Mo Du (默读) - Silent Reading

Macbeth IX

The Zhou Clan’s official website had crashed, and nearly simultaneously, Lang Qiao had arrested the person posting the videos for the kidnappers. The internet police were racing against the clock to use the incoming and outgoing e-mails to track down the sender.

But now the delicate balance and communications channel between the kidnappers and the police had been severed.

The entire internet was extending its antenna, sailing mightily against the current through time and rumor.

In this instant, Zhou Junmao was no longer a person. His whole life, his experiences and his sex scandals, had become an open book, every punctuation mark of it publicly circulated, laid bare before the gazes of the multitude, supplying material for people to sob and chew over, their judgments running rampant—

“It holds together. Who is this illegitimate son that the Zhou Clan has officially acknowledged?”

“An account of Zhou Junmao’s mistresses.”

“Zhou Clan A-shares tumbled when the market opened; an inquiry into the different regulations for A-shares in the Hong Kong market.”

“Why did the Zhou Clan’s mysterious other founder die young?”

“Zhou Junmao’s original name was Zhou Dalong; his whole life was the rise of an underdog.”

“Was Zhou Junmao’s late wife actually his cousin’s widow? Famous wives in history.”

“An illegitimate son took out a hit on his father. It’s almost like the plot of Oedipus.”

…

And so on and so forth, without exception, covering heaven and earth. Aside from prohibiting the character “Zhou”, expelling it from the Book of Family Names, there was no way to delete all of it.

On the kidnappers’ countdown, zero minutes and zero seconds flashed incessantly. After the Hengda Conglomerate’s shit-stirrers had been arrested, the kidnappers had shut their mouths to the outside world, inauspiciously maintaining silence.

Countless pairs of eyes were fixed on the unmoving webpage.

Luo Wenzhou lifted Yang Bo’s chauffeur’s collar. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a criminal bold enough to pass secret messages right under the noses of the police. Friend, you’re the embodiment of valor!”

The chauffeur was around thirty, with regular features that looked rather proper. But they were “regular features” that were entirely unmemorable. He’d evidently come in with Yang Bo, but it had been ages before anyone had noticed him.

Now that he’d suddenly been seized, the chauffeur’s legs were trembling so much he could hardly stand up. “I… I didn’t do anything, I just… posted on Weibo…”

“Using a newly-registered account to post thieves’ cant. Who’s it for?” Luo Wenzhou swiftly handcuffed him. “Are you keeping a diary, or expressing your feelings towards empty space?”

Fei Du took a few steps back to avoid impacting Luo Wenzhou’s dramatic capabilities. He shook his head, full of sympathy. “I know the person who incited you is in this house. Perhaps he’s even watching you. Think clearly, sir. If Zhou Huaijin has an accident now, your situation will change. What did he give you that you’re willing to give up your own life to take the blame for him?”

When he’d spoken, someone called, “Captain Luo, the kidnappers are moving again.”

Luo Wenzhou: “…”

They acted as soon as he’d mentioned “having an accident.” Fei Du was amazing. If it were only possible to sew his crow’s mouth shut, Luo Wenzhou thought he would have filed an iron bar down into a needle.