Invasion of America

Chapter 18 Blackmail
After the ransom call was hung up, a web link with a password was sent to Zhou Qingfeng's mobile phone.

After clicking on the link and entering the password, it turned out to be a edited video clip - the "Scorpion" bar shot from a drone angle.

The video uses an infrared full-color camera and clearly captured the scene of Zhou Qingfeng wearing stockings entering the bar a month ago.

Just these ten seconds of footage cannot prove anything.

But there is a line of words at the end of the video - $100 million in exchange for my keeping the secret, otherwise more footage will be submitted to the FBI, enough to put you in jail.

After watching the video, Zhou Qingfeng tried to maintain his composure on the surface, but he was filled with shock and anger in his heart.

He thought he was the oriole, but unexpectedly there was another one behind him.

Apart from this video, the ransom call did not provide any other information, but it was extremely threatening and was most likely a psychological tactic of applying pressure step by step.

Zhou Qingfeng's first reaction was, "The money cannot be given, otherwise he will ask for $100 million today and $1 billion tomorrow."

The blackmailer will try every possible way to squeeze him dry, otherwise there will be no peace.

"What happened?" Jennifer keenly caught the gradually cold expression between Zhou Qingfeng's brows.

The fingers holding the phone tightened slightly, his eyes were unfocused and he was lost in thought. All this showed that Zhou Qingfeng was not as calm as he appeared.

Jennifer was very curious about this.

It has been more than a month since the two first met while hitchhiking.

Although they didn't communicate much, for Jennifer, the elusive sense of mystery surrounding Zhou Qingfeng always lingered.

With the blessing of more than one billion US dollars in wealth, she found that the boy's pensive profile was particularly attractive. It was ordinary, but it seemed that he was gathering strength and preparing to explode.

Jennifer still remembers the scene of him taking out the Powerball lottery ticket to claim the prize. His every move could be interpreted as having unusual meaning.

Jennifer hates the hypocrisy and corruption of the wealthy circle and is tired of the endless lies and betrayal, so she chooses to escape to White Beach High School in an attempt to find some peace and quiet.

The calmness, pride, unrestrainedness and flattery of ordinary people in front of her will be taken for granted and nothing special.

But if she really lives a dull life, she will definitely feel bored.

It is this contradictory mentality that makes her always unable to help but seek some "safe" "dangers".

For example, she knew clearly that Zhou Qingfeng was not as harmless as he appeared.

Where did that lottery ticket come from? Was he a puppet or a murderer? A chess player or a pawn? These questions, like tiny seeds, took root deep within her heart and began to sprout.

What will the future be like for a poor boy who suddenly becomes rich?
To satisfy her curiosity, Jennifer is still willing to get close to Zhou Qingfeng and explore his secrets, and she can't stop.

At this moment, she keenly noticed Zhou Qingfeng's emotional fluctuations and couldn't help but ask softly: "Do you need help?"

Zhou Qingfeng did not answer immediately. He frowned and remained silent, as if staring ahead, but in fact he was thinking about where he had been exploited.

Jennifer was not in a hurry. She knew that men were always accustomed to using silence to hide their inner turmoil.

She leaned slightly to the side and asked tentatively, "Is it inconvenient to say?"

Zhou Qingfeng pondered for a moment and then calmly said, "Someone tried to extort $100 million from me..."

Jennifer's face showed a hint of excitement, as if she had solved the case by reasoning, grasped the clues from the traces, and her guess was verified.

"Blackmail? It's all too common." She offered a brisk suggestion: "Victor, you need to be good at using your money."

This sentence was like a bolt of lightning, instantly striking Zhou Qingfeng's mind.

He was originally immersed in thinking, trying to find the source of his information leakage, but Jennifer's words made him suddenly enlightened.

Yes, money is powerful—the end of the world hasn't arrived yet. Why should he always think about solving problems alone? As a wealthy man, things that can be solved with money are not problems at all.

He turned and looked at Jennifer. "You're right. Although the lottery commission hasn't completed the prize redemption process, the bank has given me a line of credit of several million dollars. But..."

Jennifer continued, "In this world, if you haven't been blackmailed a few times, you can't be called rich. My father receives threatening calls or letters every month, and every day someone says they want to expose his dirty laundry.

Mr. Baker, who runs a law firm, received even more. If threatening letters could wipe his butt, his whole family would not have to buy toilet paper.

Most of the threats are meaningless and are probably just some drunk asshole dialing a random number and saying some nonsense.

But some threats cannot be ignored, such as the recent shooting of the CEO of UnitedHealth Group on the street.

"So, who should I look for?" Zhou Qingfeng still needed some guidance. After all, he was not a rich man in the past.

