Chapter 621 Doubting Anyone Would Disagree âThe police should be here soon. If you do something before then, weâll testify for you and prevent you from getting locked away in prison. On top of that, youâll get to keep the one hundred thousand,â stated Nan Chen after exchanging looks with Ning Ran.
Filled with hope, Guo Si quickly inquired, âWhat should I do then?â
âGet us out of here after you finish your drink,â replied Nan Chen. âHuh?â With his eyes widened in surprise, Guo Si immediately disagreed with Nan Chen. âAbsolutely not!â
âSuit yourself,â voiced Nan Chen coldly. Guo Si then explained with a hardened face, âIâve already told you my situation. Theyâre threatening me with my wife and children. If I let you all go, theyâll harm my family for sure.â
âWeâve been here for days, but did they come to the island?â questioned Nan Chen.
âNo.â
âSo how did they know about our situation here?â continued Nan Chen.
âI told them about it, of course.â
âThen do you know why they never came to this island?â
Guo Si shook his head in response. âI donât.â
âTheyâre fine with letting you handle things alone because they think youâre honest. When the police come, theyâll say they have no idea whatâs happening here since theyâve never set foot on this island.
Who do you think will take the blame then? You may think you can explain yourself, but you have no one to back you up. There are many of them, so they can alibi each other and testify against you. What can you do about that? Besides, they have the village head as their leader, so how will a regular villager like you stand a chance against them?â
Guo Si was shocked when he heard Nan Chen. âHow did you know they have the village head as their leader?â
âIâve known since day one. Whoâs more familiar with the terrain than the villagers? Only they know the safest spot on the island and how to trap us here. It would take someone with great influence to get the villagers to do their bidding. That person had to be either rich or powerful. If they were rich, itâd be unlikely that they did this for money. Hence, itâd have to be someone powerful. Who in the village would have the power to order your people around besides the village head?â questioned Nan Chen rhetorically.
Besides the alcohol, Guo Si began to sweat bullets on his forehead because of his nervousness.
âYou knew from the start? I have to admit that Iâm impressed. You got me involved without even lifting a finger!â Guo Si wiped the sweat from his head.
âLetâs get back to the point. The village head may be the most powerful figure to the villagers, but that certainly isnât true in the legal system. No matter how influential he thinks he is, he still has to go to jail for breaking the law. You donât have to fear him because it wonât be long before he gets what he deserves. Even if you take us elsewhere, none would be the wiser since they refuse to come to this island. Didnât you say it yourself that theyâd enter the city tonight? Not only is that more than one hundred kilometers away, but the road is also under maintenance. Thereâs no way they can get here any time soon. Those people are going to have themselves a good time eating and drinking in the comfort of the city. Heck, theyâll probably even get drunk. Itâll be afternoon when they get to the village tomorrow, and the police will have already found us when they realize weâve left the island long ago.
Then, weâll tell the police you didnât kidnap but saved us, and youâll get off scot-free with one hundred thousand in your pocket. Iâd say this one is a no-brainer, wouldnât you?â With that, Nan Chen gazed intently at Guo Si.
âEven if I were to release you, where would you go? Itâs not as if your legs can take you far in that condition. I canât send you to the city since the only vehicle I have is a tricycle; weâll never reach our destination on that.â
Ning Ran was impressed with Nan Chen because Guo Siâs words clearly showed that he was willing to help. That poker-faced man doesnât always have a lot to say, but when he does talk, I have to admit that heâs pretty good at convincing people! My goodness! He negotiated as though he did that for a living. The things he said made so much sense that I doubt anyone would disagree with him.
âIf we donât go to Lightspring, is crossing the province to Gerton our alternative?â inquired Nan Chen.
âYes. The town weâre in is at the border of Gerton. Weâll cross the province if we donât head in the direction of Lightspring,â answered Guo Si with a nod.
âDoes this reservoir extend all the way to the border of Gerton?â
âYes, but thereâs a long way to go to get to the other side. And even then, weâll only reach a village far from the city,â explained Guo Si.
âAre they friendly with your village?â questioned Nan Chen.
âSort of. We make deals sometimes since weâre close to each other, but at the end of the day, we still belong to different provinces. The people of my village consider them outsiders, so we donât intermarry with them. However, some of their women have married into our village, and my cousin-in-law is one of themââ
Before Guo Si could say more, Nan Chen waved his hand to stop the man from digressing. âIs their village head close with yours?â
âNo. They rarely had anything to do with each other.â
âWill they report to your village head if they see us?â asked Nan Chen worriedly.
âNo. We hardly ever visit them because, just like us, they think weâre outsiders.
âGood. Then weâll make our way to Gerton. We go now!â
âAre you sure we should go now?â
âYes, now. Youâd better not drink too much because you have to row the boat later,â reminded Nan Chen.
However, Guo Si was still hesitant. âWhat should I tell the village head when he returns tomorrow?â
âJust tell him weâre still on the island and that everythingâs fine.â
âWhat if he comes here to check and finds out youâre gone? What do I do then?â
âFor starters, the likelihood of that happening is very small. If he wanted to come, he wouldâve done so already. That man wonât take a step on this island because he wants you to be his scapegoat in case anything happens. Even if he does come for whatever reason, you can just tell him you have no idea how we managed to swim away. The village head wonât dare to kill you since the matter itself is illegal.
Heâs already got the money he was promised, so heâll probably tell his contact what you told him. It wouldnât be a smart move for him to harm your family just because weâre gone, would it?â
After listening to Nan Chen, Guo Si could not help but agree that the former had a point.
âSo my family and I will be fine?â
âOf course. Not only will you be able to get away scot-free, but youâll also get one hundred thousand.
Whatâs there to worry about?â asked Nan Chen rhetorically.
âOkay. Letâs go now.â
Just then, Ning Ran whispered into Nan Chenâs ear, âWhy do we have to go now? Shouldnât we wait for your family to rescue us since they can find Guo Si? Why take the risk?â
âThereâs a mole in the family, and we still have no idea who it is. Weâll be silenced for good if Grandpa happens to send the mole, so we better escape on our own and avoid taking any chances. We can get to the bottom of it afterward,â revealed Nan Chen.
âWow, thatâs brilliant!â exclaimed Ning Ran.
With his chin held high, Nan Chen responded proudly, âOf course.â
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