Chapter 1597: Escape Plan

"Hi." Lory smiled and lifted a hand in an easy wave, as though they had met under ordinary circumstances.

Her casual demeanor caught the small family off guard, but she paid it little mind. Around them, the container had dissolved into a chaos of shouts, sobs, and fists hammering against the steel wall. The noise almost swallowed everything.

Without drawing attention, Lory slipped a hand behind her back as if searching for something, then brought out a bottle of mineral water she just summoned silently from her spatial ring.

Lory then extended it toward them. "You should drink first," she said gently. "It’s gonna be a long journey, and you’ll need to reserve your strength."

The parents hesitated, exchanging a quick glance. Then their eyes fell on their daughter, who was so small, frightened, and fragile.

The mother reached out and accepted the bottle. "Thank you..." Her voice trembled. She twisted the cap open and brought it first to the girl’s lips.

Lory summoned another bottle from her ring and handed it to her father while saying, "We already targeted the moment we entered the port. My prediction is that everyone in the port, or at least most of them, is involved in human trafficking," she explained in a casual tone.

The father’s breath caught. He took the bottle slowly, his fingers tightening around it. "...I should’ve known."

His gaze flicked to his daughter, fear flashing across his face before he forced himself to steady. "We... we need to find a way out of here, we must do something."

"I agree," Lory replied calmly. "But first, we need to understand where we are. From the way we were transported, I’m guessing we’ve been transferred to a larger ship. Which means..." She paused. "And not to scare you, but wherever we’re going, it’s not going to be good."

She didn’t soften the truth. They needed clarity more than comfort, especially with a child depending on them.

The mother wiped at the corner of her eyes, her voice breaking. "Oh, Jim, this is all my fault... I shouldn’t have forced us to use these illegal routes, because of that, we got into a more dangerous situation and now—"

"Hey—hey," the father cut in quickly, pulling her close. "This isn’t on you. I agreed too, remember? And Sara..." His voice softened as he glanced at their daughter. "She didn’t have much time."

The weight of it hung between them. Then, almost at once, both parents stiffened because they realized something very important: their daughter’s health!

"Sara—" the mother cupped the girl’s face anxiously. "Are you alright? Did your body feel hurt, did you feel dizzy, nauseous?" Her hands moved quickly, checking her daughter over with frantic care.

The little girl blinked, then smacked her lips lightly after drinking. A small, bright smile spread across her face.

"I’m okay, Mommy," she said softly. "My body feels... light. I’ve never felt this good before."

The father stared, stunned. "What?" His voice wavered. "Are you sure? You can tell me the truth, sweetheart—it’s alright."

He searched for any lie on her face, half-afraid she was only saying it to comfort them.

The little girl shook her head, insisted, "No, Daddy, it’s true, I’m not lying, I feel better, I think I’m healed!" She excitedly said, despite the situation they were in.

Lory lowered her gaze, pretending ignorance as if she had no part in what had just happened. She kept her expression calm and unassuming, hoping they would simply take it as nothing more than a miraculous healing. Zhao Li Xin, of course, didn’t say anything as well.

"Do you want some bread?" Lory suddenly produced a pack of chocolate bread, waving it lightly in front of the little girl.

"Yes!" the child answered without hesitation, but then she paused, and glancing up at her mother, hesitantly. "Can I, Mommy?" she asked, just as her stomach gave a soft, betraying growl.

The little girl’s parents’ expressions stiffened, a mixture of guilt, shame, and gratitude toward Lory’s kindness.

The mother looked at Lory, with immense gratitude shown in her eyes. "Thank you..."

"Thank you, miss," the father said sincerely. "Oh, by the way, my name is Jim Westwood. This is my wife, Joanna, and this little chipmunk here is our daughter, Sara." He gently ruffled the girl’s hair.

Sara ignored her father, too busy wrestling the plastic open before taking an eager bite. She chewed with obvious delight, cheeks puffed out adorably, like a little chipmunk, just as he’d said. She looked up at Lory with wide, shining eyes. "Thank you, big sister."

Lory felt as though an arrow had pierced straight through her heart. The girl was simply too cute."Eat slowly," she said softly, patting Sara’s head.

Then she lifted her gaze to Jim and Joanna. "My name is Jane," she added calmly, "and this is my husband, Xin." Lory didn’t give them her last name, but no one cares about that.

Since Lory had introduced him, Zhao Li Xin gave Jim a faint nod before closing his eyes and leaning back against the wall, as if settling in to sleep.

Jim blinked, momentarily taken aback by the man’s nonchalance. In a situation like this where life and death were uncertain, the couple showed no sign of worry or anxiety... They were calm, too calm, and it intrigued him.

"You guys are so calm." Jim was amazed and a bit suspicious.

Lory seemed to read his thoughts. "We’re hunters," she said simply. The words settled over them almost at once."Oh... I see." Understanding dawned across Jim’s face, followed quickly by relief. Of course, that explained a lot.

The calm, the composure, the quiet control they carried even in a situation like this. Hunters were no strangers to danger. They lived through it.

Jim straightened his back than lean forward, "Um... do you have a plan to get out of here?" Jim asked, his voice careful, almost hesitant. In his mind, people like them, hunters, must have faced worse situations than this, right? If anyone could find a way out, it would be them.

