novelraw Chapter 114 The Kidnapping Case 18 Years Ago
Chapter 114 The Kidnapping Case 18 Years Ago
The live performance of Clarence takes place outdoors at the Harcodo Amphitheatre in the northwest corner of the park.
They spent some time eating, but fortunately, the staff at Clarence reserved VIP seats for them; otherwise, they might have had to find a place to stand and watch.
Today's performance recreates a classic scene from the anime, telling the story of Clarence challenging a higher-level alien beast to save his friend, ultimately achieving a breakthrough in his mental power and successfully defeating the beast.
It's a very traditional, action-packed storyline, which Yuan Yuan thoroughly enjoyed, occasionally letting out exclamations of surprise along with the plot.
No longer as reserved and timid as he was at the beginning, he is increasingly behaving like a child his age.
The play was well-arranged, the actors' performances were good, and the enthusiastic atmosphere made the audience feel very immersed in the performance.
Even Ling Suyu stared intently at the stage.
Seeing Clarence, despite his injuries, still relentlessly piloting his iconic gray-blue mech towards the alien beast, Yuan Yuan suddenly fell silent, her large eyes fixed on the stage.
Only when the monster was defeated at the end of the story did he quietly relax his tense back.
When the event ended, Wen Shumu checked the time; it was already 9 p.m.
This means... today's journey is coming to an end.
Looking at the young child sitting motionless in the seat, Wen Shumu felt a pang of sadness.
"Yuanyuan, are you tired?" he asked gently.
Ling Suyu also felt that Yuanyuan must be too tired to walk after a day of shopping, so he picked him up again, just like he had done at the cathedral that morning.
This time, Yuan Yuan was clearly less panicked than he had been in the morning. He said in a muffled voice, "If you're tired, should we go back?"
The air seemed to freeze for a moment as Wen Shumu thought of many things to say, such as visiting him again and sending him small gifts regularly.
But when he met those innocent and clear eyes, Wen Shumu felt as if he had lost his voice, and any promise seemed so pale that he couldn't say anything.
Yuan Yuan looked up at the Alpha's chin: "Uncle Marshal, can you fight monsters like Clarence?"
Ling Suyu lowered her long eyelashes and nodded.
Yuan Yuan was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "My full name is Cen Zhuyuan."
The two of them looked at the little boy.
A resolute look appeared on his youthful face: "When I grow up, I want to learn how to pilot a mecha, and then fight monsters with Uncle Marshal!"
Ling Suyu's eyes were gentle, and he smiled slightly before saying seriously, "Alright, but I hope that by then there will be no more strange beasts, and you can live in a peaceful environment."
Cen Zhuyuan was stunned for a moment, her little face scrunched up: "Then, then I'll learn how to pilot the mecha first."
Wen Shumu laughed and couldn't help but step forward and ruffle his hair.
Ling Suyu carried Yuanyuan, with Wen Shumu following beside him, and the three of them walked towards the park entrance.
In the sky, the originally bright moon was half-hidden in the clouds, and suddenly it was tinged with a blood-red hue.
*
"No matter what you ask, I'll say it again: I didn't hit him."
Wen Bin was detained at the headquarters for two days. His black hair was now mixed with strands of white, his face was haggard, and his lips were chapped.
At this moment, he was coldly staring at Police Chief Ambro in front of him.
Ambrose, tall and imposing, sneered, "Your butler said that when Wen Shumu was around, you would call him into your study and beat and abuse him whenever you were in a bad mood. Come to think of it, unless it's related to the head of the family, how could a noble Omega who rarely leaves his home have so many injuries?"
Wen Bin remained silent, seemingly unmoved by reason.
Ambrose was about to continue when his expression suddenly turned serious, and he covered his earpiece with one hand: "I understand."
He stood up and walked straight out of the interrogation room.
Wen Bin's brows were etched with a gloomy aura.
What good would arresting him do? Even if the charge of abuse is proven, they can't sentence him to death. They can just... stall for time.
The interrogation room door opened again, and Wen Bin impatiently curled his lip and looked up.
Upon recognizing the person, his eyes widened, and he immediately suppressed all his agitation, bowing deeply and saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
Under the cold white light, Yi Hao slightly raised his chin and looked down at him: "After that night, I never thought that I would see you again in this way."
Wen Bin's handcuffed hands trembled slightly. He knew the emperor was referring to the night he expelled the nobles from the imperial star.