"Go find my sister Kelly." Jennifer sighed. "There are plenty of people in this world willing to help wealthy people solve their problems. She has the connections to do that."
-
Zhou Qingfeng didn't hesitate and immediately called his cool and beautiful 'maid'.

Kelly's voice was as capable as ever, "Victor, what's the matter?"

"I just received a ransom call and I want to know who the caller is and where they are. And..."

Kelly was accustomed to this sort of thing and wasn't surprised at all. With professional composure, she grasped the point and asked:

"A blackmail call? That's normal. You want to know if the other party really has dirt on you, or if they're just trying to scare you?"

Zhou Qingfeng was silent for a moment, then replied in a low voice: "Well... I would prefer that this matter be handled confidentially and not leaked."

"Of course, for wealthy people, keeping secrets is about preserving wealth and status."

Kelly realized that the 'ransom call' must have some shady material, but she readily agreed, "Give me the other party's phone number, I'll have someone check it out."

Zhou Qingfeng was somewhat helpless: "The other party's number is a virtual network number, which may not be easy to check."

"It's okay. Professionals do their job. Internet service providers, telecom companies, and civil servants have plenty of ways to investigate.

What cannot be achieved through technical means can be easily solved by money and power.

I said, in the face of wealth, I am willing to do anything for you. Tell me the number and the time of the call, and don't worry about the rest.

Zhou Qingfeng quickly reported the ransom number and call time, but he did not provide the call recording.

Kelly didn't ask any more questions. She simply wrote down the information and said, "Okay, I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Keep your phone open. Relax, it's just a small matter."
-
After hanging up the phone, Zhou Qingfeng let out a long breath, feeling a lot more relaxed. He secretly exclaimed, "Damn it! It feels so good to be rich."

Fear and anger surged in his mind. "I don't know which bastard is trying to blackmail me. I'm going to make that guy suffer."

A few minutes later, the phone screen lit up and Kelly sent a text message: "Someone named 'Gray Shark' will contact you."

"Gray Shark?" Zhou Qingfeng almost shouted out loud when he saw the name.

The image of an unkempt weirdo immediately emerged in his mind—the guy who had been hiding in a dark basement all year round.

The nickname 'Gray Shark' sounds fierce, but in fact, he was born with polio and is very thin.

Due to his limited mobility, he can only rely on an electric wheelchair for transportation, and his daily life depends entirely on the care of his mother, who is over 60 years old. Gray Shark's world is completely closed in his small basement, surrounded by radio equipment and computers.

He made a lot of money by reselling information and data in the gray industry.

Due to his extreme distrust of the banking system, he never accepted any form of transfer transactions and invested all his savings in Bitcoin early on.

After the apocalypse, social order collapsed, virtual currency vanished overnight, and the "Gray Shark" lost everything in an instant.

In order to survive, 'Gray Shark' had to leave the basement and use an electric wheelchair to traverse the chaotic city's black market to buy food and medicine for himself and his elderly mother.

He is a powerful figure on the Internet, but in reality he is timid, afraid of light, and even has a stutter. He is a weakling with almost no social skills.

While Zhou Qingfeng was struggling in the apocalypse, he had several encounters with the Grey Shark. Although the guy was physically disabled, he had a very quick mind and repeatedly put him at a disadvantage.

However, the two had worked together for a year or two, and there was both hostility and a subtle tacit understanding between them.

However, fate was not kind to Gray Shark. His mother was robbed and tragically killed on the street while out shopping.

Having lost his only support, Gray Shark's life fell into complete despair.

As society became increasingly chaotic, he was unable to go out on his own and could no longer rely on his mother's care. He eventually starved to death in that dark basement.

"I didn't expect to be able to meet that guy before the apocalypse broke out." Zhou Qingfeng had to be extremely alert.

Because the 'Gray Shark' hiding in the basement is not easy to deal with. With the help of a large number of communication and cracking equipment, as well as online connections, that guy has considerable power.

But Zhou Qingfeng didn't have time to beat around the bush with that guy. Time was pressing, and he needed to solve the problem as soon as possible instead of playing a cat-and-mouse game on the phone.

When a call without even displaying the number came into Zhou Qingfeng's mobile phone, he glanced at the screen and sneered.

After the call was connected, a mechanical, synthesized electronic voice came from the other end of the line, asking coldly, "Is this Victor?"

Zhou Qingfeng didn't hesitate and greeted him directly, "Good afternoon, Mr. Porter." He deliberately dragged out his tone, enjoying the other party's surprise. "I'm Victor."

The other end of the line fell into a dead silence. A few seconds later, the other party hung up.

Zhou Qingfeng couldn't help laughing as he listened to the beeping sound coming from the phone, a smirk of a successful prank appearing on his face. He continued to wait patiently.