Zhao Li Xin continued sleeping, though it’s not actually sleeping; he just closed his eyes to avoid any interaction. To him, this situation was little more than an inconvenience, and the fate of these strangers bound by misfortune, including Jim and his family, held no real weight in his mind.

Their fear, their desperation... it did not move him. He was here for one reason alone. Because Lory had chosen to be here, and whatever she decided, he would follow.

On the other hand, Lory understood Jim’s worry. As a father, the desperation to protect his wife and young daughter must have been crushing.

Without saying much, she reached behind her jacket as if retrieving something and brought out several pieces of bread, handing them to Jim and Joanna.

"As I said, this is going to be a long journey," she said calmly. "We need to conserve our strength. Try to rest when you can, and be mindful of how much water you drink. We can’t afford to get dehydrated."Her tone was steady, practical as she taught them the most basic rules of survival in a situation like this.

Jim hesitated, even though it wasn’t the answer he had hoped for. But the implication behind her words settled heavily in his chest. This wouldn’t be resolved quickly.

Still, after a brief pause, he accepted the bread and passed it quietly to his wife.

Sara, however, tilted her head, her curiosity outweighing her fear. "Miss, you keep a lot of food in your jacket... do you have candy too?"

Only then did Jim and Joanna seem to realize something was off. Their belongings had been taken, so where did Lory get all this food?

Lory smiled easily, not missing a beat. "I get hungry often, so I tend to keep snacks on me," she said lightly. "And my husband carries extras for me, too."

As she spoke, she reached into her pocket and produced a lollipop.

"And yes," she added, offering it to the girl, with a playful smile, "I do have candy~."

Jim and Joanna watched their daughter’s bright, happy face, and the questions they had been clinging to slipped quietly from their minds. For that moment, nothing else seemed to matter. Joanna’s gaze drifted to Lory, her features softening as gratitude filled her eyes. Without her... she might still be crying and blaming herself now.

Around them, the chaos slowly ebbed. The frantic shouting dulled into scattered murmurs, then into silence broken only by quiet sobs and uneven breaths.

Some people slumped against the cold steel walls, drained of strength, their panic spent. Others forced themselves to remain composed, drawing in slow breaths, conserving what little energy they had left. Despair lingered in the air, like heavy, suffocating smoke that clenched everyone’s heart.

Meanwhile, Lory watched in silence. After a while, she lowered her gaze to her wristwatch, noting the passage of time with quiet precision. It’s been four hours, and still, the motion hasn’t slowed.

For a vessel of this size, four hours of travel would cover an immense distance. Large ships carried far greater power than ordinary ones, allowing them to move much faster across the water. They had already been at sea for hours without slowing, which could only mean one thing: their destination lay much farther than Lory had anticipated.

Her eyes narrowed slightly. So where do they take them...?

Lory, then she swept her gaze over the container again, then make sure no one had their bags or suitcases with them, so everything had been taken.

However, didn’t take their valuable things like rings, watches, and other things. It was strange. A typical trafficking operation would have stripped their victims of everything of value immediately, but not this time. Will they do it later?

Lory’s brows drew together slightly as her fingers brushed against the spatial ring on her finger. A flicker of realization crossed her mind—she needed to hide it, just in case. Without drawing attention, she slipped the ring off and tucked it carefully into her shoe, her movements small and deliberate. No one noticed. No one, except Zhao Li Xin.

He is always sensitive to Lory’s movement; he opens his eyes and watches her with curious eyes. Lory glanced his way and gave a subtle wink. He lifted a brow in quiet understanding, immediately catching on to her concern. Without a word, he removed his own ring and concealed it just as discreetly.

"Do you know where they might be taking us?" Jim’s voice came suddenly in a low whisper.

Lory turned her gaze at him, then shook her head. "I’m not sure," she replied calmly. "It’s far, though."

Jim fell silent for a moment, his jaw tightening. Then something in his eyes shifted, fear giving way to resolve.

"...What if we fight back?" he said, his voice low but firm. "If we work together... we might have a chance," he clenched his fist.

Who would have thought that Jim’s words carried farther than intended?

A man nearby suddenly turned. "Hey—I agree," he said quickly, pulling his younger brother closer. "There are enough of us here. If we combine our strength, maybe we can break out."

The younger man nodded, straightening. "I’m a soldier, still in training though, but still..." he said, steady despite the tension. "I will not stay idle and let then killed us easily."

"Hey, I work in security," another man added, coming forward.

"...Me too," someone else chimed in hesitantly. "I’m just an office worker, but I train regularly."

"I’m in."

"Me too!"

Voices began to rise—not in panic this time, but in fragile determination.

A heavier man lifted his hand, clearing his throat under a few doubtful looks. "I may not look like much... but I’ve handled my

share of difficult people."

There was a brief pause—

Then someone let out a short laugh. "...Good enough."

"Yeah. Let’s do it."

"I’m in too, I learned self-defence," a woman joined in this time.

"I know how to use a gun," the other girl also chimmed in. ℯ

Slowly, something shifted within the cramped, suffocating space.

The fear was still there, thick and suffocating, but it had changed into something else, something more resolute.

Lory watched them with a small smile, ’Well, at least they got spirit.