Standing behind Qiao Zheng, Qiao Ruosheng was overjoyed at his words.
She was still angry about what happened in the casino that night, not only failing to kill Xue Manting but almost leaking the casino's biggest secret.
As a result, wherever she went, she felt people whispering about her being inferior to Xue Manting. Some guests even discussed the past events, which were all humiliations inflicted by Xue Manting.
The person she once considered her best friend!
"Jin Bai, let's go to the monitoring room to watch the surveillance first," Bai Xiao reminded Zhou Jinbai. Only then did Zhou Jinbai release his grip and quickly head towards the monitoring room.
Soon, the surveillance footage was retrieved.
Lin Xingwan's figure appeared on the screen. She left directly from another exit of the VIP lounge's restroom and then took the elevator all the way to the top floor of the cruise ship.
Ironically, there was no surveillance on the top floor of the cruise ship.
Zhou Jinbai felt a pang of sadness. Lin Xingwan had told him she was going to the restroom, but she had left without hesitation when she passed by it.
This woman was starting to have secrets from him.
Even though Zhou Jinbai understood that everyone had secrets in the adult world, he desperately didn't want the woman he loved to have secrets from him.
As for Xue Manting's surveillance, it was even more outrageous.
These arrogant bodyguards had destroyed surveillance in a large area. They could only see the group of people dragging the unconscious Xue Manting and swaggering out of sight.
"Is this how your Qiao family hosts the King of Gamblers' Night?" Zhou Jinbai glared at Qiao Zheng, his dark eyes as cold as a deep pool, his gaze as sharp as blades lingering on Qiao Zheng. At this moment, Qiao Zheng clearly felt the murderous intent in Zhou Jinbai's eyes.
The Xue family had angered the Dongfang family with their ill-timed words, ultimately leading to their precarious state.
And the Dongfang family hadn't even made a deliberate effort to deal with the Xue family.
But now, Dongfang Junze's woman had an incident at the King of Gamblers' Night. He couldn't imagine what fate awaited the Qiao family.
"Dongfang... Mr. Dongfang, I'll have someone look for Miss Lin immediately."
"Look? Where will you look? Based on a hunch?" Zhou Jinbai coldly interrupted Qiao Zheng, his fierce eyes gradually turning red. "If anything happens to Xingwan, I will make the entire Qiao family pay."
With that, Zhou Jinbai quickly left the monitoring room.
"What do we do? Sheng Sheng... what should our Qiao family do?" Qiao Zheng's face was filled with panic and fear. He looked at his daughter helplessly. With the Xue family as a precedent, their Qiao family's fate would only be worse.
Qiao Ruosheng was also anxious, but she didn't reveal much of her emotions.
She said with a frosty tone, "Dad, worrying now is useless. Let's find people first."
Qiao Ruosheng had already made her plans. She would focus on finding that woman, Lin Xingwan, because she was Zhou Jinbai's beloved. Even though Lin Xingwan had offended her tonight, she didn't need to rush to deal with her. After all, women with more power than her would surely take action.
As for Xue Manting... Heh!
Since heaven had sent this opportunity her way, Xue Manting must die, no matter what!
The search operation proceeded silently, and time ticked by.
Meanwhile, Lin Xingwan and the others had already left the cruise ship.
The boxes containing Lin Xingwan and Yun Qingqing were violently thrown to the ground, tossing the two women, who were dizzy from lack of oxygen, out.
Lin Xingwan's head hit the ground. She was disoriented for a long time before she could clearly see her surroundings.
They were in a vast, empty building filled with countless iron cages. In each cage were battered and bruised people, their eyes filled with despair.
Various foul odors mixed together, even more nauseating than a landfill.
Xue Manting leaned against the wall, appearing unconscious. Yun Qingqing, despite her hoarse voice, continued to cry and beg.
"Please let me go! I really don't know anything. I'm just a student working part-time. I don't know anything. Please let me go! I have elderly parents and young children. If you let me go, I'll do anything."
Yun Qingqing cried as she kowtowed to the man standing in front of her. For her, there was no other way.
Lin Xingwan shook Xue Manting's shoulder, anxiously saying, "Manting, Manting, wake up, Manting..."
