stjorthotic Chapter 490: Money Isn't Important
Chapter 490: Money Isn't Important
Just as Huang Xiaochuan was on his way to the United States, the kidnappers called Zhang Yun.
The kidnappers seemed to be repeat offenders, very experienced. They spoke with Zhang Yun for less than a minute and made two demands: first, she was not allowed to call the police; second, Zhang Yun needed to prepare two hundred million US dollars in bearer bonds, and she would inform them of the transaction location on the next call.
To convince Zhang Yun, they played a short recording of Luca speaking, repeatedly calling for his mother.
Zhang Yun held back her tears and agreed to the kidnappers' demands over the phone.
Then Zhang Yun immediately dialed Huang Xiaochuan's satellite phone and informed him of the situation as soon as possible.
Because there are so many financial derivatives in the United States, Huang Xiaochuan couldn't immediately recall what this was: "What are bearer bonds?"
"It's a type of large-denomination government bond that can be traded and transferred at any time, and it's bearer and cannot be reported lost."
"Do you have this?"
"I don't have any, but I've already arranged for someone to raise the money; it will take some time." Zhang Yun remained calm and composed, unlike most mothers who would panic.
"I'll be landing in San Francisco soon and arriving in New York around 5 p.m. Please contact me if anything comes up."
Zhang Yun suddenly said with concern, "I will, and you must be careful too!"
Huang Xiaochuan did not respond and hung up the satellite phone directly.
Huang Xiaochuan held the phone for a moment and then immediately contacted Zhang Gaolei, who was currently in the United States negotiating some matters.
After the call connected, Huang Xiaochuan immediately stated his request: "Old Zhang, do me a favor and help me find a reliable security company."
After a relay flight of more than ten hours, Huang Xiaochuan arrived in New York at 5:40 p.m. local time. The convoy sent by Zhang Yun and the bodyguards hired by Zhang Gaolei's security company had been waiting there for a long time. They handed the weapons and equipment directly to the bodyguards brought by Huang Xiaochuan. After being checked and confirmed by the people brought by Huang Xiaochuan, more than a dozen cars escorted Huang Xiaochuan to a Mercedes armored car and headed to Long Island Estate.
The first thing to do upon entering the manor was to have his own people take over the core area, replacing the original security team with newly hired bodyguards from a security company. However, none of them were allowed to leave; they were to remain on standby, and their salaries would continue to be paid as usual.
When the exhausted Zhang Yun saw Huang Xiaochuan, she felt as if she had found her pillar of support and immediately threw herself into his arms and cried. She had endured so much on her own, and now she could finally let it all out. After all, she was a woman, a mother, and she also had a vulnerable side.
Huang Xiaochuan really wanted to push the woman away, but considering the current situation, he gritted his teeth and held back.
At this moment, everyone in the living room looked at Huang Xiaochuan and guessed that he was Yawen and Luca's father.
Huang Xiaochuan let Zhang Yun cry her heart out in his arms without comforting her.
Upon seeing this scene, Xue Huilan wiped away her tears again.
"dad!"
A shy voice suddenly came from behind. Huang Xiaochuan looked in the direction of the voice and saw a little boy of about two or three years old looking at him with a slightly shy expression. After seeing the child, Huang Xiaochuan knew without needing to do any identification that this was his son, who looked exactly like him in a photo when he was a child.
Zhang Yun wiped away her tears and said to Huang Xiaochuan, "This is the eldest brother, his name is Yawen!"
Huang Xiaochuan, who was initially filled with irritability, worry, and anger, immediately softened. Although he was furious about Zhang Yun's actions, the child was innocent, especially since he was his own son.
He pushed Zhang Yun away, slowly squatted down, opened his arms, and tried to smile as much as possible: "Yawen, let Daddy give you a hug!"
Perhaps it was because of their blood ties, but Yawen immediately ran over and threw herself into Huang Xiaochuan's arms. After snuggling in Huang Xiaochuan's arms, she called out in her childish voice, "Daddy!"
"Oh!" At this moment, Huang Xiaochuan's heart melted. He stroked his son's soft hair, wishing he could give all his fatherly love to the child in his arms.
Zhang Yun watched this scene with a smile while tears streamed down her face, while Xue Huilan cried even more, constantly wiping away her tears with a handkerchief.
At this moment, a middle-aged man with a protruding belly, wearing a short-sleeved shirt and carrying a gun under his arm walked over, followed by a tall man wearing a blue jacket with the three yellow letters FBI printed on the back.
