Chapter 096: Disguised Imprisonment, an Online Computer

He had no driver’s license, but that never stopped him from driving.

After all, in his previous life, just to stay alive, he had forced his way into becoming an assistant to a top driving-school instructor, despite a body tattered and worn.

Not to mention driving itself, he had even taught himself part of car repair simply to break into the trade and make quick money.

He gripped the wheel and floored the accelerator, the violent surge pressing the three of them back into their seats.

Soon, the roar of engines rose behind them, thundering in their ears like a raging beast. At the same time, the road ahead was suddenly clogged with vehicles. Two massive freight trucks were driving side by side, sealing the way completely.

Damn it. What rotten luck.

He slapped the steering wheel and said, "Check that your seat belts are tight, then cover your heads and hunch down."

"Are you out of your mind?" Gao Ran cried, her face draining of color.

"You called me a madman. What do you think I'm going to do?"

This was someone else's turf, and besides, he did not know Takeda Kinichiro all that well.

He did not like handing his fate over to others. If surviving required it, he was willing to do anything.

The wheel jerked hard to the left, and with a bang the guardrail shattered. Zhang Tianfeng drove straight toward the sea.

Takeda Kinichiro, who had been pursuing him, was stunned. He had never imagined Zhang Tianfeng would pull a move like that. Cursing under his breath, he shouted a string of abuse and chased after him.

Beyond the scrubland lay an undeveloped beach, strewn with gravel and black reef rock. Driving across it was like competing in an off-road rally.

But the reprieve did not last. Another burst of noise erupted behind them. Zhang Tianfeng glanced sideways and caught sight of more than a dozen dune buggies racing up fast in the rearview mirror, swiftly overtaking them.

"Li Qing, your admirer really has some power behind him."

"Impossible. His family is just like mine, and they don't have any powerful relatives!" Li Qing frowned.

Takeda Kinichiro was also from the same town where Li Qing lived. His parents ran a small workshop too, surviving by taking overflow orders from factories.

With families of equal standing, how had Takeda Kinichiro suddenly managed to summon so many people? Freight trucks, and then dune buggies deployed in advance on an undeveloped beach to block the way—how much money would that take?

"Looks like we'll have to be guests at his place today."

The overtaking dune buggies scattered nails across the road ahead, forcing Zhang Tianfeng to slow down. There was no escaping today.

He stopped the car, killed the engine, and said, "Don't get out. I'll handle this."

"No, we can't let you face it alone." Gao Ran said as she unfastened her seat belt.

Zhang Tianfeng got out with a smile and shook his head. "If you don't come down, that's even better. If you do, and they see such a beautiful woman, they might get ideas I can't stop."

"Keep stalling. I don't believe your father didn't arrange people to protect you."

"Fine. Then be careful."

He shut the door, leaned against the car, and while smoking began fiddling with his pager, sending one last plea for help to the Huo family. This promised rescue, in the end, had finally been called upon.

Half a minute later, Takeda Kinichiro's car pulled up beside them.

"You bastard! Run now, then. Let's see how far you can get this time."

"I never planned to run. If you want to play, lay out the terms. I'll entertain you."

Smoking with an air of complete fearlessness, Zhang Tianfeng and Takeda Kinichiro, furious yet helpless, made it hard to tell at a glance who had surrounded whom.

"Save your breath. Come with me. A distinguished guest of the Huitian family wants to see you."

"The Huitian family?" Zhang Tianfeng narrowed his eyes. Had Huitian Yulanfang betrayed him?

Bang, bang, bang. Takeda Kinichiro hammered on the car door and shouted, "You filthy woman, in Harbor City you helped other people. Now that you're on this little island, whose side are you on?"

"Get out here. Hurry up and get out!"

"Don't hit my car!" Zhang Tianfeng called out to stop him. "If it breaks, you'll be paying for it."

"You can't even save yourself and you're still giving me orders? You're tired of living?"

Damn it. Just a messenger boy, and you really think you're the boss.

Zhang Tianfeng was in no mood to indulge him. He had already been bottling up a bellyful of anger, and now at last he had an excuse to strike.

He drove a kick into Takeda Kinichiro's waist, sending him crashing to the ground, and then followed with a fierce, relentless beating.

"Damn, Ranran, your boyfriend is amazing!" Li Qing stared in shock.

Takeda Kinichiro had brought so many people, yet Zhang Tianfeng still dared lay hands on him. That was beyond simple courage.

"He is a madman. He always does things crazily."

Though she said that, Gao Ran was still deeply worried. She had not heard their conversation clearly outside the car, but she knew Zhang Tianfeng was only trying to buy time.

But where were the reinforcements his father had sent? Where were they? They had been stopped here for over ten minutes now. Why still no sign of them?

"Stop! Stop hitting me, stop!"

Young and full of strength, Zhang Tianfeng had grown up helping his parents with farm work. His arms were powerful, and Takeda Kinichiro could not resist him; all he could do was beg for mercy.

"If you'd begged sooner, wouldn't that have been better? Remember this: don't put on airs in front of me, or I'll beat you again."

