Outside the door, the two men urged impatiently, "Damn it, can you hurry up in there?"
Chen Rou cut the ropes around her ankles with her dagger, quickly snatched a bedsheet to wipe the blood from her hands, and pitched her voice high, whimpering, "No, brother, please, brother... it hurts, it hurts so much!"
The two men outside grew increasingly restless, slamming their fists against the door.
Calm and composed, Chen Rou used her dagger to slice open her cream-colored, crew-neck knit sweater. She pulled it down past her shoulders, bunched up the blood-stained sections, and after drawing a breath and letting out a couple of soft moans, she gently opened the door, poking half of her body out.
With her clothes torn, her face stunningly beautiful, and her shoulders bare, she was the picture of temptation.
One-eyed Dragon was impatient, pushing forward to barge in, but Beard was more cautious, asking, "Where's A-Kun?"
A-Kun was the guard who had been inside. The fact that there wasn't a sound from him was far from normal.
Chen Rou blinked, her expression full of resentment. "He seems... he isn't..."
Beard understood. "The little punk. Look at how eager he was, probably burned out when it mattered most."
He shoved One-eyed Dragon aside and entered first; Chen Rou only let him through.
She braced her foot against the door to keep One-eyed Dragon from pushing in. As Beard brushed past her, she covered his mouth with her left hand and drove the dagger home with her right. She sliced across his carotid artery and then gave the blade a twist in his windpipe. With a few muffled, gurgling sounds, Beard went limp.
At that moment, Chen Rou’s strength wasn't enough to hold the door against One-eyed Dragon.
But she wasn't worried. As One-eyed Dragon gave a violent shove, she let go of Beard and simultaneously eased off the door.
Turning around, she threw her arms open to embrace him.
It took three seconds at most. Because One-eyed Dragon had only one eye, his vision was limited; all he saw at first was the woman's snowy-white chest. Caught off guard by her sudden embrace, his lust surged, and he froze for two seconds.
But then he saw the blood covering the floor and his two companions, their throats spurting blood like little fountains.
He opened his mouth to scream and reached for his gun, stepping back.
But Chen Rou was already on him. Her right hand held the dagger to the back of his neck, her left covered his mouth, and her knee pinned his arm.
She was silent and fluid, her every move executed with breathtaking precision.
There were steps just outside the door. As One-eyed Dragon tumbled backward, Chen Rou circled his neck with the blade, simultaneously driving her knee upward. With a heavy thud, One-eyed Dragon slammed headfirst into the ground, the dagger piercing his nape and emerging through his throat.
Her left hand never left his mouth, stifling his scream.
In the dim light, amidst the silent struggle, blood surged in a steady stream.
Nie Han watched, frozen, as One-eyed Dragon’s legs kicked their last. By the time she looked at Chen Rou again, she was already tucking a handgun into her waistband.
Chen Rou stood up and ran back into the room.
Nie Han was stunned, her eyes wide with shock. She silently mouthed, "My God."
She had no idea how Chen Rou had done it, but in the blink of an eye, she had silently finished off three men.
Even Bruce Lee would have given her a thumbs-up, wouldn't he?
When Chen Rou emerged from the room, she was wearing a uniform, with a tactical belt slung around her waist, an AK hanging from it. As she walked, she tucked her dagger, a lighter, and cigarettes into the belt. She broke into a run, rushing over to unlock Nie Han’s shackles.
Efficient and decisive, she was like a bolt of Lightning.
Nie Han held out her wrists. Once the ropes were cut, she sat back and raised her feet.
Surprised that a young lady of such status could be so composed and cooperative, Chen Rou spared a moment to give Nie Han a thumbs-up.
But she immediately waved her hand to signal Nie Han to follow, and they moved forward again.
There was a Toyota SUV in the yard. Chen Rou jammed her dagger into the gap of the car window and gave it a heavy blow with her elbow. With a sharp crash, the glass shattered. She opened the door, signaling Nie Han to get in, while she began hot-wiring the ignition.
Just when Nie Han thought she was about to start the car, Chen Rou stepped back out, grabbed a brick, jumped back in, and took a deep breath as she twisted the two wires together.
With a roar, the engine shuddered violently and sprang to life.
Could they actually escape?
Nie Han felt like she was dreaming—a wonderful, beautiful daydream!
Suddenly, a beeping sound started coming from the car.
Nie Han was terrified, but Chen Rou said immediately, "It's just a pager, don't worry."
The pager belonged to the guard. She checked it and saw a message from the Baldy, saying he would be there any second.
Another lecherous old dog. Well, Chen Rou was in too much of a hurry to escape to worry about him; let him live a few more days.
She tucked the pager away, turned the steering wheel, and headed straight for the gate.
The gate was made of sheet metal—not very thick, but there were two guards on duty outside. The moment she drove out, their escape would be exposed.
But she wasn't worried, as this was part of Chen Rou's plan.
At that moment, the Baldy was rushing back, and the two guards outside the gate were yawning. Suddenly, with a thunderous crash, the metal gate flew apart, and the SUV roared through the wreckage, bursting out of the yard.
The Baldy pulled his gun in shock, and the guards immediately opened fire, shouting into their radios, "Report! Report! The hostages have escaped!"
In an instant, the lights across the entire port flared to life, and alarms began to blare in every direction.
...
Ever since Chen Rou had silently taken out the three men without a sound, Nie Han had decided to treat her as a female Bruce Lee.
She kept Chen Rou's instructions in mind: if you want to escape, stay quiet. Even as bullets pinged against the car body behind them and the sirens wailed, she bit her lip and said nothing.
The car sped forward, leaving the guards behind, but two jeeps quickly caught up.
Nie Han didn't know what would happen next, but she was obedient and didn't make a sound.
Chen Rou tried to look after this naive girl as best she could. She wedged her dagger into the steering wheel to keep the car driving straight, then held up the brick she had brought with her. She showed it to Nie Han and shouted, "There's about three kilometers of straight road ahead! The knife will hold the steering, the brick will hold the gas, and the car will keep moving—but we have to jump!"
Time was of the essence; the chance would vanish in a heartbeat.
As they passed through an unlit stretch of road, she wedged the brick onto the gas pedal. Calling out, she opened the door: "Nie Han, jump!"
It was a fifty-meter stretch of darkness. She had already calculated how much time she would have to pull Nie Han out if the girl was too afraid to jump on her own.
But Nie Han was braver than Chen Rou had imagined. The moment the door opened, Nie Han leapt.
Chen Rou jumped, rolling onto the grass in one smooth motion, and Nie Han followed suit, tumbling onto the lawn.
The Toyota SUV sped off, with the two jeeps in hot pursuit, bullets flashing like tongues of fire.
Watching the car race into the distance, Chen Rou gave Nie Han a thumbs-up, then grabbed her hand and they ran, hunched over, into the night.
The rescue mission had officially begun.