David Green said, “Did Brian Carter sharpen this in prison? He’s got nothing else to do anyway.”

John Foster said, “This isn’t pig bone—pig bone isn’t this hard. This is donkey bone. There’s no way there’d be donkey bone in prison. This knife was prepared for Brian Carter by someone. And that person put a lot of thought into it.”

David Green asked, “Is it that the Sun family is afraid Charles Thompson will pay the ransom and get William Thompson out?”

John Foster shook his head and said, “It’s not that simple… Where is Charles Thompson?”

“Just about to mention it—there was a fire at the Li household last night. Charles Thompson and his concubine, Madam Liu, are both missing.”

“A fire?”

John Foster thought for a moment. A trace of a sneer appeared on his stern face as he ordered, “Go get the warrant. I’ll use it on this kid.”

“Won’t that offend someone?”

“I don’t care. But once we go, life and death are uncertain. Whether William Thompson comes back alive, let those people keep guessing, let them guess all they want.”

“Ha… But, come to think of it, the sentence wasn’t wrong. This guy’s so young and he’s already killed three people…”

…

With a “clack,” David Green cuffed William Thompson with shackles.

These were the same shackles Matthew Cooper had worn before—just two iron chains, one for the hands, one for the feet, restricting his movement.

After sacrificing this bit of freedom, William Thompson gained another kind of freedom.

He walked out of the cell.

The intense light made it almost impossible for him to open his eyes, but he still squinted, reluctant to close them.

This was ancient Qiantang County, which is Hangzhou… or perhaps called the seat of Lin’an Prefecture, roughly the present-day Shangcheng District of Hangzhou.

Looking around, he saw nothing but prosperity.

Black-tiled roofs and white walls outlined the charm of old Jiangnan. Through the gap between two taverns, he could just see boats passing on the Qiantang River.

Street vendors shouted from every corner, the streets were packed with people, bustling and busy.

A place of beauty in the southeast, the capital of the Three Wu regions, Qiantang has always been prosperous. Willows in the mist, painted bridges, curtains of wind and emerald screens, tens of thousands of households in uneven rows…

William Thompson hadn’t had time to take it all in before John Foster strode ahead. David Green yanked the chain on his hand, pulling him to follow John Foster as they turned into an alley.

He gradually adjusted to the bright light outside. Looking up at the sky, that patch of blue was breathtakingly beautiful.

William Thompson thought, his private jet had crashed down from up there—but in another world…

John Foster’s rank was clearly not high; he had no carriage or any means of transport, just his own humble feet.

After about fifteen minutes, they left the bustling streets and entered a courtyard at the foot of Wushan.

The courtyard was unremarkable, simply furnished.

John Foster led William Thompson into one of the rooms. David Green took out a key, unlocked the shackle on William Thompson’s left foot, and fastened the chain to an iron ring on the wall.

William Thompson didn’t care about this. What he cared about was that after walking this far, he was starving.

By now, he hadn’t eaten for a whole day.

Hunger—a feeling he’d rarely experienced before—was far more painful than he’d imagined…

“I’m hungry.”

John Foster took two flatbreads from his coat and handed them to him, saying, “Wait here for two days. In two days, we’ll set out.”

William Thompson ate the flatbread, the chain on his hand clinking.

After he finished chewing, he picked up the cup on the table and took a sip of water before saying, “Alright, tell me the details of the mission. I’ll do my best to complete it, and then you’ll set me free.”

John Foster acted as if he hadn’t heard, speaking to himself, “Your father is in my hands.”

William Thompson fell silent for a moment.

John Foster said, “If you disobey my orders, your father will die.”

“No need for that. I keep my word,” William Thompson said. “You spare my life, I’ll risk it for you and do this job.”

John Foster acted as if he didn’t understand human speech, and continued, “I don’t know why you and your father offended the Sun family, nor do I want to know. But you know very well, without me this time, you and your father would be dead for sure.”

William Thompson actually didn’t know.

He kept the words “Sun family” in mind, thinking about how to deal with his father if he saw him.

On the other hand, he thought John Foster might be a very capable man of action, but definitely not a good leader.

A good leader wouldn’t shackle the person he wanted to use.

A good leader, even if he threatened someone’s family, would do it gently, not so bluntly as to say, “If you don’t listen to me, I’ll kill your father.”

Fortunately, John Foster’s straightforwardness wasn’t entirely a bad thing.

And fortunately, John Foster didn’t seem to intend for William Thompson to meet his father.

William Thompson was glad he hadn’t given himself away…

…

After all his threats, John Foster was a bit surprised that William Thompson didn’t ask to see Charles Thompson.

He added another note to his assessment of William Thompson: cold and unfeeling.

But he thought that was fine. After all, he hadn’t really captured Charles Thompson; as long as he scared the kid, that was enough.

Not mentioning it saved him from having to make up an excuse.

So John Foster didn’t bring up the Sun family again, to avoid giving himself away…

…

“I will definitely repay this great favor,” William Thompson said again. “What is it you want me to do?”