“Sir, Lance called, asking about Ms. Lisa.”
Mr. Hoff was flushed, extremely excited!
He had always liked this girl, Lisa. Before, it was because she was very sensible.
Most people are kind towards truth, goodness, and beauty. They hope that truth, goodness, and beauty can be preserved and accompany them.
But there is a small group of people in the crowd who are the opposite of the mainstream. The thing they like to do most is to destroy truth, goodness, and beauty.
The more sensible Lisa was, the more Mr. Hoff liked to see her in pain.
When her sensibility and endurance were destroyed by his own hands, he could get more pleasure from it!
Not just because of sex, or anything else.
Mr. Hoff’s breathing was heavy. The butler could vaguely hear Lisa’s voice when she was in pain.
His gaze rested on Lisa’s body. “Last time, it was he who saved you, right?”
“So this time, can he still save you?”
He poked Lisa’s body with the small needle in his hand. This made Lisa’s body tremble sensitively. Pain, a faint pleasure, and some complex emotions were mixed together.
She let out a soft cry, for a moment not knowing whether it was pain or something else.
“Just say I’m not here…”
It was within Lance’s expectation that Mr. Hoff would not answer the phone. After all, he was a regional opinion leader. To a certain extent, his status was much higher than that of a municipal councilman.
Don’t look at the fact that he seemed to have no “actual power,” but within his party, among the members of the Social-Democratic Party in Golden Port, he had great influence.
He could decide the tendencies of these party members in their choices, which was why he was given the title of “opinion leader.”
This was also the source of his audacity. The entire Bay Area might not be a monolithic block, but it was not a place that anyone could just tear apart.
In fact, many people knew that the most prosperous place in this city hid the most sins, but what could they do?
This was the foundation of this city, it was everything here.
There was a person in the city hall who had tried to challenge them. Now he was as dejected as a waste. Any administrative order that did not conform to the interests of the Bay Area could not even leave the mayor’s office.
A Lance, or an unheard-of agent from the Bureau of Hazardous Materials, they were not on Mr. Hoff’s “danger list.”
Lance hung up the phone and shook his head slightly. “He didn’t answer the phone.”
Ponda sat opposite Lance with red-rimmed eyes. He had exhausted all his abilities and had not found any clues related to Lisa. He could only place his hopes on Lance.
After all, for an insignificant little character like him, the power that Lance could mobilize was greater, and more.
But still, no good news had come. It had been several hours already. She was as if she had suddenly evaporated from the face of the earth.
He had even prepared for the worst.
Many people went missing in Golden Port every year, locals and immigrants.
For ordinary people, they actually didn’t know about this matter. The federal government was also unwilling to release these data to the public.
They couldn’t just say that a total of 300,000 to 500,000 people disappeared in the Federation every year for various reasons.
They couldn’t do this, so for ordinary people, as long as no one in their family environment went missing, they wouldn’t care too much.
But as a law enforcer, Ponda knew some of these things. He even knew where some people ended up—
Black factories, basements, or human experiments and operating tables.
A pregnant woman was a rather special, and also more expensive, type of commodity among the many.
Never underestimate the evil in human nature, nor underestimate how much they are willing to pay to let this evil be released.
Lance looked at Ponda. He was silent for a moment and then said, “I have a piece of news that may not be accurate. Lisa is very likely in Mr. Hoff’s villa.”
“Mr. Hoff?” Ponda repeated this name. “I only know one Mr. Hoff.”
Lance nodded and said, “It’s the one you’re thinking of. The opinion leader of the Likalai State Social-Democratic Party, a big shot in the Bay Area.”
Ponda’s eyes were a little dazed, because this Mr. Hoff was indeed a big shot, and he was just a small character.
His expression when he looked at Lance was a little complicated, a little bewildered. “I don’t understand. Why her?”
Lance pursed his lips. “Because you are not strong enough.”
“You can’t protect your wife. She has become someone else’s prey. That’s all.”
“If you were a senior special agent now, or even the director of the Bureau of Hazardous Materials, do you think they would dare to do this to Lisa?”
“No, no one would do that, because they can’t afford the consequences of angering you. They will think before they do these things.”
“But you are just an ordinary special agent. Although they call you a special agent, you are no different from an ordinary special agent.”
“To them, you are no different from the homeless on the street, the beggars, or the low-level families with no ability to resist life. You are not worthy of their attention.”
“They are just so openly trampling on the dignity of you and your family, because they know that you can’t change anything.”
He didn’t mention Lisa’s previous work. Before Ponda discovered this matter himself, Lance would not say it.
Lance’s words were like sharp thorns piercing Ponda’s heart. Before, he might have been a little unconvinced, uncomfortable, feeling that the parachuted-in young man had blocked his path to promotion.
But he was not overly angry and still maintained a relatively normal attitude towards this matter.
But now, he no longer thought so.
For the first time, he had a desire for greater power, a higher status.
