PCJ – Chapter 654 The Rescue

In an abandoned factory near Beijing, Ji Jiaxin was tied to a chair with a black hood over her head.

When the hood was pulled off, her hair was slightly messy, and her mouth was taped shut with plastic tape. Ji Jiaxin looked panicked—she had no idea why these people had kidnapped her.

“Miss Ji, don’t be nervous. We only invited you here because we’d like your help with something,” said a foreigner speaking fluent Mandarin as he walked up to Ji Jiaxin and tore the tape off her mouth.

“What do you want? Let me go!” Ji Jiaxin forced herself to stay calm as she confronted the man.

“Don’t worry. As long as you help us with one small task, we’ll let you go,” the foreigner replied with a calm smile.

“What are you trying to do?” Ji Jiaxin asked, growing increasingly nervous. She could sense how dangerous this man was—the kind of person capable of anything. She dared not provoke him, afraid he might do something extreme.

“We know you have a good relationship with Zhang Jiaohua. And you often visit the Xiyun Reservoir, which we believe is related to him. We want something from Zhang Jiaohua, but we can’t find him—so we had to come to you,” the man said, his smiling face making Ji Jiaxin uneasy.

“You can’t find him, and neither can I,” she replied quickly, afraid they would use her as leverage against Zhang Jiaohua.

“No worries. We don’t need you to find him—he’ll find us,” the foreigner chuckled ominously.

“Who are you people? How dare you do whatever you please on Chinese soil? You won’t get away with this!” Ji Jiaxin shouted.

The foreigner didn’t get angry. He sat beside her and said, “Who are we? Just people who live for money. Someone paid us to get something from Zhang Jiaohua. Once we get it, we’ll release you. You can be sure of that.”

“What if he doesn’t come looking for me? Or can’t find this place?” Ji Jiaxin asked.

“He’ll come. If he doesn’t, it means you’re worthless to him—and in that case, we’ll make sure there are no loose ends.” The foreigner pulled a dagger from his boot and lightly traced it across her neck.

“You will pay for what you’ve done. Let me go now while you still can!” Ji Jiaxin yelled.

“Don’t worry. Zhang Jiaohua will come. But before that, I want to see just how capable he really is,” the man said.

Another foreigner rushed into the room. The first man turned and said, “Roger, they fell for it. They followed our decoy. Do you think there’s a chance they’ll still find us?”

“James, believe me, Zhang Jiaohua isn’t as simple as we thought. If you really think the Japanese failed because of some lab mishap, you’re dead wrong. They’re not inferior to us in any way,” James said.

Just as James finished speaking, Roger’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen and said, “James, it’s our man at the lookout point.”

“Ask him—where is Zhang Jiaohua now?” James ordered.

Roger quickly answered, “Where’s the target now?”

“He seems to have found our hideout,” came the anxious reply.

“Keep watching him!” Roger hung up and turned to James. “The target exceeded expectations—he’s heading straight here.”

“I knew it. Anyone who could outsmart the Japanese operatives isn’t ordinary. You really think that lab accident was what defeated them?” James scoffed, as if everything was still under his control.

Meanwhile, Zhang Jiaohua was sprinting toward the abandoned factory, following the paper crane. The area it led to was indeed remote and appeared to have been deserted for a long time.

The crane flew high—too high for ordinary people to notice. Even if they saw it, they’d likely mistake it for a bird or a butterfly. Zhang Jiaohua had already noticed the people stationed along the roads, clearly part of the group that had kidnapped Ji Jiaxin.

But he didn’t make a move. Without knowing Ji Jiaxin’s exact location, he couldn’t risk it.

Still, Zhang Jiaohua was furious. A cultivator’s dignity could not be violated. No matter the outcome, he would not let these people go unpunished. He would also find out who was behind them and settle the score.

These people were well-prepared—Zhang Jiaohua had counted at least six or seven groups tracking him. Every step he took was likely being watched. That was also why he hadn’t acted yet.

He glanced around. This place was extremely secluded—aside from the lookouts, not a single bystander in sight. It truly was the perfect spot for murder and robbery.

A massive chimney stood in the middle of the factory, long since unused. From afar, Zhang Jiaohua saw the paper crane circling above one particular building—it had to be where Ji Jiaxin was being held.

In the next moment, Zhang Jiaohua’s figure vanished.

“Where is he?”

Two men holding walkie-talkies stepped out from both sides.

“He was right here just now—now he’s gone!”

“Stop talking and report this to HQ!”

“Boss! The Chinese guy disappeared. Tom and I were watching him, and suddenly—he was just gone. Yes, vanished. There’s nowhere to hide here.”

Inside the factory, Roger, also holding a walkie-talkie, was stunned.

“James, bad news. Zhang Jiaohua disappeared—right under the watchers’ noses.”

“Quick! Secure the girl!” James shouted and lunged toward Ji Jiaxin.

But before either he or Roger could reach her—Ji Jiaxin suddenly vanished, right in front of their eyes.

BAM! The two men crashed into each other, heads colliding with a loud thud.

“Bloody hell!” James clutched his head in pain, unable to hide his growing fear.

“They’re ghosts! My God!” Roger gasped in terror.

“Run! This Zhang Jiaohua is scarier than any ghost!” James didn’t care about the mission anymore. He desperately wished he had more legs—or a pair of wings—to flee the scene.

Roger was just as panicked. He flung open a window and leapt out without hesitation.