Chapter 493: Gu Xiangwen’s Whereabouts
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
After the phone call with Gu Yanran ended, Huo Shaoheng began checking up on Mandala Manor.
According to the map, it was a plot of land approximately 10 acres in area. There weren’t many houses in the area, only a main building and a couple of small architectural structures around. Forests occupied the rest of the area. It was near the mountains and sea—a rather nice and tranquil location.
“Big Xiong, get the car ready. We’ll be heading to Mandala Manor tomorrow morning at eight o’clock.” Huo Shaoheng sent Yin s.h.i.+xiong the address. “Little Ze, get backup on standby.”
“Yes, Sir!”
Due to having to bring Gu Xiangwen back to the country, after consulting General Ji, the army gave Huo Shaoheng the green light to engage more people from the Special forces to Barbados to aid in executing the plan. Yin s.h.i.+xiong and Zhao Liangze would be managing these people. Huo Shaoheng would be managing Gu Nianzhi, Ye Zitan, and Chen Lie personally. They were still staying in the Emba.s.sy, while Huo Shaoheng and the guys were still staying in the hotel.
Huo Shaoheng, Yin s.h.i.+xiong, and Zhao Liangze did not sleep the entire night the day before the operation. They were preparing to execute the first step of the plan perfectly.
“It will be the last time we push Gu Yanran to tell us the whereabouts of Gu Xiangwen tomorrow. If she still wishes to drag our time, we will execute plan B.” Huo Shaoheng handed two sets of plans to Yin s.h.i.+xiong and Zhao Liangze. “However, if she manages to think it through and tell us, we will discuss how we would bring him back, and we’ll execute plan A.”
“Yes, Sir!” Yin s.h.i.+xiong and Zhao Liangze took the doc.u.ments and began preparation work.
The next day, at seven o’clock in the morning, Huo Shaoheng and Yin s.h.i.+xiong were already prepared. They headed to the main lobby of the hotel to have breakfast.
Yin s.h.i.+xiong left earlier to drive the car over. The car was a bulletproof one imported from Cuba to protect them from the masked snipers if they attempted to hide around the Gus’ Mandala Manor. Huo Shaoheng had contacted the Hua Xia Empire Emba.s.sy in Cuba specifically to get this car.
Huo Shaoheng exited the hotel. Yin s.h.i.+xiong alighted the car quickly to hold the door for him. A couple of people followed suit, but they were actually Huo Shaoheng’s bodyguards.
The morning traffic in Barbados was smooth, especially from the city to the suburbs. The traffic was rather heavy from the suburbs into the city. That was because many people stayed in the suburbs but worked in the city.
15 minutes later, they had arrived at the main entrance of Mandala Manor. Ye Xuan did not leave. He had hidden himself in the forest outside Mandala Manor. He wanted to know the reason Gu Yanran insisted on chasing him away.
When Huo Shaoheng’s car arrived, Ye Xuan’s heart skipped a beat. He climbed up a tree and hid among the leaves. They were in an elegant but low-profile black car, and it was parked in front of the main entrance of the Gus’ Manor.
A capable-looking young man exited the car first. Wearing shades, he looked around. Then he bowed and opened the door. An even taller and far more handsome man came out from the car slowly. He was diagonally facing Ye Xuan, so he could only see the man’s side profile. However, just by only looking at the side profile of this man, his perfect looks almost suffocated him.
It must have been because of this man… Ye Xuan concluded in his mind.
His perfect looks aside, Ye Xuan could already tell that he was someone of a high status just by the way he was standing. He had the aura of someone who was of an important status. This aura separated him from the rest of the people, and it caused people to want to submit and listen to him.
Ye Xuan’s eyes revealed a gaze that was beastly. Was it really because of this man that Miss didn’t want him anymore? Perhaps he wouldn’t be like this man within this lifetime, but did he have a true heart like him?
Just when he was thinking agitatedly, Ye Xuan’s body swerved slightly. It was a slight swerve, almost equivalent to a small gust of wind blowing at the leaves, rustling them. However, Huo Shaoheng’s observance sensed that they were being watched.
He covered his mouth to cough lightly, but he was really speaking softly into the receptor on his hand. “On your right, in the direction of three o’clock. Unnatural movements.”
Zhao Liangze, who was on standby, received the news and immediately contacted with people from their end to adjust the satellite locations in this area for a thorough carpet search.
A short while later, Ye Xuan’s blurred image of his back view and a face shot were sent to the receptor on Huo Shaoheng’s hand. The receptor looked similar to an Apple watch, but its functions were totally different.
When Huo Shaoheng looked at the information on the watch-receptor, Ye Xuan’s image was already fully loaded.
“Check who this person is.” Huo Shaoheng saw that the person looked sad behind all the fearsome expression, so he felt that this person wasn’t the same as the masked snipers from before.
The masked snipers from last time all had the looks of desperations in their eyes. They only looked at the amount they were paid and not anything else.
Zhao Liangze began searching for profiles. The first place he hacked into was, of course, the database of all the people in Barbados. In this database, there would be data on the citizens of Barbados and the people who legally underwent immigration into Barbados. This data would include their pictures, pa.s.sports, and fingerprints.
