Chapter 3209 — Kidnapping Liu Tianli

If that won't work, then what are we supposed to do? Kang Jingming was getting a headache too. He might have no shortage of devious ideas, but the Liu Group had clearly made preparations this time. If they hadn't, they never would have rolled out that peripheral device. So Kang Jingming had almost no opening to exploit.

After hanging up, Kang Jingming sought out Patriarch Xuanchen and relayed everything Dr. Benjamin II had said. Patriarch Xuanchen's expression turned exceedingly grim as well! He had not expected Wei Zhao to respond so swiftly again.

"It seems this Wei Zhao has far-reaching connections — able to reach the world's top hackers to build a server for him. We underestimated him!" Patriarch Xuanchen said with a frown.

"So what do we do now, Father-in-law?" Kang Jingming asked anxiously. "Wei Zhao is just a lone cultivator with no power and no backing — how did he even find these people?"

"We can work with Dr. Benjamin II, and Wei Zhao can work with others — none of that is the real issue!" Patriarch Xuanchen mused for a moment, then said, "The important thing is that we must come up with a countermeasure now! The previous approach is dead, but I think you can still work on Liu Tianli."

"Work on Liu Tianli again? How is that possible?" Kang Jingming said. "Liu Tianli can't even open the door to Liu Jinghan's office now, and even if he could, it would be useless — the server might not be stored in the company at all. We'd never find it."

"What I mean is, you kidnap Liu Tianli, then use him to force Liu Jinghan to hand over the server's source code," Patriarch Xuanchen said. "Kidnapping — you're no stranger to that trick, are you? You've used it plenty of times. Back then, you kidnapped Guan Xin precisely to make Wei Zhao hand over the prescription, didn't you?"

"That's true..." Kang Jingming's eyes lit up at once. "But will Liu Jinghan give in? What if I go to all the trouble of kidnapping him and that girl just gives up? After all, these things belong to Wei Zhao. If Wei Zhao refuses, then even if Liu Tianli dies, we still won't get the program!"

"Whether it works or not, it's worth a try," Patriarch Xuanchen said. "At present, this is the only method I can think of. Try it first. If it fails, we'll think of something else."

"Fine, then I'll go grab Liu Tianli right now!" Kang Jingming nodded. "But, Father-in-law, this time you have to send me a few ruthless men. That Wei Zhao can kill even a peak late-stage Heaven-rank expert in one blow. If Wei Zhao finds out we're behind this, I'm dead for certain. You don't want little Eleven to be a widow at such a young age, do you?"

"Mm, I'll have Xiao Yi go with you. Once you've kidnapped Liu Tianli, don't make a sound about it — bring him straight back to the Five Luminaries Sect. However capable Wei Zhao is, he wouldn't dare storm the Five Luminaries Sect alone. When that time comes, either he gives up Liu Tianli, or he obediently complies!" Patriarch Xuanchen said. "But judging from my analysis, given how much Wei Zhao values loyalty to his underlings, there's a good nine-in-ten chance he'll agree to your demands."

"You're right. Wei Zhao was even willing to make an enemy of the old Kang family for the sake of that fool Kang Xiaofeng. I'd say the Wei Zhao of today is much the same." Hearing Patriarch Xuanchen's analysis, Kang Jingming was immediately intrigued.

"Good. I'll go have Xiao Yi accompany you on this trip!" With that, Patriarch Xuanchen began contacting Xiao Yi, telling him to go with Kang Jingming.

Liu Tianli had been stripped of his authority. But the man still lived in the sanatorium. No matter what, he was Liu Jinghan's father — even if Liu Jinghan was angry, she couldn't do anything drastic to him. So at most, she had revoked all his access within the company and left him to live out his remaining years in comfort at the sanatorium.

Still, even without any real punishment, Liu Tianli's days were miserable. He had once again tasted the pleasures of drugs, only for Liu Jinghan to cut him off within a few days, and those cigarettes had been confiscated as well. So for Liu Tianli, every day felt like a year.

But there was nothing Liu Tianli could do. He was now restricted from contacting the outside world — no cell phone, no landline, only a walkie-talkie for speaking with the guards outside. You could say he wanted for nothing in food and clothing: whatever he wanted to eat, whatever product he wanted, he just called over the walkie-talkie and someone would bring it. Cigarettes too, he had those — but never cigarettes laced with drugs. Having grown used to the taste of drugs, any other cigarette now tasted like nothing at all.

"Ugh, what rotten luck. If any more cigarettes come my way, I'll have to dig a pit and bury them so Jingjing doesn't find them!" Liu Tianli muttered to himself.

But just as he was complaining, the next moment a familiar figure appeared before him, giving him a sudden start!

"You... you're... huh? You're Kang Jingming?" Liu Tianli recognized the man at once as the very Kang Jingming who had given him those cigarettes! Of course, deep down he resented Kang Jingming for taking advantage of his predicament, but there was nothing he could do about it — who told him to love drugs so much?

"Mr. Liu, we meet again!" Xiao Yi stood beside Kang Jingming, though Xiao Yi said nothing. This was Kang Jingming's show — he was merely a supporting player. As for Kang Jingming replacing him as Patriarch Xuanchen's son-in-law, Xiao Yi felt both helpless and relieved. Little Eleven had turned out like that; frankly, he didn't want her anymore either. But becoming Patriarch Xuanchen's son-in-law meant a position of supreme standing.

Now, within the Five Luminaries Sect, Kang Jingming's status had essentially surpassed his own, and he was the one constantly at Patriarch Xuanchen's side.

That was simply how things were — to gain, one must lose. So Xiao Yi could do nothing about it.

"Kang Jingming, what are you doing here again?" Liu Tianli frowned, yet a glimmer of longing flashed through his eyes. "Kang Jingming, did you bring me any cigarettes?"

"If you want cigarettes, sure. I'll take you somewhere, you play along with me in a little act, and then I can supply you with cigarettes — as many as you want, I'll give you," Kang Jingming said.

"Really? For real?" At the word "cigarettes," Liu Tianli's eyes immediately lit up with a greedy green gleam.

"Of course it's real. Why would I lie to you?" Kang Jingming said flatly. "Do you think I have that much spare time to sit here and talk about this with you?"

"That's true..." Liu Tianli nodded. "Go on then, what do you need me to do?"

"Actually, you don't need to do much. Just come away with us and be a guest at our place. I can supply you with drugs — as much as you want, however much you want!" Kang Jingming said.