Chapter 226: The Prey Comes Calling

Xinjiang Town Health Center!

Tang Meiqin was in a great mood today. Thanks to her deliberate prompting, the clinic’s leadership finally recalled the man who had caused a disturbance at the clinic a while back.

Consequently, while filing a police report, the clinic director also passed this lead on to the town police station.

The investigating officers, who had been struggling to find a lead, immediately began digging deeper into this lead.

Soon, the man was apprehended.

Just yesterday, news came from the police station that the case had been solved: the arsonist was a man named Feng Liujin.

Upon hearing this news, Tang Meiqin finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Not only had someone been made the scapegoat for the arson, but the clinic’s archives room had also been burned to the ground, and all the records had gone up in flames. Now, no one would ever be able to uncover the truth about what happened back then.

Unless, of course, her cousin and his wife decided to come clean themselves.

But that was impossible; after all, they were the masterminds behind that incident back then, while she was, at most, an accomplice.

If they were to spill the beans, their punishment would undoubtedly be far harsher.

However, Tang Meiqin’s good mood didn’t last long. Just as she was about to clock out, a scruffy young man arrived at the clinic and blocked her path.

Tang Meiqin thought she’d run into a hoodlum and immediately snapped, “Get out of my way, or I’ll call for help!”

But the young man just chuckled and said, “You think you can call for help, you old hag? Do you really think I’d bother with you? Let me tell you this: your son owes our boss 1,000 yuan in loan shark money. With interest, it’s already 1,500 yuan.”

“Our boss told me to tell you to go home right now and raise the money. Bring it to the God of Wealth Temple outside town by nine o’clock tonight. If we don’t see the money, we’ll take your son’s life!”

Tang Meiqin was instantly terrified, her whole body trembling. Just as she was about to speak, the young man turned and walked away.

It took Tang Meiqin quite a while to come to her senses.

Her first instinct was to call the police and ask them to help rescue her son.

But she quickly dismissed the idea. She knew full well that if she reported it, regardless of whether her son could be saved,

Even if he were saved, the police would notify his workplace, and his job would be ruined.

After all, she had spent a fortune to secure that job; losing it just like this would be a terrible waste.

Not to mention, she’d been actively looking for a wife for her son lately; without that job, who would even consider her son?

So, reporting it was out of the question!

Right then, she took off her work uniform, changed into casual clothes, and headed straight for the grain warehouse where her son worked.

First, she had to confirm whether her son had really been kidnapped!

When she arrived at the grain warehouse, she found it was already closed. After asking Old Wang, the security guard, she learned that her son hadn’t come to work that afternoon at all—he’d called in sick.

Instantly, Tang Meiqin’s heart sank.

She immediately rushed back to her home in town and began searching high and low.

Now that she was certain her son had been kidnapped, the only thing she could do was raise money to pay the ransom.

But after searching every corner of the house, she found less than three hundred yuan.

After all, her husband had died young, and for all these years she’d been the sole breadwinner raising her son. On top of that, with that good-for-nothing constantly squandering money, there was no spare cash left in the house.

Fortunately, when it came to borrowing from loan sharks, she’d done it so many times over the years that she was well-versed in the process.

She knew full well that whether those men beat people or kidnapped them, their ultimate goal was always money.

As long as she showed a willingness to pay and handed over some money, they probably wouldn’t give her and her son too much trouble.

First, she had to get him out of there; she could worry about paying the rest later.

Shortly after, Tang Meiqin grabbed the family’s last three hundred-odd yuan and hurried to the God of Wealth Temple just outside town.

……

Xinjiang Town. God of Wealth Temple!

Located on a small hillside a few hundred meters outside Xinjing Town, this God of Wealth Temple used to be quite popular, with even Taoist priests practicing there.

However, over a decade ago, it suddenly fell into disrepair. Not only had the Taoist priests left, but the buildings inside had been demolished as well. Now, only a few crumbling walls remained, leaving the place completely abandoned.

Inside the temple at that moment, five or six young people were gathered together. Combined with the eerie surroundings, the scene was somewhat spine-chilling.

“Brother Yi, do you think that woman surnamed Tang will really show up?”

Li Yi glanced at Xiao Zhanwu beside him and said, “Do you think she’ll come?”

“If she confirms her son has been kidnapped by you guys, she’ll definitely come!” Xiao Zhanwu said.

“Then there’s no question about it—she’ll definitely show up!” Li Yi said.

“Did you guys really kidnap her son?” Xiao Zhanwu frowned.

“Are we that stupid? Kidnapping someone and then standing here chatting with you? Don’t you think we’d be afraid you’d arrest us?”

“Then what did you mean earlier? And where is her son?”

“Her son is having a great time at the casino right now. That’s got nothing to do with us. We just made her think her son had been kidnapped. That’s not against the law, is it?” Li Yi said.

“That isn’t illegal, but if you take money from her, that’s extortion!” Xiao Zhanwu said.

“Haha, I’m not the type to look down on her measly savings. Besides, we’ve got her son’s IOU!” Li Yi said.

“It seems you’ve taken care of every possible risk. With such a meticulous plan, who exactly are you?” Xiao Zhanwu asked, narrowing his eyes.

“A good person, a law-abiding citizen!” Li Yi said casually.

“Really?”

“If I were a bad guy, I wouldn’t go to all this trouble. There are a thousand ways to make her spill the truth—or even make her and her son vanish without a trace, leaving you with not a single clue!” Li Yi said calmly.

Xiao Zhanwu fell silent!

Although they hadn’t interacted much, he believed Li Yi was capable of it.

“This is Yong County. I hope you don’t cause any trouble, or I’ll send you to prison!” Xiao Zhanwu said.

“I called you here to work with you, not to hear you threaten me!” Li Yi said calmly.

Xiao Zhanwu nodded and said, “I was rash!”

Just then, Long Zhanjun, standing nearby, suddenly pointed toward the distance and said, “Someone’s coming!”

Everyone looked in the direction Long Zhanjun was pointing and saw a faint beam of light not far away—it appeared to be from a flashlight.

Behind the flashlight, they could vaguely make out a figure.

Li Yi scanned the distance but saw no one else. He immediately said, “Since this woman has arrived, let’s get started!”

Hearing Li Yi’s words, Long Zhanjun and the others made a quick arrangement, then set fire to a pile of rotten wood inside the dilapidated temple.

Meanwhile, Li Yi and Xiao Zhanwu moved behind the severely damaged statue in the dilapidated temple; it wasn’t yet time for them to make their move.

Soon, everything was ready—they were just waiting for their prey, Tang Meiqin, to walk right into their trap!