A Kidnapped Demon Lord and a Business War

Having eaten her takeout dinner, Li Yue’s worry only intensified with each unanswered call, leaving her increasingly unsettled.

“No, I still need to go to her house and see for myself.”

Ultimately, she resolved to visit Mo Linyu’s residence, if only to quell the mounting anxiety within her.

“I’ll go with you,”

Alezno likewise rose to her feet.

Li Yue had no logical reason to refuse, especially since being separated from Alezno meant risking a sudden transformation back to her original form.

Despite her reluctance to impose, Li Yue found herself with no other recourse.

“I understand. Let’s go together then.”

They would head to the Mo family’s estate, and while there, retrieve her motorcycle.

“Neither the subway nor the bus would be convenient; let’s take a taxi instead.”

While the policewoman they had encountered earlier might still be patrolling the neighborhood, Li Yue dismissed such concerns for the moment, leading Alezno out of the complex and hailing a ride-share from the roadside.

The Mo family’s sprawling estate was situated in an affluent suburban district, a vast yet thinly populated area where public transportation was notably inconvenient.

Then again, residents of that exclusive neighborhood, even if without a personal chauffeur, certainly owned private vehicles, for such grand estates were far beyond the means of anyone without considerable wealth.

“Miss, outside vehicles aren’t permitted inside. Shall I drop you here?”

The ride-share car was promptly halted by a security guard at the entrance to the affluent district.

“Alright, we’ll get off here then.”

Thankfully, they were not prevented from proceeding on foot.

By now, evening had descended, rendering the dimly lit villa district even more serene; as Li Yue and Alezno walked, they felt an almost uncanny sense of merging into the encroaching darkness.

Alezno, an individual already possessing a remarkably low presence, seemed to blur into near invisibility while standing beside Li Yue.

“…Your lack of presence has reached the level of a superpower, hasn’t it?” Li Yue couldn’t help but quip.

The Mo family’s estate was, in fact, quite distinctive; though its interior remained obscured from view, its surrounding walls towered a full meter higher than those of any neighboring villa or manor.

Li Yue pressed the doorbell; on its integrated screen, the image of a maid, Dong Lu, materialized.

“Miss Dong Lu, has Mo Linyu returned? I haven’t been able to reach her by phone—”

Yet, before she could complete her query, a small door beside the doorbell slid open.

A sense of foreboding intensified within her.

It was almost as if they had anticipated her arrival, or perhaps had a request of their own?

Regardless, Li Yue led Alezno into the estate, bracing herself mentally for whatever revelations awaited them.

“Miss Li Yue.”

Dong Lu’s expression was exceedingly grave, and there was no sign of Mo Linyu anywhere within the estate.

Meanwhile, a young maid named Xia Xi lay prostrate on a nearby sofa, weeping inconsolably.

“She hasn’t returned yet?” Li Yue inquired.

“It’s all my fault for not getting there in time! Waaah! Young Miss!”

Xia Xi wailed, burying her face in the sofa cushion, smearing a messy mixture of tears and snot, her reaction a stark indication that something truly awful had occurred.

Li Yue turned her gaze to the more composed Dong Lu, who then stated, “It’s far more complicated than simply ‘not having returned yet’… Could you first tell me what you did this morning and what transpired?”

There was no hint of accusation in her tone, though Li Yue had secretly feared they might fault her for Mo Linyu’s disappearance.

She first exchanged a meaningful glance with Alezno, then began to recount:

“This morning, we took the subway to a downtown mall to shop. However, after lunch, Alezno and I had other engagements, so we departed early. Mo Linyu mentioned she wished to continue browsing and said she would inform Miss Xia Xi to accompany her…”

“Ugh, I received the message! But by the time I rushed there, Young Miss had already… she had already… *gulp*… I have failed Master’s and Young Miss’s trust; I deserve to join her!”

With that pronouncement, she violently slammed her head against a square throw pillow, dislodging the Katyusha hair ornament from her head.

Dong Lu then delivered a sharp, decisive punch to her head.

