Chapter 22 Kidnapping Laurel? (Rewritten)

The chilly touch of the floor roused Laurel from her slumber, though her mind remained clouded. She faintly sensed herself lying on the ground and, as she struggled to open her eyes, she gazed upon a dimly lit ceiling.

"Where am I?"

Laurel yearned to rise from her unknown location and flee, but found herself unable to do so. Her wrists were shackled to the ground by curved steel bars, rendering her incapable of escape. As she gradually regained full consciousness, this predicament left Laurel in a state of great agitation. Memories gradually resurfaced, and she recalled the events leading up to this moment.

I had an argument with my father, left home, and somehow ended up in a slum area where a burly man robbed me. Then, out of nowhere, an Asian man appeared to rescue me. He moved with incredible agility, dodging bullets as if in a science fiction film, and punched through the black man's skull, blood and brains spilling out. I was all alone and then lost consciousness.

"Oh, you're finally awake."

Just as Laurel attempted to sort out her jumbled thoughts, a familiar voice echoed, and moments later, a shirtless man emerged from the shadows in the distance.

It's that Asian man!

"Let go of me! What do you want?" Laurel exclaimed at the top of her lungs.

Stephen approached her, squatting down, and explained with a smile, "You should start with a 'thank you'."

"Thank you? You kidnapped me and now you want me to express gratitude?" Laurel retorted angrily. "Release me! My father is a police officer."

"Quentin Lance, I know," Stephen disapproved, gently caressing Laurel's face, his voice calm amidst her struggles and outbursts. "First and foremost, I saved your life, so it's not unreasonable to ask for gratitude. Secondly, your clothes are over there. They were soiled, but I cleaned them for you. By the way, I also helped you take a shower. You were covered in quite a bit of 'dirt.' I did all this because I was concerned that when you woke up and saw yourself in that state, you might faint again due to the shock and stench."

"Then, how do you explain my current restraints?" Laurel shook her wrist, remaining skeptical of Stephen's words.

"I did it to ensure you would listen to me calmly," Stephen replied, smiling genuinely. "Moreover, it serves to illustrate the importance of not easily losing consciousness and falling into someone's clutches. Right now, you are merely under my watchful eye, but if I were a bad person, you might have already perished or suffered unimaginable torment."

"You killed a man and kidnapped me. Isn't that what a villain would do?" Laurel's tone turned cold.

Stephen smiled, toying with her face and neck as if exploring a new world. "Consider this: if you had been kidnapped by that man instead, would you view me as the villain for killing him? Had I not saved you, do you know what fate awaited you? Even if you were fortunate enough to survive, had I spared his life, what do you think you would have done to him? Tell me, what would you have done?"

"Bring him to justice, make him face a legal trial and consequences," Laurel replied.

Stephen's disapproval continued, "How long do you think he would have stayed in jail? Five years? Ten years? If luck was on his side, he might not have been incarcerated for long. He was not a good person, and it is highly probable that he would have repeated his offenses, potentially leading to someone's death. Then what? Keep arresting him and throwing him back in jail?"

"What do you want me to say? Are you suggesting that killing him was an act of justice?" Laurel said coldly.

"Do you firmly believe that the law is the sole arbiter of justice?" Stephen inquired with interest.

"Absolutely!" Laurel affirmed. "Therefore, you will undoubtedly face legal punishment and pay the price for your actions."

"I don't need anyone, including you, to define justice for me. Absolute truths are elusive, and phrases like 'I'm so happy' are merely masks concealing one's true emotions. I'm simply curious: what if he was the murderer who killed your sister? If you had the chance to avenge her, would you kill him or seek justice through the legal system?"

Laurel's expression shifted slightly as she replied, "She died in an accident."

"You know Oliver Queen 'died' in a similar manner on that boat, right? But was the sinking of the Queen's Gambit truly an accident?" Stephen said with a smile.

Laurel stared at Stephen, startled. "What do you mean? It was an accident, wasn't it? What do you know?"

Suddenly, Stephen grabbed the two steel bars connected to Laurel's wrists and pulled forcefully. The bars, which were embedded in the concrete floor, came loose instantly. Freed from her restraints, Laurel stood up and positioned herself defensively, creating distance between her and Stephen.

With a serious tone, Stephen said, "I know this person, and he is extremely powerful. Even if you gather evidence to bring him to justice, he won't remain detained for long, and he might not even end up in jail. I also know that if he becomes aware of you, he will come after you and your father, potentially causing even more deaths in the future."

"Who is he?" Laurel asked in a low voice.

"Think carefully about whether you should rely on the law to attain justice for your sister or eliminate him to save more lives. When you've made your decision, come find me here, and I will provide you with the answer," Stephen smiled and waved at Laurel. He retrieved his own clothes from the side and vanished into the darkness.

"Don't go! Why should I believe you? At least tell me your name!" Laurel hastily shouted.

"Stephen."

The voice came faintly, distant in sound.

After a while, Laurel noticed that her clothes had been washed, cleaned, and even dried. She donned each garment, one by one. In a hurry, she located her bag and turned on her phone. Paying no mind to missed calls and text messages, she dialed Quentin Lance's number directly.

Initially, Laurel intended to inform her father about her kidnapping, but before she could utter a word, she heard her father's irritated voice on the phone. "Finally, you turn it on. Listen, I don't want to argue with you, but you shouldn't turn off your phone, Sara... If Sara hadn't turned off her phone, I would have found her, and none of this would have happened. Remember, never turn off your phone, no matter what. Hello, are you still there?"

"..."

"I'll be back soon," Laurel replied, pausing for a moment.

...

Real Author: Marvel King

Translator: Zatch[King]Rex