The burning cowshed illuminated a small patch of sky behind her, yet made the path ahead appear even darker.
Su Tong stumbled forward, disoriented and bewildered, completely unable to distinguish directions.
Unbeknownst to her, the unexpectedly ignited flames had disturbed a tense standoff merely a few hundred meters away.
Jiang Pinglu, chief of the Qingfeng Town police station, had been lying in ambush in the grass for several hours.
Beside him was Ma Daming, militia captain of Yunshan Village, and further away were comrades from the county and provincial levels.
Ma Daming twisted his stiff body, leaning slightly toward Jiang Pinglu, and asked in the faintest whisper:
“How much longer do we have to wait? I can’t hold it in anymore?”
Jiang Pinglu glared at him, and Ma Daming mouthed the words:
“I need to pee!”
Jiang Pinglu glanced toward a nearby patch of grass where a young man in tactical training gear lay concealed.
Motionless, he almost blended completely into the darkness.
His specific rank had not been disclosed by higher-ups, and everyone referred to him as “Captain Qin.” All recent operations had been under his command.
The primary objective of this ambush was to rescue the hostages, with the secondary goal of apprehending the fugitives holding them captive.
To this end, the police station had mobilized all militia forces from the villages under its jurisdiction.
Before setting out, Captain Qin had emphasized only one rule: all actions must follow orders.
A single lapse in vigilance could lead to the failure of the entire operation, rendering everyone’s efforts these past days futile.
Thinking of this, Jiang Pinglu shot Ma Daming another fierce glare and mouthed:
“Hold it in!”
Ma Daming grimaced, about to say something, when his gaze suddenly fixed on the distance, his eyes reflecting a small patch of light.
Jiang Pinglu quickly turned to look and saw flames erupting about a hundred meters away, growing increasingly intense.
It appeared as though a building had been set ablaze, glaringly conspicuous in the darkness.
Everyone tensed up. A sudden fire at such a critical moment—was someone warning the fugitives, or were the fugitives testing the waters because they sensed danger?
This area lay on the border between Jiangping County and Jiangbei County. Ten li to the west began the mountains, which bordered the Yangtze River, with countless cliffs, precipices, limestone caves, and deep pools.
If the fugitives escaped into the mountains, it would be like fish slipping into the ocean or birds vanishing into the forest, making recapture exceedingly difficult.
All those hidden in the grass turned their eyes toward “Captain Qin.”
Qin Yi raised his head, also troubled by the unexpectedly ignited flames.
But before they could react, they saw several figures rushing toward them, silhouetted against the firelight.
One stumbled ahead, unsteady on their feet, as if they might collapse at any moment.
Two others chased from behind, hurling curses as they ran. In the silence of the night, their voices carried with startling clarity.
“Bitch! Stop right there! When I catch you, I’ll strip you naked and tie you to a tree! I’ll make the whole village come and see… How dare you run from me? I’ll make you wish you were dead…”
Hearing such vulgar insults, everyone frowned, but without orders, no one dared to move.
Ma Daming, hidden in the grass, suddenly jerked his head up. Jiang Pinglu shoved it back down and hissed:
“What are you doing?!”
“That’s Li Youshuan from our village!”
Ma Daming stared wide-eyed. “He’s going to ruin our operation! I’ll go tie him up!”
“Shut up! Follow orders!”
Jiang Pinglu hissed under his breath, having noticed Qin Yi glance sideways in their direction. He couldn’t help but inwardly lament.
These militiamen hadn’t received formal training, so holding their positions this long was already commendable. He just hoped the operation would wrap up soon, lest his team’s incompetence cause further complications.
Su Tong’s legs felt weak and unsteady. She hadn’t run far before exhaustion overwhelmed her.
The two pursuers closed in rapidly—outrunning them was hopeless.
The torchlight behind her grew brighter, casting the surroundings in stark contrasts of light and shadow. Ahead loomed a dense thicket of Miscanthus grass taller than a person.
She swerved abruptly, intending to vanish into the grass. Under cover of darkness, she might still find a way to shake them off.
But scarcely had she taken a few steps into the thicket when an arm shot out from the side, yanking her backward.
A man’s icy voice hissed against her ear as he locked an arm around her throat from behind:
“Don’t make a sound! Or I’ll kill you!”
Su Tong never expected someone to be hiding in the grass this late. She froze instantly, but her two pursuers crashed recklessly into the thicket.
Shuanzi, leading the charge, vaguely saw Su Tong clutched against a man and flew into a rage.
“Goddammit! No wonder this bitch had the guts! Her lover’s hiding here!”
He charged blindly forward.
Wang Lao Er, trailing behind, saw Shuanzi lunging and hurried after him.
Not to be outdone, he grabbed the man’s hair and started pummeling him.
The man—a figure who struck fear into the underworld, who’d traveled thousands of miles evading countless police and ranked high on the Ministry of Public Security’s most-wanted list—was now pitifully entangled with these local ruffians.
Just as he was about to reach the mountains and freedom, he’d inexplicably been caught in this squabble.
He’d overheard the shouting earlier—clearly these were villagers embroiled in some petty dispute. But then the woman had stumbled right into his hiding spot.
Though dispatching them would take mere moments, what enraged him was having lurked half the night to avoid police traps, only to be exposed by these fools.
After taking several blows to the head and face, he shoved the woman away and drew a dagger, ready to end them both with swift strikes.
But as he raised his hand, a gunshot cracked through the air. A bullet tore through his arm.
Qin Yi holstered his weapon and issued cold commands:
“Zhang Kui spotted. Team One apprehend him. Team Two fan out and search for Ma Liu. Take them alive. Prioritize locating the child—the child’s safety comes first.”
Ma Daming, who’d been straining at the leash, burst forward at the order, roaring:
“Li Youshuan! You fucking have a death wish!”
Shuanzi and Wang Lao Er had collapsed in terror at the gunshot.
Used to throwing their weight around the village, they’d never witnessed anything like this.
Hearing Ma Daming’s shout, Wang Lao Er felt the sky falling. He stammered in panic:
“Sh-Shuanzi! They… they know about us! Ma Dadan brought the police to arrest us!”