Free Web NovelChapter 274: Chapter 277: Felix Preston’s Malicious Kidnapping
"...Wh-who are you?"
Jude Quinn stared at the figure, his voice trembling as he asked, "What do you want? Why did you bring me here?"
"..."
The figure loomed over him, staring down as they advanced without a word.
His hands and feet were bound tight with hemp ropes as thick as a finger, making it nearly impossible to move. Even so, the figure’s dark, oppressive presence forced him to shrink back again and again.
"Wh-what do you want... Do you have any idea who I am?"
"..."
The figure completely ignored him.
TAP...
With a final footstep, the figure stopped, standing casually before Jude Quinn.
Jude Quinn looked up at him. Though he kept blurting out warnings, his body betrayed him, trembling violently.
"Y-y-you... Don’t do anything rash! I’m a man of some repute in Aethelburg. If you hurt me, this won’t end well for you!"
"While I’m not angry yet, you can take your time and tell me what’s on your mind. If it’s something I can solve, I will!"
"Kidnapping and false imprisonment are illegal! Don’t throw your life away on a moment’s impulse!"
"..."
Felix Preston watched Jude Quinn with a blank expression, patiently listening to him spout nonsense.
He babbled on for over a minute, but Felix Preston didn’t say a single word in reply.
Tortured by the dead silence, his composure finally shattered, and he couldn’t help but start to cry.
"Brother, Sister! Please, just say something, okay? Whatever you want to do, whatever you’re after, just tell me! I’ll do everything in my power to give it to you!"
"Malicious kidnapping will land you in prison! Don’t be rash and throw your future away!"
...
"Heh..." Felix Preston suddenly laughed, but the sound was stiff and mechanical.
Jude Quinn flinched, startled, and looked up at Felix Preston’s face again.
His eyes had mostly adjusted to the dim light, and Felix Preston was no longer completely backlit. So now, at this moment, he could finally see Felix Preston’s—
The mask on his face.
It was a dark, cold mask, devoid of any pattern or design. Just a solid black panel, pressed tightly to Felix Preston’s face, completely hiding his features.
Jude Quinn stared blankly at the mask, unable to stop himself from sucking in several sharp breaths.
’It’s over, it’s over, it’s over...’
His heart sank. He had a gut feeling that he was in deep, deep trouble.
’This guy’s not only using a voice changer, but he’s also wearing such a thick mask. I can’t make out a single feature. Even if he beats me to a pulp, I won’t be able to identify him to the police!’
’Playing hardball is completely out of the question. I have to try a softer approach, do whatever it takes to stay alive.’
"Sir!" He shuffled forward a few steps on his knees, kneeling pathetically like a dog before Felix Preston, and pleaded, "Sir, can we please just talk this out? As long as you’re willing to talk, I’ll agree to anything!"
Felix Preston remained silent.
He pulled a thin stack of papers from his overcoat pocket and began to read from them in a cold, flat voice.
"Jude Quinn. Male, age twenty-nine. Head of Cornucopia Trading Co. Five years ago, you smuggled a cultural relic under the guise of exporting commercial goods. Three years ago, in Crestfall, you raped a female university student who had just come of age. Unable to bear the humiliation, she threatened to go to the police. To stop her, you threatened her with her own nude photos, ultimately driving her to suicide in despair."
"One year ago, you registered a shell corporation in Veridia, hoping to exploit a loophole to evade taxes. However, the company registration failed. Unwilling to pay such a large amount in taxes, you instead resorted to blatant tax evasion."
"Jude Quinn. Am I correct?"
"..."
Jude Quinn knelt limply on the floor, shaking like a leaf, his face paler than a dying man’s.
"...H-how do you know all this?" he stammered, staring at Felix Preston with terrified eyes, his teeth chattering as he spoke.
Felix Preston didn’t answer him, saying only, "So it’s true, then."
Jude Quinn’s heart plunged into the abyss.
"...No!" He shook his head frantically, trying to defend himself in a babbling, incoherent mess. "It’s not true! None of it is true! I-I didn’t do those things! I don’t know who did!"
"Sir, please, don’t believe any of it!"
"Hmph..." Felix Preston gave a scornful laugh. The cold, stiff, mechanical sound was especially eerie in the dark, damp basement.
Jude Quinn shuddered violently, a bone-deep chill shooting straight to his scalp.
Felix Preston said, "Jude Quinn, tell me, what do you think would happen if I handed this over to the police?"
"Don’t!" Jude Quinn’s voice suddenly shot up. "Don’t turn it in! Please, don’t turn it in! Sir, just tell me what you want! Anything I can give, I’ll give it all to you!"
"I’m begging you, don’t turn me in!"
With just a single sentence, Felix Preston had utterly terrified Jude Quinn.
Pleased with his reaction, Felix Preston finally revealed his true purpose.
"I can refrain from turning this in, on one condition: you answer my questions truthfully."
"I’ll answer!!" Jude Quinn didn’t dare hesitate, practically cutting Felix Preston off. "I’ll answer! I’ll be completely honest! I’m begging you, please don’t report me!"
Felix Preston waved the file in his hand slightly and said softly, "That depends on your performance."
Jude Quinn replied, "I’ll give a great performance, I swear! Sir, ask me anything! You could ask me when I lost my virginity, and I’d answer honestly!"
"..." Felix Preston simply ignored the disgusting topic.
"Jude Quinn, did Willow Quincy buy a second-hand villa from a friend of yours?"
"Yes!" Thinking only of his own skin, Jude Quinn didn’t hesitate to sell out his friend completely.
"Willow Quincy did indeed buy a second-hand villa from my friend, just six months ago! To get on his good side, my friend even gave him a private mountain villa he owned!"
Felix Preston asked, "Where is the villa?"
Jude Quinn replied, "The villa is in Kyloria!"
Felix Preston: "The specific location."
Jude Quinn: "On Misty Peak Mountain, in the southwest corner of Kyloria! There are several private villas on that mountain, but I don’t know the exact location beyond that."
"Are you sure?" Felix Preston’s voice was filled with deep suspicion.
Jude Quinn was so frantic he was practically ready to swear an oath. "I’m sure! I’m one hundred percent sure! The villa Willow Quincy bought is one of the estates on Misty Peak Mountain!"
"If you don’t believe me, you can go check right now!"
"..." Felix Preston studied him coldly. Seeing that he didn’t appear to be lying, he continued with his questions.
"Who is this friend of yours? What’s his name?"
Jude Quinn replied, "His name is Wallace Usher, and he’s in Aethelburg right now!"
