Chapter 528: Coincidence

After receiving the call, Gao Min immediately rushed to meet Fang Yaqiong. They had arranged to meet near University City.

However, when Gao Min arrived at the meeting spot and waited for about five minutes, there was still no sign of Fang Yaqiong.

As a police officer, she was immediately struck by a sense of foreboding. She quickly pulled out her phone and dialed Fang Yaqiong’s number.

“The number you have dialed is currently switched off.”

Switched off?

Fang Yaqiong should be keeping her phone on right now. Why would it be switched off?

Could something have happened?

Gao Min looked around. University City was bustling with people. Could someone really be so brazen as to attempt a kidnapping in broad daylight?

She didn’t waste any time. She quickly ran to a nearby convenience store, described Fang Yaqiong’s appearance to the cashier, and asked if they had seen a girl fitting that description. After receiving no useful information, she immediately turned and ran toward the gate of the university where Fang Yaqiong studied.

While running, she tried calling Fang Yaqiong again. The phone was still switched off.

Immediately after, she called Liu Yutong.

“Yutong, something might have happened to Fang Yaqiong. We were supposed to meet, but she didn’t show up, and her phone is switched off!”

On the other end of the line, Liu Yutong couldn’t help but frown slightly at the news.

“Sis, what exactly happened?”

Gao Min quickly recounted the entire situation.

It turned out that Fang Yaqiong had earlier received a call from an unknown number. The caller claimed to be one of Brother Long’s men, saying they had Lin Bin in their custody. They demanded that Fang Yaqiong hand over what Lin Bin had stolen, or they would kill him.

Fang Yaqiong had even heard Lin Bin’s screams over the phone. In her panic, she thought of Gao Min, as she later learned that Gao Min was a police officer.

“Does Fang Yaqiong know where the item is?”

“She said she doesn’t know. Lin Bin never told her, but they didn’t believe her. They threatened that if she didn’t hand it over, Lin Bin was dead. Then the call cut off, and when I tried calling back, the phone was off. I suspect they’re using Lin Bin to coerce her into acting alone and forced her to switch off her phone to prevent her from calling the police.”

“Of course, it’s also possible that Brother Long’s men have kidnapped her.”

“Right now, I’m going to check her school first, then head to the police station. But with her phone off and no leads on my end, it’ll be difficult to find her quickly.”

After hearing this, Liu Yutong on the other end suddenly recalled some information she had just received.

This might be a good opportunity.

“Sis, South City isn’t that big. I’m guessing they’re holding Lin Bin at one of their establishments. Why not just go look for him directly?”

“It’s not that easy. Without certainty, it’s difficult to get a search warrant. Besides, even with a warrant, it’s hard to search without a specific target. And what if he’s not at their establishments? Wouldn’t that alert them?”

“What can we do? Tough luck for them.”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that. Who says you need a search warrant to search? Just leave it to me.”

“Yutong, you…”

Before Gao Min could finish, Liu Yutong hung up on the other end.

She stared at the phone emitting a dial tone, her mind growing increasingly chaotic.

“What does my sister really mean?”

“Is she going to take people and raid their establishments? That would be illegal. Should I arrest her when the time comes…”

She was torn.

Of course, she still hoped that her younger sister Liu Yutong wouldn’t resort to such violent methods. Otherwise, she would truly be in a difficult position.

Gao Min’s guess was completely correct. Liu Yutong planned to directly take people and turn over all of Brother Long’s—accurately speaking, Vulture Master’s—establishments.

Of course, she would do it reasonably and legally.

Her real purpose was to confirm whether Vulture Master had truly obtained the key, and incidentally see if she could rescue Lin Bin.

The reason she guessed the key might be with Vulture Master was because she had received a plea for help from Liu Hao’s lackey, saying his boss was at his wit’s end.

At the time, Liu Yutong had found it strange why Vulture Master would target Liu Hao so relentlessly. Liu Hao’s territory had already been seized by this guy. Was there a need to completely destroy him?

That didn’t make sense?

Later, she learned from that green-haired lackey that Vulture Master was trying to snatch an antique key that Liu Hao had stolen from some unlucky sap.

Now, wouldn’t you say that’s quite the coincidence?

If that key was indeed the one she was looking for, it would be a huge gain.

Even if it wasn’t, she could use the Lin Bin incident, combined with the evidence of Vulture Master’s gang crimes she had already gathered, to take them all down in one fell swoop.

After hanging up with her sister, Liu Yutong directly said to her assistant Su Mansu, “Tell Jess to wait.”

Before Gao Min called her, Su Mansu had already conveyed a message to her: a foreigner named Jess wanted to meet with her.

The referral was from Manager Li of Pearl City—the true owner of that badge.

If Liu Yutong had previously been half-skeptical about the badge’s origins, now—whether it was the key that might have appeared in Liu Hao’s hands, or this Jess who wanted to meet her—she was basically certain that the rumors were likely true.

“Understood, Boss.” Su Mansu went to deliver the message.

Just as Liu Yutong walked out the door of the hotel where she was staying and headed toward her parked car, a slightly hurried voice came from the side.

“Miss Liu, wait!”

Liu Yutong paused and looked at the approaching person.

It was Jess, a young foreign man with blond hair and blue eyes. At this moment, he looked visibly anxious.

“Wait, Miss Liu, just give me a few minutes…”

Su Mansu quickly stepped forward, blocking Jess’s path. “Mr. Jess, I’m sorry, but the Boss is busy right now.”

But Jess wouldn’t give up. He still tried to get past, only to be blocked by Su Mansu again. “Mr. Jess, the Boss really has no time. Please…”

At that moment, a sudden change occurred.

A doorman at the hotel entrance, taking advantage of everyone’s attention being diverted by Jess, suddenly launched a violent attack!

A cold glint flashed from his sleeve as he pulled out a dagger, stabbing straight for Liu Yutong’s back!

Seeing this, Su Mansu couldn’t help but cry out, “Watch out!”

Yun Cheng and the others also reacted instantly, rushing forward to intercept.

Jess’s reaction was a beat slower. Just as the assassin struck, he had managed to get around Su Mansu and was rushing toward Liu Yutong.

His mind was entirely focused on obtaining that badge.

But just as he happened to run up to Liu Yutong, Su Mansu’s sudden cry made him instinctively turn his head to look back. He saw a gleaming dagger heading straight for him, less than ten centimeters away.

He wanted to dodge, but it was too late.

The three characters automatically surfaced in his mind: Holy shit!