Panting, Zhang Tianfeng turned to the dune buggy drivers. "Which one of you is in charge? I'm tired and need somewhere to rest. Take me to see your boss."

"Mr. Zhang, please get in. The boss has been waiting for you for a long time."

With the two girls in tow, he boarded the dune buggy and left the undeveloped coastal stretch. Once they reached the highway, they transferred to another sedan and drove onward.

Only then did Zhang Tianfeng realize the dune buggies had come down from those two freight trucks. As for the road behind them, it had already been blocked by a traffic accident.

This had been an "invitation" prepared in advance. Aside from being followed, Zhang Tianfeng even began to suspect Ding Yan—otherwise, why had that man suddenly returned, only to leave again in his wake?

A miscalculation.

He sighed inwardly and looked ahead, considering how he should deal with Huitian Yulanfang next.

About half an hour later, they entered a seaside mansion.

The overall decor was white, and paired with the blue sea in the distance, it created a distinctive elegance.

The drivers could only drop them off outside. Even Takeda Kinichiro was not permitted to go in; he could only gesture politely and watch as the three of them entered.

Inside, the space was vast. A seamless floor-to-ceiling window, five meters high and ten meters wide, filled the room, offering a distant view of the sea. The furniture and interior style all exuded luxury.

Thump, thump, thump. Footsteps came from upstairs. The three of them instinctively looked up and saw a white-haired old man descending the stairs with the support of a maid.

"It is him!"

"You know him?" Zhang Tianfeng turned and saw that Li Qing was covering her mouth, eyes full of surprise.

"His name is Huitian Dafu. He is second in the Huitian family hierarchy and Huitian Yulanfang's granduncle."

"Damn, another big shot!"

Zhang Tianfeng had always assumed Huitian Yulanfang was the one behind the attack. He had never expected an even bigger figure to emerge.

The old man had already gone completely white-haired, yet still had the leisure to keep a maid by his side. He certainly had a young heart.

"You flatter me, young friend. I'm just an old man with half his body already in the grave. I am not nearly so formidable."

Well now, another one who spoke Chinese. Just how many years had the Huitian family spent living in the country?

Zhang Tianfeng paused before asking, "What did you bring me here for?"

"I have heard that you are a guest of the Huo family. At present, the Huitian family is in peril and urgently needs the Huo family's support. So I took the liberty of inviting you here."

Since it was urgent, that meant they were asking for help.

Zhang Tianfeng sat on the sofa, crossed one leg over the other, and said, "Your niece made the same request to me."

"I know. That is precisely why I invited you—to keep you from helping her." Huitian Dafu came over and said.

"Huitian Yulanfang was far more polite than you. Do you know you nearly drove me to jump into the sea?"

"And what is it the young friend wants?"

"Good food and drink, money, and material rewards. I want it all."

"So long as you can bring the Huo family over, I will agree to every condition you name, including that matter involving my niece."

The old fox knew quite a lot.

That same answer only made Zhang Tianfeng more displeased. The first man had been arrogant and overbearing; the second was a smiling fox with a belly full of crooked schemes.

Seeing that Zhang Tianfeng remained silent, Huitian Dafu said, "Young friend, since you have made the journey all the way to this little island, you may as well rest here for a few days."

"There is an infinity pool in front of the villa, where you may swim as you please in the sea breeze. Behind the house, there is a forest where you can hunt and roast wild game."

"The rooms upstairs are yours to use freely. Three meals a day will be taken care of. Treat this place like a luxury hotel and rest well."

"Once I have settled matters within the clan, I will need to trouble you to act as go-between and introduce me to the Huo family's honored guest."

He had turned confinement into a holiday. Only this thick-skinned old bastard could say such a thing.

Still, that was not entirely bad. At the very least, their lives were temporarily safe. So long as they were alive, there were endless possibilities.

When they came in, all their communication devices had already been confiscated, even their identification papers taken as well.

With such a large house, there was no reason not to have a landline or something similar.

He should look around. Maybe there would be an unexpected discovery.

"You two rest for a bit. I'm going to take a look around."

"Madman, don't do anything rash," Gao Ran warned.

That wild ride had frightened her. At first it had been thrilling, but now that she thought back on it, she still felt lingering fear.

The three of them were trapped now, and she was truly afraid Zhang Tianfeng might do something unwise.

"I'm not stupid. Don't worry."

Earlier, he had resisted because he had not guessed anyone stood behind Takeda Kinichiro. Now that he knew there was a bigger boss behind all this, what was the point of making a scene?

The downstairs living room was a huge wall of seamless glass, and each room upstairs had an oversized floor-to-ceiling window that looked out over the surrounding grounds.

He wandered around once. Within sight, there were no extra buildings anywhere, as though he had stepped into an untouched forest.

All he could hope for now was that the Huo family would trace his trail and come quickly. The longer it dragged on, the greater the chance they would lose him.

He kept looking. When he opened the last room at the end of the corridor, a plain, unadorned atmosphere washed over him.

It seemed to be a study, and there was even an old-style computer monitor.

Following the cable forward, Zhang Tianfeng's eyes lit up.

This computer seemed to be connected to the internet.