The boat docked, and another was already moored beside it. Zhan Mohan thus felt his speculation was correct; this island should be Mu Bai's hideout.
He cautioned Zhan Yichen again, "Proceed with caution. We are unfamiliar with this place, so beware of ambushes."
The two cautiously disembarked. Not far from the entrance, they found Wei Yumeng's phone discarded on the ground.
Zhan Mohan stepped forward and picked up the phone, realizing that Mu Bai was signaling to them that this route had been deliberately revealed. It was no wonder Zhan Yichen was enraged by such blatant provocation.
Pocketing the phone, they continued inland. Unfamiliar with the terrain and fearing danger, they moved with extreme care.
After thoroughly searching the entire island, inside and out, there was no sign of Wei Yumeng or the others, leaving the two of them perplexed.
They had found Wei Yumeng's phone at the entrance, proving they had been here, yet they had searched every nook and cranny and found no one.
For a moment, neither of them had any ideas, unsure of what Mu Bai was planning.
"Brother, isn't this guy just playing us? His target might not even be this island. If we could figure out to come here looking for him, wouldn't he have guessed our intentions?"
They had already witnessed Mu Bai's deep cunning; how could he let them find him so easily?
Therefore, the possibility of the island being deserted was high, making it seem like Mu Bai's deliberate ploy to toy with them.
"This island is surrounded by sea. It's not impossible for him to take Lin Jing and the others away in a different direction. After all, our sister-in-law's phone was left behind, and we've lost our tracking direction. He can use this time to escape even further."
Zhan Yichen's analysis was not unreasonable, but they couldn't figure out Mu Bai's ultimate objective or where he would go next.
If his only goal was to obtain Mu Lin Jing, why would he take Wei Yumeng along? Such an obvious self-imposed complication was something no rational person would do.
As they were racking their brains, Fang Xun and his men arrived, tracking them by their location. Seeing their expressions, Fang Xun guessed the situation.
However, Fang Xun didn't bring entirely bad news. "When Miss Mu's parents were kidnapped earlier, they clashed with our men. Although the individuals were taken, a few survivors were left behind. They have all been apprehended. Perhaps we could go back and question them; there might be a lead."
This was indeed a breakthrough. Instead of being helpless on this deserted island, it was better to return and do something useful.
So, the group headed back by boat. On the way, Zhan Mohan carefully sorted through the recent events, which seemed to have been orchestrated.
First, the engagement was canceled, then Wen Yulan passed away, followed by Mu Lin Jing being forced to transfer hospitals, and now their disappearance. Each incident seemed to be a prelude to what followed.
He recalled that when he learned of Wei Yumeng's disappearance, Feng Shiming had coincidentally arrived at the company to stop him from going to the hospital. At the time, he had thought Ji Tong's men had taken Wei Yumeng. Now, it seemed that a thorough investigation was needed to determine if Mu Bai and Ji Tong had a collaborative relationship.
"Fang Xun, after you return, investigate whether Feng Shiming is still in the country."
To confirm his suspicions, he needed to check Feng Shiming's whereabouts. If she happened to be out of the country at this time, then his conjecture would likely be true.
After disembarking, they split into two groups. Fang Xun was responsible for investigating Feng Shiming's location, while Zhan Mohan went to interrogate the men who had hijacked the car.
Not many people were captured; if one out of three could speak, it would be enough.
Zhan Mohan looked at the three men bound to the torture rack. He took a whip from a saline bucket by the door and flicked it forcefully, as if channeling all his emotions into that single lash.
The beaten man immediately tore open his flesh and cried out in pain.
A whip dipped in saline burned much more intensely. A mortal body could not endure it. Without asking anything, he struck two more times, putting all his strength into each lash, each one excruciatingly painful.
Soon, his clean jacket was splattered with blood, looking particularly chilling.
"Speak. Where did Mu Bai plan to take them?"
To his surprise, the man was a tough nut. Despite sweating profusely from the pain, he gritted his teeth and refused to say a word.
Zhan Mohan sneered, "Very well, let's see how tough your bones are."
He drew the pistol he carried and fired several shots. The man's leg was riddled with bullet holes, and his heart-wrenching screams echoed for a long time in the seemingly soundproof space.
He deliberately interrogated only one person but didn't expect him to speak.
Killing the chicken was meant to scare the monkeys. He wanted to engulf the other two in fear, the torment of knowing what they would endure but not getting it over with quickly, like a dull knife cutting flesh.
Killing a person was less effective than crushing their spirit. Compared to the physical pain, mental torture was the most unbearable.
Just as Zhan Yichen had anticipated, after he finished firing the shots, the man beside him could be heard urinating, a pungent odor mixing with the smell of blood, making it particularly distinct.
The first man, after enduring several shots, fainted from the pain. Zhan Yichen carried the saline bucket from the door and doused the man from head to toe.
The saline poured onto the bloody wounds, changing the pitch of his cries.
However, Zhan Mohan didn't rush to interrogate him. Instead, he approached the second man. "Don't worry, none of you will escape. I'll let him rest for now and continue later."
With that, he directly raised the black muzzle of the gun and pressed it against the man's thigh, saying softly, "If you refuse to speak, I have plenty of time and patience to wait you out. Don't worry, I have the best doctors here; they won't let you die."
As he prepared to pull the trigger again, the man could no longer bear it and shouted that he knew.
"I'll tell you where Mr. Mu is going. Let me go; I don't want to become disabled."
The first man's blood had splattered all over him. He was the closest and could see the gruesome sight of torn flesh. Zhan Mohan deliberately slowed down his trigger-pulling action. This feeling of waiting for death was the greatest torment for him.
Hearing him agree to talk, Zhan Mohan finally withdrew his hand. "Good. As long as you tell the truth, I'll let you go. But if you dare to lie, you can imagine the consequences."