The two men attempting to snatch the luggage were caught off guard, stumbling backward before being struck in the chest by the heavy baggage, emitting muffled groans.
The sudden change occurred in an instant. Before the other two could react, Su Ruyi delivered a sharp slap to the woman’s back, sending her crashing face-first to the ground, while simultaneously kicking the lookout man squarely in the chest.
The man flew seven or eight meters away, colliding with a roadside utility pole with a heavy thud before sliding down like a lump of meat. The moment he hit the ground, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
The woman fared no better—her face smashed against the ground, blood streaming from her nose and mouth.
The scene stunned everyone. The once bustling and noisy surroundings seemed to freeze as if someone had hit a pause button.
“Holy crap!”
After a brief silence, someone exclaimed in shock.
Some instinctively stepped back, fearing involvement in trouble, while others eagerly crowded closer to see what had happened.
Lu Ting, who had been following Su Ruyi and was about to intervene when he sensed something amiss, was left speechless: “…”
“What just happened?”
“Did I see that right? Did that young girl take down all of them?”
The three men were burly and towering, each more imposing than the last. The only woman, though seemingly gentle, was stout and robust—certainly more so than the slender girl before them.
Yet, in mere moments, they were all floored by the girl, beaten so badly they couldn’t even get up.
Even witnessing it firsthand felt unbelievable.
“You bitch! I’m going to kill you today!” one of the men struck by the luggage snarled, his face contorted with rage as he shoved the baggage aside.
Su Ruyi stepped forward, lifted the luggage, and slammed it hard into his chest.
Another one spat blood.
Su Ruyi’s gaze shifted to the last remaining man, her expression eerily calm, which sent shivers down his spine and left him frozen in fear.
Satisfied, she withdrew her gaze and explained to the onlookers, “These people are traffickers. Could someone please report this to the nearest police station? Their methods are practiced—this definitely isn’t their first time. Arresting them could save many others.”
Su Ruyi lightly lifted the luggage and slammed it down once more, ensuring all four were spitting blood.
The crowd collectively gasped.
Many enthusiastic bystanders stepped up, and it wasn’t long before the police arrived. Though they’d heard along the way about a girl single-handedly fighting four tall, strong traffickers, seeing it in person was still hard to believe.
The slender girl before them, who looked like she could be blown away by a strong wind, hardly seemed capable of reducing three burly men and a sturdy middle-aged woman to such a state.
“Comrade, have you trained?” one young officer couldn’t help asking.
Su Ruyi replied sheepishly, “I’m just strong. I was too nervous earlier and accidentally used too much force.”
Lu Ting, who had watched the entire scene: “…”
He hadn’t seen any nervousness—but he could definitely sense she’d enjoyed the fight.
The four traffickers were taken away, and Su Ruyi accompanied them to the police station to assist with the investigation, along with several enthusiastic bystanders.
After Su Ruyi finished giving her statement and left, the officers gathered, marveling at her retreating figure.
“How is that female comrade so incredible? Without multiple witnesses, I’d never have believed it! How did she develop such immense strength?”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
The four human traffickers had been beaten so badly that when the doctor came for a preliminary diagnosis, the worst case had several broken bones.
Even for them, let alone a girl, it would be difficult to take down four people in such a short time, with each strike causing such severe injuries.
Su Ruyi attributed it all to technology and ruthless efficiency.
At the time, Su Ruyi thought she was dreaming about playing a game, yet she inexplicably felt it was crucial, so she analyzed and chose with extreme caution.
The first thing she ruled out was appearance. Though she loved beauty and had spent considerable money and effort pursuing it in the past, compared to other talents, beauty seemed far less important.
Next, Su Ruyi eliminated memory. Making this decision pained her deeply—she also wished to have a photographic memory like Feng Heng from Jin Yong's novels.
But Su Ruyi cared more about combat power. As a single, live-alone landlady, she knew full well how important it was to have a strong fist. High combat power could help avoid many troubles.
Strength or speed? This dilemma tormented Su Ruyi for a long time.
'In martial arts, speed is invincible.'
Yet there was also 'Overpowering force can overcome any technique.'
Su Ruyi only wished the attribute points could be split—how perfect it would be to allocate one to each!
In the end, Su Ruyi chose strength. The idea of being a mighty strong woman sounded incredibly cool!
In the past, if Su Ruyi encountered human traffickers, she would never confront them head-on.
Four against one, with three of them being burly men—direct confrontation would be suicidal. The only way was to outsmart them.
But now it was different. When Su Ruyi could carry two sixty- to seventy-pound bundles without feeling any weight, her confidence soared.
Seeing the traffickers no longer made her panicked or fearful as before—instead, she felt exhilarated!
