Chapter 225: Chapter 220 The Bound Person_2 Chapter 225: Chapter 220 The Bound Person_2 Hanging onto the plank, Zheng Tan used one hand to nudge the adjacent plank, not expecting it to give way so easily. Whether it was due to age or being previously dislodged by cargo, with just a bit of force, he managed to push it open further.

Carefully pushing the loosened plank upwards, he made sure the gap was large enough for him to squeeze through before retracting his claws. Gripping the edge and the cracks tightly, he then used his head to push against the plank beside him and squeezed his way up with some difficulty.

The plank emitted a “crack” sound, but Zheng Tan listened carefully and, hearing no other disturbances outside, continued to squeeze upwards. As he squeezed, he scanned the area above, noting nothing but a thick layer of dust, cobwebs, and the occasional long-dead insect carcass.

After squeezing up, Zheng Tan took care to return the plank to its original position quietly. Only then did he attempt to walk on the planks.

The quality of the planks was poor, and they were old, probably unable to hold the weight of an adult. Even Little Youzi stepping on them would be risky, but for Zheng Tan, they were sufficient. After all, the planks could bear the weight of a cat.

The interior was quite dark, but the light seeping through the seams in the tiles and the gaps in the planks below was enough for Zheng Tan to clearly see the layout above.

Perhaps due to several renovations, the arrangement felt cluttered and haphazard. From this vantage point, Zheng Tan could peek into the rooms on the second floor. The spaces between rooms weren’t completely sealed, and he could try to squeeze through even a brick-sized gap; some areas were even directly connected.

More challenging for Zheng Tan were the planks underfoot. Although they could withstand his weight, stepping on them sometimes produced creaking sounds. If someone were in a room below, the creaking might not immediately suggest an intruder above, but could prompt them to suspect birds or rodents and be more alert.

Zheng Tan trod carefully on the planks, passing over several rooms without spotting anyone, guessing everyone must be on the first floor. However, when he reached the space above one room, he noticed something different from the previous rooms. Peering through a small crack in the plank, Zheng Tan discovered someone was being held captive in this room.

The room was small, with few scattered items, making the object in the center all the more conspicuous.

In the middle of the room was a chair, and someone was tied to it. From above, Zheng Tan couldn’t see the person’s face, but the wine-red hair was distinctly messy and matted. The captive wore a patched green cotton jacket, torn in a few places with cotton stuffing peeking out. The jeans were covered in dust, and the hiking boots… with that pattern, if they were genuine, the person might have some value.

Zheng Tan cautiously moved forward a few steps, changing angles to get a better look. Unfortunately, the person was hanging their head as if asleep, making it impossible to see their face clearly.

Just then, Zheng Tan heard voices outside. Someone was coming upstairs, and they were headed towards this particular room.

After the sound of unlocking, the door to the room opened. Three people entered, two of whom Zheng Tan had seen before, while the other likely had been in this house for a while.

One of them, wearing a gray coat, walked up to the person tied to the chair and shook their head by the hair.

Then, Zheng Tan heard a sound reminiscent of a pig being slaughtered.

“Shut up!” the man in the gray coat slapped the person.

The person’s screams halted momentarily, then turned into whimpers, keeping a four-syllable rhythm, the first syllable rising in intonation, the following three falling, with the first and last syllables drawn out, and the middle two shorter. Although still unpleasant to the ear, it was a marked improvement over the previous pig-like squeals.

Zheng Tan had always thought that people who cried like that were either small children, the never-grow-up kind, or were putting on a bit of an act. He had only heard some children in the courtyard cry that way before, this was the first time he had heard an adult, and a grown man at that, cry in such a manner. It totally gave him the goosebumps.

And when the man in the gray overcoat grabbed and made the man raise his head by his hair, Zheng Tan saw that his face was bruised and swollen from being beaten, tears and snot covering his face as he wept.

“Is this the guy you’ve caught?” one of those who had just come down from the mountain asked.

“Yes, it’s him.” The man in the gray overcoat released the hand that was gripping the guy’s hair.

The interrogator glanced at an ID in his hand, then clicked his tongue, “He looks like some rich kid, he must have had things worth quite a bit of money on him, right?”

The man in the gray overcoat chuckled, “We were told to just keep him locked up for now, no one said we couldn’t sell his stuff.”

Seeing the interrogator frown, the man in the gray overcoat added, “I only sold a phone and a camera, and not locally, got special channels for that.” His meaning was to reassure the other party that it wouldn’t cause any trouble.

“Looked through his wallet already, as for his leather jacket, I’m wearing it right now, it’s quite warm. Oh, and this guy had quite some nice pictures in his phone, if these were to be leaked, it would probably be another X-rated photo scandal. There wasn’t much in the camera. As for his luxury car, I’ve hidden it. Haven’t dealt with it yet, but when the time comes and we sell it, we could make a good sum of money.”

“Hmm.” The interrogator’s frown relaxed a bit, “Just make sure he doesn’t die, he looks like a coward, but comes from a wealthy family. We’ll see what the boss’s decision is later.” Things hadn’t been going smoothly lately, and the higher-ups didn’t seem to want to stir up more trouble, best to settle down the recent issues first.

“Of course, we understand, it’s just that this guy keeps needing to go to the bathroom.”

“Then economize on food.” the man in the gray overcoat said.

Mewaning, as long as he didn’t starve to death, there was no need to give him too much food.

The bound man began to cry again, promising over and over to give a substantial sum of money if they released him, but sadly, all three men ignored him. After a couple more questions, they left, and the sound of the door locking could be heard from outside.

Zheng Tan pricked up his ears. As the three men left, they discussed whether or not to move the captive to another place, considering that they’d be moving goods the next day.

The rest was inaudible, as the three men had already gone downstairs. Zheng Tan was about to find a way downstairs to eavesdrop on their conversation when, as he lifted his foot, he saw through the gap in the planks that the man who had been tied to a chair and crying snot and tears just a moment ago had stood up. Unbeknownst to when, the ropes around him had been cut and were now bundled up and stuffed inside his tattered cotton coat pocket.

After putting on his cotton coat, the man walked to a corner of the wall and picked up a half-eaten Man Tou that had fallen there, leftovers from the unfinished breakfast that morning.

Tearing off the dusty crust, he started nibbling on it, looking quite calm and composed, nothing like his miserable self from earlier. As he ate, he came over, his eyes fixed on the spot where Zheng Tan was standing.

(To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep