Chapter71
The realization amplified his dread.
“Alexander.”
Andrew approached swiftly, handing him a phone. “We retrieved surveillance footage.”
The screen showed Lisa’s car tailgating a black sedan onto the
expressway ramp.
Simultaneously, Jeffrey answered a call nearby.
After a terse reply, he pocketed his phone and gestured his team toward their vehicles.
They drove off at high speed.
Alexander’s eyes sharpened like daggers.
Lisa’s car destroyed… yet she’s missing.
Most likely… she’d been taken!
His mind raced. “Investigate!
Where’s Patricia now?”
“And trace that black sedan’s route!”
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Within minutes, Billy called again.
“Alexander! Confirmed–Patricia was in that black sedan!”
“They’re heading toward the provincial city!”
Murderous intent flashed in Alexander’s eyes.
Patricia!
Of course it was her!
No wonder Jeffrey left abruptly–he’d gotten the same intel!
Alexander stared into the engulfing darkness flanking the expressway.
He snapped orders into the phone, “Deploy everyone to track Patricia!
Ensure… Lisa’s safety at all costs.”
“Understood!” Billy hung up, mobilizing teams immediately.
Alexander turned to Andrew. “Gather every available agent.
Search within a twenty–kilometer radius–inch by inch!”
“Check nearby villages. Flag any suspicious vehicles!
Don’t let a single one slip away!”
Andrew nodded firmly, “Alright, I’ll definitely find Lisa!”
Alexander quickly got into his own car.
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He pointed ahead and said to the driver in a deep voice, “Exit the highway!”
His intuition told him Lisa must be nearby!
Even if they’d kidnapped her, they couldn’t have put her on such a conspicuous vehicle, let alone gotten far in this short time!
Alexander was already burning with anxiety.
But he forced himself to stay calm.
He’d never felt such terror for her before, not since learning she’d come
to him as a child.
His feelings had been shifting slowly, though he couldn’t see it clearly.
His knuckles whitened from clenched fists, veins bulging across his
hands.
Lisa, you mustn’t be hurt!
You mustn’t!
Lisa struggled to open her eyes, her head throbbing dully, likely from the car crash earlier.
A mild concussion!
Her stomach churned violently, nausea clawing its way up her throat.
Her hands and feet were tightly bound, a dull ache pulsed in her right
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ankle, and she sat slumped on the floor, her mouth sealed shut with
tape.
The room wasn’t large, but it was surprisingly tidy.
Two 【cameras】 stood mounted nearby.
One pointed directly at her.
One to her left.
Their lenses were dark voids, like two watching eyes.
A small window, covered by a floral curtain, let in little light, just enough to make out what looked like a farmhouse. Occasional barks echoed outside.
The air hung thick with the pungent smell of animals.
The door opened.
A man walked in, tall–at least 6’3“-with long hair and a full beard.
Deep–set, hollow eyes gave him a vaguely disheveled, artistically ruined look when silent.
He crouched before her, his voice raspy.
“Don’t shout. I’ll take the tape off.”
Lisa’s eyes widened, and she nodded frantically.
The man reached out. His touch wasn’t rough, but the tape stung as it
came off her skin.
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Ignoring the pain, she spoke immediately, her voice trembling with tension.
“Did Vivian send you?
What do you want?”
“Just don’t hurt me! Call my family! We can talk money–any amount! They’ll wire it right away!”
The long–haired man tugged at the corner of his mouth, forming something that wasn’t quite a smile.
“Tsk.”
He studied her.
“Pretty face. Quick mind. Pity. Crossed the wrong person.”
He stood up, brushing dust from his trousers.
“Money?”
“Pointless to me.”
“Cooperate, and I promise, no real harm will come to you.”
Cooperate?
Cooperate with what?
Lisa’s heart sank, a creeping sense of dread taking hold!
The man walked to the cameras, fiddling with them, adjusting angles
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Chapter71
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and focus.
Then, he returned, crouching before her again.
He reached out, his rough thumb tracing her cheekbone.
The gesture held a disturbing appreciation.
“Don’t touch me!”
Lisa froze, goosebumps erupting across her skin.
“Now,” he said, his tone flat, conversational, like discussing the weather, “we’re going to film a little short.
Relax. Not that kind. That vulgar stuff? Hardly art.”
“I’ve even got a title: 【Beauty’s Wild Kingdom】 .”
He yanked aside a cloth covering something on the floor nearby.
Beneath it was a metal cage, crammed full.
Squirming lizards, bloated toads, and several darting, squeaking grey
mice.
A mass of slimy, slippery, furry little creatures pressed together.
Visually jarring.
One glance, and Lisa’s scalp prickled, her stomach twisting violently.
No.
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Don’t panic. Absolutely don’t panic.
She told herself: the more scared she looked, the more he’d enjoy it.
The man seemed pleased with her reaction.
He reached straight into the cage, quick and precise, and pulled out a slimy lizard.
The lizard squirmed and struggled in his hand.
The man didn’t care at all. He held it up to Lisa.
