Lan Ying trembled uncontrollably from fear.
Song Ning unhesitatingly raised the stick in her hand and swung it before the person could get close.
It landed squarely on the person's head.
With a muffled groan, the person fell to the ground.
He struggled to get up, but Song Ning stepped forward and delivered two more fierce blows, and the person stopped moving.
Song Ning quickly pulled Lan Ying and they flashed into a nearby small path.
"Th-that person was the big guy next to Brother Da!" Lan Ying's voice trembled.
Song Ning observed for a moment and found no other movement on the road.
"Don't be afraid! It's just him! No one else has discovered us!"
Saying this, she pulled Lan Ying and ran back.
The house they were in was at the village entrance.
Running in this direction meant heading out of the mountains.
Over there, the human trafficker boss, Brother Da, had discovered the fallen Chang Liu Hai and Little Beard and was angrily preparing to go catch them.
The result—
Not only was there chaos throughout the village, but flames also rose high, torches lit up one after another. People were chasing pigs, herding dogs, and putting out fires; it was quite lively!
For a moment, they were also stunned!
"Brother Da! Where—where are we supposed to chase from!" Da Kui, a subordinate beside him, looked dumbfounded.
Brother Da's face turned ashen with anger, and he said sinisterly, "Let's go! Find the Village Chief! Mobilize everyone in the village to search! Tell them whoever finds these two women gets them!"
As Brother Da and his men rushed into the village, Song Ning and Lan Ying happened to run past the other side of this house.
The two followed the narrow mountain path, sprinting towards the outside of the village.
After stumbling for several miles, they dared to turn on the flashlight they had obtained.
They had been fleeing non-stop for more than half the night, and when Song Ning saw scattered cornfields by the roadside, she knew—
they had already reached the village ahead.
Looking up now, they could still see stars; it was the darkest moment before dawn.
She pulled Lan Ying and they entered the village directly.
Logically, at this hour, the villagers should have been fast asleep.
But as soon as they entered the village, they heard a commotion ahead. The lit torches and flashlight beams intertwined, and shouts and cries rose and fell.
As they got closer, they could see two groups of people in confrontation. It wasn't really a confrontation, because one side clearly outnumbered the other and had already started fighting. The two groups were brawling, and screams could be heard continuously.
Around them, some villagers who had been woken up were gathered at a distance, pointing and chattering while wrapped in their clothes.
Concealed by the darkness, Song Ning and Lan Ying easily crept forward and saw the people fighting up close.
It couldn't even be called a brawl; it was an assault.
Because one group's martial arts skills were clearly superior to the other's, they seemed to be trained fighters and easily beat the other side to the ground, eliciting continuous screams.
The leader of that group was a tall man wearing a denim jacket, with a full beard that partially covered his eyes, and he stood aside, smoking a cigarette, quietly watching the battle unfold.
His arrogant and ruffian aura was quite terrifying.
Song Ning shifted her gaze to the people on the ground—
Through the gaps between people, she could vaguely see three men on the ground curled up in a ball, clutching their heads. Their clothes had bloodstains, but their faces were unclear, and pleas and screams continued.
From the curses exchanged between the two sides, she vaguely heard that the boss of the attackers was called "Pan Tuozi," who should be very famous in the underworld. The beaten side had been foolish enough to steal from his business... It was likely two gangs fighting over territory, a case of one criminal preying on another.
Song Ning frowned, however. This "Pan Tuozi"... wasn't he a bit too arrogant? Daring to engage in such blatant criminal-on-criminal predation, was he fearless?
After thinking for a moment, she pulled Lan Ying and they walked back. After confirming they weren't being followed, they slipped into an abandoned woodshed by the roadside on the outskirts of the village.
She had noticed it before they entered the village.
Lan Ying asked in confusion, "Sister! We... aren't leaving?"
Song Ning looked around and found a thick, large stick. She said to Lan Ying, "Lan Ying, I need to go out for a bit. There's something I must figure out! You wait here and don't go anywhere! Lock the door after I leave! Only open it when I call you!"
Lan Ying nodded with a tearful face.
"Sister! Come back soon! You must come back soon!"
Song Ning nodded and flashed out the door.
The sky was still dark, and even the few visible stars were gone.
When she crept back to the village entrance, the fight from before had already ended, and the onlookers had dispersed.
Guided by the flickering flashlight beams and the noise, Song Ning easily located a house not far away.
It was brightly lit, clearly the residence of Pan Tuozi's group.
Compared to those human traffickers, these people seemed more arrogant and harder to deal with.
Song Ning circled the house in a large circle before finally using the cover of the trees to sneak close to a window on the side of the house.
However, before she could get a clear look inside the house...
she heard the faint sound of dry grass being stepped on behind her.
Her heart leaped, and without looking back, she swept a leg backward while simultaneously throwing a punch with her right fist—
Unexpectedly, her leg swept through empty air, and her right arm was grabbed by the opponent.
She threw a punch with her left hand and simultaneously lifted her knee to forcefully strike the opponent's groin.
However, her left arm was also grabbed, and her knee strike missed...
Then she heard the opponent chuckle lightly, "Tsk! Your moves are quite vicious!"
With both her hands controlled and her legs unable to reach the opponent, Song Ning was in a dilemma.
The person lifted her up from behind with both hands and carried her several large strides to the main entrance.
The brazier in the main hall burned brightly, and several lamps were lit, illuminating the entrance brightly.
As the restraint on her arms loosened, Song Ning was gently pushed forward, appearing in the sight of everyone inside and outside the house.
Several people quickly surrounded the house, and one of them said with a laugh:
"Yo! Boss! Why is it a girl?"
Song Ning rubbed her arm, which hurt from being grabbed, and looked behind her—
Emerging from the darkness was the boss in the denim jacket she had seen during the day.
His tall frame, full beard, and hair that partially covered his eyes concealed a pair of sharp, scrutinizing eyes.
"Tsk! This girl has been circling our house for a long time. I noticed her long ago. I wanted to see what she was up to!" a subordinate said beside him.
"What's there to say! She's taken a liking to our boss!"
"With our boss's reputation, there are still girls who dare to come to him?"
"That's not necessarily true! Maybe some people like our boss's type..."
"That's right! If a man isn't bad, women don't love him!"
..
Amidst everyone's laughter, Song Ning calmly surveyed the surroundings, confirming her guess once more.
Pan Tuozi then stepped forward, grabbed Song Ning by the back of her collar and her arm, and dragged her into the house.
Two people outside naturally dispersed, blending into the darkness.
The others followed into the house and closed the main door.
Pan Tuozi dragged her to the brazier before pushing her forward, releasing his grip.
Song Ning stumbled a few steps before regaining her balance.
Pan Tuozi leaned against the edge of a table, arms crossed, and gestured with his chin towards her, his voice deep and casual:
"Speak! What do you want here in the middle of the night?"
Under the bright firelight, Song Ning once again sized up Pan Tuozi. His back was straight, his muscles were firm, he wore a denim jacket and short boots, his hair was slightly messy, and his eyes were sharp. Although his rough beard obscured his features, his sharp aura was undeniable.
"What? You have the courage to come forward but not to speak?"
Pan Tuozi seemed impatient. He lowered his head, lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and then exhaled a puff of smoke directly at her face, full of swagger.
"They're right!" Song Ning said.
"Right about what? Explain clearly!"
"I like you! I like your type!"
Amidst the smoke that hadn't completely dissipated, Song Ning looked directly at Pan Tuozi and said matter-of-factly.
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