Come out or I'll kill her

Song Ning gave a dry laugh, her brain threatening to fry itself. This man-he clearly wasn't easy to fool!

She forced herself to say, "From the sound of it... that was probably me! I really have been sick this whole time! My fever was so high I nearly died! But once it broke, my head cleared! And as soon as it did, I came looking for you!"

She had thought she'd just teased him, but it turned out he'd already had her figured out. Now it was hard to say who had been teasing whom!

Luckily, Gu Zheng had no intention of pressing the matter...

He continued, "There are all sorts in this village. Since you've found us, we're responsible for your safety! My suggestion is... bring the girl with the injured face here as soon as possible. You'll both be safer where we can keep an eye on you!"

Song Ning nodded quickly. "All right! Lan Ying isn't far from here. I'll go get her now!"

"Wait!"

Gu Zheng turned and pointed at two of the "underlings" in the crowd, ordering:

"You, and you! Yes! The two Comrade Song Ning singled out earlier!"

"Captain! We..." Both men went pale with fright.

"It's all right! Everyone has a first time! Your assignment now is to accompany Comrade Song Ning and bring the other girl back to join us. Get there and back quickly! Keep them safe! Can you do that?"

"Yes!" the two "underlings" answered loudly.

Song Ning led the way, with the two "underlings" following behind her.

As she moved through the darkness this time, her state of mind was completely different from when she'd first come.

She felt safe.

Utterly safe.

The woodshed stood on the outskirts of the village, and it really wasn't far away.

But just as Song Ning approached, she heard a scream-

It was Lan Ying!

Her heart instantly leaped into her throat.

The horizon was beginning to brighten, but it was still very dark.

Song Ning crept forward, making out two shadowy figures dragging Lan Ying out through the woodshed door.

As Lan Ying struggled, she knocked the flashlight out of one man's hand. Its beam cast a slanting patch of light, enough for Song Ning to see the man dragging her-

It was Da Kui, the man who had been with Brother Da.

"You filthy bitch! Thought you could run? You still ended up in my hands! I'll make you wish you were dead!"

"Gag her! Don't let her draw anyone here! Several of our guys have already been caught. This place might not be safe either!"

The two men pinned Lan Ying down, swearing all the while.

When the girls had escaped the night before, Da Kui had still been in the village farther in.

Apparently, they had caught up.

Song Ning looked back at the two "underlings." They were already gesturing for her to stay put while they circled around opposite sides of the woodshed, ready to take the men down by surprise.

Two police officers against two human traffickers should have been a sure thing...

But when Lan Ying saw Da Kui trying to gag her, she struggled desperately, then began shouting:

"Sis! Sis! Help me! Help..."

Lan Ying's cries startled Da Kui.

Like a bird frightened by a bowstring, he whipped out a dagger and pressed it against Lan Ying's neck.

Then, with practiced speed, he backed against the wall and glanced around in panic.

"Who's there! Where are you! Come out!"

The man beside Da Kui was so frightened that he darted straight into the woodshed.

Song Ning sighed inwardly. A surprise attack was no longer possible.

"Come out! Stop playing tricks! Get out here! Come out or I'll kill her!"

Perhaps something earlier had shaken Da Kui badly, because he seemed to be losing control of his emotions.

The hostage's safety came first, and both traffickers were good at keeping themselves covered. The two "underlings" didn't dare act rashly and quickly circled back. Before they could speak, Song Ning asked:

"How good is your marksmanship?"

There was clearly no time to go back for reinforcements. A warning shot might provoke Da Kui into hurting Lan Ying immediately!

"I'll draw them both out! Shoot when you get the chance! And you have to fire at the same time!" Song Ning said gravely.

The two "underlings" exchanged a glance but didn't answer right away.

Dawn had only just begun to pale the horizon. With nothing but the weak beam of the fallen flashlight by the woodshed door, they would have to shoot both men dead at once.

And one of them was holding a hostage...

It would have been an incredibly demanding test for anyone.

But Da Kui was clearly losing control!

He glanced around in terror, shouting wildly:

"Come out! Come out or I'll kill her! If I die, we all die! I'm taking someone with me-I'll count to three-three-"

"Sis-help me-help!" Lan Ying sobbed loudly too.

"Believe in yourselves!"

Song Ning gave the two young police officers, their faces still boyish, a long look, then burst out of the grass where she had been hiding.

"Two-"

"No-stop! Lan Ying! Lan Ying, I'm back!"

Song Ning spoke before Da Kui could shout "one."

At the sound of her voice, the two people on the verge of losing control fell silent for a moment.

Da Kui immediately hunched lower, clutching his dagger tightly as he looked around.

"Who's there! Who else! Who's out there! All of you, get out here-"

"No one else! It's just me! Just me and Lan Ying! We won't run anymore! We won't! Please let Lan Ying go!"

Her voice thick with tears, Song Ning stumbled forward.

But her legs seemed to give way. When she was still two or three meters from the woodshed door, she suddenly fell to the ground.

She tried several times to struggle up but couldn't manage it.

Da Kui held Lan Ying firmly in front of him and scanned the area several times. Everything was silent. There really didn't seem to be anyone else around.

He hesitated for a moment before pushing Lan Ying out through the doorway, making room for the man behind him to come out.

"Quick! Go! Get that woman out there under control! One more hostage means one more safeguard!"

The other man timidly poked his head out and looked around, then stepped hesitantly through the door...

Song Ning had fallen right beside the flashlight. She moved her hand toward it and shouted:

"Lan Ying, don't be scared! Don't move! Do as I say! Remember! You must do as I say!"

The instant Song Ning's hand reached the flashlight, the other man emerged and began bending down to grab her.

Song Ning suddenly raised the flashlight, sweeping its beam straight across both traffickers' faces as she shouted:

"Lan Ying, duck-"

Bang-

Bang-

Bang-

Three gunshots rang out simultaneously.

The faint smell of gunsmoke drifted through the air...

When the ringing in her ears faded, Song Ning slowly raised her head and saw that all three people beside her had fallen into pools of blood.

She was still lying on the ground, but now her legs felt... genuinely weak!

Only when Lan Ying slowly lifted her head, then burst into a wailing sob...

Did Song Ning's heart finally settle back into place.

Thank goodness!

Thank goodness Lan Ying had listened!

Then a large hand caught her arm and hauled her up from the ground.

She looked up to find Gu Zheng staring straight at her, an incredibly complicated expression flickering in his eyes.

Finally, he sighed helplessly and said:

"Although I have to criticize you for taking such a huge risk, I still can't help praising you-your courage and decisiveness let us resolve this in the simplest way possible!"

Song Ning couldn't help smiling at him. "I accept your praise!"

Seeing her utter lack of modesty, Gu Zheng shook his head and smiled too.