Chapter 135: Kidnapping

The end of August in the Magic City was sweltering. During the day, the sons and daughters of wealthy families stayed indoors, leaving only those struggling to make ends meet to toil under the scorching sun.

At a little past eight in the morning, Li Wensheng, once again disguised as a dock worker, crouched at the corner of a three-way intersection next to the French Concession police station. He looked up every now and then, scanning his surroundings like any ordinary citizen waiting for someone. It was a busy thoroughfare with streetcar tracks, and while private cars were rare in this era, a few still rattled through the intersection from time to time.

Around 8:40, Li Wensheng stood up, smiling as if he had spotted his target. No sooner had he stepped onto the asphalt than his demeanor underwent a radical transformation. The dull, simple-minded air he had projected vanished, replaced by a sharp, piercing intensity. Even clad in coarse, homespun cloth, he radiated a formidable spirit.

As the few passersby nearby stared in bewilderment, Li Wensheng drew a pistol from his waistband.

"Ah!"

Several panicked screams rang out simultaneously, and the small crowd scattered in terror. As others nearby turned toward the sound, Li Wensheng fired at a sedan that had just reached the intersection.

*Bang!*

The bullet struck the driver in the right shoulder.

*Bang!*

A second shot hit the hood. Seeing Li Wensheng standing directly in front of the vehicle, the driver gritted his teeth and jerked the steering wheel to the left, veering onto the side street.

*Bang, bang...*

After firing a few shots at the rear of the car, Li Wensheng ceased fire as the vehicle disappeared down the side street and began to run after it. While cars of that era were reasonably fast if the road permitted, the driver’s panic-induced lead-foot made the vehicle move with surprising speed. Li Wensheng couldn't catch up, nor did he intend to—he kept his pace steady, like that of an average runner.

By the time he reached the side street, the sedan was already hundreds of meters away, nearing the next junction.

*CRASH!*

A sedan suddenly surged out from the cross street on the right, T-boning the target vehicle. The impact sent the fast-moving sedan rolling over.

Seeing this, Li Wensheng accelerated. When he arrived, Chen Wenqi was already climbing out of the car that had ambushed the target.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Chen Wenqi, looking slightly dizzy, gave a small shake of her head.

Seeing no blood on her, Li Wensheng sighed with relief and crouched to inspect the overturned sedan. In the back seat, Hynes, the Chief Inspector of the French Concession police station, was already unconscious.

The driver in the front was still conscious but barely moving; the lethargy of his movements suggested he was nearly out as well.

*CRASH!*

Li Wensheng smashed the rear window with his fist and hauled the nearly two-hundred-pound Hynes out. Chen Wenqi retrieved rope and duct tape from the trunk of her car, and they bound him securely. Li Wensheng fished a note from his pocket, tossed it into the back seat of the crashed car, and then lugged Hynes over to Chen Wenqi’s vehicle, dumping him in the back.

By now, officers were approaching, blowing their whistles.

*Bang, bang!*

Li Wensheng fired two casual shots into the air, sending the baton-wielding officers scurrying for cover. With the police sufficiently intimidated, Li and Chen sped away.

Upon reaching the street near their safe house, Li Wensheng stopped the car to scout the area. The sun was brutal, and the side street was nearly deserted, save for a few pedestrians who happened to be nearby. After a moment’s thought, Li Wensheng stepped out with his pistol and fired a shot into the air. The pedestrians, terrified, scattered instantly.

Once the street was clear, Li Wensheng retrieved Hynes from the back seat and hauled him toward the safe house. Inside, he opened the trapdoor and tossed Hynes in. Chen Wenqi threw two cold steamed buns into the hole and grabbed a bowl to fetch water from the kitchen.

She placed the bowl of water on the floor of the secret passage. Li Wensheng tore the tape from the mouth of the prisoner inside—Malone—and untied his hands. Malone, who had clearly lost a significant amount of weight, pounced on the buns like a starving refugee, devouring them ravenously. Once finished, he drank the water and submissively extended his hands to be bound again.

Malone no longer begged for mercy; the suffering he had endured over the past few days had broken him. Li and Chen’s policy was strict: food and water were provided every other day. Any complaint or disobedience meant being tied up and left for two more days with the same stale rations. If he begged for mercy after eating, the next interval would be extended to three days. Malone lived in terror of that hunger; he dared not speak a word.

Closing the trapdoor, Li Wensheng turned to Chen Wenqi in the courtyard. "That cabaret dancer is a coward. One look at my gun and she’ll follow me like a lamb. You don't need to come along for that one."

It had taken days to map out the police station and track Hynes’s daily routine, and Li Wensheng had been ready to strike. Chen Wenqi, however, had insisted that if they were going to kidnap them, they should do it all in one day. Even if they staged it as a ransom kidnapping, targeting the Chief Inspector would inevitably raise suspicions, and the Japanese might catch on. It was best to get it all done at once. Li Wensheng agreed, holding off on Hynes until they had tracked all four targets.

He hadn't wanted Chen Wenqi involved in the actual field operations; he preferred she wait at the hotel. But before he could suggest it, she had laid out the plans she had tailored for each target—plans that required her direct participation.

"Are you an idiot?"

After nearly a month together, Chen Wenqi had become more outgoing, often saying and doing things typical of a young woman her age. Yet, this sudden outburst of frustration left Li Wensheng bewildered.

"What did I do?"

"You're just being silly. Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. You think I have no field capability and that I'm only insisting on participating to save face. But think about the plans! The kidnapping of Hynes was staged as a robbery; if you’d shown off your marksmanship, anyone would know it was the work of a trained professional, not a common thug. And for Feng Jingyun, the plan relies on a romantic dispute. If I’m not there, how is a man supposed to manufacture a romantic scandal with her? She doesn't have an official partner; if you approach her as a boyfriend accusing her of flirting, they’ll see through it immediately."

Chen Wenqi finished her tirade, slapped his arm hard, and marched toward the door.

Li Wensheng felt a pang of regret. He realized he had been so focused on keeping her out of danger that he hadn't truly listened to the logic behind her planning.

"I was wrong, I’m sorry," he said, catching up to her. "I was overthinking it. I apologize."

"I’m competitive, yes, but I’m not delusional," she retorted. "If I couldn't handle the task, I wouldn't force myself to be a burden."

"You aren't a burden. My perspective was flawed."

"So you think I'm competitive and you're just humoring me? That means you still look down on me."

"No, not at all! I just thought we should divide the labor. My combat skills are better, and you’re the clever one. I handle the action, you handle the strategy."

"Li Wensheng, you blockhead! You’re just trying to coddle my curiosity!"

Chen Wenqi was genuinely angry, so much so that her regional accent slipped out.

"No, really, I just wanted a division of labor. Look, I’ve been following your plans to the letter, haven't I?"

As they walked to the car, continuing the argument, Chen Wenqi’s anger finally began to subside.