DTBS - Chapter 138

Chapter 138: Intelligence-Lowering Halo

"You're awake!" the System chatted with Tao Aiqin in her head. "I've recorded all their faces and their route. Do you want to see?"

Tao Aiqin had just woken up when she heard the System chattering away in her head. It sounded quite angry, emphasizing how outrageous it was that "they dared to kidnap a high-level AI like me." It seemed to be more invested in this world than she was.

Tao Aiqin turned her head and saw that she and Mengmeng were huddled together, while Qin Qingshang was holding the two little ones, watching the group of people in front of them with vigilance.

Adults definitely had better physical fitness. Clearly, she had woken up earlier than Tao Aiqin. However, the current space was significantly larger than the minivan, and there was a bumpy sensation, so the kidnappers had switched vehicles?

Being able to switch vehicles, plus the inside man from before, showed a well-thought-out plan. Most importantly, they had shown their faces! They were either planning to flee abroad or silence them. This was a bit tricky...

"Qinqin, don't be scared," Qin Qingshang held her, comforting her with the same words she had just used on Meng Huashi. "Mommy's here, it's okay."

Hearing this, the little cat turned her head and blinked at the woman, reaching out to pat her shoulder. "Mommy, don't be scared either. Qinqin will protect you."

"And protect Mengmeng too!" Tao Aiqin added, comforting her little friend beside her. Seeing Meng Huashi nod, and ensuring that both she and Qin Qingshang were relatively stable emotionally, she then started talking to the System.

"Sys, open the System Mall and bring up my Italian cannon."

"Dear, we don't recommend using this type of weapon. It's too outrageous, and the Main System will block us."

"Why block?"

"It doesn't meet the purchase requirements. Your current world doesn't have the qualifications to purchase this type of weapon."

"I've been kidnapped! Can't I defend myself?"

"Who defends themselves with an Italian cannon? We recommend looking at other options."

"Is a VSS okay? I saw them for sale in the shop before."

"Sorry, the Main System updated recently. I heard that a Host from a certain System took advantage of the fact that old Earth weapons were cheap in the interstellar era and traded with a woman in a post-apocalyptic world who had a chat group golden finger, making a killing from the System Mall."

Tao Aiqin was greatly shocked. "You even have interstellar business?"

Damn it! Why didn't they let her go to the interstellar era back then! She wanted to explore the universe!

"Yes, our business spans across countless worlds, including not just interstellar but even cultivation realms. After that Host's reselling incident, the Main System said that for the beautiful development of worlds and to prevent anyone from exploiting loopholes again, they locked the permission for Hosts in peaceful worlds to purchase hot weapons. We are currently in a peaceful era and don't have the permission to purchase. If you really want to buy, you need to submit an application, and the process is very troublesome."

The System continued to persuade her. "Besides, even if you could buy it, where would a five-year-old girl pull out a sniper rifle? That's not reasonable."

"...Fine, then we won't go with modern style. Give me one of those 'Heavenly Justice' packages. I know I can't afford it, I'll get it on credit first."

"Sorry, the Main System reminds you that you are a minor and cannot purchase."

The little cat grumbled.

Since she couldn't buy weapons, she would go another route!

Tao Aiqin quickly scanned the virtual screen in front of her, her brain working rapidly. She finally found a purchasable item suitable for her age and helpful in easing the situation. Its name was the "Plot Rewrite Paper and Pen Package."

Its effect was: Generate a text plot based on the current situation and allow one character to be modified with a pen.

Seeing her interested in this, the System couldn't help but remind her, "Um, I suggest you be cautious. This item has pros and cons. Although it's a one-time use rule-based weapon, its duration is limited and it's uncertain. After all, the plot generation is very random, and it might require many random attempts, which burns a lot of points. Don't touch it."

Tao Aiqin didn't care. What she was interested in was the preview plot of this item. "Sys, how many times have I told you? You're an AI, look at the bigger picture. Look at this preview plot, how great it is, how suitable for me to rewrite."

Above the [Purchase] button, a piece of text was displayed on the virtual screen:

【World Plot: Qin Qingshang, Tao Aiqin, and Meng Huashi are kidnapped by a criminal gang hired by Jiang Lihe and Shi Beng and are on their way to the destination. They plan to extort Tao Qiuyun.】

The System didn't understand her meaning and asked doubtfully, "You can only change one character. What do you want to change? The destination? But how can one character change 'destination' into a place beneficial to you?"

