Chapter 108
At this moment, Jin City in C-Nation was already in utter chaos.
Ten minutes had passed since Jiang Jitang’s disappearance. The three assailants had been controlled, but they were only decoys and actually knew nothing.
The enemy had planned this long in advance. The three who thought they were executing the plan were unaware they were the targets themselves, meant only to draw attention. Meanwhile, one of the bodyguards who had been tailing Jiang Jitang had already been bribed.
Or rather, this bodyguard had been bought before Jiang Jitang appeared, but remained a hidden piece until now.
“It was my mistake,” Jiang Xingzhou admitted. She hadn’t expected that even after investigating three generations, she still missed this fish.
“It’s not your fault, and now isn’t the time for blame. Jiang Jitang has been located, so it’s time to move. We’ve been too gentle for too long; they think the lion has no claws.”
Mr. Tao, far away in the capital, kept a stern face. In his position, sudden crises were a constant, so he remained calm.
“Wait, Mr. Tao, I’ve received a message from Jitang,” Jiang Xingzhou said. She stared at the text in disbelief for a long moment before repeating it verbatim.
Mr. Tao was confused as well; he had never encountered such a situation and even wondered if the “buy components, deliver components” at the end was some secret code.
Soon, the investigation clarified: it was an ordinary transaction—a purchase of an electromagnetic pulse jammer.
Anyone sensible on the other side would have immediately confiscated Jiang Jitang’s phone and other usable devices. The fact that this text came back indicated Jiang Jitang had his own way of contacting them.
If he had been forced to send the message, there would be no reason to add the “buy components, deliver components” at the end. The other side wouldn’t know about these matters, nor need to include them.
Moreover, the fact that Jiang Jitang was still mindful of such details suggested he had a strong chance of escape.
“What should we do now?” Jiang Xingzhou asked. Concerned for their precious asset, she wanted zero mistakes and could not decide immediately.
“We know where Jiang Jitang is. Wait one hour. If he contacts us again within that time, it’s fine. If not, I’ll have our people act. Until then, apply pressure,” Mr. Tao said.
If East J-Nation could plant hidden pieces, why couldn’t they?
Of course, hidden operatives were precious; they couldn’t act on non-important people. Jiang Jitang was obviously extremely important.
The hope now was that the abductors acted because Jiang Jitang was a powerful healer, not because he was an outside ally.
If he were an outside ally, East J-Nation wouldn’t be able to hold him—they could quickly transfer him to somewhere in A-Nation.
“East J-Nation…” Sister Xia clenched her fists, listening to the entire conversation.
Having the closest contact with Jiang Jitang, she felt protective and motherly toward him. She dared not imagine how much suffering he must endure, a carefree Jiang Jitang from C-Nation, now a prisoner in a foreign land.
These were notorious East J-Nation operatives, and their healer had just left school—no match for such people.
—
East J-Nation.
“I don’t like it raw. Main course: eye fillet steak, medium rare, A3 grade. Too fatty ruins the taste. No rosemary, just black pepper, sea salt, and garlic. Butter—I have my preferred brand…”
The foreign captive Jiang Jitang was ordering his meal with picky demands.
“Don’t go too far,” Ito Saiji said, twitching his mouth. Jiang Jitang really didn’t treat him as an outsider.
“Oh, you suddenly invited me here, want me to meet people, cooperate… How can I cooperate? I’m scared! I just need food comfort, and you stall with excuses, no sincerity. Otherwise, just kill me. I’m not that keen to live anyway. Go ahead.”
How could someone with such a face speak such shameless words? But for his purpose, Ito forced himself to suppress his anger and only snorted at the host: “Treat our healer properly.”
Then he left.
Refusing rice—too fattening. Rejecting grilled eel—too fishy. Refusing sashimi—paranoid about parasites… He hadn’t been this patient even with his girlfriend. He couldn’t sit still for a moment.
Ito wasn’t worried. Without protectors and devices, the healer was non-aggressive, causing no trouble. In comparison, any C-Nation rescue team would be more threatening.
Jiang Jitang watched him leave and smiled at the wooden-like waiter beside him: “Could I have a pre-meal drink? Sweet, low alcohol.”
“Yes.” The waiter left, the others remained.
From the waiter leaving to the arrival of the drink, Jiang Jitang behaved obediently. No one knew he was using the invisible Golden Eye to observe Ito Saiji and the island.
The Golden Eye split into three: the main followed Jiang Jitang, one followed Ito, and one circled the base.
Yes, this was an island, with little vegetation but a fortress made of reinforced concrete. Not new; corroded cement and rusted rebar showed decades, perhaps centuries, of exposure to seawater.
Now it served as a player base—at least East J-Nation’s District 9.
Since the Cube World update, only a month had passed. The move to this abandoned base had likely been just as recent. From Golden Eye’s perspective, it was a mess of ruins and twisted rusted rebar.
Jiang Jitang explored. Even the cafeteria didn’t exist; they had cobbled together a single steak meal.
Given these conditions, persuading him to defect seemed impossible for any rational mind.
The wine arrived; Jiang Jitang sipped while listening for outside sounds.