So without another word, she took action directly.
Though she appeared calm on the surface, inside she was surging with excitement, her hands trembling with adrenaline.
Su Ruyi strode toward the bus station with an unapologetic gait. Her father Tong Aihua's home was in a small county under Zhaoguang City, requiring over three hours by bus from the city center.
Under the scorching summer sun, three sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girls were eating ice cream under a tree.
Zhang Yao said, "Huiting, your mom bought so many delicious treats today. Why aren't you staying home? Dragging us out here to bake in the sun—what a waste!"
Wang Huiting found the ice cream in her mouth tasteless. "Those weren't prepared for me."
"No way? Your mom bought all those goodies—they can't really all be for your stepsister, can they?" Zhang Yao's eyes widened in disbelief.
Wang Huiting kept tearing at foxtail grass with her fingers, fuming:
"My mom favors other people's children over her own! I've never seen any mother this foolish—always shortchanging her own child to raise someone else's!"
Zhang Yao and Lu Qiuyu exchanged glances.
Lu Qiuyu comforted her, "She won't be staying long. Just endure it a little longer."
Wang Huiting threw the shredded foxtail grass in her hand aside: "If she were only coming for a few days, I wouldn't be this angry!"
"Really? Is she planning to stay for good? But your dad's gone now…"
Zhang Yao found it hard to believe. She never came when her biological father was alive, but now that he's passed away, she shows up—it didn't make sense.
Wang Huiting lowered her head, pressing her lips tightly together.
Stepfather Tong Aihua had disappeared over a month ago while delivering goods and collecting payments for the factory. His truck was ambushed on the road, and in his panicked escape, he fell into a raging river. Despite extensive searches for more than half a month, no trace of him had been found.
When he fell into the water, he was already injured, making survival nearly impossible.
Although her stepfather wasn't much of a talker, he had been decent to her and her sister. His sudden disappearance still felt unreal to Wang Huiting.
Once again, she was a child without a father. Over the past few days, she had overheard people calling her and her mother jinxes.
Wang Huiting took a deep breath and said, "This was decided back when my dad was still here. If she gets into college this year, she'll go to college. If she doesn't, she'll come here to look for work."
Just hearing this, they understood exactly what was going on.
Both Zhang Yao and Lu Qiuyu had relatives from the countryside who frequently asked their parents about job opportunities in town, hoping they could help arrange something.
"Jobs aren't that easy to find around here. Many factories aren't doing well these days. Take our textile factory—this month, we didn't even get our full wages," Lu Qiuyu remarked.
Zhang Yao added, "It's the same at our printing and dyeing factory. My mom only works half days now."
Since the factory residential areas were clustered together and shared the same school district, the three had been classmates since elementary school.
Lu Qiuyu suddenly thought of something. "She's not coming to snatch your family's job, is she?"
These days, jobs couldn't simply be passed from father to child like before—they required open recruitment. But rules were rules, and flexibility often prevailed.
Especially since Tong Aihua had died on duty, the factory would show consideration to his family by offering them a job to prevent them from falling into destitution.
Although the furniture factory wasn't thriving lately, and the recent loss of goods and money had hit them hard—leaving everyone uncertain about the future—people still believed they'd pull through eventually. The state wouldn't abandon them, so landing a factory job remained an enviable achievement.
"Over her dead dreams! If she takes that job, how will our family survive?" Wang Huiting fumed.
Her mother was a temporary worker, and with the factory's poor performance, temporary staff often had no work and thus no pay. If they lost this job opportunity, their household would have no income.
"Besides, she doesn't even share our surname. If she gets the job, my grandma will raise hell."
Zhang Yao and Lu Qiuyu were both shocked. "What? Your stepsister doesn't have your dad's surname…?"
"Sis Tingting, bad news! Your grandma and that annoying pest are at your house again! They're going to eat all your meat!"
A scrawny six- or seven-year-old boy came running over, shouting as he approached.
Wang Huiting's face fell. She ruffled the boy's hair. "Thanks, I'll treat you to candy later."
Without another word to her friends, she dashed toward home.
Lu Qiuyu and Zhang Yao didn't follow—this wasn't something they could interfere with.
Zhang Yao sighed regretfully. "What a waste. Auntie Li bought so much good food today, and now those bloodsuckers will devour it all."
As Wang Huiting reached the building, she could already hear familiar voices coming from upstairs.
"Well, Li Mei! It's only been a few days since my son passed away, and you're already recklessly spending the compensation money he gave his life for! Let me tell you, I won't let this go today! You must return my family's money right now, you shameless woman! Buying all that delicious food to pamper some other man, huh? I'll teach you a lesson today!"
Author's Note:
Note: This story leans toward an ensemble cast