The child in Ma Liu’s arms had been hanging his head against Ma Liu’s chest ever since he came out, not making a sound. Even when his father called to him, there was no response.
Everyone’s heart tightened. Qin Yi immediately ordered in a low voice, “Do as he says!”
Seeing the police officer comply, Ma Liu tightened his grip on the gun and said viciously:
“Back up ten meters! I, Ma Liu, only want freedom, not lives. If you behave, I won’t touch this kid. Otherwise, it’s hard to say.”
As he spoke, the group moved toward the vehicle and reached the front of the car.
Still uneasy, Ma Liu had Zhang Kui first check the fuel gauge, then inspect the cash and food, confirming everything was as he had demanded.
Only then did he say, “After driving twenty miles, I’ll leave this kid by the roadside. Before that, don’t waste any tricks. Otherwise, we’ll all die together! Nobody wins!”
Under Qin Yi’s gesture, everyone stepped back. Ma Liu raised the ring on his thumb in front of his chest, then pointed his gun at Su Tong and ordered her to hold the child and get into the back seat first.
When Su Tong took the child, she immediately realized he was in a deep coma and could clearly feel that he had a high fever.
After getting into the car, she quietly checked his pulse and found his bodily functions severely weakened, with signs of multiple infections. If this dragged on, his life would truly be in danger.
Only after Zhang Kui got into the driver’s seat did Ma Liu back into the rear seat.
Just as Zhang Kui was about to step on the accelerator, Ma Liu suddenly spoke.
“Wait!”
As always, Ma Liu was highly suspicious. Only now, inside the car, did he realize Zhang Kui was injured and had lost a lot of blood. With one arm, he could barely drive—he wouldn’t be able to watch the back seat as well.
And Ma Liu himself was already close to his limit. Controlling a sick child was manageable, but there was also a woman in the car…
Although she looked weak and barely conscious, her appearance was too coincidental. He couldn’t help but suspect she might have been arranged by the police.
Ma Liu narrowed his eyes. One hostage was enough—more only meant more risk.
Thinking of this, he opened the car door and said to Su Tong, “Get out!”
He snatched the child back in one motion, then kicked Su Tong out of the car.
Ma Liu quickly shut the door and immediately aimed his gun through the window at the woman lying on the ground, preparing to shoot. In his mind, it didn’t matter whether she was real or fake—killing her first was safest.
Qin Yi saw Ma Liu’s intent, stepped forward with his gun, and shouted sharply:
“Stop! Don’t escalate this with unnecessary killing! If you shoot, I will shoot! Try me!”
Su Tong, still dazed from the fall, turned her head and saw a young officer in a tactical uniform. His grip on the gun was steady, his gaze sharp and resolute, filling her with a sudden sense of warmth.
Although this era was still backward, the righteousness and professionalism of the police were no less than anything she had ever known.
Ma Liu snorted, lowered his gun, and raised the trigger ring again to warn everyone not to act rashly.
Then he shouted, “Zhang Kui! Drive!”
“Wait!”
Another voice rang out.
The surroundings fell strangely silent for a moment, because this time—the voice came from Su Tong, who was still lying on the ground.
She struggled to her feet, staggered to the car window, and said to Ma Liu:
“I’ll be the hostage. Let that child go instead.”
The words stunned everyone present.
The police officers were both furious and anxious. This woman, covered in blood and barely alive after being abused by those thugs, had almost been shot by Ma Liu moments ago. She could barely protect herself—what was she doing now?
And yet she was stepping forward voluntarily?
Did she really think this was a game?
This wasn’t something you could just “offer” yourself into!
This was practically walking into death. The kidnappers were using the child as a shield—there was no way they would accept her offer. At best, they would end up with two hostages instead of one, making the situation even worse.
Qin Yi was also extremely surprised. His eyes locked tightly onto Su Tong’s figure. Her thin, worn cotton clothes were stained faintly with blood, her hair messy and disheveled. She looked like countless impoverished rural girls—fragile, exhausted, as if a gust of wind could knock her over.
Why would she do this…
Why would she try to exchange herself for the child…
What was she planning…
Even Ma Liu was momentarily stunned. He adjusted his glasses, then tapped Su Tong’s head with his gun and sneered:
“Brain really got knocked loose, huh? You don’t even know how to stay alive when I’m sparing you.”
“The child is dying! He needs a hospital immediately!” Su Tong stared straight into his eyes.
Ma Liu laughed. Despite the situation, he couldn’t hide his amusement. He looked at her like she was an idiot and shouted at the surrounding officers:
“Hey! Where did you find this fool? Acting like some kind of saint in front of me!”
“They only have two vehicles. If you take me instead, no one will be able to catch you,” Su Tong said calmly.
Ma Liu’s smile froze.
After only two seconds of thought, he suddenly yanked open the door, grabbed Su Tong into the car, and at the same moment Zhang Kui stepped on the accelerator. With lightning speed, he threw the child out of the other side.
The jeep roared away, leaving the police far behind. Everyone on the scene fell into stunned silence.
“Dongdong—”
The child’s father, Liu Shiwen, was the first to react. He rushed forward and tightly embraced the child.
No one knew what the others were thinking, but Jiang Pinglu stood frozen in the cold wind, completely stunned.
He had never handled a major case before, but in the past few days, they had been searching day and night without rest, organizing multiple militia groups, conducting repeated sweeps and searches. He had personally experienced all of it.
Exhausted, tense, and never daring to relax for a second—this case clearly involved something extraordinary. It was a matter of life and death.
They had finally tracked the criminals, only to find explosives strapped to them. He couldn’t even imagine how they were supposed to resolve this case.
And then, out of nowhere, a blood-covered girl appeared. With just a few sentences, she made the kidnappers drop the child and flee…
Just like that—they dropped the child and fled.
After a long moment, Jiang Pinglu finally closed his mouth with his hand. When he turned around, he saw Ma Daming standing there too, equally stunned, wearing the exact same expression.
That made Jiang Pinglu feel a bit better—he wasn’t the only one reacting like this.
He patted Ma Daming on the shoulder and was about to speak when Ma Daming suddenly turned and said blankly, “Old Jiang… why do I feel like that girl looks like our village’s Wu Tong?”