Chapter 206: Wan Xiaozhou: “I Saw My Great-Grandmother”
Tom felt helpless. This place was utterly deserted, and it was the middle of the night—there was no way he could get a cab.
Left with no choice, he hopped onto a shared bicycle and followed the GPS sent by Taotie, chasing in the direction where the three cars had left.
“Chasing a car on a bicycle? Is this even humanly possible?” Tom muttered.
After cycling for three kilometers, he spotted several parked cars across from a residential complex. His eyes lit up. He abandoned the shared bicycle and walked toward the private vehicles.
These belonged to the residents of the complex. Since there was no available parking inside, they had left their cars here.
Tom picked an electric car, took a remote control from his pocket, pressed a button, and placed it against the car door.
The remote control started flashing red and green, and the car’s headlights began blinking rhythmically.
One minute later—
“Click!”
The car door unlocked automatically.
Tom raised an eyebrow and smirked triumphantly. He opened the door, slid into the driver’s seat, and started the car with a single press of a button. Then, he drove off.
The poor car owner had no idea that their vehicle had already been taken by Tom.
Meanwhile, Taotie parked in front of the hotel where Wan Xiaozhou was staying. He dragged her out of the car and walked toward the entrance.
Following her guidance, they arrived at the door of her room.
“Where is it?” Taotie asked coldly.
“Inside the room,” Wan Xiaozhou answered obediently.
“Open the door!” Taotie ordered.
Wan Xiaozhou complied, taking out her room card and swiping it to unlock the door.
“Find it. Don’t try any tricks, or I’ll kill you!” Taotie warned, shoving her inside.
Wan Xiaozhou knew she was no match for Taotie. Fearing for her life, she didn’t dare play any games. She walked into the bathroom, opened the water tank of the toilet, and took out a small package sealed in a plastic bag.
She walked back to Taotie and handed him the bag. “Here!”
Taotie took the bag, opened it, and pulled out a snuff bottle.
Frowning, he examined it closely before looking back at Wan Xiaozhou. “This is it? Where’s the treasure map?”
Under Taotie’s icy gaze, Wan Xiaozhou shuddered and stammered, “It’s inside the snuff bottle! It was engraved on the inner wall using micro-carving techniques. The external carvings are also part of the map.”
She was genuinely terrified of Taotie.
This man was horrifying—his entire being exuded a chilling aura.
He felt like a predator.
Like a fierce tiger, ready to strike.
Taotie nodded, sealed the snuff bottle, and tucked it away. Suddenly, he grabbed Wan Xiaozhou by the throat.
“You think you can fool me? Do you take me for an idiot?”
“Do you really believe that just handing me a worthless snuff bottle and spouting some nonsense about micro-carving will convince me?”
“Do you think I haven’t seen the intel?”
His grip tightened.
Soon, a large handprint appeared on Wan Xiaozhou’s neck.
“You have two choices: either you find it yourself, or I kill you and find it myself!” Taotie declared coldly.
Under the increasing pressure, Wan Xiaozhou could hear her trachea and cervical vertebrae creaking under the strain.
She had no doubt that Taotie could snap her neck in an instant.
Her vision darkened, but she fought to stay conscious. If she passed out now, she knew she would never wake up again. At that point, she might as well wait for her great-grandmother to come and take her away.
Gathering all her strength, she grabbed Taotie’s wrist, signaling for him to loosen his grip.
Seeing this, Taotie sneered and relaxed his hold slightly. “You have ten seconds!”
“I’ll find it! Please don’t kill me!” Wan Xiaozhou gasped, speaking as fast as she could.
The suffocating feeling just now had filled her with terror.
She was truly afraid.
She was still young. She didn’t want to die!
“This is your last chance. Make good use of it!” Taotie warned.
As soon as he let go, Wan Xiaozhou collapsed against the wall, sliding weakly to the floor.
She gasped for air, her entire body trembling uncontrollably.
“You have thirty seconds! If you want to live, hurry up!” Taotie said coldly, arms crossed as he watched her struggle.
“I-I’ll find it right now…!”
Wan Xiaozhou scrambled up from the ground, staggering toward the bed.
In her panic, she fell three times on the short journey.
Taotie remained by the door, watching her with cold amusement. His hand had already crept toward the gun at his waist. If she dared try anything, he wouldn’t hesitate to put a bullet in her head.
He was a ruthless predator, never known for patience. If it weren’t for the mission from Fang Xiaocao, he would have killed Wan Xiaozhou already.
He would rather eliminate her and find the treasure himself than waste time interrogating a dead woman.
Wan Xiaozhou used every ounce of strength to lift the mattress, tear it open, and retrieve a scroll wrapped in a sealed plastic bag.
“I found it! Here…!”
She staggered over to Taotie and offered him the scroll with both hands.
Taotie raised an eyebrow and took the scroll. He tore off the plastic, unrolled it slightly, and glanced at it.
“You’re lucky you cooperated!” he smirked, tucking the scroll away.
“I’ll spare your pathetic life. Now run while you can!”
With that, he turned and walked away.
Wan Xiaozhou knelt on the ground, her eyes burning with hatred as she watched his retreating figure.
“Bastard…”
“One day, I’ll kill you…!” she swore to herself.
Taotie didn’t care about her feelings.
He had killed plenty of people in his lifetime.
And there were plenty more who hated him. If he hadn’t left some loose ends alive, the number of people wanting him dead would be even higher.
Wan Xiaozhou was just another insignificant insect to him.
He could crush her anytime.
Still trembling, Wan Xiaozhou forced herself to stand. She stumbled out of the room, running toward the far end of the hallway.
Once she reached another room, she quickly swiped the card and slipped inside.
Leaning against the door, she greedily inhaled the fresh air. She didn’t even dare to turn on the lights.
At this moment, she felt relieved that she had booked the entire floor when she checked in.
Otherwise…
With her current condition, she wouldn’t have been able to escape the hotel or find a safe place to hide.
(End of Chapter 206)