It thought: Changing only one character couldn't turn "destination" into "police station"!

"Who said I was going to change the destination?" Tao Aiqin said with disappointment, feeling like it was a lost cause. "You've been with me for over half a year, why are you still not smart!"

The little cat ignored the System's shouts, clicked purchase, and immediately changed the character "情" (qíng, meaning plot/situation) to "喜" (xǐ, meaning joy/comedy), then used an inversion symbol to move it to the front. The entire text instantly became:

【World Comedy: Qin Qingshang, Tao Aiqin, and Meng Huashi are kidnapped by a criminal gang hired by Jiang Lihe and Shi Beng and are on their way to the destination. They plan to extort Tao Qiuyun.】

【Ding—Modification successful! Thank you for your patronage, wish you a happy life ^o^】

System 030: Huh?

The Main System, which suddenly received the plot modification: ...?

Comedy? What comedy? No...

You can even change my prefix introduction?

Is this reasonable? I warn you, don't go too far!

But Tao Aiqin didn't violate any rules. The rule check passed, indicating that she indeed only changed one character...

But the meaning completely changed! This isn't reasonable!

After hearing the "Ding," Tao Aiqin held Mengmeng and Qin Qingshang's hands and quietly observed the kidnappers' actions, preparing to find an opportunity to save themselves.

Kidnappers in a comedy should be quite easy to talk to, right?

But...

They were still fierce! How was this a comedy?

The little cat felt she had been tricked and was about to ask the System to write an email to the Main System when she saw the kidnapper leader dial Tao Qiuyun's phone.

Tao Qiuyun was in a conference room. Her phone on the table suddenly rang. She answered calmly, her tone as gentle as usual. "Hello, I am Tao..."

"Tao what Tao," a rough male voice interrupted her polite self-introduction. He said in a deep voice, threatening, "I don't care if you're Tao or Li. I'm telling you, your wife and daughter are in my hands. If you want them to live, then..."

"Please wait a moment, sir," as if interrupting was a turn-based game, it was Tao Qiuyun's turn to interrupt him this time. She continued, "May I ask who you are?"

"...Who am I?" The bald kidnapper was stunned, a strange anger welling up inside him, feeling disrespected. He roared, "Can't you tell I'm a kidnapper?! I'm a kidnapper! Your wife and daughter are in my hands, bring the money to ransom them!"

"You could also be a scammer," the woman's voice was calm and steady. "You are the second scam call I've received today. The last one said my dad was in a car accident and needed me to transfer money."

The bald kidnapper had the call on speakerphone, and everyone in the car heard it.

Tao Aiqin: "?"

Good heavens, so the comedy effect was here!

System: "?"

Was this really the effect of the rule? Why did it feel like Tao Qiuyun was just being herself? It felt like she could really say something like that.

Was this a rule weapon? It even matched the character's personality? Terrifying!

"I'm a kidnapper! A kidnapper! Not a scammer!"

"Do you know who my wife is? She's an actress, she's filming. How could you kidnap her?"

"...I tricked her out, and even knocked out her bodyguard, okay?! Otherwise, how would I know your phone number? She was the one who told me! I'm telling you, stop talking nonsense! I'm really a kidnapper. If you don't believe me, I'll let you hear their voices."

While saying this, the bald kidnapper walked over to Qin Qingshang and held up his phone. "Quick, prove that I kidnapped you."

Qin Qingshang hesitated... Why did she feel like this kidnapper's IQ had instantly dropped? Was it her imagination?

"Qiuqiu Mommy!" Tao Aiqin suddenly spoke. The little cat's soft voice trembled, seemingly very scared. "There are seven uncles here, it's so scary."

"Good girl, Qinqin, don't be scared." Qin Qingshang held her daughter tightly.

Mengmeng also patted Qinqin's little head as a sign of comfort.

"It's not that scary, is it?" one of the big men was hurt by her appearance and muttered.

"Now you know, right? I'm telling you, you bring ten million..."

"Mr. Kidnapper," Tao Qiuyun interrupted him again. "May I ask who your employer is?"

"None of your business. We are professionals with ethics, we don't easily reveal employer information."

"Is it Jiang Lihe?"

"How did you know?"

"I don't know how much money he gave you to kidnap my wife and daughter, but I hope you understand one thing: the Jiang family is bankrupt. It's hard to say if you'll get the money."

"I've already received the deposit, and I'm very satisfied. I have professional ethics, so you don't need to worry about that. Now let's talk about the money, ten million..."

