“I’ll be back as quickly as I can. I don’t think they’ll stay here much longer. If they leave, that woman and the child will be in real danger.”
There wasn’t even time to comfort Xu Hui.
Jiang Lai gave her shoulder a gentle pat and turned to leave.
Xu Hui was terrified out of her mind.
She clutched Jiang Lai’s arm tightly and refused to let go.
“What if… what if they kill someone?” she stammered. “If you leave, what if they come downstairs and kill me?”
“Don’t be afraid.”
“After I leave, lock the office door and shut the service window.”
“No matter what they say, don’t show yourself.”
“If we don’t help them, who knows where that woman and child will end up being sold.”
Jiang Lai had only ever read about human trafficking in the news.
She had never imagined she’d encounter it herself.
Her heart pounded wildly, but her mind remained perfectly clear.
Summoning all her courage, Xu Hui slowly loosened her grip.
“O-Okay…”
“But hurry back.”
“If you don’t find any patrolling police after two streets, come back immediately.”
Jiang Lai nodded.
“Don’t forget to bolt the door.”
“Don’t open it for anyone except me.”
“If those two men try to force the door open, grab whatever you can and defend yourself.”
The more Xu Hui listened, the more frightened she became.
Her face was on the verge of tears.
“J-Just hurry…”
“I’m really scared being here alone.”
Not daring to waste another second—or make too much noise and alert the men upstairs—Jiang Lai casually pushed open the front door as though nothing were wrong.
Only after stepping outside did the fear finally hit her.
She had no idea which direction the men had come from.
Nor whether they had accomplices waiting outside.
There was no point regretting it now.
She forced herself to stay calm and sprinted in a random direction.
As she passed the textile factory’s security office, she pounded hard on the window.
The night watchman was startled awake by the frantic knocking.
Without even having time to put on his jacket, he hurried to open the door.
“Miss, what’s happened?”
“Sir!”
Without waiting for a reply, she turned and continued running.
The textile factory had its own security team.
But those two men were obviously experienced criminals.
They even had hostages.
The factory guards had no real combat experience.
If they rushed in recklessly, they’d only make things worse.
It was better to notify Director Tian first.
Someone in charge needed to be present for something this serious.
Jiang Lai decided she’d search for two more streets.
If she still couldn’t find the police, she’d return and discuss another plan with Director Tian.
That way, no time would be wasted.
The streets were pitch-black.
Not even a stray dog could be seen.
The only sounds were her pounding footsteps and ragged breathing.
It had been a long time since she’d run this hard.
Her legs trembled violently from exhaustion.
She bent over with both hands on her knees, desperately trying to steady her breathing.
She truly didn’t have the strength to continue.
Just as she was about to turn back—
A synchronized rhythm of running footsteps suddenly echoed from a narrow alley to her right.
Moments later, beams of flashlight light swept across the darkness.
Seeing someone approaching, Jiang Lai’s eyes lit up.
She opened her mouth to shout—
Two blinding flashlight beams immediately shone directly into her face.
She had to squint against the glare.
The two approaching men saw that she was merely a young girl.
Their expressions relaxed briefly before becoming serious again.
Lowering their flashlights, one of them asked,
“Young lady, what are you doing out here so late at night?”
The two officers stepped out of the alley.
They simultaneously swept their flashlights in opposite directions, carefully checking both sides of the street.
Only after confirming no one else was nearby did they relax slightly.
Jiang Lai finally noticed the police emblems on their caps.
The tension she’d been holding finally broke.
Her legs gave out beneath her, and she collapsed onto the ground.
The older officer, after listening for any unusual sounds nearby, finally spoke.
“It’s dangerous these days.”
“There are too many hooligans out at night.”
“A young girl like you shouldn’t be wandering around after dark.”
The younger officer sensed immediately that something was wrong.
He crouched beside her and asked gently,
“Did something happen?”
That frantic sprint had nearly taken half her life.
After forcing her breathing to settle somewhat, Jiang Lai explained,
“I’m a receptionist at Hongxing Guesthouse.”
“About fifteen minutes ago, two strange men came asking for a room.”
“They didn’t have introduction letters.”
“They brought a woman and a young child.”
“The woman kept her head down the whole time and never spoke.”
“One of the men was supporting her.”
“I felt something wasn’t right.”
“So I managed to keep them at the guesthouse.”
The older officer’s expression changed dramatically.
He asked urgently,
“Was one of them missing his left thumb?”
“It looked flattened, like it had been crushed?”
“Yes.”
“It looked like it had been smashed.”
“But his accent sounded local.”
“The other man claimed they were brothers and both from out of town.”
“Please hurry.”
“I’m afraid they’ll leave any minute.”
She looked directly at the older officer.
“They’re on the second floor.”
“Room 213.”
“There aren’t any windows in the room.”
“But both hostages are still inside.”
The older and younger officers exchanged a glance.
The older man straightened his cap and said solemnly,
“Looks like we’ll be getting ourselves quite a New Year’s bonus this year.”
“Let’s move!”
The moment he shouted the order, both officers dashed off.
Jiang Lai stared blankly after the younger officer’s long, athletic figure.
Without thinking, she murmured,
“Being young really is nice…”
The younger officer had only run a few steps before suddenly turning back.
He hurried over to her.
“Can you still walk?”
A handsome face suddenly filled her vision.
Sharp features.
Healthy wheat-colored skin.
Single eyelids framed by unusually long eyelashes.
A straight nose.
Perfectly shaped lips with a naturally rosy color.
He was the very image of an old-fashioned masculine heartthrob—strong, yet strikingly handsome.
Staring at that face, the words slipped out before she could stop them.
“I can’t.”
“Not one more step.”
Without another word, the young officer handed her his flashlight.
“It has an electric shock function.”
“If you’re in danger, switch it on.”
“Walk back slowly.”
Then he turned and sprinted after the older officer.
Now that she’d found the police, Jiang Lai no longer felt the same desperate urgency.
Director Tian had been sound asleep when the factory’s security office woke him.
They only knew that a young woman had urgently asked them to fetch him to the guesthouse.
She hadn’t explained why.
Only that she had looked extremely anxious.
Director Tian’s sleepiness disappeared instantly.
He rushed toward the guesthouse.
As he ran, countless terrible possibilities raced through his mind.
The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became.
He had barely left the factory gates when he saw two police officers racing toward the guesthouse.
Without thinking, he hurried after them.
Unfortunately, a middle-aged office worker who rarely exercised stood no chance of catching up with two trained policemen.
He could only watch helplessly as they disappeared inside the guesthouse.
His heart sank even further.
“Oh no…”
“Oh no…”
“Don’t tell me some gang of hooligans has targeted the place…”
By the time Director Tian reached the guesthouse, everything in the lobby looked perfectly normal.
The only unusual thing was that the reception window—which normally remained open twenty-four hours a day—had been shut tight, with its wooden panel locked from the inside.
Unable to find the two officers in the lobby, Director Tian hurried to the office.
He tried pushing open the door.
It wouldn’t budge.
Inside, the terrified Xu Hui nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard someone trying the door.
Her entire body broke out in goosebumps.
Fighting back tears, she called out shakily,
“Who’s there?”
“It’s me.”
“Open the door.”
“Director Tian?”
“If not me, then who else?”
“I… I don’t know who you are.”
“You’ll have to prove you’re really Director Tian first.”