Of course, if this person happened to not be a citizen here, or if he had entered this country illegally, his data wouldn’t be in that database. However, Zhao Liangze was in luck. He acquired the details of this person during his first attempt to hack into the database of the Barbados government. Feeling glad, he sent all the details to Huo Shaoheng.
Huo Shaoheng had already read through almost 90 percent of Ye Xuan’s information while walking to the main entrance of Mandala Manor from the main metal gate. So, this guy was an orphan whom Gu Xiangwen sponsored. He was actually studying in America but had returned to help Gu Yanran handle the Gus’ a.s.sets after Gu Xiangwen had met with the accident.
However, it was weird that he felt the need to hide in the forest to spy on them. Given his relations.h.i.+p with the Gus and Gu Yanran, he could actually welcome them openly with her. Were there problems between them?
Huo Shaoheng’s occupational hazard was acting up. He commanded Zhao Liangze to continue checking on Ye Xuan and to see if he could find out about the school he was boarding at while in America for 10 years. The moment he sent the command, the doors opened in front of him.
Gu Yanran was wearing a light-gray business suit and looked at her clock while saying in approval, “You’re very punctual, Mr. Huo.”
“Being punctual is the virtue of a king. It should be my job to do so.” Huo Shaoheng bowed slightly and entered the house with Yin s.h.i.+xiong.
Gu Yanran looked curiously at the few people who looked alert and capable and asked Huo Shaoheng, “They are…?”
“They’re my subordinates. You can ignore them.” Huo Shaoheng looked at them. “Stand guard at the entrance.”
“Yes, Sir!”
Even though there were only four to five of them, it was grand to hear a neat response.
Gu Yanran was taken aback but returned to normal in no time. “You’re too careful, Mr. Huo; it’s actually very safe here.”
“Just in case.” Huo Shaoheng sat down. A Barbados-African wearing a white-colored maid’s outfit brought him a coffee. Using very basic Mandarin, she said, “Meester Huo, have a coffee please…”
Huo Shaoheng nodded and thanked her.
Gu Yanran looked at the maid who just walked away, and she sighed. “These are a new batch of helpers whom I just engaged. They’re not trained yet. We would be leaving anyway, so why bother to? So they’re just like that.”
“What about the previous helpers?”
“All dead. On that fateful day, killed by the masked snipers. They were all longtime helpers with my family. Some had even begun working here before I was born. All gone, just like that. I feel really apologetic to their families, so I prepared a huge sum of condolences donations for them yesterday.” Gu Yanran took a sip of coffee and looked troubled. “I really have no idea what went on. Everyone in the family is gone. I’m the only one left.”
Huo Shaoheng listened quietly. Turning his cup, he put it back onto the table. After Gu Yanran was done talking, he asked, “I thought you still had your father? Even though he’s a vegetable, he’s still alive, isn’t he?”
“Oh, yeah. There’s still my father.” Gu Yanran wiped a tear that fell out from the corner of her eye. “But his condition isn’t good. It deteriorated again recently, and he has gone to the hospital a couple of times.”
They were finally at the main topic. Huo Shaoheng straightened his back, and looked at Gu Yanran, full of concern. “Is he still in the hospital?”
He had actually run a thorough check. Gu Xiangwen had already been discharged from the hospital with the help from the Hes before Gu Yanran had returned to Barbados all of a sudden. However, no one knew where he was after he was discharged.
At the very least, the masked snipers did not know. Therefore, they had used all the helpers from the Gus to threaten her—and had almost killed her, as well.
Gu Yanran tilted her head and considered. “Wow,” she said. “Mr. Huo is really clever, isn’t he? You ask good questions.”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
“Actually, my father is still in the hospital. However, he is well-protected by the Hes,” Gu Yanran said slowly and clearly. “A few days ago, my father’s condition worsened, and he had to be admitted to the hospital. The Hes received the news that someone had their eyes and minds on my father. Therefore, they came up with a plan to let others think that my father had already been discharged in order to distract their attention. That was the reason why the masked snipers did not know that my father was still in the hospital. He only changed wards, and they changed all his doctors and nurses.”
“There are many people in the hospital. How could no one know?” Huo Shaoheng found it unbelievable.
“Even the people taking care of my father don’t know who he is. Moreover, I haven’t visited him, not even once, since I returned. Of course, those people would not suspect anything,” Gu Yanran said confidently. “But, Mr. Huo, if we were to bring my father out, I would have to be there personally for the discharge procedures. However, that would reveal my father’s whereabouts. By then, I don’t even dare to imagine what might happen to the hospital. What do you suggest we do so that we can get my father out, safe and sound, but not alert the snipers?”
This was going to be a tough one.
If Gu Yanran doesn’t go, they won’t be able to get Gu Xiangwen out of the hospital. However, if she went, the snipers would know Gu Xiangwen’s whereabouts immediately, and by then, it would be possible that a ma.s.sacre might happen there.
Huo Shaoheng did not wish to blow the matter up.
What could he do?