Xue Manting, who had been unconscious, was shaken awake by Lin Xingwan. She slowly opened her eyes, her unfocused gaze gradually sharpening. "Xingwan... why are you here..."
As Xue Manting spoke, she scanned her surroundings and found them to be unfamiliar and terrifying. Dozens of pairs of eyes were watching her. Xue Manting shivered and became fully alert. "What happened? Where is this?"
"I don't know," Lin Xingwan shook her head.
As soon as she finished speaking, several strong men dragged them out.
"Follow us properly, or the bullets in this gun are blind," one of the men said, pointing a gun at Lin Xingwan and the others.
Yun Qingqing screamed in fear. When the gun barrel was pointed at her forehead, she immediately covered her mouth.
Xue Manting and Lin Xingwan exchanged glances. Although they didn't say anything, they understood each other's thoughts: try to stall for time and wait to be rescued, rather than crying and screaming like Yun Qingqing.
Soon, the group arrived at the door of a private room.
Yuan Qisheng was already waiting there. Upon seeing Lin Xingwan and the others, he immediately urged them, "Hurry inside, the people inside are waiting."
Within seconds, Lin Xingwan and the others were pushed into the private room.
When they clearly saw the scene inside the room, all three of them felt their hearts pound like thunder.
The private room was at least seventy to eighty square meters, furnished with a sofa, a bed, and tables.
A woman was screaming. Following the sound, they saw her being assaulted by four or five men.
On the sofa sat seven or eight men, each wearing a mask of gods and demons. Beside them, they either had one or two women in their arms or were being fed wine by fawning women.
Just seeing this scene was enough to be bizarre and decadent.
Especially the women in the room, who gave Lin Xingwan and the others the impression that they were not human, but merely tools to please men.
"My lords, Yuan Qisheng is here again to bring you new merchandise. These three women each have their own unique flavor. I wonder if they will suit your tastes. The woman in the middle is the one wearing the necklace."
Yuan Qisheng's face was full of flattery. The men sitting on the sofa fixed their predatory gazes on Lin Xingwan and the others. They even let go of the women they were holding and straightened up.
All the women in the room cast wary glances at Lin Xingwan and the others. To them, these three women who had suddenly barged in were their greatest threat.
"The woman in the middle wearing the red dress, lift your head."
A man sitting in the center pointed at Lin Xingwan and commanded.
His voice was mechanical and hoarse, clearly processed.
Lin Xingwan refused to look up. Unexpectedly, her hair was yanked violently. Yuan Qisheng pulled her hair back forcefully, forcing her to look up.
"Master, this woman has an important background. She is Dongfang Junze's woman," Yuan Qisheng quickly explained.
"Oh? Aren't you afraid of death? You dare to touch Dongfang Junze's woman?" Although the man said this, his tone sounded very pleased.
"I'm afraid of death, but I think a woman like this should be paired with a man like you, Master. Besides, Dongfang Junze can't find this secret base."
Yuan Qisheng flattered him profusely, then yanked Lin Xingwan's hair and dragged her towards the man.
Lin Xingwan's scalp throbbed with pain. She was forced to stand up, and the next second, a calloused palm gripped her wrist. The man applied a slight force, and Lin Xingwan fell directly into his arms.
The man greedily took a deep breath of Lin Xingwan's scent, then leaned close to her ear and said, "If you don't want to die, be good. As long as you please me, I can let you live."
The man's words made it sound as if Lin Xingwan were his lover.
Lin Xingwan wished she could push this man away immediately, but a voice in her mind told her: Lin Xingwan, you must remain calm at such a moment. Worrying won't solve anything!
Moreover, since these people were after the necklace, they must know a lot about it.
She desperately wanted to know more about her mother.
Lin Xingwan bit her lip tightly, her eyes filled with fear, tears glistening, but stubbornly refusing to fall.
This scene made the man holding her feel an overwhelming urge to protect her.
"Since Big Brother has chosen, I'll choose her," another man, who was stout, pointed at Yun Qingqing. "Lately, I've been eating plump seafood. Seeing this little white cabbage now, I also want to have a taste."
Yuan Qisheng immediately grabbed Yun Qingqing and dragged her towards the man.
"Don't touch me, don't touch me. I really don't know anything. Please let me go!" Yun Qingqing pleaded subserviently, but no one was moved.
