Tomb Raider: I Am Hu Bayi's Cousin

Chapter 821 Duke Richard!
Hu Ming knew very well that the dzi bead in his hand was very important, so he shook his head at the old man.

"You want me to hand over the Dzi Bead? I won't do it unless I see my friend safe and sound!"

As Hu Ming spoke, he glanced at the old man, his eyes filled with composure.

The old man could tell from Hu Ming's eyes that he wasn't joking.

So the old man had no choice but to withdraw his hand, and then laughed again.

"Hehe! Actually, it's fine if you don't give me the dzi bead, since having one is useless anyway. I can give you another one, how about that?"

As the old man spoke, he had already uncovered the black cloth covering the plate in front of him.

When the black cloth was opened, a delicate box was finally revealed in front of Hu Ming.

Upon seeing the box, Hu Ming was immediately drawn to its antique aura, indicating that it was an old artifact. In Hu Ming's opinion, it was no less than a thousand years old.

As for what was inside the box, Hu Ming had no idea.

Just as Hu Ming was staring blankly at the box, the celestial bead formed from the mother stone on his body suddenly began to move.

Sensing the unusual movement within him, Hu Ming immediately felt a sense of unease.

Speaking of which, when we were at the Hanging Sword Tomb, the Mother Stone also reacted strangely because it got close to the Heavenly Pearl, just like the current situation.

However, when the box was revealed to Hu Ming, another strange phenomenon occurred, which made Hu Ming suspicious of what was inside the box.

"You guessed right! There's another dzi bead inside!"

As they were talking, the old man picked up the box and examined it closely.

A moment later, the old man put down the box in his hand and then sighed.

"Alas, this dzi bead has been in my hands for many years, but unfortunately I have never known how to open this kind of box, so it has never been able to see the light of day again."

"But now that I've met Mr. Hu Ming, I believe it's fate!"

As the old man finished speaking, he pushed the box directly in front of Hu Ming.

Seeing this, Hu Ming couldn't help but look at the old man. Seeing that the other party didn't seem to be joking, he became even more puzzled.

"Didn't you go to great lengths to obtain the Dzi Bead? How could you just hand it over to me? That doesn't make any sense!"

Hu Ming knew, of course, that the old man couldn't possibly be so kind. If he were truly that kind, he wouldn't have kidnapped the blind man and Hong Xia.

"Heh! Of course! I'm just asking you to keep them for me temporarily! Because there are twelve of these dzi beads in total!"

"I hope Mr. Hu Ming can help me collect all twelve dzi beads! What do you think?"

As the old man finished speaking, a sly smile appeared on his face again, giving off an air of deep cunning.

"If I understand correctly, are you planning to use my friend's life to blackmail me into helping you find these dzi beads?"

Hu Ming immediately guessed what the old man meant.

The old man nodded upon seeing this, then leaned back on the sofa.

"Mr. Hu Ming is indeed a smart man. I enjoy dealing with smart people!"

"So? Do you agree? If you agree, I guarantee your friend will be safe and sound!"
As the old man spoke, he suddenly stared intently at Hu Ming, as if waiting for Hu Ming's answer.

Hu Ming couldn't help but laugh when he saw this.

"What if I don't agree? You dare to touch my friend? I'm sure you've investigated my background! I'm not someone who's easy to talk to! If you touch my friend, I might do something I don't know!" Hu Ming certainly wouldn't compromise directly. After all, the more he thought about it, the more complicated the matter became, and Hu Ming had to think twice before acting.

Seeing that Hu Ming seemed unwilling to compromise, the old man regained his composure.

"Ha! I knew you'd answer like that! I also know what methods you have; I've investigated them all! But I believe you're also curious about the secret of this dzi bead!"

"And what about the relationship between that unknown civilization and this dzi bead? Don't you want to find out?"

"If you want to figure it out, cooperate with me! I'll tell you all the secrets of the Dzi Beads then, how about it?"

The old man seemed somewhat agitated when he got to this point.

The foreign girl who had been silently watching over him saw this and quickly came over and began to stroke his back.

"Boss! Don't get too excited! Be careful of your illness!"

As the foreign woman spoke, she handed a pill to the old man.

The old man took the pill and swallowed it, and then he returned to normal.

"I am indeed quite interested in that celestial bead, but I don't like the way you do things. Unless you release my friend, I might consider cooperating with you."

"Now you're threatening me with my friends, it's hard for me to trust you!"

"Oh, by the way! Don't underestimate my abilities. Just give me some time, and I'm confident I can find them!"

When Hu Ming got to this point, he finally stood up, as if preparing to leave.

However, upon seeing Hu Ming stand up, the old man jumped up from the sofa.

"You can't leave! You have to help me find the Heavenly Pearl! Otherwise, none of your friends will survive! I'm not joking!"

"They're already on their way to Antarctica. If you leave now, your friends will all freeze to death there!"

As the old man finished speaking, a hint of ferocity finally appeared in his eyes.

Upon hearing the old man's words, Hu Ming paused in his tracks.

"Antarctica? You actually sent them to Antarctica? What are you trying to do?!"

Hu Ming was clearly not expecting the old man to do this; it felt like he was just being ridiculous.

You have to understand that the ice-covered area of ​​Antarctica is so vast that finding the blind man and his companions is harder than climbing to heaven.

It has to be said that the old man in front of him was really ruthless, going to such lengths to force Hu Ming to submit.

But this old bastard doesn't seem to realize that kidnapping someone within Chinese territory, especially someone the country needs, raises serious questions. Where does his confidence come from? He's the one who took the person away!
Just as Hu Ming was speechless at the old man's actions, the old man took out a scepter.

"You probably don't know this, but I am Duke Richard of your friendly principality. If I were to use my power, you would be finished!"

"So you'd better be smarter!"

The elderly man, who identified himself as Duke Richard, took out a document and tossed it onto the table.

Looking at the document, Hu Ming couldn't help but frown.

"This contains all your actions over the past few years. With just a little manipulation from me, you'll be locked up in jail immediately, so you'd better not resist!"

As Duke Richard spoke, he unconsciously tapped the ground with his scepter!