"Friend, whoever you are, hear me out. Whoever hired you to kill me, whatever they promised to pay you, I'll double it." Huang Daojing licked his dry lips and spoke coaxingly. "Just let me go. Once I'm home, I'll make good on my promise right away!"
The man in the cowboy hat said nothing. He even reached up to scratch his head. Huang Daojing felt reassured. He assumed his words had worked and that the other man was seriously considering his offer.
So he wasn't so tough after all.
Huang Daojing leaned forward, pressing his advantage. "Young man, you probably don't know who I am. I'm from Capital City. Have you heard of the Huang family in the north of the city?" Mentioning his family gave him confidence, and a trace of pride crept into his voice. "I'm the head of the Huang family. If you hurt me, you'll be making a huge mistake. My family won't let you get away with it. I also have a son. He'll bring people after you to the ends of the earth—"
"Ding!"
It sounded as if some system in the car had just activated. After a burst of static, a child's voice came through the speakers. "Number Two, I've taken care of things on my end. Huang Daojing's son was especially cooperative. He confessed to everything his father's done and even offered to work with us. He has just one condition: he wants his father gone so he can take over the Huang family fair and square, along with his father's mistresses."
"Got it." Number Two straightened his cowboy hat.
Music started playing through the speakers. The tune had a catchy beat, and Number Two's hand on the steering wheel began tapping along of its own accord. The scene felt relaxed and