As Yannis finished speaking, the men behind him were already subdued.

“Take them away.” Yannis dislocated the arms and legs of the man he had camped, handcuffed him, and handed him over to the arriving reinforcements.

With his jaw dislocated, the boss couldn’t speak; all he could do was glare venomously up at Yannis.

“Stop staring. You dare come onto our turf and target our people. What the hell were you thinking?” One of the reinforcements gave him a sharp smack on the head.

They had been keeping tabs on these people, who caused them nothing but trouble. It was almost Christmas, and they didn’t stop making trouble and came here. ‘Who the hell gave them the nerve?’ the reinforcement thought.

They would’ve taken them down ages ago, but since these evildoers were operating in the city center, they were worried these people might resort to desperate measures and endanger innocent civilians.

These guys had some street smarts–they always made a point of gathering in crowded places. But honestly, they weren’t that clever. After all, they fell right into the trap so easily.

“Captain Quinn,” one of the reinforcements said, “we’ll take the suspects downstairs now.” Two reinforcements escorted the suspect away, giving Jaiden Quinn a nod as they passed by.

“Okay,” Jaiden said.

“Yannis, you’re the real MVP. With you on board, everything goes smoothly.” With all the suspects cuffed and hooded, Jaiden, who was in tactical gear, strode over, his sharp eyes crinkling with a hint of a smile as he clapped Yannis on the shoulder.

“Cut the chatter. Interrogate them thoroughly. We’ve got their accomplices to find.” Yannis turned his head slightly to look at him and said, “Donald should be in their hands. He’s probably still alive, but I doubt he’s in good shape.”

“Now that we’ve got these guys, if their contacts don’t hear back soon, the rest of them will realize what’s going on.” Jaiden also instantly switched to serious mode.

Yannis glanced toward the nearby private room. “Yeah, we need to take care of them as soon as possible. The longer this is unsolved, the more trouble it could cause.”

“I don’t think that’s what you are worried about. You are worried about your girl getting scared, right?” Following Yannis’s gaze, Jaiden couldn’t help but let out a knowing chuckle.

“Captain Quinn, there are several men outside demanding we release the suspects we just apprehended. They’re offering an exchange for a hostage.” Just then, a man reported through Jaiden’s walkie-talkie.

His walkie-talkie wasn’t muted, so both Jaiden and Yannis heard the message. The two exchanged a glance.

“Looks like the prediction is spot on.” Jaiden fell silent for a beat. He never expected these guys to be this damn stupid. Jaiden turned to Yannis. “Let’s head down and check it out.”

“Let’s go,” Yannis replied. He wouldn’t rest easy unless he oversaw the resolution of the matter.

Yannis and Jaiden took the elevator down. Outside, a line of police officers was standing guard, protecting the resort staff below. Blocking their path were three towering men–all blond-haired and blue-eyed. And they were holding a hostage.

A figure barely human dragged one limp leg behind him, the other pant leg hanging empty where a limb should have been, crusted with blood. His face was so gaunt–just a layer of skin stretched tightly over bone.

His scalp was uneven, with some spots completely bald, revealing faint cigarette burn scars. His eyes were vacant and lifeless; a filthy rag stuffed in his mouth.

His hospital gown was in tatters—the very same one he’d been wearing when he was abducted from the hospital, now filthy and barely holding together. It was now so caked with filth and blood that its original form was beyond recognition.

The moment he saw the police, a spark of hope flickered in his eyes, weak as he was. He struggled with what little strength he had left.

Yannis immediately recognized the man across from him–it was Donald, who had been missing for nearly two months. These men behind him were the ones who’d helped Donald escape.

Donald had thought that being rescued would mean a better life than rotting away in prison. But he never expected his “rescuers” to be a bunch of heartless brutes.

With no value left to them, he became nothing more than a punching bag for their frustrations.

The lead kidnapper barked in broken Laystoland Language, “Get your boss–the one who can talk with us to negotiate with us.”

All eyes turned to Yannis. Clearly, he was the one in charge here. The entire operation had been orchestrated by him.

“So, you’re the big boss around here?” Following their line of sight, the lead also turned his gaze to Yannis. He was astonished that someone so youthful could wield such commanding authority.

Before Yannis could respond, the leader cut in, “Hand over our boss, and we’ll release this man.”

“That guy’s worthless to us,” Yannis said while his gaze locked on Donald in their grasp.

Donald’s bloodshot, bulging eyes were fixed on them, filled with desperate hope. He thought being tormented by Maelis was already a living hell, but – falling into the hands of these outlaws was even worse–a living nightmare on top of that.

“He is Zinnia’s father,” the lead stated. He was surprised by Yannis‘ reply. He froze for a moment before finally speaking, “If you just stand there and watch her father die before your eyes, she’ll hate you.”

Yannis scoffed, “That man isn’t Zinnia’s real father–he cheated on his wife and even abused Zinnia. Go ahead and kill him if you want. We can’t just execute people, but you outlaws don’t care about that.”

Now that things were pretty much under control, Yannis had the leisure to banter with them a little.

The three men froze in shock. In utter disbelief, they stared down at Donald. Donald had never told them he wasn’t Zinnia’s real father.

Because they thought he was Zinnia’s father, they had thought he was their last trump card. But now, this bargaining chip turned out to be fake.

Their faces twisted with fury. ‘How dare this bastard deceive us.‘ The man standing behind Donald was so enraged that he lashed out, delivering a vicious kick to Donald’s leg. Donald’s sallow face instantly blanched ghostly white from the sudden pain.

“You dare lie to us? We’ll fucking kill you!” one of the men roared. Another man beside him was so enraged that he looked ready to kill Donald on the spot.

Donald let out a choked sob. Terrified by the murderous rage in their eyes, he trembled uncontrollably, a sudden warmth spreading down his legs.

The smell of urine spread in the air, so strong that people couldn’t help but take a step back.

The prolonged torture had stripped Donald of all bodily control. By now, Donald’s captors had shown their contempt for him so many times that he barely reacted anymore–all he could do was struggle desperately.

The blond-haired, blue-eyed man at the front frowned at Donald’s desperate writhing and then stepped forward and yanked the filthy gag from his mouth.

“Help me. Help me. Yannis, save me. I… I know that bi… I mean, I know who Zinnia’s real father is.” The moment the gag was yanked out, Donald seized the chance and screamed hoarsely.

Donald had finally realized–he’d rather rot in prison than spend another second with these demons. He used to dread going to prison, but after enduring this living hell, he thought even prison would be better.

All he wanted right now was to go back to prison. Donald thought desperately, ‘I just can’t stand being with them any longer!

Yannis raised an eyebrow at the news. Now Yannis understood why they hadn’t killed Donald yet. ‘Ah, so that’s why they kept him.’