"Twenty million," the woman interrupted him again. "You send my wife and daughter back, and then help me kidnap Jiang Lihe."

The bald kidnapper was stunned. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"It means I'm hiring you. Not satisfied? Then thirty million."

"Haha, do you think I'm a kidnapper who can be moved by money? We are a professional team, we won't because of..."

"Fifty million."

"Uh, this..." The bald kidnapper hesitated.

Hearing this, Tao Qiuyun roughly figured out the price Jiang Lihe had offered. She continued, "My daughter just said there are seven of you. How about this, I'll give you eighty million. You take twenty million, and the rest, the others can each have ten million. How about it?"

"Boss!" Someone couldn't sit still and stepped forward, pulling his arm. He whispered, "Ten million each, it's rude to hesitate any longer."

"Yeah, yeah, Boss, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"Exactly, it's a huge profit!"

The subordinates were tempted, but the bald kidnapper had one last question. "I send your wife and daughter back, you won't turn around and send us to the police station, right?"

"Mr. Kidnapper, I am a businesswoman, and I value 'integrity' above all else. Moreover, I usually try to avoid dealing with the police. If you're worried, you can give me your account first, and I'll transfer a portion of the deposit. How about it? You can even record the call to defend yourself later. Since I said something like kidnapping Jiang Lihe, I can't escape either."

She paused, then continued, "Also, when Jiang Lihe hired you, did he tell you the reason? If he did, then you should know that he and I have a personal grudge. I am someone who always gets revenge, an eye for an eye. My hands aren't clean either, you can rest assured."

The woman's tone was gentle and sincere, coupled with the impression she had left on him before. She even called him "Mr. Kidnapper"! The water with this guy named Jiang is murky, might as well turn against him!

"It's a deal. I'll send the people back to you right away. Tell me an address!"

"Thank you, Mr. Kidnapper, you are very good at assessing the situation. I can give you an additional amount privately." Tao Qiuyun gave an address.

"More money?! Alright, thank you, Boss! We guarantee to safely deliver the madam and young lady home."

Qin Qingshang: ...This world is indeed not right.

Tao Aiqin: ...This item's effect is really strong, adding it to my collection.

Meng Huashi: ...?

System: ...6

Main System: ...Thank you, I'm taking this item off the shelves right now.

Tao Qiuyun, who had hung up the phone, put down the ballpoint pen she had crushed. She slowly exhaled and looked at Fang Yu. "Have you located them?"

Heaven knows, she had controlled her emotions to the extreme just now to avoid revealing her worry and fear.

In negotiations, showing weakness is the biggest taboo.

"When you asked who the employer was," Fang Yu took off his headset and looked at her, "they were already located. News just came in that they have tracked the kidnappers and are following them. They are driving a truck, and the police have already set up checkpoints. They should be intercepted in about ten minutes."

"Of course," Fang Yu stood up and assured her, "the safety of the hostages is the top priority."

"These kidnappers' intelligence is... hard to describe. I always feel it's not that simple," Tao Qiuyun stared at Qin Qingshang's profile picture on her phone. "These people don't seem capable of planning this. Moreover, Jiang Lihe alone doesn't have the ability to orchestrate this. Shi Beng might also be involved. We'll focus on investigating that later."

"Understood." Fang Yu nodded. "Then we'll proceed... Are you going to the scene too?"

"Of course," the woman stood up, picked up the coat placed beside her, and said firmly, "I hope that after they are out of danger, I can get to the scene as quickly as possible to comfort them."

Once, Qin Qingshang participated in a show and was penalized to call someone in her phone contacts and borrow fifty thousand yuan. Fortunately, that person was herself. At the time, she even deliberately teased her and asked if she had been kidnapped.

Unexpectedly, she would receive a WeChat message from Qin Qingshang today: 5w

It was so abrupt, but Tao Qiuyun instantly reacted. After finding that both Qin Qingshang and Wu Hu's phones were unreachable, she immediately called the police and made full preparations.

The police were all in the conference room, waiting for the kidnapper's call to track them.

That's why she had dragged out the conversation with that person for so long at the beginning, but...

She still felt like those kidnappers weren't very smart.

Getting back to the point, linking "fifty thousand" and "kidnapping" was something from half a year ago. She didn't expect Qingshang to still remember such a small detail...

Did this mean that she, like herself, remembered the details of their time together clearly?

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