Chapter 35: The Greasy Kitchen, Lacking a Range Hood

Lu Xingzhou had basically concluded that he had been kidnapped by a group of lunatics and psychopaths! Otherwise, why would anyone kidnap a chef just for the sake of a steamed bun? That was not something a sane human being would do. Furthermore, since the captors were mentally unstable, their actions could not be judged by conventional logic; caution was paramount. Guided by the years of training from his older sister, Lu Xingzhou knew he had to remain calm and composed, agree to all their demands for the time being, and then plan to call the police or find a way to escape.

After a moment’s thought, Lu Xingzhou said, "I can make the buns, but even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice. What about the ingredients? I’m not a magician; without ingredients, I can’t conjure buns out of thin air!"

Brother Jie was stunned, having clearly forgotten about the ingredients. But it was already eleven o'clock at night; where could he possibly buy ingredients at such an hour?

Lu Xingzhou leaned back in his chair. "It’s too late now, and there’s nowhere open to buy ingredients. There’s a morning market that opens at four o'clock tomorrow. How about you go buy them then?"

Brother Jie couldn't think of a better solution, so he had no choice but to agree.

***

Shanhe City, Police Station.

The Criminal Investigation Detachment, Second Squad, was in total chaos due to Lu Xingzhou's kidnapping.

Xu Hui comforted Lu Jiangying, saying, "Jiangying, don't worry. Xiaozhou will be fine. He’s so smart and can handle himself in a fight. Even if he’s been kidnapped, he’ll be able to escape soon. Jiangying, tell you what, if Xiaozhou escapes safely this time, I will marry—wooooo!"

Before Xu Hui could finish, Lu Jiangying covered her mouth. "Are you out of your mind? Stop tempting fate like that!"

Xu Hui blinked, signaling she would be quiet, and Lu Jiangying let her go.

Lu Jiangying opened her phone, which displayed several data points. "I had Captain Meng from the detachment’s former rookie squad add a small program to link my phone with Xiaozhou’s watch. I can see his current status here. After his heart rate spiked the moment he was kidnapped, it stabilized. It seems he’s safe now—or rather, he has found some way to escape, causing his vital signs to return to normal."

Xu Hui pointed at the screen, where Lu Xingzhou's heart rate had been fluctuating around 65 for a while. "This doesn't seem right, though. Why is it so low?"

Lu Jiangying rested her chin on her hand. "The watch indicates... he’s asleep!"

Xu Hui was left speechless, gaining a newfound understanding of Lu Xingzhou’s nerves of steel. The police station was working day and night to find him, and the victim himself was actually fast asleep.

***

Drug manufacturing plant.

After driving around the highway, the drug traffickers switched to another vehicle and drove back near the Third Middle School, locking Lu Xingzhou inside their drug lab.

Lu Xingzhou was locked into a single-occupancy dormitory on the first floor.

The good news was that there was at least a private toilet to handle personal needs. The bad news was that less than forty centimeters from the window was a red brick wall, completely blocking the view and making it impossible to see anything outside. The window was also fitted with an old-fashioned, built-in security grille, making it impossible to stick one's head out to survey the surroundings.

"Ah~"

Lu Xingzhou yawned. He had been preparing ingredients since waking up at 5:30 AM and was now exhausted, so he simply flopped down and went to sleep. He would think of a way to escape when his head was clear tomorrow.

The next day, 4:00 AM.

As soon as Lu Xingzhou opened his eyes, a new challenge mission refreshed on his smart glasses.

[Yesterday's Challenge: Sell Steamed Buns (Completed)]
[Task 1: Sell Steamed Buns (1/1)]
[Reward: Livestream Tips x10 (31.76 million yuan)]
[Task 2: Daily Sales Revenue of 2,000 yuan (2000/2000)]
[Reward: World-Class Motorcycle Riding Skills (Equipped)]

[Today's Challenge Updated]
[Task 1: Escape to Freedom (0/1)]
[Reward: Livestream Tips x10]
[Task 2: Subdue All Criminals (0/1)]
[Reward: Pistol Mastery]
[Task 3: Eliminate the Criminal Stronghold (0/1)]
[Reward: Pharmacology Mastery]

[Top Donor's Message: Streamer, we know you've been kidnapped. If you can make it out alive, I'll pay for your foot massages for 10 days straight.]

"Damn it! Can you stop tempting fate? Can't you wish me something good?"

The smart glasses could broadcast a live stream, but that was Lu Xingzhou's final resort—a suicide maneuver to record the faces of his kidnappers and send them to his sister for a desperate counterattack.

Brother Jie, wearing only shorts, opened the door to Lu Xingzhou's room. "You’re pretty punctual. I was just about to kick you awake."

Saying this, Brother Jie handed a piece of paper and a pen to Lu Xingzhou. "Write down the ingredients you need, and I'll send someone to buy them."

Lu Xingzhou thought for a moment. Based on the footsteps he heard yesterday, he estimated there were six or seven kidnappers, but he wasn't sure if anyone else was at the hideout. He immediately wrote down the names of five different morning markets at varying distances, along with the ingredients he needed.

Brother Jie took the paper and pen and frowned. "Are you messing with me? Why do we need to go to so many places to buy groceries!"

Lu Xingzhou's goal was to calculate his current location based on the time difference of the travel, so he could prepare for his escape. This was a method his sister, Lu Jiangying, had taught him. However, he certainly couldn't say that out loud; instead, he acted mysterious.

"For good food, you must use the best ingredients. You can never make hermit crab taste like king crab. The procurement points I wrote down are the places where the ingredients are best suited for making buns. If you want to eat trash, you can just buy the one-yuan buns on the street. Why bother kidnapping me?"

Hearing this, Brother Jie had no choice but to agree and follow the list to purchase the ingredients.

About an hour later, the henchmen responsible for the shopping returned one after another. Lu Xingzhou was then taken to a slightly larger room on the second floor.

Lu Xingzhou glanced at the wall clock in the room, roughly calculated the time difference, matched it against the map of Shanhe City in his head, and reached a shocking conclusion.

*Could it be that I am still near the Third Middle School? Right, I should have realized it sooner. That tattooed youth was wearing slippers when he came out to sell dinner; he must live near the Third Middle School. But after kidnapping me, this group didn't even change locations and just circled back to the vicinity of the Third Middle School. That means this group has no other hideouts.*

Brother Jie looked at Lu Xingzhou, who was inspecting the ingredients. "Well? Can you start now?"

Lu Xingzhou stood up. "No problem, but where is the kitchen?"

Brother Jie pointed to the floor with his finger. "Right here!"

Lu Xingzhou looked at the battle-worn tables and chairs, the greasy wok, and the moldy cutting board. He thought that if he cooked a meal here, the aflatoxin alone might finish this group off.

"But there’s no range hood here, and no windows. When steaming the buns, the rising steam will be completely trapped in the room and won't be able to escape."

Brother Jie curled his lips into a smirk. "The smell of your steamed buns is very alluring, and I like it too. I want to smell it even more while it's trapped in the room. Who needs a range hood?"