The clue pointed to the sanatorium, like a heavy dark cloud hanging over the manor. Lu Tingchen dispatched additional surveillance forces, almost enclosing the luxurious sanatorium located in the suburbs and mountains like an iron bin. Any people, vehicles, and even communication signals entering or leaving were closely monitored, recorded, and analyzed.
However, the "nightingale" seemed to have vanished into thin air and never reappeared from that area again. Lin Wanru's life in the nursing home seemed as peaceful as ever. She read books, drew pictures, received physical therapy, and talked to the medical staff gently and politely without any abnormal behavior.
This excessive calmness, on the contrary, makes people even more uneasy.
"Either the other party has detected our surveillance and is temporarily lying low." Or..." Qin Hao analyzed, "..." It's just that the connection between the "Nightingale" and the old lady is not as direct as we imagined, or there are more concealed ways of communication that we haven't discovered yet.
Lu Tingchen stood in front of the huge surveillance screen wall in the study, his sharp eyes scanning one split-screen after another. The sanatorium is shaded by green trees and has a serene environment. It seems to pose no threat, but it is like a fortress shrouded in mist.
He never believes in coincidences.
"Keep watching." " His voice was cold and stern. "Expand the surveillance scope and re-filter all the records of her before and after admission, especially the records of electronic device connection and visitor records. Don't let any clues slip through."
"Yes." "
Meanwhile, Su Wanwan's special training entered a more practical stage.
Her physical fitness and reaction speed have significantly improved, and she has become increasingly proficient in basic self-protection skills. Lu Tingchen began to design a simulated scene for her.
The tactical drill area in the basement was arranged in different environments - the hotel corridor, the corner of the parking lot, and even the narrow space of the simulated cabin.
Suppose you are being followed here...
"Suppose we encounter an attack at this corner..." "
Suppose there are two people on the other side, flanking from the front and back...
Lu Tingchen plays the role of the attacker, making quick and fierce moves without any mercy. Su Wanwan was often caught off guard, falling to the ground and getting new injuries on her body.
"Not fast enough!" What about your prediction?"
Hesitation leads to death! Make use of everything you can!"
Your goal is to escape, not to defeat!
His scolding echoed within the training ground, stern and inhumane.
Su Wanwan was knocked down time and again, but each time she gritted her teeth and got up. The stubbornness and determination in her eyes grew stronger and stronger. She began to learn to observe the environment, using shadows, furniture and even dust as cover and distractions. Her moves became increasingly decisive. Although she lacked strength, her angles became more and more tricky, targeting the most vulnerable areas such as her eyes, throat, and lower body.
Lu Tingchen looked at her bruised knees and still determined eyes, his heart aching as if pricked by needles, but he forced himself to harden his heart. Every bit of pain and embarrassment she has now is to increase her chances of survival in the real danger.
On this day, after a high-intensity simulated confrontation, Su Wanwan leaned against the wall, almost exhausted, gasping for breath, and her training suit was soaked through with sweat.
Lu Tingchen walked up to her and handed her a bottle of water.
"Tomorrow, I'll give you a 'graduation exam'." He looked at her and suddenly said.
Su Wanwan was taken aback and took the water: "Graduation exam?" "
"Um." " Lu Tingchen's eyes were deep and profound. "I'll arrange a trap to simulate the most realistic kidnapping scene." You will be "kidnapped" and taken somewhere. You need to rely on everything you have learned to find a way to send out a distress signal and try to delay the time as much as possible to wait for rescue.
Su Wanwan's heart gave a sudden jolt and she subconsciously felt scared. But looking into Lu Tingchen's calm eyes, that fear was gradually replaced by a sense of eager challenge. She wonders if all her efforts these days have been in vain.
"Ok." " She took a deep breath and nodded vigorously.
The next day, everything was as usual. Su Wanwan, as planned, drove alone to a gallery in the city center in the afternoon to see a new exhibition (the route and location were "unintentionally" disclosed to some channels that might be monitored in advance).
On the way back, at a relatively remote roundabout section, a black van suddenly forcibly stopped her car!
Before she could react, the two masked burly men opened the car door and covered her mouth and nose with handkerchiefs soaked in anesthetic! The movements were rough and professional, exactly the same as what she had simulated in training!
Su Wanwan was startled in her heart, but her strong willpower made her hold her breath immediately, and at the same time, her body relaxed, pretending to be knocked unconscious.
She was quickly dragged onto the van, her eyes covered and her hands tied behind her back. The car sped away.
The heart was pounding wildly in the chest, but the brain was unusually clear. She carefully felt the car's steering, the jolts, and the changes in the surrounding sounds, silently calculating the time and possible directions. At the same time, her fingers, which were tied behind her back, struggled with great difficulty, bit by bit, to feel a very hidden protrusion on the watch - that was the emergency distress transmitter given to her by Lu Tingchen.
The van drove for about forty minutes and finally came to a stop. She was dragged out of the car and taken into an open area full of dust and musty smell, like an abandoned warehouse.
She was rudely thrown to the ground.
