“My wife has been kidnapped again, and I need your help. I’ve seen a video from the kidnappers, and it looks like they’re in some kind of warehouse,” Leo said, his tone heavy.
Bob didn’t hesitate for a moment and replied, “Don’t worry; I’ll send all my brothers out right now. We’ll find your wife in the shortest time possible.”
“Thank you. Once you find her, let me know immediately.”
After ending the call, Leo placed his phone back into his pocket, suppressing the anger welling up within him, and entered the elegant room.
Inside the elegant room, people were enthusiastically discussing today’s game of Go.
“Guess who will win, that freeloader or Master Spencer?”
“There’s no need to guess. Master Spencer will definitely win. Although the freeloader has held on until now, he’s on his last legs and won’t last much longer.”
“I’m not so sure. It’s rare for anyone to last this long against Master Spencer. The freeloader is back; let’s watch and see.”
Leo returned to his seat, his gaze coldly fixed on Master Spencer.
Master Spencer knew that his disciple had learned about the situation, so he smirked, lowered his voice, and said, “Kid, you should know now that arrogance comes at a price.”
“Despicable and shameless!” Leo’s voice was squeezed out from between his clenched teeth. “And you call yourself a grandmaster in the world of Go, using such means to win. Can you live with yourself?”
“You can’t be a hero without taking risks,” Master Spencer said shamelessly, “I only need others to see that you, a waste, lost to me. Nothing else matters.”
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?” Leo’s intense killing intent swept towards Master Spencer.
Master Spencer’s face tensed, but then he fearlessly smiled and said, “If you don’t want Sophia to live, then go ahead and make your move.”
In the end, Leo released the tightly clenched fist. Sophia was the most important person in his life, and he wouldn’t take risks with her life.
The second half of the game officially began.
Leo abandoned his earlier tactics from the first half and started making random moves.
Master Spencer wore an excited expression on his face as he launched a desperate counterattack.
The brilliant Go board that Leo had carefully constructed was swiftly dismantled by Master Spencer.
The sudden reversal in the game left August completely bewildered.
What on earth was happening?
How had Leo, who was an entirely different person when he returned from the bathroom, deviated so far from his previous level of play? The disparity was astounding.
In August’s eyes, a winning position had been utterly wasted by Leo.
Spectators noticed the unexpected shift in the game and couldn’t help but cheer for Master Spencer once more.
“I knew it. A freeloading son-in-law like him, even if he plays out of his mind, can’t possibly be a match for Master Spencer.”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a thrilling match. Master Spencer truly lives up to his reputation as a Go master. Even in such a dire situation, he manages to turn the tide. It’s truly astonishing!”
“Look at the expression on that freeloader’s face. Losing to Master Spencer doesn’t make him feel honored at all. Instead, he’s wearing an angry expression. No wonder he’s destined to freeload for the rest of his life.”
Amid the crowd’s praises for Master Spencer and taunts for Leo, Master Spencer placed the final black piece on the Go board.
One move sealed the fate, and the game was over. Black had won the final victory.
The thunderous applause erupted in the elegant room. After the applause, everyone congratulated Master Spencer.
Leo suddenly stood up from his seat, and his ice-cold gaze briefly locked onto Master Spencer before he turned and quickly left the room.
Behind Leo, there was another round of mockery and taunts.
Compared to Sophia’s safety, nothing else mattered to Leo right now.
Stepping out of the hotel, Leo took out his phone, ready to call Bob. However, Bob’s call came in first.
“Leo, we found your wife!” Bob’s voice came through the phone.
“Really?” Leo couldn’t help but sigh in relief.
“Yes, one of our guys’ relatives said they saw a group of suspicious people sneaking into a cold storage this morning. After checking the surveillance footage from the cold storage, it seems to be the people who kidnapped your wife,” Bob explained.
“Send me the location; I’m on my way now!” Leo didn’t want to waste a single minute.
After ending the call, Bob sent the address via Facebook. Leo rushed to the parking lot, got into his car, and floored the accelerator. The car’s engine roared like a beast.
The location was the cold storage, a place used for temporary storage of fresh vegetables. It had over thirty large and small units, covering a significant area. Except for the staff, there were usually very few people around.
Inside one of the small cold storage units numbered “9,” Sophia was bound hand and foot, sitting on an old wooden chair, her mouth taped shut, her only sounds coming out as muffled “hmm-hmm.”
Outside the cold storage, three men stood. One of them expressed his dissatisfaction, saying, “This job sucks. Such a beautiful lady, and we can only look, not touch. It’s frustrating!”
Another man replied, “Stop complaining. We do as the employer instructs. Once we get the money, we won’t be lacking beautiful women.”
The third man had a three-hole balaclava on his head and said in a shrill voice, “You two, stop whining. After we finish this job, grab the money and disappear from Langstel, or else!”
Inside the cold storage, the constant sounds of muffled cries continued.
“Come on, follow me, let’s tidy up this brat properly!” The man with the balaclava was the first to open the door and walk in.
Because the door was opened, the dimly lit interior brightened a bit. The man with the balaclava walked up to Sophia, removed the tape from her mouth, and yelled shrilly, “You annoying little thing, can’t you stay quiet?!”
“Bruno, you bastard! Just because you’re disguising your voice doesn’t mean I don’t recognize you!” Sophia shouted in anger.
Removing the balaclava, Bruno’s face changed dramatically. He hadn’t expected Sophia to recognize him so quickly.
“Bruno, you better release me right now, or when Leo finds this place, you’ll be in for a very painful death!” Sophia was unafraid of Bruno’s threats.
Sophia decided not to mention Leo, but as soon as she did, Bruno abandoned all pretenses. He angrily ripped off the hood covering his head and shouted, “Sophia, I’m the one who kidnapped you. What can you do to me? Do you believe I’ll kill you right now?”
Even her own cousin, Bruno, was willing to harm her. Bruno had no moral qualms about threatening her life.
“Leo will definitely find me, and you won’t have a chance to regret it,” Sophia said, unshaken by Bruno’s threats.