298: Chapter 298 Kidnapping

Putting on his best suit and tying his tie, Lansem meticulously cleaned himself from head to toe before waiting in his room with an anxious heart.

In the phone call he had just finished, the other party only said that someone would pick him up in ten minutes and that they would discuss things when they met before hanging up.

Dull pains occasionally pulsed in his chest, reminding Lansem of the reality of his late-stage lung cancer, but at this moment, that bit of pain had long been suppressed by the anticipation in his heart.

Lansem felt as if his originally dead heart had been struck by a spark and then doused with several buckets of gasoline, instantly igniting into a roaring flame.

At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.

Standing outside the door were two men dressed in custom black suits, their figures as straight as pines, each wearing a portable communicator on their ear.

"Mr. Duval, please come with us."

Lansem took a deep breath, making an effort to straighten his back which had been hunched from pain, and followed the two men out of the rented apartment.

Lansem's rented apartment was located in the northeast corner of the city, an area mostly inhabited by commoners. However, in this ordinary street today, a luxury sedan had abruptly appeared, causing many people to watch secretly and whisper among themselves.

Lansem sized up the sedan and suddenly felt it was somewhat familiar, though he couldn't recall why at the moment.

One of the men in suits opened the rear door for Lansem. A cold fragrance wafted out, and Lansem saw someone already in the back seat. He hesitated for a moment but ultimately bent over and sat inside.

The interior of the car was very spacious. The soft leather seats enveloped his entire body, and the wool carpet beneath his feet was thick and fluffy; stepping on it produced almost no sound.

In the partition in the center of the cabin was a small constant-temperature wine cabinet, neatly holding several bottles of red wine and champagne. Lansem only needed one glance to recognize that one of them was a top vintage that he couldn't have bought even during his peak years.

The vehicle slowly started moving.

After Lansem sat steadily, a middle-aged man sitting inside wearing a tailcoat with meticulously combed hair smiled and said, "Hello, Mr. Duval. I am the butler of the Sackler Family. You may call me Finn."

This middle-aged man named Finn had a gentle voice. After speaking, he skillfully took out a goblet and casually opened a bottle of precious champagne, completely unconcerned by its value.

The mellow aroma of wine instantly filled the cabin, carrying the unique fragrance of black cherries.

"Mr. Duval, it will take a while to reach our destination. You might as well have a small taste."

Lansem thanked him and took the wine glass, but his heart was in turmoil. It was actually the Sackler Family. No wonder the car looked so familiar; he had seen it while attending a banquet where he had been nothing more than a minor character.

The power of the Sackler Family in the Americas was obvious to all, but the problem now was: hadn't the invitation come from Third-Party Technology? How did the Sackler Family get involved?

Lansem gave a bitter smile and voiced his confusion. Facing this question, the butler only gave a mysterious smile and said he would naturally understand once they reached the destination.

The former did not dare to probe further.

In this manner, the car sped all the way toward the outskirts. The scenery outside the window gradually changed from crowded commoner neighborhoods to rolling green fields and dense forests.

After a while, the sedan slowly drove into an avenue lined with tall hemlock trees. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground. At the end of the road, a magnificent manor gradually came into view.

This luxurious appearance spoke to the prosperity of the Sackler Family. There were even rumors that its founder, Noah Sackler, was still alive in the world.

After many twists and turns, the sedan finally came to a slow stop in front of the main entrance of a pure white building. Two attendants were already waiting there and respectfully opened the car doors.

The butler, Finn, led Lansem inside, arriving at a room at the very end.

"Lord Noah, Lord Lin Fang, gentlemen, Lansem has arrived."

After Finn finished speaking, he turned and withdrew without a moment's delay. The heavy solid wood door closed behind him, cutting off all the noise from the outside. In the circular reception area of the room, several figures were sitting on sofas.

"Mr. Duval, welcome to my manor. Come over, come closer."

The voice was aged yet full of vigor, carrying a majesty seasoned by time. Lansem looked toward the sound, and upon seeing the speaker clearly, he was startled and almost lost his composure on the spot. "You... you are Mr. Noah Sackler."

"It seems my reputation still counts for something," Noah chuckled, raising his hand to signal Lansem to sit. "No need to be formal. Please, sit."

Lansem sat on the sofa with some trepidation. By this time, he also noticed the other figures present. These individuals were actually all heads of top American financial magnates: the James Family, the Ryder Family, the Chernov Family...

These people were sizing Lansem up.

Lansem couldn't tell if he was even breathing; he only dared to sit on a third of the seat.

At this moment, Noah looked toward a black-haired youth who was calmly watching everything from the side and said respectfully:

"Lord Chairman, I have brought the person you wanted. Won't you say something?"

Lord Chairman?

Lansem's heart jolted violently, and his gaze instantly fixed on this youth who appeared to be from the East.

The youth before him was definitely no older than twenty-five. He sat on the sofa right next to Noah, in a position that seemed even slightly more distinguished than that of the legendary founder.

As if sensing his gaze, the youth looked at him with a smile, revealing a set of white teeth so bright that Lansem would have nightmares about them to this day.

"Mr. Duval, let me introduce myself. My name is Lin Fang, the founder of Third-Party Technology. I was the one who invited you just now. Even though you hung up on me several times, I am still glad you could come..."

—

With a shiver, Lansem snapped out of the trance of his memories. The coffee on the desk had long since gone cold.

The setting sun outside was shining through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the top floor, spilling over a custom office desk worth a hundred thousand US dollars. The nameplate on the desk indicated his current status: Head of the American Branch of Third-Party Biotechnology.

A whole year had passed since that manor meeting that changed his life. From that moment on, everything had taken a turn for the better.

It was already evening. Lansem looked at his watch and smiled, deciding to go home first. Tomorrow, he would talk with the American government about land for the new factory; the company's production capacity needed to be further expanded.

Humming an unknown song, Lansem went downstairs where his driver was already waiting.

After getting into the car, the vehicle headed straight for Lansem's home. But as they drove, Lansem felt something was wrong. "Wade, is there a car following us the whole time?"

In the rearview mirror, a black car followed like a shadow.

"I don't know, sir," a voice Lansem had never heard before came from the driver's seat, making Lansem's scalp tingle.

"You're not Wade! Who are you!"