Gu Yan quickly climbed out through the broken window, then crawled underneath the van.
He was so nervous that he hardly dared to breathe. His heart seemed to have stopped beating altogether.
His hands fumbled around ceaselessly until he found a point to brace himself against. Gripping it tightly with both hands and feet, he suspended himself beneath the chassis, clinging desperately to the undercarriage.
He used every bit of strength in his body, terrified that he might fall.
Once he confirmed that he was hidden within the driver’s blind spot outside the vehicle, Gu Yan’s heart began pounding wildly. He could already hear hurried footsteps approaching from the distance.
The trafficker had heard the noise and was rushing back…
Soon, Gu Yan saw the beam of a flashlight sweep across the shattered glass scattered on the ground.
The trafficker strode to the back compartment and flung the doors open.
One child was missing!
“Where is he?” the trafficker roared furiously, snatching up a wooden stick from inside the compartment and slamming it heavily against the wall.
The children all trembled in fright. They had no idea where Gu Yan had gone. They had only seen him crawl toward the front before hearing the sound of breaking glass.
One of them cried out, “I don’t know, I don’t know. He ran away. Please don’t hit me.”
“Where did he go?”
“He went to the front… sob… I don’t know after that.”
They had only seen Gu Yan head toward the driver’s seat.
Staring at the shattered window, the trafficker had no choice but to tie up the remaining children first.
After binding the hands and feet of the four children and sealing their mouths with tape, the trafficker grabbed the flashlight and headed into the woods ahead. A child only a few years old couldn’t possibly have gotten very far in such a short amount of time.
Listening to the retreating footsteps, Gu Yan waited a while before crawling out from beneath the van.
His arms and legs were already nearly too weak to support him, but he didn’t dare waste any time. Quickly getting to his feet, he ran in the opposite direction.
He didn’t know where he was. Even if he escaped, he had no idea where he should go.
All he could do was keep running through the night.
The moment Yun Su saw the van come to a stop, she pressed down on the accelerator even harder.
This was the perfect chance to catch up.
But just as she was about to reach the location marked by the red dot, she noticed that it had started moving again.
And it was moving very slowly.
At roughly the speed of a person running.
Yun Su frowned thoughtfully. Could Gu Yan have gotten out of the van?
Soon, Yun Su’s car was closing in on the red dot, only a tiny distance away.
Then, illuminated by her headlights, she saw Gu Yan standing in the middle of the road with both arms tightly gripped by the trafficker.
Yun Su immediately stopped the car in front of them.
A trace of panic flashed across the trafficker’s face. He had never expected that, so late at night on such a remote stretch of road, another vehicle would pass by.
Yun Su opened the door and stepped out of the car.
After clearly seeing Yun Su’s face, Gu Yan froze in shock.
Then disbelief filled his eyes, which brightened as though two tiny flames had been lit within the darkness.
He had been running for what felt like an eternity, though perhaps it hadn’t actually been that long. He had been exhausted and in pain, unable to move quickly. His legs had nearly gone numb, which was why the trafficker had caught him so easily after doubling back.
Just when he had resigned himself to his fate, he saw someone who should have been impossible to encounter here.
For a moment, he even thought he was hallucinating.
The trafficker eyed Yun Su warily.
“Do you need something?”
“Why are you holding on to a child?” Yun Su asked casually while remaining on guard.
“Oh, this is my kid. He’s really naughty. I stopped here to take a break, but even this late at night he still ran off. I just finished disciplining him, and he’s obviously still upset about it,” the trafficker replied in an easygoing tone.
“But I know this child, and I don’t think he knows you.”
At her words, the trafficker narrowed his eyes at Yun Su, a sinister look creeping across his face.
“Little girl, don’t go looking for trouble.”
As he spoke, he pulled out a dagger from behind him. The blade reflected the ruthless gleam in his eyes.
Still gripping Gu Yan, he slowly advanced toward Yun Su.
Gu Yan stared fearfully at the dagger before shouting at Yun Su, “Run!”
He was so anxious that he was on the verge of tears.
The trafficker was a burly man whose grip was incredibly strong. How could Yun Su, a petite young woman, possibly defeat him?
All Gu Yan wanted was for Yun Su to leave quickly, so that she wouldn’t get hurt because of him or suffer even worse consequences.
He didn’t dare imagine what might happen.
Yun Su was the kindest person in the world to him.
He didn’t want to drag her down with him.
Yun Su gave Gu Yan a reassuring look.
Then she shifted her gaze to the dagger advancing toward her.
And then…
She pulled a gun out of her pocket.
Raising it, Yun Su pointed the muzzle directly at the trafficker’s head.
Her lips moved slightly, and there was an almost imperceptible tremor in her voice as she said, “Don’t move.”
The hand gripping the dagger shook violently from fright, and the trafficker froze in place.
He had never expected that such a delicate looking young woman would be carrying a gun.
Who exactly was she?
The trafficker didn’t dare act rashly.
His voice trembling, he said, “Who are you trying to scare? How do I know whether that gun is even real?”
Of course it was fake…
Yun Su had obtained the model from the bracelet.
Because she couldn’t get a real one.
But it was more than enough to scare someone.
Summoning her courage, Yun Su raised her voice.
“Why don’t you find out? One shot to your head and you’ll know whether it’s real.”
In truth, Yun Su was panicking inside as well.
She had no idea whether the trafficker had actually been frightened by her act.
Bluffing was the only thing she could do.
The expression on the trafficker’s face began to waver.
In a firm voice, Yun Su said, “Let him go.”
The trafficker truly didn’t dare gamble with his own life.
Judging by his reaction, he appeared to believe her.
Slowly, he loosened his hold on Gu Yan and pushed him toward Yun Su.
The instant he was freed, Gu Yan ran behind Yun Su.
Feeling Gu Yan clutching tightly at the hem of her clothes, Yun Su let out a long sigh of relief inwardly.
“Don’t be afraid,” Yun Su comforted him without taking her eyes off the trafficker.
Then she addressed the trafficker again.
“Put the knife down.”
The trafficker crouched slowly, carefully setting the dagger on the ground before raising both hands to show that he meant no harm.
Holding Gu Yan’s hand, Yun Su gradually backed away while vigilantly watching the trafficker’s every move.
Just as they were about to reach the car door, Yun Su saw the trafficker suddenly charge toward them.
Before she could react, the model gun in her hand was kicked away.
The force threw her off balance, and she nearly lost her footing.
Clang…
The model gun hit the concrete road.