Chapter 242: The Scales at Both Ends 23
“Be careful, the communication line is encrypted, but if the conversation with the other party takes too long, it could likely be traced back.” Adam’s voice echoed in Kui Xin’s hidden earpiece, “Though I am confident in my data processing abilities, it’s better to be cautious.”
Kui Xin did not respond to Adam but turned to Polina, “Ms. Polina, since you can guess who I am, why not take a guess at my intention as well?”
“For money.” Polina’s every statement hit like a hammer driving a nail. She was used to giving orders, and her tone carried an undeniable authority.
“You guessed right, Ms. Polina.” Kui Xin said calmly, “Since you’ve figured it out, let’s not waste each other’s time and make a deal.”
Polina said, “Before we make a deal, please answer one question for me.”
“Go ahead,” Kui Xin said politely.
“Why is The Shadowless targeting the Popov Clan?” Polina asked, “You must have a purpose for choosing your target, not a random selection. I’m curious, has our family, or one of our members, offended you?”
“That’s a good question.”
Polina heard a hoarse laugh from the other end of the line. The voice said, “I can only say that you aren’t so lucky and just happened to stumble into our line of fire.”
That response was essentially no response at all.
Polina slightly shifted her gaze and lifted her eyelid. The office door opened silently, and a technician from the Special Affairs Department entered and placed a metal case gently on the floor, taking out a wire to connect it to Polina’s communication line.
The technician gestured to Polina, signaling her to stall for time.
Polina casually said into the microphone, “Is that all? Your answer is too curt.”
“That is my answer,” the other party replied, “Does Ms. Polina have any more questions?”
“Are you the leader of The Shadowless, ‘Black Snake’?” Polina asked.
“No,” the other party paused for a moment, “I’ve yet to introduce myself, my apologies. My codename is Maotoufu, and I am responsible for external affairs.”
“Alright, Maotoufu.” Polina glanced at the technician, who signaled her to continue stalling for time; there wasn’t enough time for him to trace the communication signal.
So she asked, “Tell me, is my son still alive?”
The member of The Shadowless named “Maotoufu” fell silent for a few seconds, then suddenly hung up the call.
“The communication has been disconnected,” an automated prompt sounded in the receiver.
Polina furrowed her brow; the abrupt disconnection was quite unexpected.
“Did you trace it?” she asked.
The technician replied, “No… The Shadowless’s technical level is definitely not lacking. I traced the communication signal to a location outside White Whale City, making a wide detour but couldn’t find the source, probably due to time constraints.”
Polina asserted, “The other party will contact us again.”
Sure enough, within less than a minute, another unfamiliar communication came in.
After Polina answered, she heard the familiar voice; Maotoufu said, “It’s surprising that you care about your son.”
“After all, he is my son,” Polina said coldly.
“There’s no need for fake sincerity, Polina. I know you don’t care about your family,” Maotoufu said, “We might as well get straight to the point.”
Polina caught a glimpse of the technician from the corner of her eye; his brows furrowed as he realized that the caller had switched to another encrypted line, and he had to trace the signal source anew.
“We are an organization that keeps its commitments. You provide the money, and we will stop exposing your secrets; we mean what we say.”
Polina stalled for time, “I thought your aim was not money, but something else, as your past actions do not seem to purely seek financial gain.”
“Money is a good thing; everyone wants it, and money can buy most things in the world.” Maotoufu said, “No more nonsense, Ms. Polina, I know you are trying to stall for time to locate my position. You just need to give one answer: agree, or don’t agree.”
Polina felt rare anger; in the world, she could often disregard most things, but she could not afford to overlook the family’s reputation and face. After two recent kidnapping cases, the Popov Clan had become the laughingstock of high society!
“You want two billion?” Polina took a deep breath, trying to remain calm.
Maotoufu replied, “Yes.”
Polina asked, “If I hand over two billion, can you stop targeting the Popov Clan?”
Maotoufu answered, “Yes.”
“What if I don’t agree?” Polina asked.
“Then The Shadowless won’t mind making you the laughingstock of the entire financial elite circle again. Trust me, we have the ability to do it.” Maotoufu chuckled, “You wouldn’t want a third kidnapping incident, would you? Two billion for safety is a bargain.”
“Afterwards, will both public attacks and death threats stop?” Polina inquired.
Maotoufu said, “Of course, we keep our commitments.”
“The Popov Clan is indeed going to spend two billion to buy a promise that can be betrayed at any time.” Polina nearly scoffed.
“If you don’t want that, then we can continue to drag this out.” Maotoufu finished and reported a string of numbers, “You can take your time to think it over, Polina, please remember our account number. Once you make up your mind, transfer the money, and this matter will end.”
“Beep—”
The call ended abruptly, cut off as if on cue.
Polina looked at the technician with a grim expression; when he shook his head at her, her face grew even darker.
Money! Money! Money!
