Chapter 1230 — The Bargaining

"Dad, I love you. If there's a next life, I'll still be your daughter... Tell my hubby Wei Zhao that I love him too — if there's a next life, I'll still be his little wife... Tell sister Tang Yun and... mmm — don't you cover my mouth — mmm—" Feng Xiaoxiao struggled, arms and legs flailing.

"Fine, then talk — go on and talk!" The man snatched up a towel and stuffed it into Feng Xiaoxiao's mouth, gagging her tight!

Only when Feng Xiaoxiao's voice had finally fallen silent did the man, face dark as a thundercloud, pick up the phone, seething with rage. Damn it all — was there anyone left in this world who wasn't afraid of dying? He himself was a man sworn to die, so naturally he didn't count; but was Feng Xiaoxiao one too?

The man was fit to burst with fury. The situation had been going so well, so overwhelmingly in his favor, and now this death-defying declaration of Feng Xiaoxiao's had him more than a little rattled.

"Feng Tianlong, you can be certain now that your daughter is in my hands, can't you?" The man's voice was tightly restrained. "The little girl's watched too many heroics on the screen — her brain's gone soft. You won't simply stand by and watch your daughter walk to her death, will you?"

"Give me time to think it over." Feng Tianlong sighed. "This isn't a decision I can make on my own. Your second-in-command has already been handed over to Yanjing — I have to call my superiors for instructions."

"I don't care whether you can make decisions or not — all I want is results!" the man declared, leaving no room for argument. "I'm giving you two hours; more than enough to negotiate. If there's still no word after two hours, I'll trigger the bomb and blow your daughter up with me. Of course, I'll die too."

"Wait — two hours won't do. It's too tight. It's after hours right now; I can't guarantee there'll be any result within two hours." Feng Tianlong stopped the man from hanging up.

"Very well, then I'll extend it a little — three hours ought to be all right, surely?" The man nodded as he spoke. Time was no great matter to him; as long as Feng Tianlong was genuinely negotiating on his end, giving him a little extra time did no harm. He had come to do this with his mind already made up to die, after all — he wasn't afraid of whatever Feng Tianlong might try.

"Make it five hours." Feng Tianlong glanced at his watch. "Five hours, and I'll give you your answer. You know I don't want my daughter dead — I need all the time I can get to work things."

"Deal!" Hearing this, the man felt a weight lift from his chest. How many hours was never the point; what mattered was that Feng Tianlong, asking for more time, plainly had no intention of giving up his daughter's life — he meant to save her. And the more it was so, the happier the man grew. His one fear had been that Feng Tianlong might not care about Feng Xiaoxiao.

That said, the man wasted no more breath and simply hung up.

"Phew—" Feng Tianlong let out a long breath, his heart in utter turmoil. Especially those last few words of his daughter's — he felt a wild urge to burst into tears. How understanding the girl was! She had refused to make things hard for him; she had already made her peace with dying.

But how could he bring himself to watch his daughter walk to her death?

"Captain, we've traced their position. The signal originates from the Qianhua Riverside compound, high-rise building A-19 — the exact floor isn't clear yet, but our scouts are already on the scene running a signal sweep. We should have the answer shortly." Li Yifeng reported everything he had learned so far to Feng Tianlong.

"Understood. Xiao Li, keep monitoring — alert me the moment there's news." Feng Tianlong nodded. The man had made it plain he didn't care about being tracked; so unless Feng Tianlong's expectations were wrong, it should be easy enough to lock onto the direction the phone signal was broadcasting from, and an answer should come at once.

But even knowing the man's location now, what good did it do him? The man feared no death whatsoever, and the moment he died, the bomb would go off along with him. This was a hedgehog that could not be touched — not only was a sniper's bullet out of the question, they had to ensure this man's absolute safety.

Otherwise not only would his daughter lose her life, the entire building would be leveled in an instant. Feng Tianlong knew Qianhua Riverside — one of the most upscale compounds in Songshan City, its residents nothing if not rich and powerful. Should a massive explosion occur there, the fallout on society would be enormous.

In that moment, Feng Tianlong truly could not choose. Left with no alternative, he could only report to his superiors. The matter was far too big: releasing the man was something he could not endorse, yet the consequences of not releasing him would be dire — all of it could only be left for the Director to decide.

"Director Xia, this is Feng Tianlong..." Burdened by a heavy heart, Feng Tianlong reported the sudden emergency on his end to Director Xia...

On the other end, Director Xia did not answer at once either; he told Feng Tianlong to first evacuate the building's other residents, and that everything else would be settled after he convened a meeting.

"Now, Xiao Feng, don't you worry too much. Rest assured — from a personal standpoint, I don't want anything to happen to Xiao Xiao. After all, she is the only bloodline you and Susu have, and Susu was one of our old agents here; I can't very well let her die with her eyes unclosed, can I?" Director Xia comforted Feng Tianlong. "But this Bureau of Mysterious Investigation isn't run by me alone — some matters must be discussed at a meeting."

"I understand, Director Xia. Whatever the final outcome, I will comply without question," Feng Tianlong said.

"Good. Don't go brooding over it. Now time is short — I'm going to summon everyone for a meeting," Director Xia said.

Feng Tianlong hung up and sank back into his chair, a trace of tragic heroism in his eyes; in that moment, he seemed to have aged by many years.

"Captain, please don't worry yourself sick either. Why not give Brother Wei a call — perhaps he'll have some idea?" Li Yifeng suggested.

Li Yifeng knew very well what Wei Zhao was capable of: not only a brilliant physician, but a formidable fighter besides. Last time, it had been Wei Zhao who took the Red Conch's second-in-command. Perhaps Wei Zhao had some trick up his sleeve — who could say?

"Yes, I ought to tell him about this — after all, he is Xiao Xiao's boyfriend." Feng Tianlong nodded and picked up the phone.

Had this been any time before yesterday, Feng Tianlong might not have told Wei Zhao at all, for his understanding with Wei Zhao had been that Wei Zhao would merely play Feng Xiaoxiao's boyfriend — not truly be one.

But after witnessing Wei Zhao treat Feng Xiaoxiao yesterday, Feng Tianlong understood: Wei Zhao had truly fallen for Xiao Xiao, and did not regard his own role as that of a pretend boyfriend. And Tang Yun had generously acquiesced to all of it. This filled Feng Tianlong with delighted surprise, yet his heart grew heavy as well — it had laid one more burden on Wei Zhao's shoulders for nothing.

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