At the same time, he also had some suspicions, but he did not say them out loud.
Lance saw his suspicion, handed him the phone, and helped him dial the number of Mr. Hoff’s villa. “Come on, you try. Maybe the situation is not so bad.”
Ponda held the phone. The call was quickly connected. “This is Bay Area… number.”
That was the address of the villa. Those who knew this address would naturally know who lived in this villa, and those who didn’t know this address would most likely not know this number.
Ponda tried his best to relax. “I am Ponda, a special agent of the Bureau of Hazardous Materials. I am looking for my missing wife. There is news that she might be at your place…”
The butler’s voice was filled with a lofty coldness. “If you have evidence, then you can have the police come with a search warrant and an arrest warrant. We will cooperate with the law enforcement of the law enforcement department.”
“But if you don’t have evidence and have just heard some unfriendly remarks outside, then you’d better think clearly about what you’re doing.”
“Slander also carries legal responsibility.”
“There is no Lisa here. Don’t call again.”
“Go back to sleep. Maybe the person you’re talking about will be back by your side tomorrow morning.”
The phone was quickly hung up. From the butler’s words, Ponda heard a hint. He was warning him not to investigate this matter.
He was also telling him that after this night passed, Lisa would be back.
At this moment, he finally believed what Lance had said. Lisa was in Mr. Hoff’s villa.
His tightly clenched fists were declaring the strong anger in his heart. He looked at Lance with his teeth clenched, each syllable squeezed out from his mouth, “Help me.”
Lance looked at him, his expression very composed, calm. “If you were a senior special agent, or the director of the Bureau of Hazardous Materials, I would help you now.”
“Helping you can bring me enough benefits, but you are just an ordinary special agent, Ponda, and what you need me to do is to offend a big shot in the Bay Area.”
“Do you think you are worth that price?”
At this moment, Ponda, whose heart was already in absolute agony, was in a mess. His past, his present, his future, and Lisa and the child in her belly…
His life, his future, his family, everything.
At this moment, it was all in a mess.
He didn’t know what Lisa was suffering there. He tried his best to stop himself from thinking about the worst, but he was a normal person, an adult with normal thinking logic.
He wouldn’t think… that that Mr. Hoff had kidnapped Lisa just to make her eat well and live well, and then make her happy.
She must be suffering painful torture and treatment.
With every second that passed, she would be in more pain.
Now, he seemed to have walked into a dead end. No one could help him, among those he knew.
Ponda slid down from the sofa. He knelt on the ground, his hands tightly clenched into fists, pressed on the ground in front of him, his head hanging low. “Help me. I promise, I will make you feel it’s worth it.”
A few seconds, a dozen seconds, twenty or thirty seconds. Just as Ponda was so desperate that he didn’t know what to do, Lance stood up. “Let’s go. We’ll go and get your wife back.”
In an instant, the strength supporting Ponda suddenly disappeared, but then a new force began to rise from the bottom of his heart.
He stood up, supporting himself on the coffee table, and stood firmly behind Lance, leaving the room.
An entire convoy of cars quickly headed for the Bay Area. Soon, the convoy arrived outside Mr. Hoff’s villa. Lance rang the doorbell, and soon the butler came out.
He looked at Lance with displeasure, and at the people and cars behind Lance. “Is there something you want?”
“It’s resting time now. Mr. Hoff is not seeing anyone.”
Lance stood outside the iron gate. He looked at the butler. “Go and tell Mr. Hoff that we are here to take Lisa away.”
The butler frowned. “I said, there is no Lisa, or Sally, here.”
Lance stared at this butler. In his eyes, he saw a side that was similar in all the big shots of the Bay Area.
Indifference, contempt, a lofty attitude.
“You don’t seem to have figured out the situation.”
“The one who hasn’t figured out the situation is you, Mr. Lance. This is Bay Area… number. Do you know what you are doing?”
The butler fought back directly. From the day he had arrived here, whether it was the gangs, the police, the police chief, or the Five Families of the Bay Area, none of them had been in his eyes.
Some forces were above these forces. He maintained his usual arrogance, even though he was just a butler, not the master of this villa.
Lance took a few steps back. Just as the butler thought Lance had chosen to back down and a disdainful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth…
The sound of tires screeching made his heart inexplicably tighten. The headlights of a car suddenly lit up outside the gate, and he subconsciously dived into the low bushes on the side.
The next second, a huge impact sound came. The iron gate was directly rammed open by a car.
He looked with his mouth agape at Lance and his group who had walked in from outside the gate, his eyeballs almost popping out of their sockets, even forgetting to maintain his composure. “Are you fucking crazy?”
“This is Mr. Hoff’s villa.”
“Do you know what you’re doing?”
Lance walked to his side and looked down at the pathetic butler. “Doing what I think is right.”
What was happening outside was quickly known by Mr. Hoff. He quickly came out of the basement, his face grim, and looked at Lance, who was already sitting on the sofa in the living room.