The stout man even asked, "Why wasn't this girl taught any manners?"
Yuan Qisheng immediately slapped her fiercely. Yun Qingqing's mind went blank from the pain. "You slut, how dare you disobey? I'll kill you right now."
Yun Qingqing dared not cry anymore and could only let the stout man's hand probe into her clothes.
As for Xue Manting, even though she was more beautiful than Yun Qingqing, her appearance could even rival Lin Xingwan's, yet no man dared to touch her.
The man holding Lin Xingwan asked, "Where is the necklace she's wearing?"
Yuan Qisheng nodded affirmatively and immediately took the necklace out of his pocket, respectfully presenting it to the man with both hands. "Master, this is the necklace this woman was wearing."
The man took the necklace and looked at it carefully for a few seconds before speaking, "Good, it is indeed the necklace I've been searching for. I didn't expect to see it again after more than twenty years. This time, I must find that woman!"
"You captured us just for this necklace?" Xue Manting had never imagined that today's disaster was caused by a necklace.
The man did not answer Xue Manting but asked, "Where did you get this necklace?"
Xue Manting instinctively looked at Lin Xingwan, and Lin Xingwan's heart pounded wildly.
Unexpectedly, Xue Manting said, "I bought it from a jewelry dealer."
But as soon as Xue Manting finished speaking, the man sneered, "Xue Manting, don't lie to me. This is not something your Xue family can possess, and the owner of the necklace would never sell it. If you tell the truth, I might spare your Xue family. If you don't, all three of you will die tonight, and your entire Xue family will be buried with you."
The man's words carried an unspoken authority. Lin Xingwan looked up and observed his appearance carefully.
Some white hairs had appeared at his temples, but the lines of his jaw were extremely smooth.
"Did you hear that? Tell me the truth, or your fate will be the same as hers!" As soon as Yuan Qisheng finished speaking, he ordered his subordinates to drag over a woman who had been screaming from a distance.
She was naked, and her skin was not intact.
Her expression was dazed, her pupils dilated.
It was clear she had been driven mad by torture.
All three women present became nervous. Yun Qingqing even said to Xue Manting, "Miss Xue, just tell the truth. Maybe we can still survive. We're on the brink of death, so don't lie to them anymore."
Xue Manting's face showed hesitation and conflict, while Lin Xingwan, at some point, had clenched her fists.
She was certain that their disaster tonight was thanks to that necklace.
What secrets were hidden behind that necklace?
"I bought that necklace. You all said I'm on the verge of death, so why would I lie now?" Xue Manting still did not betray Lin Xingwan.
Of course, she regretted it deeply now. She already owned a conch pearl bracelet. She clearly knew how precious such a necklace was, so why did she have to be so proud and wear it around her neck?
The man holding Lin Xingwan spoke indifferently, "It's really a case of 'not crying until the coffin is reached.' Yuan Qisheng, take good care of her. Bring her here when she's willing to tell the truth."
With that, Yuan Qisheng directly dragged Xue Manting to the bed.
Guarding the bedside were six or seven men wearing masks.
They looked down at Xue Manting on the bed. Xue Manting felt extreme fear.
"Don't touch me, don't touch me, help!"
"Save me... don't touch me... you bastard..."
Xue Manting cried out hoarsely, but Lin Xingwan could no longer stand it.
Xue Manting refused to betray her, and she couldn't just stand by and watch Xue Manting suffer.
Lin Xingwan quickly grabbed a fruit knife from the coffee table. Even though she was held in the man's arms, she still pressed the cold blade against the man's heart.
"Don't touch her, or I'll kill you."
The man holding her stiffened, then chuckled. He said to Lin Xingwan, "As a toy, you shouldn't have your own ideas."
Instead of being afraid, the man pressed closer to Lin Xingwan.
The tip of the knife did not pierce his heart but felt like it was against thick sheet metal, unable to advance even an inch.
Lin Xingwan's eyes widened. She hadn't expected this man to be prepared.
As she was stunned, the knife was snatched from her hand, and the man's hand directly choked her neck with ease. "I originally wanted to play with you, but since you're too disobedient, you have to die."
With that, he slowly increased the pressure. Lin Xingwan felt her bones dislocate, and intense pain surged through her.