"Boss, the people are here." "
"Well, keep a close watch. Wait for the boss's instructions."
Two "kidnappers" were having a conversation nearby, their voices hoarse.
Su Wanwan lay on the ground, continuing to pretend to be unconscious, but her ears stood up, catching all the information. She quietly pressed the wristwatch under her body and used the weight of her body to press the distress button. The micro-transmitter will immediately send out her location information and the pre-set danger code.
Having completed this step, she felt a little relieved in her heart. Next, it's about procrastinating.
She began to let out faint moans and pretended to slowly wake up.
"Hey, awake?" " A kidnapper came over and kicked her with his foot.
Su Wanwan shrank up in terror, her voice trembling: "You..." Who are you? Why are you arresting me? Do you need money? My husband can give you money..."
She deliberately displayed the fear and panic that an ordinary woman should have, attempting to lower the other person's wariness.
"Less nonsense!" Just stay quiet!" The kidnapper shouted impatiently.
Time passed minute by minute. Su Wanwan continued to negotiate with words while secretly trying to rub the rope on her wrist. The kidnappers seemed to have received some instruction and began to pace up and down somewhat restlessly.
Just then, a siren suddenly came from outside the warehouse, getting closer and closer!
Damn it! Why is there a note? "!" The kidnappers were shocked!
"Hurry up!" "
Two kidnappers were in a panic and tried to escape through the back door!
Right now!
Su Wanwan suddenly jumped up from the ground! Taking advantage of the moment when the other person was in a panic and distracted, she used the rope she had secretly loosened before and suddenly broke free from her hands! Although her wrist was bloody and mangled by the rough rope, she didn't care about it anymore!
She grabbed a rusty iron rod from the ground and smashed it hard at the knee of the kidnapper nearest to her!
"Ah!" The kidnapper let out a scream and knelt down on the ground!
Seeing this, another kidnapper cursed and pulled out a dagger to pounce on him!
Su Wanwan kept the key points of the training in mind, refrained from brute force, and nimbly dodged. She used abandoned machines and equipment as obstacles to deal with the opponent and did her best to delay!
There was a loud sound of footsteps outside the warehouse!
"Bang!" The warehouse door was suddenly knocked open!
"Police!" "Don't move!"
Lu Tingchen charged in at the forefront, followed by Qin Hao disguised as a police officer and his elite bodyguards! At a glance, he saw Su Wanwan, who was dealing with the kidnappers armed with knives, with blood flowing from her wrist but a fierce look in her eyes!
Without any hesitation! Lu Tingchen raised his hand and fired a shot! It precisely hit the wrist of the kidnapper holding a knife! The dagger clanged to the ground!
The bodyguards quickly stepped forward and subdued the two "kidnappers".
Lu Tingchen strode up to Su Wanwan and held her tightly in his arms with such force that he almost crushed her to pieces! God knows how scared he was when he was listening for anything inside from outside just now! Every second is torture!
"It's okay..." It's okay..." His voice was hoarse as he kept repeating, examining the injury on her wrist, his face extremely ugly.
Su Wanwan leaned against his arms. It was only then that she allowed herself to let go of her lingering fear. Her body trembled slightly, but her eyes shone astonishingly brightly.
She made it! She sent a signal, she wasted time, and she even fought back!
"I..." I'm fine." She raised her head and looked at him. Though her face was pale, she wore a victorious smile with tears in it. "Did I pass the exam, instructor?"
Lu Tingchen looked at the wound on her wrist and that smile. His heart felt as if it had been hit hard by something, feeling both sore and swollen. He lowered his head, kissed her sweaty forehead, and his voice was deep and solemn:
"Passed." You are the most outstanding graduate.
He picked her up and walked towards the door. The glow of the setting sun spread over the abandoned warehouse yard.
When passing by the "kidnapper" who was knocked down by Su Wanwan with an iron rod, the bodyguard who was playing the role of the kidnapper, enduring the pain, quietly gave Lu Tingchen a thumbs-up and whispered, "Boss, Madam is really ruthless..." The performance was so real..."
Lu Tingchen glared at him, and the latter immediately fell silent.
After getting into the car, Lu Tingchen still held Su Wanwan tightly, as if he would let go and she would disappear.
"Go home." " He instructed the driver.
The car started and drove away from this desolate land.
Su Wanwan leaned against his arms, looking out the window at the rapidly receding scenery and said softly, "Tingchen, next time..." Can it be done without a real fight? The smell of that anesthetic is so unpleasant...
Lu Tingchen: "..."
He silently tightened his arms. It seems that his young wife has not only become stronger but also bolder, even daring to tease him now.
However, just as the car was about to drive onto the main road, Lu Tingchen's encrypted phone vibrated.
It was a message sent by the captain in charge of monitoring the nursing home, with only a brief sentence:
The target received a special express delivery today. The source cannot be traced. The contents are suspected to be an old-fashioned tape recorder.
Old-fashioned tape recorder?
Lu Tingchen's brows instantly knitted tightly.
The mystery surrounding the sanatorium seems to have taken on new developments.
(To be continued...)"