Song Ning gave an awkward laugh, her brain feeling as though it was about to overheat. This man was clearly not easy to fool.
Forcing herself to stay calm, she said, “It sounds like… it should be me! I really have been sick the whole time! The fever nearly killed me! But now that it’s gone, I’ve finally come to my senses. And the moment I woke up, I came looking for you!”
Just moments ago, she had thought she was teasing him, only to realize he had already figured everything out. It was hard to say who had really been playing whom.
Fortunately, Gu Zheng had no intention of pursuing the matter further.
He continued, “This village is full of all sorts of people. Since you’ve come to us, we’re responsible for your safety. My suggestion is… bring that injured girl here as soon as possible. It’ll be safer if both of you stay within our sight.”
Song Ning nodded hurriedly.
“Okay! Lan Ying isn’t far from here. I’ll go bring her over right away!”
“Wait.”
Gu Zheng turned and pointed at two young officers in the crowd.
“You, and you. That’s right—the two comrades Song Ning just singled out.”
“Captain! We…” The two men turned pale.
“It’s fine. Everyone has a first time. Your mission now is to accompany Comrade Song Ning and bring the other girl back safely. Go quickly and return quickly. Can you do that?”
“Yes!”
The two officers answered loudly.
Song Ning led the way, with the two officers following behind her.
As she moved through the darkness, her state of mind was completely different from before.
She felt secure.
Incomparably secure.
The woodshed was on the outskirts of the village and truly wasn’t very far away.
But as Song Ning approached, she suddenly heard a scream.
It was Lan Ying.
Her heart instantly leaped into her throat.
The eastern sky was beginning to brighten, though visibility remained poor.
Moving quietly, Song Ning crept closer and vaguely saw two men dragging Lan Ying out of the woodshed.
During her struggle, Lan Ying knocked one of their flashlights to the ground. The tilted beam illuminated the area just enough for Song Ning to recognize one of the men.
It was Da Kui, one of Brother Da’s followers.
“You bitch! Thought you could run? Didn’t you end up back in my hands anyway? I’ll make your life a living hell!”
“Shut her mouth! Don’t attract anyone! Several of our brothers are already gone. This place isn’t safe either!”
The two men cursed while restraining Lan Ying.
When the girls escaped the previous night, Da Kui had still been in the neighboring village.
Apparently, he had caught up with them.
Song Ning glanced at the two officers behind her. They quickly signaled for her to stay put while they moved around opposite sides of the woodshed, planning to take the traffickers by surprise.
Two police officers against two human traffickers should have been an easy victory.
Unexpectedly, when Da Kui tried to gag her, Lan Ying struggled desperately and shouted at the top of her lungs.
“Sis! Sis! Save me! Help!”
Her cry startled Da Kui.
Like a frightened animal, he instantly pulled out a dagger and pressed it against her throat.
Then, with practiced caution, he backed against the wall and nervously scanned the surroundings.
“Who’s there? Where are you? Come out!”
The other trafficker was so frightened that he immediately ducked back inside the woodshed.
Song Ning sighed inwardly.
There would be no surprise attack now.
“Come out! Stop playing tricks! Get out here! If you don’t come out, I’ll kill her!”
Whether because of something he had experienced earlier or sheer panic, Da Kui was clearly losing control.
The hostage’s safety came first.
The two traffickers were hiding well, and the young officers didn’t dare make a reckless move. They quickly circled back.
Before they could speak, Song Ning asked directly,
“How’s your shooting?”
It was obvious there wasn’t enough time to go back for reinforcements. Firing warning shots would likely only provoke Da Kui into hurting Lan Ying.
“I’ll lure both of them out. You wait for an opportunity and shoot. And you must fire at the same time.”
The two young officers exchanged glances but did not answer immediately.
The sky had only just begun to lighten. With nothing but the weak beam of the fallen flashlight near the woodshed entrance, they would have to shoot both traffickers simultaneously.
One of them was even holding a hostage.
The difficulty was enormous.
Yet Da Kui was becoming increasingly unstable.
Terrified, he looked around wildly while shouting,
“Come out! If you don’t come out, I’ll kill her! If I die, she’s dying with me! I’ll drag someone down with me! I’ll count to three!”
“Three—”
“Sis! Save me! Help!”
Lan Ying cried desperately.
“Believe in yourselves.”
Song Ning looked deeply at the two youthful officers before charging out from the grass where she had been hiding.
“Two—”
“No! Stop! Lan Ying! Lan Ying, I’m back!”
Before Da Kui could count to one, Song Ning called out.
At the sound of her voice, both Lan Ying and Da Kui froze for a moment.
Da Kui immediately crouched lower, clutching his dagger as he looked around nervously.
“Who is it? Who else is there? Who’s there? Get out here!”
“No one else! Just me! Just me and Lan Ying! We won’t run anymore! We won’t run! Please let Lan Ying go!”
With tears in her voice, Song Ning stumbled forward.
But her legs seemed weak.
When she was still two or three meters from the woodshed entrance, she suddenly fell to the ground.
She struggled several times but couldn’t get back up.
Holding Lan Ying firmly in front of him, Da Kui scanned the area repeatedly.
Everything remained silent.
There truly seemed to be no one else.
After hesitating for a while, he finally pushed Lan Ying outside so the man behind him could come out as well.
“Quick! Go! Control that woman outside! Another hostage means another layer of protection!”
The second trafficker cautiously stuck his head out and looked around before timidly stepping outside.
Song Ning had fallen right beside the dropped flashlight.
Her hand slowly moved toward it.
At the same time, she shouted,
“Lan Ying, don’t be afraid! Don’t move! Listen to me! Remember—listen to me!”
The instant Song Ning grabbed the flashlight, the second trafficker had just stepped out and was bending down to seize her.
Suddenly, Song Ning raised the flashlight.
The beam shone directly into the traffickers’ faces.
At the same time, she shouted,
“Lan Ying, duck!”
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Three gunshots rang out almost simultaneously.
The faint smell of gunpowder drifted through the air.
When the ringing in her ears finally faded, Song Ning slowly raised her head.
She discovered that all three people nearby had collapsed into pools of blood.
She was still lying on the ground.
And at that moment, her legs truly felt weak.
Only when Lan Ying slowly lifted her head from the ground and burst into tears did Song Ning’s heart finally settle back into place.
Thank goodness.
Thank goodness Lan Ying had listened.
A large hand suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet.
Looking up, she found Gu Zheng staring directly at her.
Complex emotions flickered in his eyes.
Finally, he let out a helpless sigh.
“Although I have to criticize you for taking such a dangerous risk, I still can’t help but praise you. Because of your courage and decisiveness, we were able to resolve this situation in the simplest possible way.”
Song Ning couldn’t help smiling at him.
“I’ll gladly accept your praise.”
Seeing her accept the compliment without the slightest modesty, Gu Zheng shook his head and laughed.