Chapter 41: Abducted

"Fox-Ear, you harm a female without any regard for the consequences. Are you not afraid of implicating your own family?"

Fox-Ear let out a low, guttural laugh, the sound chillingly uncanny.

"Then why don't you go ahead and lock them all in prison? Once they are all dead, I shall even send you a grand gift in return."

"Well, enough chitchat. Goodbye, little kitty."

With those words, both Fox-Ear and Jiang Qin vanished into the darkness before Shi Lichuan’s eyes.

A black panther emerged, a golden moon mark visible upon its forehead.

Seeing his target disappear, Gu Tianyou cursed, "Damn that stinking fox, he’s far too alert."

His own beast form was a king of the shadows; in a bar where the lights had been shattered, he, too, could have easily masked his presence. The moment the attack began, he had shifted into his beast form, intending to leap onto the stage to protect Jiang Qin. However, the enemy seemed well-versed in the capabilities of the males present, having deployed two S-rank and one A-rank male to intercept them. Though those three were no match for them, they had successfully delayed his advance.

By the time he arrived, he was met with the sight of the little female being held hostage, leaving Shi Lichuan unable to move without risking her life.

Bone-Armor Bears were at a severe disadvantage against Shadow-Stalking Foxes. One was bulky and cumbersome, while the other was a natural prowler. He had signaled Shi Lichuan from the shadows to stall for time, but just as he was about to close in, that wretched fox had sensed the danger and fled.

Having missed their chance, it would be incredibly difficult to track a Shadow-Stalking Fox in the dead of night, even if they were burdened with a female. However, having dared to commit such a kidnapping, they had undoubtedly prepared for every contingency.

The black panther could only curse internally as he tracked the lingering scent of fox. Shi Lichuan, whose beast form lacked the necessary speed, could only leave the bar and search the surrounding area in a hovercar. Seeing that their objective had been achieved, the surviving males responsible for the chaos took their chance to retreat, leaving behind a floor littered with the corpses of their fallen comrades.

This single assault had cost the enemy thousands of lives. They had all infiltrated the bar disguised as guests.

You Wei’s eyes were bloodshot with rage. Even with the additional security he had hired, he still hadn't managed to fend off that group of madmen. If anything happened to Jiang Qin, he would never find peace for the rest of his life.

With that thought, he immediately contacted a certain person. "Father, please, help me."

"And what will you offer in exchange for my intervention?"

You Wei bowed his head and said calmly, "As long as you help me this once, I am willing to accept your arrangements from now on."

"What is it?"

"The Giant Crocodile Pirate Group has abducted a soothing specialist from my bar. They shouldn't have left Azure Star yet. Please, help me lock down the planet for one day, intercept them, and rescue the female."

The man on the other end remained silent, seemingly weighing the request.

"Are you fond of her?"

You Wei shook his head. "No. She has only just reached adulthood; by age, she could call me 'father.' I merely look after her as a junior."

"Hmph, a junior with no genetic ties..."

"While I would like you to be obedient, do you realize the consequences of locking down a second-tier planet for an entire day?"

"If it is you, surely you can do it, can you not?"

The elderly man on the other side nodded calmly. "Naturally. So, You Wei, do you finally understand how important power is?"

You Wei did not want to answer that question, just as he would never be able to identify with his father. The man didn't seem to care about his silence.

"I am contacting Ming Xiu to head over now. You have one day to rescue the female. Once that time passes, I cannot continue to keep Azure Star under lockdown."

"Thank you, Father."

After hanging up the communicator, You Wei, despite his turbulent emotions, had no time to dwell. He rushed to evacuate the guests who had been caught in the crossfire, offering apologies and compensation where necessary. Zhu Yongkang had already taken the security team to search, while Ba Zi and Kui Wen were conducting their own separate investigations.

Wen Xueli had not come to the bar that day. You Wei had his own channels of information and knew clearly that she had been invited to the main planet as a guest early that morning. Perhaps that was why no official figures had come to look for Jiang Qin yet. After all, the interior of the Federation was hardly peaceful, and the factional infighting was incredibly fierce.

Furthermore, with Jiang Qin’s name trending across the entire network and people fanning the flames behind the scenes, she was impossible to hide. It was inevitable that some would consider the idea of sacrificing one to save another. After all, in that situation, it was Wen Xueli’s spiritual projection that had emerged first, and she was a B-rank female. Jiang Qin’s spiritual projection had only appeared later to interact. It was difficult to explain who had truly triggered this new method of deep soothing or who had influenced whom. Perhaps Wen Xueli simply loved music and had reached that level of spiritual satisfaction through her deep immersion in the melody.

Perhaps it was because her own spiritual power was higher that she had caused Jiang Qin’s spiritual projection to resonate.

The main issue was that everyone’s gaze was fixed on Jiang Qin. The Federation couldn't easily act against her, but that also served a purpose: she could be used as a card on the table. Meanwhile, Wen Xueli, who attracted less attention, was easier to take away silently.

In truth, You Wei knew that Jiang Qin had likely already been abandoned by some. After all, her spiritual power was low, and her background was poor. If one had to make a choice when presented with options...

But it didn't matter. She still had him, her boss. He had promised to protect her, and he would do exactly that!

***

Jiang Qin was no longer being held by the throat; she was now slung over the fox’s shoulder. She could see nothing; her world was entirely consumed by darkness. Fox-Ear had applied medicine to the wound on her neck, likely fearing that her blood dripping onto the ground would make it easy to track them.

This continued for a long time. She was nearly dizzy from the jolting motion before Fox-Ear finally came to a stop.

Light appeared before her. Standing there was a man with alluring, sharp features and golden wavy hair. He reached out and removed the pet-like muzzle from her mouth, smiling as he reminded her, "The silencer is off. You may begin screaming to your heart's content now, little cutie."

Jiang Qin: ...

"Hm? Why aren't you speaking? Have you been scared mute?"

A hand, excessively fair-skinned, forced her cheeks open to inspect her. "Ah, open wide and let big brother take a look."

Jiang Qin pressed her lips together, desperate to curse him out. But she had never been a naive girl, and she knew to be pragmatic rather than provoke someone who appeared so unhinged. She moved her lips slightly and whispered, "I'm not mute yet."

Fox-Ear seemed satisfied and released her. "Good, as long as you aren't mute. It would be a great pity if I could never hear that lovely voice of yours again."

Jiang Qin didn't reply, curling up in the corner as if she were terrified. In reality, her eyes were darting around, secretly observing her surroundings.