Song Ning gave a dry laugh. The CPU showed signs of rapid overheating. This person—was clearly not easy to fool!
She braced herself and said, "It sounds like... it should be me! I've been sick! I was so feverish I was practically dying! But now that the fever's broken, I've finally woken up! As soon as I woke up, I came to find you!"
She had thought she'd played a trick on the other party just now, but unexpectedly, they already knew the situation. It was hard to say who had tricked whom!
Fortunately, Gu Zheng didn't intend to dwell on this issue any longer...
He continued, "This village is a mix of people. Since you've found us, we have to be responsible for your safety! My suggestion is... bring the girl with the injured face over as soon as possible. It will be more secure if you are within our sight!"
Song Ning quickly nodded, "Okay! Lan Ying's place isn't far from here. I'll go get her right away!"
"Wait!"
Gu Zheng turned and pointed at two of the "younger brothers" in the crowd, giving them instructions:
"You, and you! That's right! The two that Comrade Song Ning just mentioned!"
"Captain! We..." The two were so scared their faces turned pale.
"It's okay! Everyone has a first time! Your mission now is to accompany Comrade Song Ning to pick up another girl and rejoin the group. Go quickly and return quickly! Ensure your safety! Can you do it?"
"Yes!" The two "younger brothers" answered loudly.
Song Ning led the way, with the two "younger brothers" following behind her.
They were now moving through the darkness, and their state of mind was vastly different from when they had first arrived.
At ease.
Incredibly at ease.
The woodshed was on the outskirts of the village, indeed not far from here.
However, as Song Ning approached the area, she heard a scream—
It was Lan Ying!
Her heart immediately leaped into her throat.
The sky was already faintly brightening, but the light was still dim.
Song Ning moved forward with light steps and vaguely saw two people dragging Lan Ying out of the woodshed.
As Lan Ying struggled, she knocked over one of the men's flashlights. The beam of light shone obliquely, illuminating an area bright enough for Song Ning to clearly see the person dragging her—
It was Da Kui, the one beside Brother Da.
"You slut! You thought you could run! But you still fell into my hands! See if I don't beat you to death!"
"Muzzle her! Don't attract attention! Several brothers are already gone, and this place isn't necessarily safe!"
The two men cursed as they held Lan Ying down.
When they had escaped last night, Da Kui was still in the village.
Now it seemed they had caught up.
Song Ning looked at the two "younger brothers" behind her. They had already gestured, indicating for her to stay put. They were circling around the woodshed from both sides, intending to take the two down by surprise.
It should have been a sure thing for two Public Security Bureau officers to handle two human traffickers...
Unexpectedly, when Lan Ying saw Da Kui about to cover her mouth, she struggled desperately and then started shouting:
"Sister! Sister! Save me! Help..."
Lan Ying's shout startled Da Kui.
Like a startled bird, he "swish—" drew a dagger and held it to Lan Ying's neck.
Then, with practiced skill, he quickly pressed his back against the wall, looking around in panic and shouting:
"Who! Where are you! Come out!"
The person next to Da Kui also got scared and "slithered" into the woodshed.
Song Ning sighed inwardly. A surprise attack was no longer possible.
"Come out! Stop playing tricks! Get out! If you don't come out, I'll kill her!"
Da Kui, perhaps due to some prior provocation, showed signs of losing emotional control.
The safety of the hostage was paramount, and the two human traffickers were skilled at hiding. The two "younger brothers" dared not act rashly and quickly circled back. Before they could speak, Song Ning directly asked:
"How good is your marksmanship?"
The current situation made it impossible to go back for reinforcements. Firing a shot would more likely provoke Da Kui and directly endanger Lan Ying!
"I'll lure both of them out! You two take the opportunity to fire! And you must fire simultaneously!" Song Ning said in a deep voice.
The two "younger brothers" exchanged glances and did not immediately respond.
The sky had just begun to show the white of dawn. With only the faint light from the flashlight dropped at the woodshed door, it would be difficult to kill both of them simultaneously.
One of them was still holding a hostage...
This level of difficulty was an extremely harsh test for anyone.
But Da Kui was clearly out of control!
He looked around in panic, shouting agitatedly:
"Come out! If you don't come out, I'll kill her! We'll die together! If I die, I'll take someone with me—I'll count to three—Three—"
"Sister—save me—help!" Lan Ying also cried out loudly.
"Believe in yourselves!"
Song Ning gave the two young, still somewhat childish Public Security Bureau soldiers a deep look, then rushed out of the grass where she was hiding.
"Two—"
"No—stop! Lan Ying! Lan Ying, I'm back!"
Before Da Kui could say "One," Song Ning spoke.
Hearing Song Ning's voice, both of them, on the verge of losing control, quieted for a moment.
Da Kui immediately tensed, crouching lower, tightly gripping the dagger and looking around. "Who! Who else! Is there anyone! Get out—"
"No more! It's just me! Just me and Lan Ying! We're not running anymore! We're not running! Please let Lan Ying go!"
Song Ning, with a tearful voice, stumbled forward.
However, her legs seemed to weaken, and about two or three meters from the woodshed door, she suddenly fell to the ground.
She struggled to get up several times but couldn't.
Da Kui held Lan Ying tightly in front of him, scanning the surroundings several times. The area was silent, and it seemed no one else was present.
He hesitated for a moment before pushing Lan Ying out the door, so the other person could come out from behind.
"Quick! Go! Control that woman outside! One more hostage means more security!"
The person behind cautiously poked his head out, looked around, and timidly stepped out the door...
Song Ning's fall was right next to the flashlight. Her hand moved towards it as she shouted:
"Lan Ying, don't be afraid! Don't move! Listen to me! Remember! You must listen to me!"
The moment Song Ning touched the flashlight, the person behind her had just emerged and was about to bend down to grab her.
Suddenly, Song Ning raised the flashlight, its beam sweeping directly into the faces of the two human traffickers, and at the same time, she shouted:
"Lan Ying, duck—"
"Bang—"
"Bang—"
"Bang—"
Three gunshots rang out simultaneously.
A faint smell of gunpowder lingered in the air...
When the ringing in her ears subsided, Song Ning slowly looked up and saw that the three people beside her had fallen in a pool of blood.
She was still on the ground, but she felt that her legs... were truly weak now!
It wasn't until Lan Ying on the ground slowly raised her head and then burst into tears with a "Waa—"
that Song Ning's heart finally settled back into place.
Thank goodness!
Thank goodness Lan Ying was obedient!
Then, a large hand grabbed her arm and pulled her up from the ground.
When she looked up, she saw Gu Zheng's eyes fixed directly on her, an extremely complex expression flickering in their depths.
Finally, he sighed helplessly and said:
"Although I must criticize your actions as too risky! I can't help but praise you—because of your bravery and decisiveness, we were able to resolve this matter in the simplest way!"
Song Ning couldn't help but flash him a smile, "I accept your praise!"
Seeing her lack of modesty, Gu Zheng also shook his head and smiled.
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