Chapter 533 - 531: Rescue (Part 8)

Just as Su Li and the others had suspected, Miao Zhi was indeed captured because she had been mistaken for Su Li.

Unlike Little Tang Mo, after being abducted, Miao Zhi didn’t leave the Imperial City by train. Instead, she had been transported by truck the entire time.

Miao Zhi was terrified and beaten, and she soon came down with a high fever. She didn’t even know how she managed to survive.

Miao Zhi and the other girl were bought by the village chief and his men for 50,000 and 30,000, respectively.

That’s right. The village chief had personally led the men who bought them.

The village chief had everyone take a look at the girls. The villagers all inspected them closely and agreed in unison.

After that, Miao Zhi was locked away in a dark, sunless cellar...

In the cold, damp cellar, her desperate cries went unanswered, and Miao Zhi was driven to the brink of a mental breakdown several times.

It was only natural that she feared and hated the village chief’s son.

As for the human trafficking in Taoyuan Village, it was impossible to trace its history back to a specific year. The oldest villagers simply said that their ancestors had been doing it for generations.

The village chief’s son had taken Miao Zhi to the cellar and stripped her of her clothes to prevent her from escaping. Seeing her like that, he could barely stop himself from taking her right then and there, but somehow, he forced himself to wait.

The village had a custom: marriage and continuing the family line were major events that were best held on an auspicious day.

So the village chief’s son gritted his teeth and endured, waiting for his father to choose an auspicious wedding date. In the meantime, he would go down to the cellar every day to get his fix.

Consumed by hatred, shame, and despair, Miao Zhi became so hopeless that she nearly killed herself.

Just as Miao Zhi was contemplating how to end her life, she suddenly heard something unusual. A moment later, to her astonishment, she heard Su Li’s voice.

Miao Zhi froze, her struggles ceasing. Just as she began to despair, thinking Su Li would leave, events took a dramatic turn. She was saved.

"Don’t let them take anyone! I refuse to believe they’d dare to kill all of us! There are so many of us! Are you telling me we can’t beat a handful of them?!"

The village chief, emboldened, ignored the warning and shouted as well. His incitement stirred the villagers, and they grew restless.

The man who had stood up earlier looked ready to spring into action.

Just then, two cold snorts echoed in unison.

"Who says we can’t beat them!" It was the captain and Wu Sheng.

The captain glanced at Wu Sheng, then, without a moment’s hesitation, shot the village chief in the leg.

A loud "BANG!" was followed by the village chief’s bloodcurdling scream, like a pig being slaughtered.

"Aaargh!" The bullet had hit him squarely in the leg. He instantly fell, writhing on the ground as blood poured from the wound.

After a wave of panicked, chaotic cries, the villagers fell deathly silent. The man who had been about to stand up collapsed back onto his rear.

"Anyone else who’s not afraid to die can step forward," the captain said, his expression cold and menacing.

No one dared to move.

People are cowards—they bully the weak and fear the strong. The sight of the village chief was no joke.

After that brutal show of force, the courtyard fell completely silent.

"Go find some rope. Tie everyone up."

Wu Sheng said in a low voice to one of the officers.

The officer nodded, holstered his gun, and went to find some.

The village chief’s family had been preparing for a wedding, so they had plenty of supplies on hand. Two officers found a pile of hemp rope and, before nightfall, had tied up every last villager.

They weren’t tied haphazardly, either. The knots were professional; there would be no easy escape.

Once everyone was tied up, they looked over at the wailing village chief. Seeing that the bleeding had mostly stopped, they bandaged his wound.

"Alright, we need the person who knows the most to come forward and lead us to the others we need to rescue."

The captain, seeing everything was under control, gave the order. When no one moved, he added, "If you don’t want your village chief to die, you’d better start cooperating."

The village chief’s authority had been built up over years. The villagers were used to obeying him, and they were also concerned for his safety, so a man immediately stood up.

"I’ll go."

Wu Sheng glanced at the captain. "Captain, I’ll take two men and go rescue the others. You hold things down here."

"Alright," the captain agreed.

"Let’s go." After grabbing torches and flashlights, one of the officers prodded the man forward, leading the way out.

The man’s name was Da Niu. He was middle-aged and served as the village accountant.

He had stepped forward partly because he had no choice, but also because he was hoping to make contact with Lai Wang and the other young men of the village, from whom there had been no word.

Despite all the commotion, Lai Wang and his group still hadn’t appeared. Da Niu, like the other villagers, was beginning to lose hope.

But he still clung to a sliver of hope. After all, he recalled hearing the familiar crack of their hunting rifles earlier.

These days, what family of hunting enthusiasts, especially those living in the mountains, didn’t own a gun?

Hunting rifles, air guns, you name it. Most men were fond of them, and any who could afford one would buy one to keep at home.

Of course, their official purpose was just for "hunting birds."

In the past, most households in Taoyuan Village had bows and arrows. Now, almost every household had a hunting rifle.

’If just one of the young men escaped and got ahold of the hunting rifles hidden in everyone’s homes, maybe they could still launch a counterattack...’

As the accountant thought this, he stepped outside, only to see a pile of rifles stacked by the main gate.

