Chapter 1304 - News of the Son
Unfolding in Chapter 1304 of "Super Soldier in the City": Chapter 1304: Chapter 1354: News of the Son"What?!" Li Yifei suddenly shot to his feet,... Keep reading!
Chapter 1304: Chapter 1354: News of the Son"What?!" Li Yifei suddenly shot to his feet, his executive chair sliding violently backward, slamming into the windowsill with a heavy thud.
Su Yiyi and Michelle, who were in Li Yifeiâs office, jumped in fright. Having been with Li Yifei for so long, theyâd never seen him lose composure like this. Clearly, something major had happened, and for Li Yifei to react so strongly, the gravity of the situation left both Michelle and Su Yiyi unable to even imagine its severity.
"Heh heh!" The caller let out an extraordinarily unpleasant laugh and said, "Do you want your son back?"
"Go ahead, name your conditions." It had been over three months since his son had disappeared. While Li Yifei had constantly thought of him, he had come to grudgingly accept the situation. However, now that the perpetrators had unexpectedly made contact, he was overcome with emotion. Still, he quickly composed himself, knowing that excitement alone wouldnât solve the problem.
"Conditions? I want one billion." (Note: The Chinese numeral here equals one billion USD, colloquially expressed as "ten hundred million.")
Li Yifei snorted and said, "Quite the appetite youâve got."
"A billion might be a lot for others, but for the illustrious head of the Li family, this amount should hardly pose any difficulty, no?"
"Even so, itâs too much. My wealth is tied up in my businesses; I canât gather such a vast sum quickly."
"Donât bother bargaining with me. If you want your son back, hand over the billion."
Li Yifei narrowed his eyes and said, "Fine, how do you want me to give you the money? Donât tell me in cashâI wouldnât be able to hand over that much liquid cash even if you demanded it, and you wouldnât be able to carry it away."
"Thanks for pointing that out. Iâll provide you a bank account later. And let me warn you: youâd better not try tracking any interbank transfers. If I find even the slightest trace, Iâll kill your son immediately."
"Alright, Iâll give you the money, but youâve got to let me see my son first. Without proof, I wonât hand over a single penny."
Only now did Su Yiyi and Michelle grasp why Li Yifei was so rattled. Both almost screamed out loud but hurriedly clapped their hands over their mouths, exchanging alarmed glances. Then, excitement tinged their facesâthough one billion was an astronomical figure, the Li family could manage it. Money could always be earned back, but recovering his son outweighed everything else.
"Thatâs certainly no problem. We can do an exchangeâmoney for the boy. Iâll let you know the address later, but you must come alone. Bring even one extra person, and your son dies without question."
"Fine! I agree!" Li Yifei promptly accepted.
"Youâve got two days to prepare the money. Iâll call you again the day after. Goodbye." The caller hung up decisively after making his final statement.
Li Yifei lowered the phone, and Su Yiyi and Michelle instantly rushed over, chattering all at once, "Honey, is this about our son? Are they saying theyâll release him if we give them the money?"
Li Yifei grasped their hands and said, "Calm down, calm down!" Although he was trying to steady them, his own heart was less composed. Normally cool and rational even under adverse conditions, this time it felt impossible to remain level-headed. His sonâhis firstborn sonâwas at stake. Despite having been with him for less than a month before the abduction, the bond of blood was unbreakable. The fatherly affection growing within him made this situation profoundly poignant.
After everyone took a few deep breaths, Li Yifei forced himself to retain composure. He glanced at the incoming callerâs numberâit was registered to the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Numbers like this, set up without documented IDs, were everywhere in China, making proper tracing utterly futile. Furthermore, the sheer patience the culprits exhibitedâwaiting three months to make their demandâdemonstrated their exceptional self-control. Clearly, these were no ordinary kidnappers, as most would have rushed to extort money long ago.
"Yiyi, go call Fangqing over, and bring Yingying too."
Su Yiyi bolted out the door.
Michelle, fists clenched tightly against her chest, exclaimed, "Finally, thereâs news about the boy, hubby! This is wonderful!"
Li Yifei nodded, saying, "The culprits certainly know how to stay hidden."
Michelle asked, "But honey, besides the ransom amount, do they have other demands?"
"Not as of now, except insisting I go alone."
"Alone?! Why wouldnât they send someone else instead? Arenât they aware youâre the Golden Eagle? Having you go would only make things more dangerous!"