Half a minute later, the phone vibrated and a text message popped up on the screen. The tone was fierce and urgent: "Asshole, who are you?"

Zhou Qingfeng replied calmly: "I'm your friend, I want you to do me a favor, and I'll pay you normally."

The reason he revealed the identity of 'Gray Shark' was to achieve a deterrent balance.

Without reciprocal deterrence, the "gray shark" hiding in the basement will be as arrogant as a king in the dark and difficult to communicate with.

This was obviously not conducive to the matters involving his own secrets that he was about to entrust to him.

"I have no friends." Gray Shark's reply was still full of hostility, and there was a sense of ruthlessness between the lines. "Don't try to threaten me. I will make you regret any provocation."

When Zhou Qingfeng saw this text message, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

His fingers typed quickly: "Don't be too nervous, I don't mean any harm at the moment." After sending this message, he added:
"Give my regards to your mother. I think Aunt Nasha is baking your favorite honey cake right now. I might visit you at your apartment on Sunset Avenue someday when I'm free."

After the message was sent, the phone fell into a brief silence. But Zhou Qingfeng knew that he had hit the other party's soft spot.

Mother is the only weakness of Gray Shark. As long as you grasp this point, that guy will become much easier to talk to.

A few minutes later, the phone vibrated again. It was another call from an undisclosed number.

Zhou Qingfeng picked up the phone. This time, it was no longer a cold electronic voice, but a stuttering voice with a noticeable stutter:
"Who are you? How do you know me?"

Listening to the nervous and flustered voice on the other end of the phone, Zhou Qingfeng knew that the initiative of this game was temporarily in his hands.

However, he did not let his guard down.

Potter was a cunning man who would never willingly allow himself to be controlled by others. If he wasn't careful, the other party might bite him back.

"Someone called to blackmail me, and I recorded the conversation," Zhou Qingfeng recounted the troubles he encountered. "The other party also sent me a video link as evidence of the threat.

I want you to help me find that guy."

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment, with only the sound of light breathing.

Zhou Qingfeng continued, "You definitely know who I am, and you have a basic understanding of my background. I also know you won't be honest. You will definitely conduct an in-depth investigation, or even try to get rid of me."

Having said that, he deliberately paused, his tone suddenly turning cold, "I want to remind you, don't force me to send your address to your enemies."

Immediately afterwards, Zhou Qingfeng blurted out several names, each of which was like a heavy hammer, hitting Porter's heart hard.

Some of these names are politicians who have been exposed by "Gray Shark", some are drug dealers who have suffered heavy losses from "Gray Shark", and even some are neighbors who have been teased by him.

These were all told to Zhou Qingfeng by Gray Shark himself during the apocalypse. Back then, the two had been both enemies and friends, sharing everything.

However, now that these names came out of Zhou Qingfeng's mouth, the 'Gray Shark' hiding in the basement felt a chill.

He looked left and right. The electronic devices flashing various LEDs around him seemed to be mocking his incompetence, as if there were ghosts watching him in the dark.

He even suspected that someone had installed surveillance cameras in his home, otherwise how could Zhou Qingfeng be so familiar with his every move?
Zhou Qingfeng didn't give him much time to think and directly sent him the recording and video link.

Gray Shark took a minute to browse through it and immediately understood the whole story - this guy was the one who did the "bar lottery" case.

His eyes swept across the large screen in the basement, which displayed all the public information about the case that was searched on the Internet, including information about Raul and Toto and the cause of their death.

One was strangled to death and the other was stabbed to death. The person who killed them must be a ruthless character.

Gray Shark took a deep breath and replied to Zhou Qingfeng, "We can be friends. I'll help you investigate, but don't touch my family."

Zhou Qingfeng chuckled softly after hearing this, "You should know that I will be able to acquire assets worth more than one billion US dollars in a few days.

The human and material resources I can mobilize will increase dramatically.

So, could you please not move from your Sunset Boulevard apartment? If you do, I'll think you're trying to break the rapport we have."

Gray Shark was furious and annoyed, yet sweat streamed down his face. He knew he was backed into a corner, with no other options. Zhou Qingfeng, standing high above, looked down at him coldly.

After the call ended, Zhou Qingfeng sent a message to Kelly, asking her to find a way to keep an eye on the polio patient in an apartment on Sunset Boulevard in the Kendall area of ​​Miami.

It's not hard to do, just hire a private detective to keep an eye on it, it won't cost much. But it has to be done, because verbal threats won't deter that guy.

Just as Zhou Qingfeng was quietly waiting for his unknown opponent to make another move, Selina called him and broke down crying:

"Victor, where are you? My dad has been arrested by the FBI. Can you come back? I'm scared now."

(End of this chapter)