Chapter Seventy-Nine: Rescue

“I’ll come pick you up soon. Where’s your mother? Let me speak to her. Go play for a while,” Old Jin said slowly. He was deliberately stalling for time; this was his only hope of rescuing his wife and child.

While Old Jin spoke to his wife, his tone remained unhurried. From her words, Chu Feng could tell that the Black Dragon hadn’t done anything excessive to them.

The call lasted two minutes before the Black Dragon suddenly snatched the phone away. He urged Old Jin to hurry, insisting he must obtain the research data within ten days and then flee with it.

“Well? Did you trace this guy’s location?” Once the call ended, Chu Feng asked the technical investigation unit.

“We got a trace. Surprisingly, he’s still in China, right here in Shanghai. But we need more time for an exact location—the phone signal is still active. Give me a few more minutes and I’ll pinpoint it.”

Chu Feng hadn’t expected the Black Dragon to be so bold—kidnapping Chinese citizens and not fleeing the country, but staying in Shanghai instead.

A few minutes later, the technical team had determined the Black Dragon’s exact location. He was hiding in a five-star hotel in Shanghai—a hotel Chu Feng had visited twice before.

“Old Jin, I’ll report this to Elder Chen and see what he says. No matter what, I’ll make sure your wife and child are rescued safely.”

Chu Feng knew he had to inform Elder Chen first. Only with his support could he proceed with confidence.

“Go ahead. Bring his family back. Xiao Jin has suffered enough, and if not for me, he wouldn’t have to endure all this,” Elder Chen agreed without hesitation, hoping also to ease his own guilt.

Chu Feng, accompanied by Ma Han and the special operations team, flew to Shanghai. This time, he didn’t notify anyone—not even his sister.

After a two-hour flight, the group split up upon landing, wary that the Black Dragon might have informants monitoring their movements.

As soon as Chu Feng left the airport, he hailed a taxi to the Jiahua Hotel. He’d once saved a wealthy man who had hosted him there as thanks.

Upon arrival, Chu Feng sought out the hotel manager and asked him to call the front desk to find out which room the Black Dragon was staying in.

Soon, the front desk relayed the information: a week ago, a man had checked in with a woman and a child—they were in room 708 on the seventh floor.

Chu Feng had the manager accompany him to the hotel’s control room to review the surveillance footage and see if the Black Dragon was carrying any firearms.

“That’s him. He checked in at two in the morning. Since then, he’s only taken the child out twice; the woman has stayed in the room the whole time,” the security guard reported as he pulled up the footage. The Black Dragon was cunning, always wearing sunglasses and a mask, making it impossible for the cameras to capture his face clearly.

“Has anyone visited him—any men, especially foreigners?” Chu Feng asked, worried that the Black Dragon might have accomplices hiding in the room, which would make the rescue much more difficult.

“No one. At least, nothing on the cameras—unless someone climbed in through the window,” the guard replied with certainty.

“Get me a waiter’s uniform and come with me. We’ll say the hotel is hosting an event and offer them a complimentary meal, inviting them to dine in the restaurant,” Chu Feng said. His plan was to lure the Black Dragon out with Old Jin’s wife and child, then make the arrest.

“But there are a lot of guests right now. If anything goes wrong, it could affect our reputation. I’m not the owner—I can’t take that responsibility,” the manager replied, troubled. He wasn’t unwilling to help, but as a professional manager, he couldn’t risk his job over this.

“Don’t worry. If your boss asks, just say it was my decision. If you’re still concerned, call your boss now—I’ll speak to him,” Chu Feng assured him, confident that if the owner knew an international assassin was hiding in his hotel and that Chu Feng was there to apprehend him, he would offer his full support.

However, Chu Feng didn’t reveal the Black Dragon’s true identity, merely saying there was a dangerous individual in the hotel. The manager called the owner, who, after only a few words, immediately instructed him to cooperate fully with Chu Feng.

Hotel owners are always calculating to minimize their own losses; a single turn of thought was enough for the owner to grasp the stakes.

“Please, come with me. My boss told me to support you before I could even finish explaining,” the manager said, his attitude toward Chu Feng now transformed from aloofness to deference.

The manager found Chu Feng a suitable uniform. Before heading upstairs, Chu Feng briefed Ma Han and the others, instructing them to lie in wait in the restaurant. If the Black Dragon appeared, they were to apprehend him immediately.

Chu Feng was still puzzled—why had the Black Dragon, after kidnapping, remained in the country, even staying so close to the capital? Hadn’t he considered that Old Jin might expose him or report directly to the authorities?

Knock, knock. Chu Feng arrived at room 708 and knocked, the manager standing calmly behind him.

After a moment, Chu Feng sensed someone peering through the peephole. A full minute passed before the door finally opened a crack, revealing a face.

“Sir, our hotel is hosting a special event today—a complimentary family meal. Since you’re here with your wife and child, we’d like to invite you to enjoy it,” Chu Feng said, imitating a waiter’s tone. At first glance, the man before him didn’t look like a killer.

“Hello, I’m the hotel manager. This event was personally arranged by the owner, and we hope you can join us. The event starts in half an hour.”