Chapter 377
Landing at the airport in Crystal Nation, we kept Kelsey close, even had a couple of embassy folks seeing us off.
Just when I thought we were in the clear, a bunch of big guys in black came charging over. "Sorry, John!"
I stopped dead in my tracks; the leader was one of Cassandra's guys.
"John, are they looking for you?" Ruby asked, puzzled.
I frowned. "You go ahead and board; I'll catch up."
The guy in black rushed over, looking all worried, and started babbling something I couldn't make out.
I thought, 'What the heck is he saying? They agreed not to take a cut. Are they backing out? It's almost a million bucks; of course, they want it. They're a gang; how could they be trustworthy? But this is an airport; no way they'd cause a scene here.'
I pulled out my translation app. "What do you want?"
The guy finally got it and spoke into my phone, "John, I'm Ethan Daniel, one of Cassandra's men. Cassandra's in trouble and needs your help."
"What happened to her?" I asked, surprised.
Ethan explained that Cassandra had been kidnapped by an organ trafficking ring. They messed up the ring's plans, and now the ring was out for revenge.
"But I'm just one guy. How can I help in Crystal Nation?"
"But Cassandra got into this mess because of you. She really likes you!"
I thought, 'Isn't this emotional blackmail? But yeah, this is kinda my fault.'
Suddenly, they all dropped to their knees. "John, if you don't help, we'll kill ourselves right here."
I felt cornered. They were being dramatic, using death to pressure me. But I couldn't just walk away.
Right then, Ruby called. "John, the plane's taking off in ten minutes."
I said, "Ruby, go ahead. I have some stuff to handle here. I'll catch up later."
Ruby sounded worried. "Are you in danger?"
"No, don't worry. I'll be back in a couple of days."
I even made a video call. "Ms. Hill, Lillian. I have some things to take care of here. I'll be back soon."
Emily asked, "Do you need help?"
"Thanks, but I got this."
Finally, under the worried looks of Lillian, Mya, and Kelsey, I hung up.
I thought, 'Trying to be a hero, being soft-hearted, this is gonna bite me someday.'
I looked at them. "Get up, I'll go with you."
Ethan looked relieved and nodded. "John, thank you."
We left the airport and got into a car.
We arrived at a place called Golden Sunset Estates, with more guys in black standing around. As soon as I stepped out, I felt the tension.
Ethan said, "John, our boss is waiting for you inside."
Since I was already in, no point in backing out now.
Inside, Joshua was sitting at the head, with a bunch of his men around him.
Joshua quickly stood up. "John, please sit!"
I cut to the chase. "No need for formalities. Just tell me what you need."
Joshua nodded. "As expected, you're as brave as Cassandra said. We wrecked their base, and now they're pissed. Kidnapping Cassandra is their payback. Finding their real base is tough."
I could see he was worried. Besides being the gang leader, he was also a dad.
"How can I help?" I asked, confused.
Joshua said, "This has to be handled by you!"
I felt totally stuck. I kept quiet; he must have his reasons.
Joshua said, "Besides revenge, they want to find the person who put the bounty on them, which is you. If you don't go, not just the Crimson Lotus Society, but other gangs will face their wrath."
"Why?"
I thought, 'Are they nuts? Even if I didn't mess with them, they still want payback!'"To show their strength," Joshua said seriously, "They want to force other gangs to pick sides."
"Joshua, you guys are a gang. Are you really scared of their threats?"
Joshua sighed. "It's not fear; it's that we don't know them. These people are ruthless and not afraid of death. Nowadays, being in a gang is more like a job. You get it?"
I nodded, thinking, 'Is this what gangs in Crystal Nation are like? So timid.'
"John!" Joshua suddenly bent down and lay on the ground, and the others followed suit. "I know this is a huge ask, but Cassandra is my only heir. Please save her!"
"John, please save Cassandra!" Hundreds of people knelt and begged. I'd never seen anything like it.
I quickly walked over and helped Joshua up. "Please get up. I agree."
Joshua was overjoyed. "John, thank you."
"Thank you," Everyone shouted in unison.
I sighed. "I'll save her, but let me be clear, I won't risk my life. So, we need to plan this out thoroughly."
The biggest problem was the language barrier. I couldn't understand the local language. It would be tough to coordinate.
After two hours of planning, I set out.
There was a device that could translate in real-time. It didn't matter if they couldn't understand me, as long as I could understand them.
The device was small and fit directly into my ear. It was uncomfortable, but at least it wouldn't fall out while running.
If I had boarded that plane, everything in Crystal Nation would have nothing to do with me.
No matter how fierce those people were, they wouldn't dare cause trouble in Simbara.
"We've spotted the target, John. There's a man with a mask behind you. Be very careful." The mechanical voice from the translator echoed in my ear, making me tense up.
I thought, 'In this dark alley, what if they had a weapon? Would they suddenly pull out a gun and kill me, or quickly walk past me and stab me?'
I instinctively touched the bulletproof vest I was wearing.
"John, he's speeding up. Be careful!"
"He's right behind you. Watch out!"
Just as I was about to run, I heard a whooshing sound from the shadows.
Then, I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head, and before I could react, I blacked out.
In the darkness, I felt like I was submerged in water, sticky and unbearably uncomfortable. Then came a strong sense of suffocation. I struggled hard and finally stood up.
Weak light shone down from above, and I felt a splitting headache.
I adjusted to the light and realized I was in a water dungeon, my clothes soaked, my hands cuffed, and I was only left with my underwear.
'I'm screwed!' That was my first thought. I had used myself as bait to lure them out, but ended up getting caught.
The satellite tracker on me was gone, but fortunately, the device in my ear was still there.
It was so cold; I felt like my body was freezing. This place was dark and damp, and even if it was summer outside, the temperature inside wasn't high.
"John, John." There was someone else.
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