The wind carried rain—weather similar to typhoon-affected Jin City. He didn’t know the island’s orientation; was it near C-Nation?
Ito braved the storm to another temporary office, preparing to report to his superior.
The raid was unusually successful. They spent one hidden piece, but the result was perfect.
The strongest healer in C-Nation, who ran a special-effect food shop, was now in their hands.
Ito was satisfied; his superior would be happier. Their backing nation would be even more pleased. Weakening C-Nation strengthened them in another sense.
“C-Nation warned us. Those damned cowards, because of a warning, thought they could demand me hand him over.”
Ito looked up, startled, but saw his superior’s cruel, smug smile.
“I told them it’s a Federal request. Any objections? Call them. Heh, they wouldn’t dare, and they dare not offend the Federal Government. They only warned me that consequences are mine.”
A warning from C-Nation…
Even confident in his nation’s military, Ito couldn’t help sweating mentally when recalling the recent intimidating ICBMs.
Fortunately, another power backed them, so the government couldn’t intervene.
“A C-Nation healer here won’t be allowed to leave,” his superior sneered. “Those cowards don’t understand: the Magic Cube game is a rare chance to restore our former glory. I must obtain the top healer’s abilities.”
“I think…” Ito cautiously said, “that person doesn’t seem cooperative.”
“Cooperation? Not necessary. Let him treat injured personnel first. If as strong as rumored…” The man smirked arrogantly. “…we’ll strip that ability and transfer it to ours.”
Ito bowed lower: “Yes.”
“Of course, if cooperation works, better. Experiments can fail. Such healing ability disappearing would be wasteful. I also want to see how the top mainland healer’s body differs from other C-Nation players.”
“Understood!”
Outside the office window, the Golden Eye observed everything.
Steak slowly cut, wine slowly sipped, Jiang Jitang used the time to inspect the base. He searched for other C-Nation players—none.
But he found some interrogation rooms; he suspected C-Nation players had been held there, now moved elsewhere.
The island’s buildings were barrel-shaped: a platform at the bottom, surrounded by rooms, with a circular walkway.
These rooms were dilapidated, rebar exposed. Underground structures were mostly intact, housing thousands of young men, with few women.
Jiang Jitang explored a few emergency-repaired rooms, seemingly leader offices. He ignored the rooms and had the Golden Eye move down. He observed blocked underground tunnels and walls corroded by shellfish and marine life.
Looking at the structure, an idea formed in his mind.
After finishing his meal, Ito returned with the Golden Eye duplicate and a message.
“You want me to rescue someone?” Jiang Jitang grinned. “I charge fees—can’t just intervene, would ruin the market.”
“Of course, there will be rewards,” Ito sneered inwardly. Soon, Jiang would overestimate himself and tumble.
“Is that so?” Jiang Jitang put down the floss and wore his dark-gold bracelet. “Then let’s see.”
Healing devices posed no real threat in a healer’s hands. Ito didn’t mind, pointing to a group: “Let them take Mr. Jiang. Take good care—he’s our guest.”
“Yes.”
Jiang Jitang was escorted. He rotated the bracelet, observing everything curiously.
The Golden Eye duplicate was examined, yielding no insight. The phone was still being hacked, the explosive not triggered—yet.
But the explosion was close.
Jiang Jitang had now scouted the entire secret base via Golden Eye. This island, with unique architecture…
He didn’t want to teleport; he wanted to leave his magic here, as a token of return for the invitation.
But to do so, he needed C-Nation’s official contact to retrieve him.
Rotating the Golden Eye on his wrist: “Little Eye, send a message: I’m a privileged captive, temporarily safe. Guards strict, no action tonight, tomorrow we’ll act.”
Bang!
As if his thought manifested, a room in the top-left exploded into rubble. Simultaneously, people surged from underground. The hallway shook violently; even those below, unable to see, knew a massive explosion occurred.
His lips curled slightly, then flattened, feigning ignorance: “Something happened?”
The East J-Nation captors pressed him anxiously. In over a month, no explosion this severe had occurred—they didn’t know what happened.
Soon, a man in a black raincoat entered, muttered, and left.
The elder among them looked serious, turned to Jiang Jitang, then, confident he was unheard, used his phone to communicate in East J-Nation with others, asking what happened.
Jiang Jitang didn’t understand the language but had magic. Among life-related spells was Heartspeak, usable across races—perfect for this situation.
He listened carefully.
“Explosion in the director’s office? My brother? Yes, yes.” The caller’s eyes reddened. “Don’t worry, we’ll handle this C-Nation person. Leave it to us.”
From the call, they tried to unlock the phone, but it became a lethal weapon, taking several senior personnel, including the man’s brother. The scene was chaotic; the base highly tense, but no C-Nation rescue teams had arrived.
They didn’t suspect Jiang Jitang’s involvement, thinking C-Nation set a trap: if anyone remotely unlocked his phone, the bomb would detonate.
The East J-Nation, projecting their own methods, thought the setup was for Jiang Jitang: if he betrayed them, the bomb would activate. If I don’t get it, no one does.
So they cursed C-Nation for being cunning and cruel.
The real trigger? Jiang Jitang.
