Time: 8:17 AM. Sixteen hours and thirteen minutes left.

---

***

"Fuck!"

Ditzybitzy cursed as he slashed a belt on Ying Yue\'s back.

"Why aren\'t you screaming!? Come on! Scream. Cry. Beg us!"

Ying Yue\'s condition was pale as the men continuously kept on torturing her. Sweat covered her forehead, and her lips were trembling. But, she didn\'t make a sound. She refused to cry and scream for them because she knew that\'s what they wanted.

"This bitch is just like that other woman! She refused to cry either!"

"Just who are these freaking women! Don\'t they feel pain?"

Pain? Of course, she felt pain. Her back felt as if it was burning in lava. Every hit from the belt felt like her skin was being torn apart. But, Ying Yue was someone who was always in control of her emotions. She would always seem impassive, and that\'s what she thought today was useful to her.

If they were stubborn to hurt her, then she had decided, too, not to give them the satisfaction. Until her last breath, she won\'t provide these people with the entertainment they wanted from her.

And every time she bit her lip to bear the pain inflicted on her, Rodey felt a burning slap on his cheek. Her eyes were wet, but she didn\'t let a single tear fall.

His palm was already hurt and stabbed by his nails that he kept digging them into it. A deadly storm brew in his dark gaze and his hand was almost on his gun, seemingly wanting to shoot everybody dead.

Going against the boss…

He never knew that one day, this question would ever plague him.

Rodey shut his eyes.

*SLASH*

Every hit on her was tearing him apart from within. The resilience with which Ying Yue refused to bow down before them made him feel even more guilty. And the fact that...she wasn\'t calling out to him for his help shook his heart.

She knows that I am here, right? But, she isn\'t asking for my help. Is it because she knows that I will get into trouble?

He didn\'t know how to feel about this. She was in serious trouble herself, but she was thinking about him.

"Come on. Cry!" One of the men screamed.

"We can see blood, but it isn\'t topped with your beautiful voice."

Rodey clenched his fists.

Ying Yue kept silent.

Ditzybitzy was about to kick her in frustration, and as soon as Rodey realized that, his mouth automatically moved.

"Enough!"

Ditzybitzy got startled and almost stumbled on his foot.

Ying Yue slightly trembled, hearing his voice.

"Hey, Rodey. What happened?"

Rodey signaled a guard. "Take her away."

That got him a series of protests. "Hey! What are you doing?"

"What the hell, Rodey? Why are you taking her away?"

"Shut up, you freaks," Rodey spat, "Do you want to kill her already? You can do that if you want, but the boss is not here right now."

They went quiet at the mention of the boss.

"Just look at her. She may not scream, but she looks so pathetic and ready to cut off from this world. Are you nuts doing that when the boss isn\'t present? Have you fed your brains to the dogs, you fools? Boss personally likes to see all the victims dying, and if she breathes her last when the boss isn\'t around, then you better be ready to breathe your last too. Fucking idiots!"

That made everyone shut up. They were convinced too. Their boss was present at all times.

Now that they looked at Ying Yue, her condition seemed too pale.

Bloodygame said, "I think Rodey is right. When the boss comes back, we will kill her and that other bitch together."

They nodded their heads. They didn\'t want to do any stupid in excitement and face their boss\'s wrath. They admired and respected their boss, but they feared it too.

The guard grabbed Ying Yue\'s arm and dragged her up. He walked away with her.

The fist that Rodey clenched finally eased out, and he stared at Ying Yue with an unreadable gaze.

---

*Bai Li*

Back at the apartment where everyone was gathered, it was dead silence.

"So, they kidnapped Lei Lei?"

I heard Xin Zhen\'s grim voice from my left.

I said, "I will find her. Anyhow. I will not let anything happen to her."

"That doesn\'t mean that the boss wouldn\'t let anything happen to her."

I sensed that he was trying hard not to be anxious, but the strain in his voice gave him away.

