"Big Soldier, I'm asking if your parents will actually bring the money? Don't end up with nothing at all."
Several youths sat in the room, inhaling smoke.
One of the men looked towards the sofa in the corner, where a man was using one hand to cover one nostril and the other nostril to snort what was on the coffee table.
*Hoo.*
After snorting, Du Guobing felt his pores relax and chuckled, "Brother Qiang, don't worry. My parents only have me as their son, they'll definitely bring the money. But we've agreed, once I get the money, you can't shortchange me on the promised goods."
As he spoke, Du Guobing continued to snort.
Although his complexion was somewhat pale, his spirit was abnormally excited.
The man called Brother Qiang laughed heartily, "Don't worry, Big Soldier. When has your Brother Qiang ever gone back on his word? Besides, as long as you have money, how could I be short on your goods?"
After speaking, Brother Qiang exchanged a knowing glance with his companions.
This Du Guobing fellow was truly ungrateful.
He was willing to betray his own parents for his addiction.
But his behavior wasn't uncommon. Once someone got hooked on that stuff, when the cravings hit, it was worse than death.
Before, when Du Guobing ran out of money, Brother Qiang cut him off.
With no other option, Du Guobing had Brother Qiang's men call his parents, claiming he had gotten into trouble and they needed to come up with 100,000 yuan to bail him out, or else they'd break his hands and feet.
Just in case, Du Guobing had also, in a very frightened voice on the phone, warned his parents not to call the police.
The time for the exchange was fast approaching. The thought of soon having enough of the good stuff to last him two to three months made him feel exceptionally good.
...
"Xiao Fei, you must be careful. No matter what, you have to prioritize your own safety."
Wu Chunmei held Du Fei's hand, her eyes filled with concern.
While she was kindhearted and wanted to help her elder brother's family rescue Du Guobing, her son's declaration of going alone to fake the exchange and bring the person back immediately made Wu Chunmei very worried about his safety.
Even though Du Fei repeatedly assured her that he would be fine, Wu Chunmei remained anxious.
Alas, it was her own soft heart that led to this.
At this point, Wu Chunmei couldn't help but secretly blame herself.
"Du Fei, you must bring Guobing back."
Unlike Wu Chunmei's worry, Du Wenyong's wife's mind was solely focused on her son.
Du Fei told his mother not to worry and turned to walk out the door.
After leaving the house, Du Fei headed towards the address previously given by the person who called to demand money.
In a more secluded area in the southern part of the city.
Perhaps the thugs were confident that Du Wenyong and his wife wouldn't dare call the police, as they had directly provided the exact address over the phone.
Du Fei hurried as much as he could, and it still took him over an hour to arrive.
Number fifty-eight, Peach Blossom Lane.
Du Fei murmured the address given by the extortionist and walked into the alley.
Number fifty-eight.
Du Fei looked at the house number of the small courtyard before him. This was exactly where he needed to be.
"What are you looking at! Get lost if you have nothing to do."
Just as Du Fei was about to enter, the courtyard gate was opened from the inside.
A man wearing torn clothes, with a tiger tattoo on his chest, walked out.
He tilted his head, looking at Du Fei with a swagger.
"Is Du Guobing here?"
Du Fei asked.
Upon hearing the name Du Guobing, the man's expression changed instantly. He sized Du Fei up and down, asking, "Who are you?"
"I'm here to pay the ransom."
Hearing the words "pay the ransom," the man's face lit up with joy.
He said with a smile, "Oh, you're here to deliver money. Come in, Brother Qiang is waiting for you."
With that, the man led Du Fei into the courtyard and straight to the largest hall in the center.
"Brother Qiang, this guy is here to pay the ransom."
After the man brought Du Fei to the hall, several people were inside playing cards.
One of them, wearing a thick gold chain around his neck, slammed his cards onto the table and turned to look at Du Fei.
"Where's the money?"
Du Fei: "Where is Du Guobing?"
"Holy crap! You've got some nerve, kid!"
The man with the gold chain didn't speak. One of the men playing cards beside him immediately stood up and pointed at Du Fei, saying,
But then, the man with the gold chain waved his hand at him and said, "If you want to see Du Guobing, first show me the money you brought."
As he spoke, the people in the room began to realize something was amiss.
Du Fei had entered empty-handed. Where was his ransom?
"Let me tell you the truth. I didn't bring any money," Du Fei paused, "If you let me take Du Guobing away, I'll pretend none of this ever happened."
"Damn it! Brother Qiang, this guy is messing with us!"
"Damn it, is that Du Guobing guy trying to get himself killed? He clearly told his parents to bring the money, so why did this hothead show up?"
"Damn, beat this kid up first, then we'll drag Du Guobing out and ask him what's going on!"
When the men in the room heard Du Fei say he didn't bring any money, they immediately started shouting.
Listening to them, Du Fei's brow furrowed slightly.
Things didn't seem to be as Du Wenyong and his wife had told him.
The man with the gold chain stood up with a cold expression, pointing at Du Fei and saying, "I don't know who you are, but I, Zhang Qiang, hate being played for a fool! If you don't have money, I guarantee you'll be carried out!"
"It seems you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin."
Du Fei shook his head. It appeared that Zhang Qiang and his men weren't going to listen to him.
At this critical juncture, he had to resort to fists to solve the problem.
"Get him!"
Seeing Du Fei shake his head with a look of disdain, the guy who had jumped up first charged forward, and the others surrounded Du Fei.
*Bang!*
*Slam!*
*Boom!*
Zhang Qiang's subordinates were just common thugs. Under Du Fei's hands, they couldn't even last a single move.
In the blink of an eye, two lay on the ground, one flew into the wall, and another was so terrified that his legs turned to jelly and he didn't dare to step forward.
"Where is Du Guobing? Don't make me ask a third time!"
Du Fei slowly stepped forward, reaching Zhang Qiang.
Zhang Qiang, who had been arrogant before, realizing Du Fei's strength, tremblingly pointed towards a small room nearby.
A moment later, Du Fei returned, carrying the dazed and blissfully unaware Du Guobing out of the room.
After some questioning, Du Fei learned that there was no trouble or need to pay ten thousand yuan.
The entire situation was caused by Du Guobing, who had been led by Brother Qiang and his gang to get addicted to drugs. When he ran out of money and his addiction kicked in, he came up with the idea of getting himself captured to make Du Wenyong and his wife raise money.
Upon learning the truth, Du Fei couldn't help but sigh, lamenting that Du Wenyong and his wife had doted on Du Guobing since he was young, and now they were reaping what they sowed.