Before Li Yifei could respond, Xu Yingying and He Fangqing entered in a hurry, Su Yiyi trailing behind and closing the door after them. Xu Yingying, too impatient to wait, blurted out, "Have you heard something about our son?"
Li Yifei nodded and said, "I just received a call. Theyâre demanding a billion in ransom."
"Good! Weâll pay it, weâll pay it. It doesnât matter as long as our baby is safe." Xu Yingying unhesitatingly agreed with conviction.
Li Yifei turned to He Fangqing and asked, "Fangqing, can we gather one billion in funds readily?"
He Fangqing replied promptly, "We canât today, but we should be able to by tomorrow night." She possessed an intimate understanding of all financial flows in the company, and her mind processed everything without hesitation.
"Alright, prepare the billion by tomorrow night," Li Yifei confirmed.
Once the initial shock settled, the group sat down, and Michelle raised a critical question from the back of her mind.
Xu Yingying, He Fangqing, and Su Yiyi simultaneously realized something amiss. Xu Yingying speculated, "For kidnappers, their primary concern is the money. Theyâd prefer whoever delivers it to pose the least threat. Insisting you go personally seems sketchy."
He Fangqing added gravely, "Exactly. They canât be unaware of your skills. Insisting you go is inherently riskyâunless they have another agenda and thatâs why youâre being targeted."
Li Yifei shook his head, remarking, "If this is a high-intelligence team, there are countless ways they could operate. One single person doesnât even need to show upâthey could set up a laptop, place the boy in a cradle, and use pre-programmed devices or remote controls. In a scenario like that, even my martial expertise wouldnât help me get them. Theyâve already demonstrated their capability by taking the boy and evading for three months before seeking ransom. Theyâre not amateurs, especially given they know heâs my son yet dared to move forward."
Li Yifei recalled his time battling elite organizations on an island years ago, settling old scores once and for all. Those organizations today wouldnât dare act rashly against him. But now, someone had challenged him using such calculated, underhanded methods. If he tracked them down, his face suddenly bore a frighteningly sinister expressionâone the women had never seen. They knew this indicated true murderous intent brewing.
Returning home, Li Yifei explained the situation to his family. Everyone was deeply stirred, especially Su Mengxin, who was moved to tears. Yet Mengxin, true to her nature, regained clarity quickly after her initial emotional surge.
Taking a deep breath, she said, "Honey, I feel this incident is aimed squarely at you."
Li Yifei nodded and replied, "No doubt about itâtheyâre targeting me."
"Then going would bring danger, which is why I feel you shouldnât go either," Su Mengxin said firmly, her gaze locked intently onto Li Yifei.
Li Yifei smiled faintly, holding Su Mengxinâs hand and asking gently, "Mengxin, donât you trust me? After all these years, how many people have tried to take me down, and how many successes have they had?"
Xiao Lingâer clenched her fists and interjected excitedly, "Exactly! Hubby, youâve even taken out sharks in the water; a few ordinary criminals will be nothing! Plus, with your improved skills now, thereâs no one left on earth who can surpass you."
Xiao Lingâer, heavily pregnant and nearing her due date, could no longer move freely. However, her mischievous personality remained intact, and her blind admiration for Li Yifei was unwavering.
Su Mengxin shook her head, saying, "Your abilities have indeed grown, but youâve lost that sharp, decisive clarity in handling crises. Faced with your sonâs situation, youâll struggle to make the cold hard choices."
Li Yifei froze for a moment, and Su Mengxin continued, "I know youâre anxious about saving him, but we have to plan for the worst. You canât put yourself in jeopardy for the boy. If...if something happens to him, I can bear with it. We can have another child together; in this family, thereâs no shortage of people nor future children. But if anything happens to you, the entire Li family crumbles. Youâve lost sight of whatâs more important here."
Li Yifei took a deep calming breath and said, "Mengxin, thank you for the reminder. I understand now. Iâll save my son, but not at the cost of my own life."
Su Mengxin locked eyes with him and finally nodded. "Good. Then weâll make thorough preparations. We wonât let them lead us by the nose; weâll seize control of the situation."
Li Yifei nodded resolutely and said, "Alright. Iâll start arranging things right away." Then he stood up and strode out purposefully.
The Li family was brimming with skilled figures, some even having questionable pasts involving environments like this. Among them were experts across various disciplines. With their collective effort, they were bound to overwhelm these adversariesâunless backed by a massive criminal syndicate. Otherwise, there was no doubt Li Yifei would track them down and make them pay dearly. In the past, he had managed it solo; now, with the familyâs resources at his disposal, he was even more assured of success.