From my right, I heard Kang Yuan say, "Xin Lei is a strong woman. I know she will persist until we come to help her. She would not give up."

I nodded. "I believe in her too. And I will find her before anything happens."

Silence.

"Xin Zhen, are you blaming yourself for sending the message?" I asked.

"Zhen, that is crazy." Shi Ruiling spoke, sounding in distress.

"I am not blaming myself."

"Don\'t lie! I can read your face like an open book!"

Then I heard Xin Nianzu\'s voice, "Zhen, this is not the time to self-blame. \'Lei Lei wouldn\'t have gone out to reply to me if I hadn\'t sent the text.\' We are wasting time with this."

It was quiet for a moment before Xin Zhen spoke, "Qi Qiang."

"Yes."

"Hack into Zhang Chao\'s security."

I smiled.

"Aye, Aye!"

I heard Qi Qiang immediately getting to work with the sound of him hitting the keyboard\'s strokes.

Five minutes later, he spoke, "Got it."

I asked, "What do you see?"

"Hah! That Zhang father-daughter were lying! The footage didn\'t go blank. They altered it temporarily just to show you two that there was no evidence. But, I can see what happened as clear as day. A man attacked sis Xin Lei from behind and put a cloth on her mouth. She tried to resist, but…"

"Chloroform." Xin Zhen said. "Then?"

"She seemed as if she was raising her hand upwards, maybe calling someone, but that man took her away."

I clenched my fingers on my trousers.

She was calling me...I knew it. I felt it. I was late...

"Calm down, Bai Li," Kang Yuan softly said, "I think I know what you are thinking, but just as Uncle said, there is no one to blame, and we don\'t have time for that either."

I took a deep breath and let it out. I nodded.

"Good."

I asked, "Qi Qiang. What happened before Xin Lei was kidnapped?"

"Wait a sec. Yes, here. Sis just stepped near the entrance, and she looked up. She stopped and looked up again and was staring for quite long towards the corridor. Then, her expression changed, and it seems like she realized something. I see her mouth moving, and it feels that she wanted to say something, but then the man covered her mouth."

"Just like what I predicted!" Liao Huifang exclaimed, "I knew it. It happened just like I thought."

Xin Nianzu said, "If it is what we are thinking, then our job becomes a bit easier."

"But bro. I don\'t understand. Where does Zhang Xiulan come into all this?"

I narrowed my eyes. "I know where she comes from, but I will tell that to you later. For now, please search some information for me."

"What is it?"

---

Time: 9:02 AM.

*Xin Lei*

Ugh…

Why is my head aching so much...it feels as if it will split apart…

I tried to open my eyes, but a sharp pain shot in my forehead.

Damn!

I tried again and slowly opened them this time. The pain lessened a bit, and I sighed in relief.

Why does the ground seem so blurry?

I blinked my eyes and tried to focus. The image became clear, and I saw an unfamiliar place.

Hm?

My feet were tied to a chair. That made me completely awake. I raised my head and looked around.

I was sitting on a chair, with my wrists and feet tied to it. The room was dark and dilapidated. A dusty smell hit my nostrils, and I sneezed.

I shut my eyes and recalled what happened.

"Hello, Xin Lei. Nice to meet you."

A robotic voice reverberated in the room.

I slightly stiffened. I slowly opened my eyes and looked at the figure hiding in the darkness.

I sneered.

"It seems that you have to say something. Oh, I forgot. You cannot talk. Poor thing. I am sorry for being insensitive."

I rolled my eyes.

Then that figure slowly kept a phone under my hand without revealing itself. The text-to-speech app was open.

I could only move my fingers, but that was enough. I typed. "First a fall, your jab at my being mute won\'t affect me. I don\'t give a shit what others think about me, especially disgusting criminals like you."

Silence.

"Secondly, don\'t bother to hide your voice. I know who you are. Come out in the light already...Zhang Ning."