“Calm yourself; you won’t die from this, and more importantly, Young Miss isn’t dead yet.”

It was undeniably clear that something serious had transpired, a truly calamitous turn of events.

Alezno, however, interjected, “At the time, we observed two men in black who appeared to be following Mo Linyu.”

“Oh, yes, I hadn’t yet mentioned that detail.”

Li Yue, too, remembered.

As if grasping a crucial thread, Dong Lu turned to Alezno, pressing for more information:

“Men in black? What sort of men in black?”

“Uh, they were just…”

Sensing Alezno’s struggle to articulate, Li Yue interjected, “They were two burly men in suits. Mo Linyu and I suspected at the time that they might be her father’s newly hired bodyguards, so we simply took a circuitous route to elude them.”

“Miss Li, could you elaborate on that?”

“Elaborate? No, even if you put it that way, there’s nothing more… Oh! I actually have photos!”

Li Yue retrieved her phone and, scrolling through her chat history with Mo Linyu, located the photographs of the two men in suits.

“Your Young Miss had gone to use the restroom at the Metro King store, and these two men were standing a short distance outside the entrance, clearly surveilling. After I sent her this photo, she exited through Metro King’s back door.”

Dong Lu, her gaze fixed on the men in black within the photograph, let out a sigh.

“Indeed, this is no ordinary kidnapping.”

“…What? Kidnapping?”

Not merely a kidnapping, but one that was far from ordinary?

Li Yue pressed, “I’ve recounted everything I know. Now, could you please tell me exactly what has happened?”

“In truth, Master received a ransom email.”

Dong Lu’s expression grew profoundly grim.

“It even included footage of Young Miss tied to a chair.”

At that, Xia Xi burst into tears anew.

****

‘Unbelievable! The Demon Lord had actually been kidnapped!?’

Li Yue’s mind momentarily seized.

No, upon closer reflection, it wasn’t entirely unbelievable; she had always sensed that this particular plot thread had been subtly woven in much earlier.

Mo Linyu’s unassuming lifestyle, the towering walls of the estate, even her choice to avoid elite schools for her education…

This entire series of preventative measures inherently underscored the perilous environment she inhabited.

“Miss Dong Lu, do you have that ransom video?”

“I do, but I’m afraid it’s not suitable for your viewing.”

“Don’t worry; we’ve witnessed far worse situations. Perhaps we can be of some assistance.”

Yielding to Li Yue’s persistent requests, Dong Lu ultimately showed her the ransom video the kidnappers had sent to Mo Changhong.

Mo Linyu was blindfolded, her hands bound behind her to a folding chair.

Yet, she appeared remarkably composed, and her body bore no visible marks of injury.

The room in the background, devoid of any distinguishing features, had no windows, and its four walls were utterly bare, clearly indicating a deliberate effort to eliminate any potential clues for tracking.

“Tsk, a professional team, then?” Li Yue mused, clicking her tongue.

She thoughtfully stroked her chin for a moment before inquiring, “Have the authorities been notified? If we examine the mall’s surveillance footage, we might uncover something, mightn’t we?”

Dong Lu shook her head in response, “Not yet. The kidnappers explicitly threatened against involving the police, and there are numerous methods to evade surveillance. They don’t strike me as the type to leave behind incriminating evidence.”

Li Yue fell silent for a moment, her mind rapidly sifting through the gathered clues.

“Miss Dong Lu, you mentioned earlier that this wasn’t a simple kidnapping?”

Li Yue carefully probed, “What exactly did you mean by that?”

“The individuals in that photograph, who merely resemble bodyguards, are more likely hired enforcers. Their objective in abducting Young Miss is probably not financial gain, but rather to…”

Dong Lu paused, her words trailing off, but Li Yue, already harboring a suspicion, readily picked up the thread of the conversation.

“Ah, it’s to force Uncle to make concessions in certain business negotiations, isn’t it?”

Dong Lu nodded, affirming her astute deduction.

Upon reflection, it became obvious: what legitimate kidnapper would bother with wearing a suit?

Therefore, this kidnapping was, in essence…

‘A business war?’