221: Chapter 221 Liu Zihao's Arrival

Only then was Cao Kun satisfied. He placed the phone by Liu Ziqiang's ear, dialed Liu Zihao's number, and then taught Liu Ziqiang what to say, word by word.

The call was quickly connected, and Liu Zihao's impatient and roguish voice came from the other end.

"What is it? If there's something, say it quickly, I'm busy!"

Liu Ziqiang was trembling all over. Following what Cao Kun had taught him, he stammered, "Zihao... Dad... Dad struck it rich here... That woman... gave Dad a lot of money, and... and a big gold bracelet, it's worth a fortune..."

As soon as Liu Zihao heard "money" and "gold bracelet," he instantly perked up, and his tone changed immediately: "Real or fake? How much money? How big is the gold bracelet?"

"Fifty... fifty thousand in cash!" Liu Ziqiang said loudly, following Cao Kun's instructions.

"The gold bracelet is also very big! That woman said this gold bracelet is worth at least fifty thousand."

"But I don't know much about this, I want you to come over and take it to exchange for money."

Liu Zihao's eyes instantly widened, and his breathing became rapid.

He had long known that his father was extorting a wealthy woman in Zhongzhou. Over the past year or so, more than three hundred thousand had been continuously sent over; he was very clear about it in his heart.

He had even made up his mind long ago to exploit Zhu Li for the rest of his life, treating her as a permanent ATM, letting his father go ask for money whenever they ran out.

Now suddenly hearing there was a hundred thousand in cash and a big gold bracelet, Liu Zihao's eyes instantly gleamed, and he almost started drooling.

"Really?!" Liu Zihao pressed excitedly.

"Really! Truer than pearls!" Liu Ziqiang said hurriedly, "Hurry over, Dad is waiting for you here!"

"Fine! I'm coming right over!" Liu Zihao agreed immediately without hesitation, "Wait for me, I'll take the high-speed rail over tonight!"

He was currently short on money to buy a gift for his girlfriend. Hearing about such a large sum of money, how could he sit still?

After hanging up the phone, Liu Zihao immediately rolled out of bed, threw on some clothes, grabbed his ID card, and without even packing his luggage, rushed out the door straight to the high-speed rail station.

His mind was filled with thoughts of cash and gold bracelets. He never could have imagined that this phone call was a trap pushing both him and his father into hell together.

In the abandoned warehouse, Liu Ziqiang hung up the phone and continued to look at Cao Kun and Zhu Li blankly, not knowing what they actually wanted to do.

Meanwhile, Cao Kun and Zhu Li looked at each other, cold smiles appearing in the depths of their eyes.

They hadn't expected it to go so smoothly.

...

The sky was just beginning to brighten.

The pale blue light of dawn barely seeped through the gaps in the clouds, and the entire suburban area of Zhongzhou was still shrouded in a thin layer of morning mist.

The cold wind swirled withered yellow leaves and dust incessantly around the abandoned warehouse.

Zhu Li leaned against a cold concrete pillar inside the warehouse, having not closed her eyes all night.

Her eyes were slightly red with faint bloodshot streaks, and her face was still somewhat pale, yet her gaze held a firmness that had never been there in the previous days.

This night felt so long to her that it was as if she had crossed an entire three years.

From the desperate breakup, the determination to kill, meeting Cao Kun, confessing her secret, her fiancé's impulsive rescue, to jointly setting a trap for the enemy...

Her originally stable life, which was about to enter marriage, had been completely overturned, yet at the end of the deepest darkness, a gap leading toward the light had been forcefully torn open.

She didn't speak, but just sat quietly with her hands placed gently on her knees, her fingertips occasionally curling slightly.

Every breath allowed her to clearly realize one thing.

The demon who had tortured her for three whole years, ruined countless days and nights, and caused her to break down and want to give up on life so many times, was finally going to pay the most painful and thorough price today.

Cao Kun leaned against the opposite load-bearing pillar, resting with his eyes closed, his breathing so steady that it almost made one forget his presence.

He was waiting.

Waiting for that vicious wolf, completely consumed by greed, to walk into the hell already prepared for him.

At exactly 6:40 AM.

On the dirt road in the distance, the sound of hurried and messy footsteps finally approached from afar.

Accompanied by a young man's impatient grumbling, heavy panting, and the crisp sound of footsteps crushing withered branches.

Cao Kun slowly opened his eyes, a cold and calm light flickering in their depths.

He turned his head to look at Zhu Li, his voice kept very low but exceptionally clear.

"He's here."

Zhu Li suddenly straightened her body, her shoulders tensing slightly, and her heart instantly leaped into her throat, pounding wildly.

Liu Zihao had rushed over on the high-speed rail overnight.

He hadn't closed his eyes all night, yet he didn't feel the slightest bit sleepy. His entire face was slightly flushed with excitement, and his mind was filled with nothing but the fifty thousand in cash and the big gold bracelet.

At the thought of getting his hands on a large sum of money soon, he even walked with a swagger, his feet moving so fast he wished he could just fly into the warehouse.

On the way, he had actually been briefly puzzled.

Why would his father choose a place to collect the money that was so extremely remote and frighteningly desolate, like this abandoned warehouse?

There wasn't even a single residential building nearby, nor even a decent asphalt road.

But that bit of insignificant doubt couldn't even last a second in the face of greed.

In Liu Zihao's twenty-odd years of life, money always came first; family ties were worthless.

As long as there was money to be had, let alone a broken warehouse, even if it were a graveyard, a desolate mountain, or even a dangerous zone, he would dare to charge in without hesitation.

He walked quickly to the rusty, hole-riddled iron sheet door of the warehouse and, without any hesitation, reached out and gave it a forceful push.

"Squeak—"

The ear-piercing sound of the door hinges friction pierced the silence of the early morning.

"Dad! I'm here! Where's the money? Where's the gold bracelet? Hurry up and bring them out!"

Liu Zihao's voice was very loud, his tone arrogant and impatient.

As soon as he entered, he looked around, his gaze quickly sweeping over the empty and dark interior of the warehouse.

His vision finally fixed on Liu Ziqiang, who was tied tightly to a concrete pillar with thick hemp rope, his face bruised and swollen, blood at the corner of his mouth, looking utterly pathetic.

The excitement and urgency on Liu Zihao's face instantly froze.

"Dad? You... why are you tied up? Who made you like this?"

As soon as Liu Ziqiang saw his son appear, a strong light of survival instantly erupted in his eyes, which had been dead with despair, like a drowning person grabbing onto the last straw.

He twisted his body desperately, his bound hands and feet struggling hard, and a hoarse, urgent cry came from his throat.

"Zihao! Save me! Quick, save Dad! They are bad people! They want to kill me! Save me!"