Wen Yu didn’t dare waste even a second. She suddenly rolled over and got up.
Right now, that mother-and-son pair was short-handed. This was her only chance to escape. If she fell into another group of traffickers who took turns guarding her, getting away would be far more difficult.
Opportunities don’t come twice—once lost, they’re gone forever.
Her mind was racing, but fear kept creeping in. If she failed to escape… what would happen to her then?
Wen Yu had never imagined she would encounter something like this. She had been cautious all the way, or so she thought—but there were always dangers impossible to guard against.
Some things only become truly desperate when they happen to you. Just like now.
She forced her trembling body to calm down. Her father was still waiting for her to go home. Even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, she had to try.
She knew very well what kidnapped women might face. She would rather die than fall into a situation where she couldn’t live, and couldn’t die.
If even her right to life and death wasn’t in her own hands, that would be a complete catastrophe.
She absolutely couldn’t reach that point.
The door was locked from the outside, so her only target was the window—but just as expected, it was nailed shut with wooden slats.
If she couldn’t open it, then she would have to use brute force.
Her eyes swept around the room, but there was nothing usable. Without hesitation, she dismantled the wooden bed and pulled out the stool that was supporting the planks.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
She swung with all her strength at the window. Even though it would make a lot of noise, she couldn’t care anymore.
If she gambled, she still had a chance. If she waited, she would lose everything.
The wooden structure looked simple—but it was unexpectedly sturdy. After several strikes, it still didn’t break.
But panic sometimes gave birth to strength beyond normal limits.
Wen Yu didn’t stop. She kept smashing again and again until finally—
With a crack, the window gave way.
Without hesitation, she threw the stool out first, then quickly followed, squeezing herself through the opening.
As for her luggage inside the room—anything valuable had already been taken. The remaining clothes and shoes… she abandoned them without hesitation.
Compared to her life, they meant nothing.
Using her flexible body, she successfully got out of the room.
Only then did she truly see the layout of the courtyard.
The walls were extremely high—about three meters. She was only 1.65 meters tall. Even standing on the stool, she couldn’t reach the top.
The sun had already completely set. She had no idea how far the state-run restaurant was.
Time was running out.
Just as she was at a loss and even considering setting a fire to attract attention, her eyes landed on the kitchen door.
There was a wooden latch—perfect as a stepping point.
She ran over immediately.
Using the stool again, she reached the roof edge. With her toes pushing off the latch and her arms pulling hard, her upper body finally climbed onto the roof.
But she was stuck halfway.
Her legs dangled in the air. Her arms trembled violently from exhaustion. The only reason she hadn’t fallen was pure willpower.
She was terrified—terrified of falling back into hell.
She tried several times to pull herself up, but failed.
Then suddenly—
Voices came from outside.
The young man who had gone to the state-run restaurant had returned.
A surge of urgency hit her like a wave.
She pushed again with her toes, grabbed hard—and finally hauled herself fully onto the roof.
She didn’t dare stand. She crouched low and carefully moved forward.
Down below, the man walked in carrying white steamed buns and a lunch box filled with braised pork. Even with the lid on, the aroma still drifted out.
“Stone, didn’t your job at the transport team fall through? Why are you still eating white buns? Something good happened at home?”
“It’s nothing. Just treating myself.”
“Sigh, your mother raised you with great difficulty. She’s getting older now. You should find a proper job soon, or how will you support her later?”
“I know. I’m looking.”
The man didn’t want to talk further. He intended to take advantage of his mother’s absence to eat first.
The sound of the wooden door opening and closing was loud enough to cover the faint noise of something dropping.
But one look at the broken window, the stool at the kitchen entrance—
There was no need to think twice.
The woman had escaped.
“Your house… what happened here? The window’s broken. Did you get robbed?” the neighbor asked, still standing at the gate.
The man’s face darkened instantly. He rushed inside to check.
The room was empty.
Not a trace of Wen Yu remained.
Worse still—the makeshift bed had been torn apart.
She was supposed to be a delicate, pampered girl… so how did she move like a bandit?
“She really escaped!” the man’s expression turned ugly.
“I’ll search nearby. She might not have gone far,” he said quickly.
“Go, go. I’ll watch the place and tell your mother when she returns,” the neighbor replied.
But once the man left, the neighbor’s eyes sharpened. He quickly searched the house and actually found Wen Yu’s belongings.
“I knew something was off with this mother-and-son pair. Finally caught something,” he muttered.
He grabbed the items and hurried straight to the police station.
Over the past few years, several women and children had gone missing in the area. Recently, he had started noticing their strange behavior.
He hoped this time he could help the victims.
Even saving one life would be worth it.