Strongest Soldier King

"The kidnappers have made countless demands, but I've never heard of them asking someone to stay in a hotel. I suspect we've influenced something about the kidnappers, or maybe they are wary of us," Luo Zheng analyzed thoughtfully, his eyes gleaming with a restrained fierceness, gradually regaining his usual calm and rationality. The more he thought about it, the more he felt the situation aligned with his analysis.

"The Song family kidnapping?" Lan Xue, calming down from her anger, followed Luo Zheng's line of thought and asked in surprise.

"It's a possibility." Luo Zheng suddenly felt enlightened, as if Lan Xue's words had pierced through the thick fog, and he couldn't help but say, "The kidnappers intend to target the Song family, but they are wary of us, so they abducted Lan Xing to force us to stay at the hotel and not interfere in anything. That's probably it. But why are they wary of us? Could it be an old acquaintance?"

"An old acquaintance? Who could it be?" Lan Xue asked, surprised.

"There's too little intel to say." Luo Zheng sank back into thought. Lan Xue, knowing his habits, did not disturb him, controlling her anxious emotions and patiently waiting. After a short while, Luo Zheng continued, "There's a question: why three days? Could it be that the kidnappers intend to resolve things with the Song family within three days?"

"That's possible. While it's inconvenient for us to intervene, we could have Shi Feng follow up, or tell my grandfather to dispatch the Intelligence Team to follow up," Lan Xue suggested sternly.

"We can proceed with both," Luo Zheng agreed with a nod.

"Alright, you contact Shi Feng, and I'll call my grandfather to have someone check the room. I refuse to believe someone could be kidnapped without a sound and no trace left," Lan Xue replied, heading to the inner room to make the call.

Luo Zheng dialed Shi Feng's number, and once it was connected, he asked, "Any updates on the Song family kidnapping case?"

"Not at the moment. We're not allowed to investigate, so there's been no progress," Shi Feng replied awkwardly.

"Let me know as soon as you hear anything." Luo Zheng felt he might not find clues from Shi Feng. After hanging up, he saw Lan Xue come out from the inner room and asked, "How did it go?"

"Grandfather is arranging for us to stay at the hotel temporarily to ensure my sister is safe," Lan Xue said.

Luo Zheng agreed. The two continued to analyze the case but couldn't make headway. After a while, someone knocked on the door. Lan Xue went to open it, checked the visitor's credentials, and let them in. Luo Zheng saw a group of young men and women enter, who then put down the case they carried and put on white gloves, taking various devices out of the case to begin their examination.

Luo Zheng was interested in these high-tech devices used for trace examination and observed from the side. Before long, the two finished with their equipment, exchanged a few whispers, and the man came over, saluted Lan Xue, and said, "Preliminary examination found that there were two people involved. They used a tube to release smoke through the door crack. The door was opened automatically, so they either had a key or hacked it open. No traces were left in the room, nor were there any surveillance devices."

"Smoke?" Lan Xue was startled and looked towards the door. Curious, she walked over and, under the man's guidance, indeed saw evidence of something having been inserted under the door, which she hadn't noticed before. Standing up, she looked at Luo Zheng.

Luo Zheng thought for a moment and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

The two tidied up, greeted them, and left. Lan Xue explained, "They're from the Intelligence Team's Identification Section. Their conclusions on site trace examination are credible. It seems the opponents are stronger than we imagined, likely professionals, suggesting they might be professional assassins, mercenaries, or special agents. There's no reason without cause for agents to kidnap a hostage for ransom, making the possibility of assassins and mercenaries very high."

"You're making sense," Luo Zheng said as he closed the door, sitting down to ponder. He felt that the series of incidents had a familiar air but couldn't pinpoint it. Suddenly, he heard Lan Xue's phone ring, and he looked over in surprise.

Lan Xue took out her phone, hurriedly answered, listened for a while, and then hung up. "The Intelligence Team has reported that there's abnormal activity in the Song family's overseas accounts, as if they're pooling funds. It seems the Song family has compromised, which is illogical."

"What makes you say that?" Luo Zheng asked in surprise.

"The kidnap victim is Song Tao's wife. In the eyes of a large family, a woman is merely a tool for political alliances. It's impossible to harm the core interests of the family for a daughter-in-law. One hundred million dollars isn't a small amount. The Song family could handle it publicly, portraying an image of not resting until the kidnappers are caught, which would satisfy the hostage's family, showcase their strength, and even gain some political advantage. There's no reason to compromise so quickly; at the least, they should maintain a strong stance for a few days before caving under pressure. There's definitely something unspeakable going on in the Song family, a desire to pay for the trouble to go away," Lan Xue analyzed.

Luo Zheng had no knowledge or interest in the entanglements of big families, but he was intrigued by what Lan Xue mentioned later, so he asked, "The Song family paying to avoid disaster? Interesting. Are you suggesting the kidnappers are targeting the Song family because of a conflict between them?"

"Just a guess, but it's possible," Lan Xue said, immersing herself in thought.

Luo Zheng also reflected. The situation was too peculiar. A family as powerful as the Song family certainly had the capability to retaliate, yet they seemed to make no show of it and chose to comply immediately, even ordering the police not to intervene. Wasn't this an intentional cover-up? Thinking of this, Luo Zheng became more curious and said, "If we intervene in the Song family and the kidnappers' dealings, would the kidnappers fall out with the Song family?"

"Entirely possible, but my sister is in the kidnappers' hands," Lan Xue said angrily.

"Yes, it seems the kidnappers thought of this too, so they abducted Lan Xing. We're getting closer to the truth, but all we can do is worry. Our opponents are formidable, almost anticipating every step. I don't care about the Song family's money; if there's a deal, so be it, but the opponent is too arrogant; we must prepare for a counter-attack," Luo Zheng said, furious.

At that moment, the hotel phone suddenly rang. Luo Zheng was startled, glanced at Lan Xue, who shook her head indicating she didn't know, and he stepped forward to pick up the phone and put it to his ear. An electronic synthesized voice sounded: "If you dare to engage in covert actions again, this is a warning due to no harm being done. Cease your investigation immediately, or prepare to collect corpses." With that, the caller hung up.

"Bastard." Luo Zheng flew into a rage, slamming the phone down with clenched teeth and a grave expression. How did the other party know he was investigating? Could the Intelligence Team have alerted them? The opponent's information warfare capability was terrifying!