"Don't be afraid," Ye Tian said, "Turn on the external speaker."
Jin Duoduo obediently turned on her phone's speaker. Ye Tian said in a deep voice, "Friend outside the door, it's pointless to play hide-and-seek. What do you want? Just say it."
A sinister and terrifying voice came from outside the door. "I want your lives! Come and give them to me!"
The voice was ethereal, not like that of a living person, and it sounded eerie and piercing.
Ye Tian sneered, "Is this interesting? Your voice-changing skills are quite high. You must have practiced ventriloquism, right?"
The other party chuckled sinisterly, "I'll capture your souls, and you will all die!"
Just then, Ye Tian suddenly recited a strange incantation. The sound, transmitted through the microphone, reached outside the door.
There was silence outside the door for tens of seconds, then suddenly a muffled groan, followed by hurried footsteps.
Jin Duoduo asked in surprise, "There's no more noise. Did he leave?"
Ye Tian replied, "Yes, the person outside the door knows ventriloquism and has some skills, so I used the Thunder Sound Incantation to break his evil sorcery. His vital energy is now chaotic, and he has likely fled."
Jin Duoduo was immensely impressed. "Ye Tian, you're amazing! You scared away a ghost through a phone call."
Ye Tian was speechless for a moment. "Jin Duoduo, he's not a ghost, he's someone pretending to be one."
Jin Duoduo found it strange. "Who exactly is this person? Pretending to be a ghost."
Ye Tian said, "Someone is definitely plotting against you. Don't be afraid, I'll be there in about twenty more minutes. Remember, don't open the door for anyone who knocks, unless it's me."
Jin Duoduo nodded vigorously. "Okay, I'll remember!"
However, less than ten minutes later, the main door was kicked open, and a group of burly men in black clothes and masks barged in.
Jin Duoduo was greatly alarmed and shouted, "Who are you?"
However, these men knocked Jin Duoduo's phone away, covered her mouth and nose with a towel, and she lost consciousness. Someone carried Jin Duoduo out of the room.
Ye Tian, on the phone, said coldly, "Let her go, or you will all pay the price!"
One of the burly men picked up the phone. He looked at Ye Tian on the other end and sneered, "Do you know who I am?"
Ye Tian said word by word, "No matter who you are, I will find you!"
The man grunted, "Really? I'll be waiting for you!" With that, he hung up the phone.
Ye Tian's expression turned grim. He dialed Xiong Fei's number.
Xiong Fei had basically taken control of the underground order of the entire provincial capital. Upon receiving Ye Tian's call, he said with a smile, "Brother Ye!"
Ye Tian said, "Old Xiong, I need a favor. One of my classmates has been kidnapped."
Xiong Fei was startled. "When?"
Ye Tian replied, "Just now. I'll give you the address and my classmate's name. Can you find any clues?"
Xiong Fei said, "I know almost everyone who works in this business. Yes, I'll check for you right away!"
Ye Tian gave Xiong Fei Jin Duoduo's photo and the address, while he continued to rush to the rental apartment.
Twenty minutes later, he arrived at the rental apartment. It was an open residential area, accessible to anyone. Jin Duoduo lived in a multi-story building on the fifth floor.
When Ye Tian arrived, the door was open, and the scene inside was exactly what he had seen on the phone.
As he was searching for clues inside, Xiong Fei also arrived with his men. He said, "Brother, my people are already investigating."
Ye Tian nodded. "Thank you, Old Xiong."
Xiong Fei replied, "We're brothers, don't be polite with me. Besides, you saved my life."
Ye Tian stated, "Jin Duoduo is not a rich young lady. The people who kidnapped her probably aren't after money."
Xiong Fei mused, "If not for money, then perhaps for her beauty. Brother, I've seen the photo; your female classmate is very beautiful. I suspect this might be the work of people from 'Apartment Number Seven'."
Ye Tian asked, "Apartment Number Seven?"
Xiong Fei explained, "Apartment Number Seven is a place for sexual transactions. The women there are high-quality and expensive. I heard that 'Black Wolf' from Apartment Number Seven breaks the rules by controlling a group of women with drugs to make money for him."
Ye Tian asked, "Using drugs?"
Xiong Fei elaborated, "They inject them with addictive drugs. Once addicted, people will do anything for a fix."
Ye Tian frowned. "This is too lawless!"
Xiong Fei sighed, "There's nothing to be done. Black Wolf has strong backing; he's the second-in-command of the Municipal Bureau. Apartment Number Seven is massive, with over eight hundred rooms. It's said that the girls inside have to entertain at least ten clients a day, with an average price of three thousand. One person can earn thirty to fifty thousand a day."