn't even question whether Xiang Wan's words were legitimate.
Jiang's mother felt the same. From their perspective, having millions of viewers in the livestream and paying an astronomical price for this fortune-telling session left no room for doubt in its accuracy.
Since the streamer Zhuang Zhou Meng Die had said it, it must be true. Otherwise, their nephew, who had never believed in the supernatural, wouldn't have personally called his uncle to ask for help from this streamer.
In fact, Jiang's parents were the customers who had spoken the least in Xiang Wan's livestream, but they were the ones who had paid an astronomical sum. Rescue efforts were clearly a race against time, and the livestream screen had already gone black.
"Did the streamer just earn 240 million in less than ten minutes?"
"No one ever said life was fair. I can't believe that streamer and I are even the same species!"
"I think Diedie should write a whole guidebook. She's just too impressive. I'm at a loss for words, except to say '666!'"
"This just proves that no matter how good you have it, outsiders may only feel envy, but it's your own family and relatives that will truly resent you."
"Poor rich kid, never would've dreamed that he'd be betrayed by his own cousins. Good thing his parents were willing to shell out money to seek outside help, or he'd be a goner."
"No way the cousins were planning to actually kill him, right? I mean, they were after the money. Why take it to that extreme?"