Xavier narrowed his eyes a fraction. Nevertheless, he remained calm and unruffled.âThen, youâre really dishonorable. If youâre going back on your word with me now, would you still divide the gold bars among your lackey after obtaining them? Or are you not even planning to allow them to live? If you do so, would anyone still dare to follow you in the future?âHis words were tantamount to a huge rock tossed into the water, resulting in massive waves.Sure enough, the other kidnappers present had their eyes trained on the suitcase of gold, all wearing eager expressions.When the kidnapper in the pig mask saw that his lackeys had been successfully divided, he shot out his hand and swung it at Xavierâs face.As he did so, he roared, âStop sowing discord here! Do you believe that Iâll rip your tongue out?âAlas, Xavier moved faster than the man, for he dodged before the latterâs fist could land on him.On the heels of that, he grabbed hold of Winnie. They then darted to the side of the wall by the window.As soon as Xavier caught sight of an iron rod on the ground, he shot Winnie a look. âPick it up and smash the window.âWinnie, on the other hand, was rather reluctant to do so. In a whisper, she muttered, âTheyâve got two guns, mister.âXavier frowned. âJust do as I said!ââFine.â The wooden panel on the broken window was rotting so badly that it was moments away from falling off, so Winnie didnât need an iron rod. All she needed to do was to hit it twice with her elbow.With two thuds, she smashed the rotten wooden panel.Unfortunately, that attracted the kidnappersâ attention.The man in the pig mask instantly pointed the gun at Winnie. âWhat are you doing?âWinnie hastily raised her hands tactfully and shoved all the blame on Xavier beside her.âIt wasnât me, Sir! Mr. Fairchild was the one who told me to do so. He said it was too stuffy in here, so he needed some fresh air.âThe man in the pig mask snorted a bark of laughter. âWhatâs the fuss about whether the air is fresh when youâll be dying soon? You rich people are so fussy.ââExactly! Rich people like them are so pampered!â As Winnie seconded him, she hooked the iron rod to her back with a leg for her convenience to use it anytime.At the same time, the man in the pig mask ordered, âThe few of you, go and tie them up first! I still want to torture them slowly!âAt that turn of events, Winnie took two steps back.Honestly speaking, she had no problems jumping out the window behind her with her agility though it wasnât all that big.She raised her hands even higher. âSince your target is Mr. Fairchild, I can leave, right?âActually, she didnât mean anything by asking such a foolish question. She merely wanted to buy time.After all, Xavierâs men, as well as Christopher and the others, were probably still on their way there.They all had the location. While they deliberately kept a distance during the departure out of worry that the kidnappers would discover them, they likely wouldnât be that late.âWhat do you think, gentlemen? Consider allowing me to leave, wonât you?â Winnie continued buying time.All the kidnappers present acted as though they had heard the greatest joke in the world, bursting into raucous laughter at once.The man in the pig mask started mocking her. âWhat a naïve lady! Do you think you can still walk out of here alive when your employer is going to die?âIn a flash, someone stepped forward and suggested, âI think itâs okay to spare her, Boss. Sheâs a woman, so sheâll definitely be of some use!ââYeah, Boss! Iâve been celibate for several months now, and Iâd love to have a taste of her!â âSay, arenât you too ravenous, Tigris? Look at her.
Sheâs been wearing a mask all along. Who knows what her countenance looks like beneath the mask?
She might be unsightly! Yet, you donât mind it, huh?ââWhatâs the big deal about wearing a mask? Look at her eyes! Theyâre bright and crystalline. As such, she must be a beauty!âAt long last, Xavier snapped, âThatâs enough! Shut up if you donât want to die!âThey can say anything they like, but not her eyes, for her eyes are a carbon copy of Dumboâs. Never mind if they insult anyone else, but not Dumbo, including everything that bears a resemblance to her!âWhoa! Youâve got a broken leg and are now in captivity, yet youâre still all arrogant, Mr. Fairchild!âThe man in a pig mask scratched his head with the gun. âSo what if I just want to die? Are you capable of rushing over and killing me now?
Youâre just a d*mn cripple!âIn response, Xavier sneered, âHah! Itâs a piece of cake to kill the lot of you. I donât need the use of my leg at all!âAs he said that, he hugged Winnie around the waist.Before she could gather her wits about her, he yanked open her shirt.In a heartbeat, the buttons on her shirt scattered on the ground, revealing the black bulletproof vest underneath.Stunned for a moment, Winnie regarded him with a frown. âWhat are you doing? Have you lost your mind?âXavier ignored her, merely continuing to tear at her shirt.Only after the outer layer of the bulletproof vest was torn off did Winnie notice two liquid bombs attached to the inside of it.She was wholly floored.I even complimented Louis on his consideration when he brought me a bulletproof vest, but it turned out that they planted bombs in it!Her eyes went wide, and incredulity was written all over her face. âD*mn you! Why didnât you plant the bombs in your own bulletproof vest?âXavier looked down at her, but still, he said nothing at all.The group of kidnappers reacted swiftly as well. The instant they saw the bombs on Winnie, they immediately scattered and backed away.A timid one among them even wanted to open the door and leave, but a shot from the man in the pig mask stopped him in his tracks.âCome back here! Why are you running? I donât believe it, so stop trying to play me for a fool with fake bombs, Xavier Fairchild!
Would someone like you choose to die with people like us?âXavierâs lips turned up, and he took out a mini remote control from his pocket.He lightly pressed a button, upon which the timer on the bombs promptly started a ten-minute countdown.âYou can try your luck. The remote control is in my hands. I can have it explode at once or pause it. Itâs your choice.âFear began creeping into the man in the pig mask, for the bombs looked no different from the real thing. âDo you believe Iâll kill you with a single shot?âXavierâs face was devoid of expression. âAs I said, itâs your choice. You can kill me, but this remote control is connected to my heartbeat. Once my heart stops beating, the bombs will go off. At that time, this entire abandoned quarry will be reduced to rubble, much less the few of you. If youâve made up your mind, my head is right here. You can pull the trigger anytime.ââDonât shoot, Boss! I donât want to die when weâve got twenty million now!ââExactly, Boss! Just return that woman to him. We canât risk our lives!ââHear, hear! Donât act impulsively, Boss. We can flee anywhere with the gold bars in hand. Thereâs no need to fight him to the death here!âThe man in the pig mask started wavering.In truth, the twenty million in gold bars were an idea that occurred to him out of the blue. The orders he received werenât to blackmail Xavier.Instead, it was to forcibly inject the man with a drug, making the latter addicted and ruining his life.