"Hello sir, this is Parkin from the NYPD, and this is Federal Agent Sanders. He is working with the NYPD on this kidnapping case."
After handing Yawen to Zhang Yun, Huang Xiaochuan shook hands with the two agents in turn, then said to them in fluent English, "Thank you very much! If you need anything, please let me know, and I will fully cooperate with you."
I mean any need, money or anything else that helps solve the case.
The two detectives were surprised; they hadn't expected this Chinese man to speak such fluent English.
Then I was shocked by Huang Xiaochuan's willingness to pay any price.
However, they quickly regained their composure: "Sir, may we speak with you alone for a moment?"
"sure!"
At this moment, Zhang Yun said, "We can go to the study over there."
Huang Xiaochuan had lived here before and was quite familiar with the place. He led the two detectives to the study.
After entering the study, Huang Xiaochuan closed the door.
Federal Agent Sanders asked, "Sir, I'd like to know if you have any enemies? Or who do you think is most likely to have kidnapped your child? This will help us identify the suspect as quickly as possible."
Huang Xiaochuan gave the two men a cold look: "Gentlemen, firstly, I have no enemies, and secondly, apart from Ms. Catherine and me, no one knows that the kidnapped child is my son. You should understand what I mean, right?"
Parkin and Sanders exchanged a glance. To be honest, they weren't surprised at all by the strange private lives of these wealthy people. Newspapers and magazines often featured gossip about the rich, and they had heard plenty of such stories. Besides, it didn't seem to have any necessary connection to the case, so it was best not to mention it for the time being.
Parkin, who seemed rather slick, chuckled and said, "I understand, I understand, but this is your privacy and has nothing to do with the case, so we won't discuss it."
This was the first time Huang Xiaochuan had encountered something like this in his two lifetimes. He had only ever seen such things in newspapers and magazines before, but he never expected to experience it firsthand by sheer coincidence. The person who was kidnapped was his own son, whom he had never met before.
Thinking about this, Huang Xiaochuan became even more furious about Zhang Yun's act of secretly having his child.
He calmed himself down as much as possible and asked, "Gentlemen, I'm sure this isn't the first time you've handled a case like this, is it?"
Huang Xiaochuan's sudden question startled the two detectives; no victim's family member had ever asked them such a question before.
After thinking for a moment, Sanders nodded: "Yes, I've handled many cases like this."
Huang Xiaochuan has a habit of always preparing for the worst when faced with a situation.
He had seen many reports of kidnapping cases, in which most hostages were killed, but the kidnappers continued to demand ransom from the families. Money was not important to Huang Xiaochuan; what mattered was whether giving money would bring his son back safely, a point he was skeptical about.
"Gentlemen, I'd like to ask, if we pay the ransom as the kidnappers demand, what are the chances that my son will return to me?"
Huang Xiaochuan's question left Parkin and Sanders momentarily speechless.
"Even if I say it, I can bear it."
Parkin and Sanders exchanged another glance, and Parkin gestured for Sanders to speak.
"Kidnapping cases are generally divided into three types: family kidnapping, kidnapping by acquaintances, and kidnapping by strangers. The first type is basically an act committed to fight for child custody, and this type of kidnapping has almost no mortality rate. If it is a kidnapping by an acquaintance, the possibility of the hostage being killed is only 10 to 20%. The most dangerous is the last type, kidnapping by strangers, in which the hostage mortality rate is as high as 40% or even higher. Based on the current situation, this kidnapping is very likely a kidnapping by a stranger,"
Huang Xiaochuan's mood plummeted, and his eyes dimmed considerably.
Parkin then said, "Sir, we already have a plan: to apply an invisible liquid to the bonds, which will become visible under the action of a special liquid. This will help in catching the suspect in the future."
Upon hearing this, Huang Xiaochuan couldn't help but let out a "ha".
He asked, "I remember that your federal and state laws require a closed chain of evidence before a criminal can be convicted, and that it depends on the jury's vote. If the jury finds the evidence insufficient, the criminal must be released in court. Furthermore, even if the evidence is conclusive, according to your laws, the maximum sentence is life imprisonment. So, my son is dead, and these scumbags can just retire in prison?"
Huang Xiaochuan's voice grew louder and louder as he spoke, his emotions running high.
Then Huang Xiaochuan continued, "Gentlemen, I want you to understand one thing: money is not important to me. What's important is that my son returns safely. Do you have any constructive suggestions for me in this regard?"
Parkin shrugged helplessly: "There aren't any useful clues yet."
"Thank you, I understand!" Huang Xiaochuan roughly understood the current situation.