I was a rookie reporter in the 00s

Chapter 293 Rescue Chen Xiao

As night fell, the hustle and bustle of the city faded, leaving only the sirens echoing through the empty streets. In the corner of an abandoned building, a dim light barely illuminated Chen Xiao. His hands were bound behind his back, a cloth gagged in his mouth, but his eyes remained determined. The kidnappers sat around him, whispering to each other, seemingly discussing something.

"What on earth do you want to do?" Chen Xiao struggled, trying to make his voice carry farther. "I'm innocent, you can't do this to me!"

Among the kidnappers, a tall, stern-looking man stood up, walked over to Chen Xiao, and looked down at him. His name was Zhao Gang, the mastermind of the kidnapping and a mid-level manager at Chen Xiao's tech company.

"Innocent?" Zhao Gang sneered. "Do you think we don't know what you're up to? If you cooperate, you might even be able to save your life."

Chen Xiao glared at him, his eyes full of disdain: "What you guys have done will be exposed sooner or later. I won't give in!"

Zhao Gang's face darkened, and he raised his hand and slapped him: "Don't refuse a toast and then drink a forfeit! We are giving you a chance to give you face. If you don't know what's good for you, don't blame us for being rude."

Chen Xiao's face was beaten red, but he still raised his head stubbornly, without a trace of fear in his eyes.

Just then, a sudden commotion erupted outside. The kidnappers immediately tensed up. Zhao Gang grabbed Chen Xiao by the collar and dragged him aside. "Don't make a sound! If we're discovered, we'll all be doomed!"

Night fell over the bustling city, its neon lights flickering, obscuring the starlit sky. Chen Xiao's disappearance was like a pebble dropped into a lake, sending ripples through the air. Zhang Wanqing, Fu Siyuan, and Li Wei sat in a small cafe, the surveillance video of the night Chen Xiao disappeared spread out before them.

"Look here," Fu Siyuan pointed at the screen, "After Chen Xiao received the call, his expression was obviously not right, as if he was threatened."

"The license plate is covered, which means the kidnappers have planned it in advance." Li Wei frowned, his eyes sharp as an eagle. "They don't want to leave any clues."

"What progress has the police made?" Zhang Wanqing asked.

"The source of the call has been identified; it's an abandoned factory area," Fu Siyuan replied. "The police are on their way there."

"We'll go too." Zhang Wanqing stood up, her eyes determined. "Chen Xiao is innocent. We can't let him disappear like this."

The abandoned factory area was desolate and overgrown with weeds, and the abandoned factory buildings hummed in the night wind. The police car's lights flashed in the darkness. Zhang Wanqing and the other two followed behind the police, searching carefully.

"Here!" Li Wei pointed to a corner. "There are wheel tracks. They're very fresh."

"Let's look for it separately." Zhang Wanqing said.

They followed the wheel tracks and eventually found Chen Xiao's phone in a dilapidated warehouse. A final message remained on the screen: "Don't call the police, we just want to talk to him."

"Did this leave behind by the kidnappers?" Fu Siyuan asked doubtfully.

"No, this is a trick," Li Wei analyzed. "The kidnappers deliberately put the phone here to mislead us."

"Then where is Chen Xiao?" Zhang Wanqing asked anxiously.

"We have to start with this information," Fu Siyuan said. "The kidnappers want to 'talk' to Chen Xiao, which means they have a purpose."

Back at the police station, the three worked with the police to analyze the clues. Fu Siyuan used technical means to try to trace the source of the mobile phone information, while Li Wei used traces at the scene to speculate on the kidnapper's route.

After further investigation, they found that the kidnappers might have hidden Chen Xiao in another abandoned factory. The police acted quickly, and Zhang Wanqing and the other two followed.

Zhang Wanqing, Fu Siyuan, and Li Wei were following the police task force, quietly approaching the abandoned factory. As a former police officer, Li Wei was all too familiar with this type of operation. He whispered instructions, telling his team to spread out and surround the area, ensuring no corner was missed.

"It's very quiet here, they may be inside." Fu Siyuan pointed to the entrance of the building and said in a low voice.

Zhang Wanqing nodded, gripping the recording device tightly, ready to record the situation at any time. Li Wei checked his equipment, took a deep breath, and was the first to push open the door.

The room was dark, lit only by a dim lamp in the corner. The kidnappers had clearly not expected the police to find their way so quickly, and chaos reigned. Zhao Gang was the quickest to react. He grabbed Chen Xiao and held him in front of him, attempting to use him as a hostage.

"Don't come over here!" Zhao Gang shouted, "If anyone dares to take another step forward, I will kill him!"

The police task force immediately stopped, and Zhang Wanqing and the other two hid in the shadows, nervously observing the situation. Li Wei whispered to Zhang Wanqing, "Don't act rashly. They have hostages. We have to find a way to make them let down their guard."

"What do you want to do?" Zhao Gang continued to shout, "We just want to talk to him. Are you trying to kill him?"

"Zhao Gang, don't let your dreams run wild," Li Wei shouted back. "We know everything you've done. If we release Chen Xiao, we might be able to secure leniency."

Zhao Gang sneered: "Do you think we are fools? Chen Xiao knows too many secrets. We can't let him get out alive."

"A secret?" Zhang Wanqing whispered to Fu Siyuan, "It seems Chen Xiao discovered some problems with the company's top management, which is why they kidnapped him."

"We must find an opportunity as soon as possible." Fu Siyuan said, "The longer we delay, the more disadvantageous it will be for us."

At this moment, Chen Xiao suddenly shouted loudly: "You bastards! I won't say anything, don't even think about succeeding!"

Zhao Gang was enraged by Chen Xiao's shouting and raised his hand to slap him again: "Shut up!"

"You kidnappers will be punished by law sooner or later!" Chen Xiao continued to shout loudly without fear.

Zhao Gang's face turned pale as he realized the situation was out of control. Suddenly, he let go of Chen Xiao and rushed towards the door. The kidnappers followed him, trying to flee the scene.

"Don't let them run away!" Li Wei shouted and rushed forward first.

The police action team reacted immediately and launched a swift pursuit. Zhang Wanqing and Fu Siyuan followed closely behind, recording everything at the scene.

Zhao Gang and the kidnappers rushed out of the building, only to be surrounded by the police who had been ambushed outside. With no escape route, they surrendered. Chen Xiao was also rescued by the police in time. Although he had some injuries, he was not seriously injured.

"You bastards!" Chen Xiao pointed at the handcuffed kidnappers and shouted angrily, "You kidnapped me and framed me for your own benefit. This will not end well for you!"