There were eight of them, tossed carelessly in a heap. Their ammunition had been removed, rendering them useless.

The accountant’s heart sank as he stared at the pile. ’Could it be? Are Lai Wang and the others... all finished?’

’That couldn’t be right. The young men were skilled, especially Lai Wang. He was the best fighter in the village; he should have been able to escape.’

"These... these guns..."

As these thoughts raced through the accountant’s mind, he suddenly turned to look at Wu Sheng, who was strolling calmly behind him.

Wu Sheng gave him a casual glance. "Look familiar? They belong to your friends."

Wu Sheng jerked his chin in a certain direction.

The accountant stiffly turned his head in that direction and saw him—his last, desperate hope, Lai Wang.

Lai Wang... was tied to a nearby apple tree, his head slumped to one side, his condition unclear.

"Lai Wang! You..." the accountant cried out in alarm. "Did you kill him?"

"Don’t talk about killing in front of the child," Wu Sheng said with a frown, covering Little Tang Mo’s ears.

"I’m not like you people, killing for sport. He’s not dead."

Wu Sheng snorted.

’I don’t have the authority to hand down a death sentence,’ he thought, ’but there’s no escaping punishment while you’re alive.’

This Lai Wang was the most skilled of the eight men. He had actually managed to make it to the gate, but no matter how good he was, he was no match for Wu Sheng.

Before Lai Wang could make a difference, Wu Sheng had already taken care of him.

Just as he’d done with the others, Wu Sheng used Lai Wang’s own clothes to tie him to the nearest object.

Wu Sheng was confident leaving them scattered about like that for two reasons. First, after a full day of reconnaissance, he had already gotten a clear grasp of the surroundings and knew that Taoyuan Village was completely under control. And second... it wouldn’t matter if Lai Wang and the others woke up.

When Wu Sheng made a move, it was never a simple matter. It was better for them to be unconscious now than awake.

Because both of their legs were broken, and both of their arms had been dislocated.

How could they possibly escape like that? They were no better than a pile of dead weight.

Wu Sheng had experience dealing with such depraved monsters. He knew not to show them any mercy.

"You... Who are you? How could you... What about the others? Where are the others besides Lai Wang?"

Now that even Lai Wang had been defeated, there was no hope for the others.

The accountant’s last shred of hope was shattered. His face turned ashen as he demanded in a strained voice.

"They’re where they ought to be."

Wu Sheng replied dismissively, then looked down at Little Tang Mo’s expression of awe-filled worship. A flicker of a smile touched his eyes. "Want me to carry you?"

Little Tang Mo nodded frantically. "Yes."

"Were you scared?" Wu Sheng asked, lifting Little Tang Mo into his arms.

"No," Little Tang Mo answered quietly.

"Good." After his quiet reply, Wu Sheng turned and saw one of the team leaders who had come with them staring at him with a look of utter adoration.

"You’re incredible, sir," the team leader said with genuine admiration when he saw Wu Sheng looking his way.

’The people in this village are cunning and fight with reckless abandon. Who knows where they were hiding with those guns? And how on earth did Wu Sheng manage to find and neutralize every single one of them? He’s simply on another level.’

Then his gaze fell on Little Tang Mo in Wu Sheng’s arms, and then to Su Li, who was supporting Miao Zhi, and he was filled with even more admiration.

’Impressive people stick together,’ he thought. ’This family of three is incredible, even the woman, Su Li.’

Snapping out of his reverie, the team leader barked at the accountant, "Stop dawdling! Walk faster!"

Miao Zhi’s body was still trembling, but she insisted on coming along to help with the rescue. "Su Li, is she still alive?"

Su Li nodded firmly. "She’s definitely still alive. Don’t worry."

’They spent so much money on her; they wouldn’t just let her die.’

Miao Zhi let out a breath and squeezed Su Li’s hand. When she looked up and saw Little Tang Mo watching her, she managed to force a small smile.

Little Tang Mo looked at Miao Zhi and smiled back.

’It’s so great that Big Sister Miao Zhi was rescued.’

"Here. This is the place."

The accountant, with a gun to his back and despair in his heart, had no choice but to cooperate. After walking for two or three minutes, he stopped in front of a house.

"Where is she?" the team leader asked, leading him inside, but they didn’t see anyone.

"In the cellar," the accountant sighed, pointing to a small side room.

Hearing the word "cellar," Miao Zhi’s breathing grew ragged, but she strode forward resolutely.

Following the accountant’s directions, they quickly found and opened the hidden cellar entrance. Miao Zhi leaned over the opening and called down tentatively.

"Xiao Mi?"

A second later, a disbelieving voice called back from below, "Miao Zhi?"

The voice was frail, but ecstatic.

Miao Zhi let out a huge sigh of relief. "Thank God! Xiao Mi, it’s so good you’re alive! We’re saved! I’m coming down to get you right now."

"The ladder, the ladder! I’ll get the ladder."

The team leader was already grabbing a ladder that had been set to one side.

Hearing the team leader’s voice, the girl named Xiao Mi suddenly screamed, "A man... don’t let a man come down! Miao Zhi, you come down!"