CLICK.
After killing the engine and parking, two thugs got out of the car. They hurried into the dimly lit, unfinished building ahead and climbed the rough stairs, not stopping until they reached the third floor.
Their accomplices on the third floor saw the two return and immediately fixed their gazes on the duffel bag they were carrying—the one filled with Spirit Stones.
"Boss." The man placed the duffel bag on the table in front of their leader and unzipped it.
"Whoa, hahahaha... So many Spirit Stones! We’re rich!"
The thugs’ eyes filled with greed as they stared at the Spirit Stones in the bag, and they erupted into boisterous cheers and laughter.
In the distance, Zhang Yuxi lay on the floor, her hands and feet bound and her mouth gagged. Seeing the thugs celebrating the arrival of the ransom, she knew she didn’t have long to live.
Worse, she would likely be tormented by these thugs before they killed her. At the thought, her eyes filled with despair.
"Zhao Qiu, the ransom’s here. Let’s split the money quickly. After that, you guys can dispose of the woman and we’ll get out of here!" said Wang Dezhu. Bankrupt and desperate for cash, his eyes were fixed on the Spirit Stones as he spoke to the brawny, tattooed man.
"Alright, let’s split the Spirit Stones now..." Zhao Qiu, the tattooed leader of the thugs, nodded in agreement.
He then counted out one hundred Spirit Stones from the duffel bag, placed them in a black plastic bag, and handed it to Wang Dezhu.
"..." Wang Dezhu stared at the black plastic bag being held out to him but didn’t take it. Instead, he said, dissatisfied, "Zhao Qiu, we agreed on a fifty-fifty split of the ransom. What is this?"
"For a ten-million ransom, a fifty-fifty split is five million. I’m giving you one hundred Spirit Stones—the number’s correct!" the tattooed Zhao Qiu said with a straight face.
"But the ransom was twenty million!" Wang Dezhu retorted.
"Boss Wang, that’s where you’re wrong... Your initial proposal was to demand a ten-million ransom from that woman, Liu Lan. My proposal was to demand twenty million.
At the time, you were dead set against it. You said twenty million was too much, that she’d never be able to pay it, and that ten million would be enough.
It was only because I insisted that we got the twenty million. And now you’re telling me you want a bigger cut? How does that make any sense..."
As soon as the tattooed Zhao Qiu finished, his underlings immediately chimed in.
"The boss is right! You’re the one who kept insisting on only ten million. Now that we have the ransom, we’re sticking to the original deal: a fifty-fifty split. Giving you five million means we’re honoring our agreement."
"Exactly! Since you only wanted to go for ten million in the first place, this extra ten million has nothing to do with you."
"From start to finish, we’re the ones who did all the real work. All you did was run your mouth and provide some info, and you’re getting five million for it. You should be grateful..."
"I..." Wang Dezhu wanted to argue his case further, but he quickly shut his mouth, swallowing the words he was about to say.
He realized that the looks this crew was giving him were growing more and more hostile.
If he kept pushing for a larger cut, he’d likely infuriate them completely. At that point, he feared he wouldn’t get a single penny, let alone the five million.
Sensing he’d made his point, the tattooed Zhao Qiu shoved the black plastic bag of Spirit Stones into Wang Dezhu’s hands. He clapped him on the shoulder and said,
"Take it! You’re already bankrupt. With these five million, as long as you don’t do anything stupid, it’s enough for you and your family to live well for the rest of your lives. Know what’s good for you..."
"..." Wang Dezhu clutched the black plastic bag of Spirit Stones and said nothing more.
...