Through arrangements made by the Anping County Public Security Bureau, Song Ning would leave early the next morning with two county government employees traveling to Yu City on business. Once there, they would help her arrange transportation to Rong City.
The Southwest Military Region was headquartered in Rong City.
In short, they would make sure everything was arranged for her along the way.
After saying goodbye to Lan Ying, Song Ning got into a jeep with the two government employees. Both worked in the education department. The older one was addressed as Section Chief Fang, while everyone called the younger one Little Zhang.
The jeep left Anping and headed north toward Yu City.
But the weather was bad. Not long after they left town, it began to rain.
The farther north they went, the heavier the rain became.
A little after six that evening, they reached a place called Bijie County.
They were now at the border between Guizhou Province and Sichuan Province. Beyond this point, the roads wound through the mountains.
For safety's sake, they turned into Bijie County and checked into the county government guesthouse.
When handing over the keys, the attendant specifically reminded them, "Because of the weather, the hot water will be shut off at eight. If you want a shower, don't miss it."
Song Ning looked up at the clock on the wall behind the reception desk. It was already past seven.
After settling in, Song Ning remembered the attendant's warning and took her toiletries to the showers.
In those days, the bathing facilities were communal. There were washbasins in the outer room and showers in the inner room, separated only by a partial wall a little taller than a person. They were at the east end of the corridor.
But Song Ning only saw the women's showers at the east end. Perhaps the men's showers were at the other end of the corridor.
The water was quite hot. After being jolted around in the jeep all afternoon, a comfortable shower was a rare treat.
Even rarer was the large mirror in the washroom.
For a guesthouse of this era, that counted as a luxury.
The public security bureau's guesthouse hadn't had one. She had only gotten a rough idea of what she looked like from her reflection in the glass entrance doors.
Now, seeing the familiar face clearly in the mirror, Song Ning let out a deep sigh.
Heaven had brought me here with the same name and the same face. What exactly was that supposed to mean?
Only now, her skin was somewhat rough and dull, and her overly long hair was dry and yellowish-a clear sign of malnutrition. And those heavy bangs completely smothered her good looks...
She turned and went downstairs to reception to borrow a pair of scissors. She cut her waist-length hair to half its length, then thinned out her heavy bangs. The tool wasn't ideal, but that didn't stop her from giving herself a thorough makeover.
When she went to return the scissors, feeling fresh and clean, she discovered that the previously quiet, empty lobby was now packed with people and luggage.
Several people wearing red armbands moved through the crowd, trying to organize everyone amid the deafening clamor.
Several attendants stood at the reception desk now, all frantically busy.
The attendant who had lent her the scissors spotted her and hurriedly squeezed over, calling out:
"The long-distance bus station at the bottom of the slope flooded. All the stranded passengers have been sent here. It's terribly crowded right now, so hurry back to your room and rest!"
"Oh! All right! Thank you!" Song Ning quickly squeezed a few steps forward, leaned over to hand back the scissors, then turned and pushed her way out of the crowd.
Even the bus station had flooded. I wonder if the road north is flooded too.
But after taking a few steps, she instinctively glanced back. She had the persistent feeling that someone in the noisy crowd was staring intently at her.
When she looked closely, though, everyone was busy either registering or complaining. No one seemed to be paying attention to her.
She quietly climbed a few steps, yet an inexplicable unease crept into her heart.
As she approached the turn in the staircase, she looked back again-
This time, her eyes met a sinister gaze head-on.
A man in a knitted cap sat at one end of a bench against the lobby wall.
Everyone else was squeezing toward the front, afraid there would be no rooms left if they registered too late.
But he sat there hunched over, his cap pulled low and his collar turned up high, concealing most of his face as he watched her coldly from behind the crowd.
A chill ran down Song Ning's spine, and she hurried upstairs.
Her room was on the third floor, to the right.
When she reached the third floor, she looked back again. Thankfully, the stairs were empty.
After a moment's thought, she peered down over the railing, only to discover a black hand moving swiftly and silently upward along the second-floor banister-
Someone was hurrying up the stairs without making a sound.
Although the rain had brought the temperature down,
the temperature here didn't fluctuate as much as it did deep in the mountains. It was already the fourth lunar month, May by the solar calendar, and most people wore no more than a light spring jacket.
Yet that hand-was wearing a glove.
It's that man from downstairs! The one wearing a knitted cap at this time of year!
He-he's followed me up!
Song Ning's spine prickled, and a chill instantly spread through her entire body...
She veered left and ran.
Section Chief Fang and his companion were staying on the left.
325. She remembered the room number.
But no one was in room 325.
Song Ning pounded on the door several times, but there was no response.
She looked back again and saw that the man had reached the third floor and was looking both ways.
Downstairs was noisy and overflowing with people.
The third-floor corridor, however, was empty and quiet.
The man immediately spotted Song Ning. After only a moment's hesitation, he strode after her.
Before she had been abducted, Song Ning had never traveled far from home. Afterward, she hadn't met many people either.
So by now, Song Ning could all but determine who this man targeting her was.
Clearly, the heavy rain had stranded him here. He had recognized her, and he didn't want to be exposed. He intended to quietly eliminate her, this "potential threat."
Song Ning gave up pounding on that door and continued running, banging on the doors on either side as she went, hoping to draw out a person or two.
Unfortunately, the man behind her was closing in too quickly, and she soon reached the end of the corridor.
A door stood open there. Just as she had guessed earlier, it led to the men's showers.
But she couldn't worry about that now. She immediately darted inside and shut the door.
Unfortunately, only as she closed it did she discover that, because this was a communal shower room, the door had no bolt.
Without a bolt, the door couldn't possibly keep the man outside.
Song Ning's heart sank, but then she heard running water from the inner room-
Someone was showering inside.
The corridor wasn't very long, and footsteps were already approaching outside.
The outer room held the washbasins, with nowhere to hide.
Song Ning couldn't simply barge into the inner room, so she slipped behind the door-
Only a moment later, the footsteps stopped outside.
The door was immediately pushed open...
When the man was halfway inside, Song Ning struck.
She seized his shoulder, trapped his arm, and swiftly kicked at his knee...
The man was already on guard. Although her kick made him stagger, he immediately counterattacked, reaching straight for Song Ning's face. Judging by his movements, he was trained too.
Song Ning remained calm and locked his arm, circling it and pressing down. But he was considerably taller than she was, and she lacked the strength to subdue him in a single move. Just as she was about to switch techniques...
The man before her suddenly fell facedown with a thud-and lay motionless.
Behind him stood a man with a towel still wrapped around his waist, his raised arm not yet lowered.
And his face was familiar-
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