Being disturbed in his pleasure made Mr. Hoff very annoyed, and more importantly, he felt that he had been threatened.
“What exactly do you want?” he asked, suppressing his anger.
Lance looked at him, not at all afraid of the things that came with his identity. “Let me and Mr. Hoff be alone for a while.”
The people in the room all left in an orderly manner. Ponda hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he also left.
The entire main hall was left with only Lance and Mr. Hoff.
There were already many security guards from the villa outside. You could hear some noise outside. The sound of sirens could also be heard in the distance. It seemed that everything was “under control.”
“We all know Lisa is here. Before everything gets to the point of no return, let me take her away.”
Mr. Hoff’s face was a little red, partly from anger, partly from other reasons. “I said, she’s not here.”
Lance said with a laugh, “You’re not a child, Mr. Hoff.”
“Throwing a tantrum is a child’s trick, not an adult’s.”
“I’ll leave one person behind, and then leave with the others. Later, you can have my man take Lisa back. We’ll all save face, what do you say?”
He took out a cigarette case, took out a cigarette, and lit it. “Hiss,” he took a big drag and then exhaled slowly. “Let’s not make each other embarrassed, okay?”
The two looked at each other for a moment. In the end, Mr. Hoff was the one to back down. He didn’t say yes, or no, just snorted.
Lance immediately stood up with a smile. He walked over, and seemed to want to shake hands with Mr. Hoff, but Mr. Hoff ignored him and instead asked him a question.
“For a prostitute, is it worth it?”
Lance did not mind Mr. Hoff’s rejection of his goodwill. “First of all, she is not a prostitute now. She is married and has a family.”
“Secondly, whether it’s worth it or not is my business, not yours, right?”
He took another drag of his cigarette and gave a slight salute to Mr. Hoff with his hand on his forehead. “See you later, big shot.”
Ponda quickly came up to greet him. He looked at Lance with concern. Lance nodded slightly. Then he had Elvin stay behind, along with a car.
The others all withdrew.
At the entrance of the villa, Lance saw Hunter, who had rushed over. The two were taken aback for a moment.
Before, their relationship had been passable, but with the happening of some things, it had obviously become worse and worse.
However, both sides still had to maintain a superficial decency. Hunter took the initiative to walk over and even extended his hand. “Why are you making such a big joke?”
Lance looked back at the wrecked iron gate. He nodded noncommittally. “It is a bit big.”
“It seems the problem has been solved?”
Lance nodded again. “Yes, it’s settled. I’ve made you come for nothing.”
He looked around as he spoke. A large number of police officers had already surrounded this place, but there was no fear on his face.
“This is the first time I know that the police can respond so quickly.”
Hunter acted as if he couldn’t hear the sarcasm in Lance’s words and maintained his composure as the chief. “Providing strong security for our citizens is the primary task of the Golden Port police.”
Lance showed a “listen to what the fuck you’re saying” expression. “Alright, the joke’s over. We have to leave.”
Hunter did not speak. The police officers around him also did not move. The police cars were blocking the road out. Lance asked with a laugh, “What, you want to keep us here?”
Hunter was actually weighing the pros and cons. At this moment, the butler just happened to come out of the villa. He paused when he saw Lance, snorted angrily, and then walked to the side.
He gave Hunter a look. The latter quickly said, “I’ll be right back,” and then walked to the butler’s side.
After the two had whispered for a while, Hunter motioned for the surrounding police officers to make way. “You can go.”
Lance nodded. “Thanks…” the convoy quickly completed a U-turn.
Just as the car he was in was about to pass Hunter, Lance had the driver stop for a moment.
He looked at Hunter from the back seat. Hunter also thought Lance had something to say to him and even took two steps forward.
But what no one, including himself, had expected was that Lance suddenly barked at him twice, “Woof, woof.”
Then he laughed heartily, patted the driver’s seat, and the convoy started up again and left.
At first, Hunter didn’t react, but gradually he seemed to have realized something, and his face became exceptionally ugly.
“This son of a bitch!” he turned around, his expression becoming humble again, because Mr. Hoff wanted to see him.
Ten minutes later, a car appeared on the road leading to the Starlight District, caught up with the convoy parked on the side of the road, and headed towards the city center.
Lisa needed some medical assistance. The doctor almost chose to call the police when he saw Lisa.
She had many small wounds on her body, even in sensitive areas. The doctor believed she had suffered inhuman abuse.
The good news was that although there were many wounds, none of them were particularly deep or serious. They would heal in at most two weeks.
There was also no major problem with the child in her belly, at least the doctor did not find any major problems.
However, for safety’s sake, she was asked to stay in the hospital for a few days of observation before she could leave.
Lance waited until the results came out and then left with his men, leaving only Ponda and Lisa.
The hospital room was very quiet. Lisa had already cried her eyes red and swollen. She turned her head away from Ponda and said softly, “Let’s get a divorce.”
(End of chapter)