"Your Majesty, I am innocent. After my wife passed away, I treasured this precious wood. How could I possibly have done such a thing..."
"Stop." Yi Hao sat down, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "Whether it's true or false, the General Administration will judge for itself. I don't have time to listen to your nonsense."
Wen Bin pursed his dry lips: "Why has Your Majesty come?"
Yi Hao rested his elbow on the armrest of the seat, propped his right cheek, and tilted his head to gaze at him intently for a moment.
The emperor was always unpredictable and hard to fathom. Under such a sharp gaze, Wen Bin could only lower his eyes and avoid it.
"Dina found something very interesting: 18 years ago, Wen Shumu disappeared for a period of time."
Wen Bin was clearly caught off guard by Yi Hao's sudden mention of this matter, and before he knew it, his face turned pale.
He steadied himself and forced a calm demeanor: "Yes, at that time, the Gesor family and the Wen family had some conflicts. They couldn't do anything about us adults, so they took their anger out on the children and kidnapped Shumu when they had the chance. The mastermind behind it was already arrested and brought to justice at that time."
"Oh—" Yi Hao narrowed his eyes slightly, "Gesor is just a minor nobleman on Anjiang Star, yet he dares to kidnap the lord's grandson? What kind of deep grudge must he have?"
"It's just a conflict of interest, a risky move." Wen Bin lowered his head even further.
"Hehe... Taking a risk, well said." Yi Hao raised his hand, seemingly wanting to applaud, but when he saw Wen Bin's face, he seemed to lose interest and put his hand down.
"You wouldn't know unless you investigated. What's even more interesting is that this mastermind suddenly fell ill and died in prison not long after. But before going to prison, the inmate had undergone a comprehensive physical examination and was found to be in good health."
Yi Hao's eyes darkened: "Afterwards, you had an argument with Wen Shikun, which angered him so much that he ended up in the hospital and passed away not long after."
"What on earth happened that could have driven your father to his death?"
If it weren't for Dai Na's interrogation techniques, which allowed him to extract this information from the Wen family's butler and some old servants, he would have truly believed that Old Master Wen had died of illness.
After a long silence, Wen Bin finally raised his head, his eyes filled with ferocious bloodshot veins: "Father's health is already poor. His grandson is missing, so he is naturally anxious. He even wanted the entire Wen family to come to a standstill and send all his manpower to look for Shumu. I just offered a few words of advice."
Yi Hao curled one corner of his lips, but his eyes revealed a chilling intent: "Wen Bin, stop pretending in front of me. Gesor owns several properties on the Imperial Star. Where would a minor nobleman from a small place get the funds?"
"You ordered others to kidnap your young son and threaten his own father, just so you can't wait to take the position of head of the Wen family?"
Wen Bin looked disheartened at being wrongly accused: "Since Your Majesty has already condemned me, I have nothing more to say."
"You're still feeling wronged?" Yi Hao leaned forward. "Back then, your methods were too immature, and you didn't do things cleanly enough. You left too much evidence. The testimonies I have and the flow of funds from Gesor alone are enough to prove your guilt. However... I suppose you also had some intention of letting Wen Shikun find out."
"After all, you are Wen Shikun's only son. Even if he knows that Shumu's disappearance is related to you, he can't really do anything to you."
"And you chose to threaten Wen Shikun with such a young child, forcing him to immediately relinquish power to you." Yi Hao raised his hand and tapped a few times on the terminal, and a projection of an agreement appeared in the air.
The content clearly stated that Wen Shikun would immediately pass on the position of head of the Wen family to Wen Bin, and the date on the document was the same day Wen Shikun was admitted to the hospital.
Wen Bin's Adam's apple bobbed as he stared intently at the projection.
He was perfectly aware of the contents of this agreement, because he had forced Wen Shikun to write it down word by word.
After he signed the document, Wen Shikun asked him to return Wen Shumu. He said, "I threw it into the desolate planet," and the old man fainted from anger.
"Congratulations! You succeeded back then, and the results were mostly as you wished." Yi Hao finally clapped his hands. "The only variable was that you didn't expect Wen Shikun's men to find Wen Shumu so quickly and bring him back, which affected your expected happy life with your current wife and the three of you."
Wen Bin suddenly shrugged his shoulders and let out a slightly strange laugh. He slowly leaned back in his chair, looking directly at the emperor opposite him: "Yes, I originally wanted to let him fend for himself on the desolate planet."