Liu Kun looked at Su Qianli in terror. In his rapidly contracting pupils, he could clearly see Su Qianli’s raised fist, accompanied by a whistle of wind, smashing swiftly toward his face.
Following a muffled "thud," blood splattered everywhere. Liu Kun’s nasal bridge collapsed instantly, and teeth, mixed with blood, were spat out of his mouth.
Su Qianli wanted to deliver one more blow to completely incapacitate him. However, at that moment, rapid footsteps sounded behind her—the remaining accomplices had caught up. She caught a glimpse of one of them raising an axe high and throwing it at her with all his might.
At this critical moment, Su Qianli moved like lightning, dodging to the side. The sharp axe flew past her hem, carrying a fierce gust of wind, and struck straight into Liu Kun’s thigh.
"Argh!!!" A scream rang out, startling a flock of birds into the air.
Su Qianli didn't have time to admire Liu Kun’s miserable state. Just as she intended to continue running toward the brambles, an uninvited guest blocked her path: a massive wild boar. Under normal circumstances, seeing a wild boar would have made anyone’s eyes light up with excitement—after all, that meant meat! But now, looking at the gleaming, razor-sharp tusks on the beast’s head, Su Qianli dared not rashly step forward to challenge it.
Su Qianli made a split-second decision and veered sharply to the right, sprinting for her life. She ran wildly, not daring to stop for even a second. But before she had gone far, the ground suddenly vanished beneath her feet, and she fell uncontrollably into a trap. It was a deep pit, and Su Qianli realized at once that it had been specifically prepared for large wild animals. Thinking back to the wild boar that had appeared out of nowhere, she couldn't help but groan inwardly; a seasoned hunter must have spotted the boar’s tracks and dug this trap nearby.
At this thought, she couldn't help but laugh at herself bitterly. Misfortune upon misfortune—her luck had hit rock bottom!
Looking up, she saw Li Tianming and two others standing at the edge of the pit, glaring down at her viciously. Li Tianming, in particular, looked as if he were harboring a burning rage. He never imagined that a mission where six men set out to capture a little girl would result in three of them being taken out. He spat into the pit and sneered, "Run, why don't you run anymore?"
Another man added grumpily, "Boss, the hospital bills for Monkey and the others will cost a fortune. This deal is a total loss!"
"A loss?" Li Tianming snorted heavily through his nose. "If she doesn't want to go into the mountains, we'll take her south. There are people there who know how to break her!"
Immediately after, Li Tianming pulled out a small vial and sprayed it into the pit several times. Su Qianli tried to hold her breath as soon as she saw it, but she couldn't last long. As she was forced to inhale, her head soon began to spin and her consciousness blurred. When she looked up, the figures above began to overlap.
Someone scoffed, "And here I thought she was something special. Turns out she’s just as easy to capture."
A man beside him laughed and cursed, "Didn't you see how she was fighting earlier? She was fighting like her life depended on it, and she had surprising strength. Would you dare fight her head-on?"
"Heh heh heh, let's skip that then." The first man touched his nose, not daring to boast anymore.
The last thing Su Qianli heard was: "Is she out? If she’s out, carry her away."
*It’s all over!* Su Qianli thought to herself in a silent monologue.
Li Tianming’s group stuffed Su Qianli into a burlap sack and hoisted her up. Fearing they might run into fellow villagers, they chose to take a detour along a back path while carrying their injured. Unfortunately, they ran straight into a group of soldiers on patrol.
Ever since Su Qianli had captured two enemy spies in the mountains previously, the relevant authorities had launched an immediate and thorough investigation, uncovering a secret enemy base in the mountains filled with research materials. Consequently, the government had dispatched researchers to collect evidence of the enemy’s crimes and conduct in-depth studies of the data. A unit of soldiers was stationed nearby to guard the secret base, though for security reasons, this had not been made public.
The suspicious behavior of Li Tianming and Liu Kun, compounded by the commotion they had caused, had long since caught the attention of the stationed soldiers. After observing them for a while and confirming that there was a person inside the sack they were carrying, the soldiers moved in instantly.
Without giving Li Tianming’s group any chance to explain, the soldiers pinned them to the ground, leaving them unable to move. The men were terrified. Before they could think of an excuse, the sack was opened, revealing Su Qianli’s face.
Because Su Qianli had been commended by the authorities, the soldiers stationed here knew her well. Furthermore, she was a bold girl who often ran deep into the mountains in pursuit of rabbits and pheasants. The soldiers nearby would sometimes secretly help her, using slingshots to wound the rabbits and pheasants so the silly girl could easily pick them up—a silent gesture of support. Seeing these men carrying her in a sack, they knew instinctively that they were up to no good.
Captain Meng Jinxiao didn't say a word. He walked over to the men and kicked each one of them hard. "Speak. What were you planning to do?"
The men looked at each other, eyes darting around, none of them daring to speak. Meng Jinxiao, unburdened by hesitation, crouched down and delivered a punch to Liu Kun, who was closest to him.
Liu Kun: ...At this moment, he really wanted to ask his mother why everyone loved hitting him in the face.
Meng Jinxiao’s voice was icy. "What? You think if you don't talk, I won't know what you were planning?" He then grabbed one of Liu Kun’s fingers and bent it forcefully backward. A loud *crack* echoed.
"Ahhh!!!" A shrill scream erupted.
Liu Kun: ...Why are my fingers getting hurt too??
The other five men were chilled to the bone, their bodies trembling uncontrollably. Meng Jinxiao didn't stop; he proceeded to snap the second finger with another loud *crack*.
"Ah! Oh, please, I’ll talk, I’ll talk..." Liu Kun was drenched in cold sweat from the pain.
However, Meng Jinxiao wasn't finished, and yet another crisp snap followed.
"Ah!!! Please, I’m talking, I’m really talking! I was planning to sell her... sell her for money... please, I won't do it again..."
Liu Kun was sobbing, his face beet-red from the intense pain and fear; he no longer dared to harbor any hope of escaping. Seeing the situation, the others had no reason to hide anything and rushed to confess, terrified that the man before them—who acted like the King of Hell—would target them next.
Meng Jinxiao hadn't expected that even with the higher-ups valuing the young girl, there would still be people foolish enough to target her. This was not a matter that could be brushed aside lightly. He and his team immediately took everyone to the nearest Public Security Bureau.
That afternoon, several public security officers arrived at Su Zhiguo’s home to take the entire family away. The villagers didn't know what had happened, but their innate fear of the police kept them from coming forward to ask. When the Brigade Leader, Su Jianjun, hurried over, he immediately stepped forward to inquire.
"Comrades, hello. I am Su Jianjun, the Brigade Leader of Wansheng Village. May I ask what crime the Su Zhiguo family has committed?"
The lead officer did not give him a pleasant look. "Human trafficking. And selling their own niece at that! I don't know who gave them the guts to touch Su Qianli. Don't they know how highly the higher-ups regard her?"
Su Jianjun was stunned. He could never have imagined that Su Zhiguo would be so brazen as to harm his own niece. The most critical part was that Old Man Su’s words had actually come true. He still remembered what Old Man Su had said before he left: "I’m afraid... I’m afraid Su Zhiguo will be so blinded by greed that he will harm Su Qianli and end up ruining himself as well..."