Of course, he wouldn't just grow vegetables, so he made use of the local resources. The land he rented had both mountains and water—all resources he intended to utilize.

Ling Zhenfei had spent the entire day carefully planning the direction of his future development, not returning home until very late at night.

Just as he was about to go to bed, his phone suddenly rang—surprisingly, it was from an unknown number.

"Hello, who is this?"

Although he didn't know who it was, Ling Zhenfei still answered the call. However, there was no response from the other end until he asked a second time, then a deep voice finally came through.

"You're called Ling Zhenfei, right?"

"Yes, that's me. Who are you, and what do you want?"

The voice on the other end let out a cold snort, "I wouldn't normally be looking for you, but there's a woman named Yang Zixuan who told us to find you!"

At the mention of Yang Zixuan's name, Ling Zhenfei felt his head about to explode. Clearly, the caller had ill intentions, and something had definitely happened to Yang Zixuan. Regret was surging in his heart. He had thought that Du Xianting would use the relationship between Yang Zixuan and Lin Yuluo to strike at him, so Du Xianting wouldn't harm Yang Zixuan, which is why he didn't accompany them to Provincial City. He never expected that something would go wrong there so soon.

"What does Zi Xuan want with me? Where is she? Let her talk to me," Ling Zhenfei suppressed the rage in his heart.

"The woman you're talking about is in my hands. If you want her, bring one million to the abandoned oil refinery in Provincial City. My time is limited, so don't delay and don't call the police. Though if you do call the police, it doesn't matter—just get ready to collect her corpse!"

After that, the person on the other end hung up. Ling Zhenfei's mind was in turmoil. He first called Yang Zixuan's mobile phone, but it was turned off—something had definitely happened. Without sparing another thought, Ling Zhenfei got dressed and ran out.

There was a delivery vehicle in the estate, and he drove it straight to the Binyang City train station. The trip from Binyang to Provincial City was over three hundred kilometers, and taking the high-speed rail was the quickest option.

"Yuluo, do you know that something happened to Yang Zixuan?"

On the road, Ling Zhenfei got through to Lin Yuluo's phone. Lin Yuluo had already been asleep but woke up startled upon hearing Ling Zhenfei's words.

"What are you talking about? How could anything happen to her? She's only just gone to Provincial City. Besides, she was there for business, not to fight a war."

"How would I know? But she's in trouble now. I want to ask you, why did you send Yang Zixuan to Provincial City? Who told you to do that?"

Ling Zhenfei's anger was evident in his words, something Lin Yuluo could certainly feel.

"Brother Ling, you can't be blaming me for this. I swear, my intentions for sending her to Provincial City were for her benefit. It was a great opportunity, and even if I had a bit of a personal agenda, it was because I didn't want to lose you," Lin Yuluo said, her tone tinged with guilt.

"You don't have to say so much, I just want to know if Du Xianting is involved in this," Ling Zhenfei pressed.

After a brief silence, Lin Yuluo replied, "Yes, it was Du Xianting who brought it up first. I thought Yang Zixuan was quite suitable for the job."

"Alright, I know now. You don't need to blame yourself. As long as I know that little brat Du Xianting is up to no good, I'll definitely bring Yang Zixuan back safely," Ling Zhenfei assured.

"Du Xianting, you really are a sly fox, always scheming. Just because you can't beat me in Binyang doesn't mean I'll be afraid of you in Provincial City!"

Boarding the train, Ling Zhenfei wished he could arrive at Provincial City in a second, fearing any delay might put Yang Zixuan in danger. Yet, the train carried on its journey at a steady pace, indifferent to any passenger's urgency. Gradually, Ling Zhenfei's anxiety began to subside.

All this seemed to have completely exceeded his expectations, and he couldn't begin to fathom Du Kongting's plot.

Once he reached Provincial City, where he was a stranger, he wondered whether he should call the police.

"I still can't call the police, if I do, Yang Zixuan would be in too much danger. Those ruthless criminals might do something terrible to her."

If all this was Du Kongting's conspiracy, then it definitely wasn't going to be simple. Du Kongting must have an even bigger plot waiting for him.

With his mind overflowing with thoughts, he quickly arrived at Provincial City. It was already three in the morning, and the whole world seemed to have fallen into slumber.

Upon leaving the train station, Ling Zhenfei didn't hesitate to hail a taxi and told the driver where he needed to go. However, the driver refused to go there, as if the abandoned refinery was a forbidden place for mortals. After being turned down by several taxis, he finally found one willing to take him there, but the price they asked for was exorbitant.

The taxi driver was a hefty man with tattoos all over his arms, giving off the impression of a gangster. From the moment he got into the taxi, the driver didn't say a word and a heavy atmosphere lingered in the air, filled only with the sound of the wind rushing by as the car sped on.

Ling Zhenfei took out his phone and dialed the kidnapper's number, but it was turned off.

He looked outside the window. It was pitch-black, and he had no idea where he was being taken at such high speeds.

"How much longer until we arrive?" he asked.

The taxi driver grunted: "Don't worry, we'll be there soon."

With those words, the driver suddenly took a sharp turn off the main road onto a rough, bumpy path.

"Is this the way to the abandoned refinery?"

Ling Zhenfei felt something was off about the driver. This driver was unlike any usual cab driver.

"This is a shortcut I often take, relax, we'll be there shortly."

As he spoke, the driver accelerated, making the ride even more turbulent.

Before Ling Zhenfei could speak again, he noticed the driver floored the accelerator and turned into a large yard, then slammed on the brakes to a halt.

Before Ling Zhenfei could react, the driver had already opened the door and stepped out. Then, seven or eight men appeared from the darkness, each holding a stick or a machete, encircling the car.

Ling Zhenfei obviously understood that he had encountered a black taxi. He was furious. He hadn't expected to be robbed just trying to take a taxi in Provincial City, but he wasn't concerned about these petty thieves.

"Come out, kid!"

The men outside knocked on the car door with a stick, shouting at Ling Zhenfei to come out.

Reluctantly, Ling Zhenfei stepped out of the car, feigning a hint of panic as he observed the people around him, taking in his surroundings as well.

This was an abandoned rural courtyard surrounded by tall walls. Several decrepit vehicles were parked inside the yard, but a luxury SUV stood out prominently. Two people tied up with ropes were sitting beside the SUV, looking at him in terror.

Ling Zhenfei realized that this place served as the gang's stronghold, and the two people next to the SUV were probably hostages they had taken.

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