Shen Qi immediately grabbed the phone and rushed out: "I'll be right there!"
Shen Qi didn't dare call the police. She was afraid they would harm her brother. She was even more worried that this was a setup targeting her. After all, by offending Feng Kexin, she had essentially offended the entire upper class. Feng Kexin's lackeys would do anything to curry favor with her. Those people came from deeply rooted, powerful local families. If she called the police, they might torture Shen Lu even worse. Shen Qi couldn't take that risk. As long as they let her brother go, she was willing to bear any cost.
Shen Qi dashed downstairs and frantically flagged down a taxi. Before the driver could curse at her, she immediately said, "Sir, please take me to the abandoned factory area on the northwest outskirts. My brother's been kidnapped—I have to save him!" She pressed her ID card and wallet onto the dashboard, pleading, "I'm begging you, sir! Please get me there quickly!"
Seeing Shen Qi burst into tears as she spoke, the driver figured the desperate look on this young woman's face wasn't fake. Without another word, he stepped on the gas and sped toward the northwest abandoned factory area.
Just then, her phone rang again. Shen Qi glanced at the number and hung up.
On the other end, He Yining couldn't believe Shen Qi had dared to hang up on him! No one had ever hung up on him in his entire life! His phoenix eyes turned icy cold, and the temperature around him dropped several degrees. Xiao Chun and the others exchanged glances—what had happened now?
"Call Shen Qi. Keep calling until she answers," He Yining ordered.
Xiao Chun said in surprise, "Miss Shen didn't answer? That's impossible! She's always been very professional. Could something be wrong?"
Something wrong? What could she possibly have going on? He Yining looked at Xiao Chun with displeasure.
Xiao Chun thought for a moment and replied, "President, this phone model was custom-made with a satellite positioning system. The satellite isn't a public one—it's a private satellite our company developed and launched. It can pinpoint a location instantly even without a signal. Should we..."
"Locate her immediately. I want to know exactly what she's doing right now!" He Yining ordered irritably.
The taxi finally reached the northwest outskirts. The roads, decades old, were now in ruins, and the taxi couldn't go any further. Shen Qi emptied all the money she had, but it wasn't enough to cover the fare. She remembered she'd given all her cash to Wei Wei. She handed her wallet and ID to the driver and said earnestly, "Sir, this is all I have. Please believe me, I'm not trying to skip out on the fare. If I make it back safely, I'll repay you double!"
The driver sighed. "Forget it, I'll count this as a good deed. But seriously, you're not going to call the police?"
Shen Qi shook her head firmly, then bowed deeply to the driver before stumbling toward the abandoned factory area.
She ran for over twenty minutes before reaching the desolate factory zone. In the 1970s, this area had been the lifeblood of the city's industry. But with the march of reform and opening up, it had gradually declined, withered, and turned into a wasteland. Now, it was a paradise for motorcycle racing enthusiasts, with its natural obstacles becoming their playground.
As soon as Shen Qi appeared in the abandoned factory area, a group of people on motorcycles roared out, circling her several times before stopping nearby. A young man with a pineapple-shaped haircut, shirtless in a black motorcycle vest and tight pants, exuded a non-mainstream vibe. He looked at Shen Qi arriving alone, rubbed his chin, and chuckled, "Pretty gutsy, coming here all by yourself."
"Where is he?" Shen Qi stared at the pineapple-haired man, her heart pounding with fear but her face forcing calm. "I'm here. Can you let him go now?"
As soon as she spoke, the people around burst into laughter, mocking her naivety.
"Little beauty, let me be straight with you. The person you're looking for isn't with us," the pineapple-haired man said, scratching his head. "Someone paid us to have some fun with you."
Shen Qi's face changed drastically. She quickly stepped back two paces. "Who wants to ruin me?"
Her first thought was Feng Kexin. Besides her, she hadn't offended anyone else—though it could be one of Feng Kexin's fans.
"Beauty, why ask so many questions?" the pineapple-haired man laughed. "Don't worry, we won't do it here. We've got camera gear ready to give you a proper show."
Shen Qi took two more steps back and turned to run. But before she could get far, she felt a heavy blow to the back of her head. She stumbled, her vision went black, and she collapsed, unconscious.
Meanwhile, at He Corporation headquarters, the computer quickly deciphered Shen Qi's location. "Huh? Isn't that the abandoned factory area? That land was just bought by the Feng family this year to develop into a villa district. But construction hasn't started yet—it's a hangout for a bunch of hippies," Xiao Xia said as he cracked the coordinates. "Why would Miss Shen be there?"
He Yining's phoenix eyes shot open. Something was wrong. Shen Qi wasn't a motorcycle enthusiast! She had no reason to be there! He turned and strode out, with Xiao Chun and the others following. "Analyze the exact signal address!" he ordered.
Xiao Xia nodded, his fingers flying across the keyboard as he input commands to trace the signal's precise route.
"President, should we bring backup?" Xiao Chun caught up to He Yining.
"If anyone resists, take them out," He Yining said, genuinely furious. He had already warned Feng Kexin that Shen Qi was his. Yet Feng Kexin had ignored his warning and gone after her anyway. This crossed his line. He no longer cared about saving face for the Feng family.
The thought of the defenseless Shen Qi being humiliated by a bunch of hippies sent a surge of blood rushing to his head. He wished he could teleport to that abandoned factory right now, scoop the little thing into his arms, and protect her. That idiot—why didn't she come to him when she was in trouble? Didn't she know that with him stepping in, no one in this province would dare defy him? It seemed this little one needed a good lesson.