188: Chapter 188 International Espionage

...

Luke, Sophia, and the others were horrified.

Looking at these four black waterproof bags, how could Luke not understand? Inside were the four brothers of the Yamanouchi family. Was this the company's efficiency? He had barely left when they were kidnapped and brought here.

Sure enough, after untying one of the bags, the face revealed was indeed Yamanouchi Naoki.

After several basins of pond water were splashed on them, the four bound men slowly regained consciousness.

"W-Where is this?"

The cold water from the basin splashed onto his face, the chill making Yamanouchi Naoki snap his eyes open. He looked at everything before him in terror and unease. He tried to move his limbs, only to find his entire body bound by ropes, unable to budge.

Immediately after, Yamanouchi Naoki spotted Luke and Sophia standing to the side. His expression shifted from shock to rage. "It's you! Damn it, let me go!"

Yamanouchi Naoki's eyes bulged with fury, his muscles tensing as he tried to break free from the ropes. But no matter how he struggled, the hemp ropes didn't budge an inch.

Luke had never encountered such a scene before and felt somewhat at a loss. He finally understood what the "conservative measures" Zhou Hui had mentioned really meant.

A heavy slap sent Yamanouchi Naoki's angry curses back down his throat.

Zhou Hui stood before him at some unknown point, his tone flat. "Be quiet. I haven't questioned you yet. You're too noisy."

The slap was full of force, and a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of Yamanouchi Naoki's mouth. He stared at Zhou Hui in shock, as if unable to believe someone would dare treat him this way.

The other three Yamanouchi brothers were now fully awake. Seeing the situation, Yamanouchi Masato remained relatively calm, while the other two were trembling all over. They had actually been kidnapped on their own turf.

"Yamanouchi Masato, right?" Zhou Hui walked up to the eldest middle-aged man, looking down at him. "I heard you rejected our acquisition negotiations?"

Despite being bound, Yamanouchi Masato maintained the posture of a martial artist. He straightened his back. "That is our right. But I didn't expect that your side would actually violate business ethics and use such despicable methods."

Zhou Hui nodded and pulled a sharp pocketknife from his breast. The blade glinted with a faint light in the sun.

Ignoring the commotion from the others, Zhou Hui pressed the blade against Yamanouchi Masato's collar and said, "A week ago, did you hire over a dozen international spies to go to Binhai City in the Central Continent to attempt to kidnap a man named Lin Tianxiong? As far as I know, he is our boss's father."

"Did you intend to use threats like that to obtain data on the Journey VR headset and other untold secrets?"

Hearing Zhou Hui's words, Yamanouchi Masato's pupils contracted sharply, but he still forced himself to remain calm. "I don't understand what you're talking about."

"It seems you're a bit forgetful. I can help you remember."

Zhou Hui sneered, took out his phone from his pocket, and after a few taps, turned it toward Yamanouchi Masato.

Yamanouchi Masato was horrified. The content on the screen was exactly the conversation between him and the contact person for that famous spy organization:

"I need you to help me kidnap someone."

"Name, location."

"Lin Tianxiong, Central Continent Coastal Sea."

Half an hour later, the contact person replied, "Fine, but I want 30 million USD."

"Deal."

Below that was the latest news from two days ago about the failed operation.

"Mr. Yamanouchi, things are getting tricky. The agents we sent lost contact after entering Coastal Sea. We've lost eight elite agents so far. I feel something is wrong. I'm refunding your commission now; you should find someone else..."

"What happened? Isn't your company's agent professionalism world-class?"

The contact person sent back a bitter-smile emoji.

"Mr. Yamanouchi, for the sake of our years of cooperation, I suggest you also immediately stop all related actions and... pray for yourself. The other party's power is likely far beyond our imagination. We're going on the run too..."

The conversation ended abruptly there.

No matter how much Yamanouchi Masato questioned them, the other party didn't respond.

After reading it, Yamanouchi Masato's face turned ashen.

"Remember now?" Zhou Hui gestured with the knife against his face, the cold blade sliding across the skin, causing a shiver. Suddenly, Zhou Hui exerted force, and the blade flashed.

A bloody ear fell to the ground.

"Aah—!"

A scream rang out. Due to the pain, Yamanouchi Masato involuntarily curled up, writhing on the ground.

But then, a large hand grabbed his hair, violently pulling up his distorted face and forcing him to meet Zhou Hui's cold eyes. "Your choice is clear. You can only agree to our acquisition, or I'll carve you into a human jar. Any objections?"

Seeing that he didn't answer immediately, Zhou Hui picked up the knife and aimed it at Yamanouchi Masato's other ear.

"No! I agree, I agree!" Yamanouchi Masato screamed in terror, tears and snot flowing. His previous dignity had vanished under the threat of excruciating pain and death. But Zhou Hui still acted, and the other ear fell to the ground.

Yamanouchi Masato let out a subhuman wail, his whole body writhing frantically on the ground. Blood poured continuously from both sides of his head. His three brothers were now pale as ghosts; looking at their eldest brother's miserable state, not one of them dared to make a sound.

"Bastard! Bastard! I said I agree... why are you still doing this to me!" Under Zhou Hui's torture, Yamanouchi Masato was on the verge of a breakdown.

Zhou Hui's gaze turned cold. The tip of the knife in his hand instantly pressed against Yamanouchi Masato's Adam's apple, slicing slightly into the skin. Zhou Hui said coldly, "Say one more word, and I'll slit your throat."

Yamanouchi Masato trembled violently all over, but he didn't dare say another word.

Zhou Hui withdrew the knife and walked toward the dumbfounded Luke and Sophia. "Do you have the agreements on you?"

His voice pulled Luke and Sophia back to reality from their immense shock.

Sophia looked at the blood-stained ground before her, her hands shaking violently as she stammered, "Yes... in my bag."

"Don't be nervous. It's their own fault for standing in the company's way."

After taking the agreements, Zhou Hui offered a word of comfort. This made Luke and Sophia feel a slight sense of relief, and they nodded repeatedly toward Zhou Hui, agreeing with strained, forced smiles.

Zhou Hui: ...

He looked at the two of them, pretending to be calm while unable to stop trembling, and was momentarily speechless.

These agreements had sufficient terms—share transfer prices, Party A's signatures and seals... everything was ready. As long as the Yamanouchi brothers signed them individually and the agreements were notarized at the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the shares under their names would officially change hands.

Zhou Hui walked up to Yamanouchi Masato and the others with the agreements and said, "You can sign now. Be careful. If you get them dirty, I'm in no mood to prepare another set."