The Shadowless was fixated on money, but if they truly lacked funds, why didn’t they take any money when they kidnapped Abrak? Did they think that amount was merely petty cash? Yet the assets inside Abrak’s private residence were worth billions; it was not a small sum.
Polina sensed that the other party was not solely after money, yet The Shadowless proposed a truce, and the condition was cash, which caused her hesitation, making it hard to judge their true intentions.
Most crucially, Polina feared that even if she paid the two billion, it wouldn’t ensure The Shadowless would actually cease their hostilities; she suspected it was a trap.
Two billion was not a small amount; any single company under the Popov Clan had a market value of two billion, and Polina’s personal assets far exceeded this figure.
She quickly weighed the situation in her mind.
Paying might buy the promise for a ceasefire from The Shadowless. Refusing would invite threats from Maotoufu, who openly warned they would continue targeting the Popov Clan, likely leading to another member being kidnapped, causing a whole slew of scandals. The members of the Popov Clan could not all hide away like turtles in their shells; even if they stayed indoors, The Shadowless could come undetected to abduct them; Abrak had been taken even while safely in his residence.
The promise of a ceasefire might be a lie, yet Polina realized that the Special Affairs Department was not currently in a position to deal with The Shadowless.
Technical tracking? The Shadowless also possessed strong network capabilities.
Forcible arrest? The Special Affairs Department didn’t even know where their organization’s bases were located.
Polina rubbed her forehead, her previously irritated expression settling quickly. She spoke pleasantly to the technician from the Special Affairs Department, “Would you mind running this errand for me?”
“It’s a pity we couldn’t uncover any useful information,” the technician said regretfully, “I recorded the audio, and I will analyze it later. We will also continue to track the account they provided. If a member of The Shadowless contacts you again, please inform us immediately.”
Polina maintained a façade of smiling grace as she saw him off.
Once the technician left, Polina contacted her personal secretary.
“Transfer two billion from the family bank to this account number…” Polina recited the number.
The secretary quickly complied with Polina’s instructions.
Polina loosened the tie of her formal attire, leaning back in her chair and drumming her fingers casually on the armrest.
She appeared calm, but inside, her anger surged.
She was used to threatening others; even immersed in the whirlpool of family power, she had never been so thoroughly at someone else’s mercy. This was the first time she felt completely constrained from beginning to end.
Polina had always thought she had no vulnerabilities; she didn’t hold any weak emotions, and very few people or situations could bind her. She had always been clear-headed, knowing what she wanted. After this incident, Polina realized she indeed had weaknesses…
Her weakness stemmed from her family.
Because her honor came from her family, her roots were in her family; everything she had depended on the support of the entire Popov Clan. Therefore, the family could not fall; she could not let the family become a subject of ridicule and mockery.
She felt humiliation—an unprecedented humiliation.
Polina closed her eyes, trying to calm the throbbing in her temples.
Then she heard a notification sound. Opening her eyes, she saw the message was from Maotoufu, not her secretary.
On the main interface of the office, a few sentences appeared: “As you wish, a truce. But I’m sorry, Dmitri is already dead; you must have guessed that. However, Abrak is still alive, and we will return him to the Popov Clan.”
Return? By what means would they return him?
Polina instinctively began to contemplate whether there was any room for negotiation, such as an agreement for a live hostage exchange, perhaps coordinating with the Special Affairs Department to capture members of The Shadowless…
She lowered her eyes to think for a moment before contacting the Special Affairs Department and the Investigation Bureau to seek support from these armed forces.
This exhausting day did not pass in such simplicity; half an hour later, the secretary suddenly called with an urgent message.
“Chairwoman, look outside!” The secretary’s voice was somewhat incoherent.
Polina instinctively looked up at the floor-to-ceiling window of her office.
Her office was in a skyscraper’s upper levels, providing a wide view of the outside. Directly across from her window, an extravagantly decorated advertising airship was slowly approaching the skyscraper.
Polina focused her eyes, and suddenly saw a long rope dangling from the bottom of the advertising airship; tied to the rope was a person—Abrak Popov.
Abrak was hanging from the rope, his face pale, and being so high up, he dared not move, just helplessly allowing the airship to fly slowly, rocking back and forth in the wind like a swing, both absurd and comical.
Even more alarmingly, the airship was continuously dropping advertisement flyers, and the electronic signboard was constantly changing its wording.
The electronic board displayed: “I, Abrak Popov, am a traitor to the financial world.”
As the colorful text shifted, another line in a decorative font emerged.
“I am affiliated with the Resistance Army.”
The secretary trembled, “The airship is continually dropping advertisement flyers; the words on the flyers mirror what’s displayed on the electronic signboard…”
Polina felt darkness overtaking her vision; she nearly stumbled.
In that instant, she considered the terrifying consequences.
Polina knew the reputation of the Resistance Army; it was a political red line for the Federation—whoever got involved would be doomed, and they would become a primary target. Whether Abrak was a member of the Resistance Army or not, the Popov Clan would face immense trouble—much more significant than a family member being kidnapped.
