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墨書 Inktalez
Sina sighed, "Clever." As she spoke, she reached for a small bag.
Zhou Yao stopped her, "I'll go myself."
Sina was taken aback, "What if you get caught?"
Zhou Yao smiled briefly, "What if you get caught?"
"This—"
"If I get caught, I'll be the only one in trouble. But if you get caught, both our whereabouts will be exposed, and we could both lose our lives."
Sina felt a pang of discomfort, "Be careful."
Zhou Yao said nothing. She knelt beside Luo Yi, gently stroking his cold cheek, and suddenly asked softly, "You're not a bad person, right?"
Sina was momentarily stunned but smiled with understanding and helplessness, "Do you still not trust me?"
"I trust my instincts." Zhou Yao tilted her head, staring intently at Luo Yi's face with a hint of despair. "But I'm afraid that if my instincts are wrong."
"What will you do then?"
"What can I do? Besides trusting you, there's no other way. I'm out of options." Zhou Yao sighed lightly. She touched Luo Yi's lips and quickly stood up without looking back. "I'm leaving."
In the late night, the village was bustling.
Men were running around, gathering people; women leaned by the windows, looking worried.
The narrow path was crowded with a long line of vans.
Zhou Yao, holding a pile of white flour, crouched in the bushes and moved cautiously. Amidst the noise of voices, she quietly approached the line of vans. While the crowd had not yet gathered, she stealthily climbed into one of the vehicles and stuffed a bag of flour under the back seat.
One van, then another,
Back and forth,
Zhou Yao successfully placed the last small bag of flour. Just as she was about to get off, she noticed that the crowd had gathered, and the driver was running toward her.
Zhou Yao was startled; it was too late to get off. She hurriedly shrank back and hid behind the seat.
The driver got into the vehicle, closed the door to the driver's seat, and lit a cigarette, showing no signs of getting out.
Trapped in the narrow space, Zhou Yao was sweating profusely and realized she was in trouble. There was nowhere to hide in the car, and if more people got on later, she would be exposed immediately.
The longer she delayed, the greater the danger became.
Zhou Yao felt around and found a wrench from under the seat. She poked her head out slightly to look forward through the gap between the seats; the driver was still smoking. Not far away, men were starting to board the vehicle.
Zhou Yao's palms were sweaty. She carefully pulled down the back window, preparing to throw the wrench when she tentatively peeked out again. In the rearview mirror inside the car, she saw the driver turn his face toward her, and she quickly pulled back, her heart racing.
She covered her chest and cautiously leaned against the window for another look; more and more people were boarding ahead. She was in the last van and had little time left.
Zhou Yao didn't dare to waste any time. She opened the window a bit more and peeked into the mirror; the driver had turned his head away. Zhou Yao immediately grabbed the wrench and threw it forcefully into the bushes.
The wrench hit a branch, making a loud noise before falling to the ground.
"Who's there?" the driver shouted.
Zhou Yao held her head and held her breath.
There was no movement in the woods.
A second later, the driver got out of the car and went into the bushes to check.
Zhou Yao seized the opportunity and quickly crouched down to slip out of the car.
The front vehicle was already full, so Men walked towards the back car. The alley offered an unobstructed view, with only the car body providing some cover. Zhou Yao couldn't run into the woods, and there was nowhere to hide on either side. As she saw them getting closer, she became anxious and decided to crawl under the car.
Just as she hurriedly crawled underneath, the driver returned from the bushes, cursing, and urged several men who were walking this way, "Hurry up!"
Zhou Yao lay cramped under the car, watching five or six pairs of feet approach and board one after another.
She gasped for breath as dust rose from the ground.
Someone in front shouted, "Is everyone in the car?"
"Yes."
"Yes."
Every driver of the cars poked their heads out to respond.
The engine started, and Zhou Yao closed her eyes tightly, covering her ears as a rumbling sound filled the air, accompanied by waves of heat; on the ground, dust and gravel bounced around.
The cars ahead began to move, one after another, and the vehicle above her also started.
Once the car moved away, Zhou Yao dared not make a sound, fearing that the driver would see her in the rearview mirror and worried that the people in the car might turn around.
Given the higher probability of the former, she had no choice but to stay put like an ostrich. It wasn't until she heard the car turn that she quickly rolled into the bushes.
Finally, the noise gradually faded, and the convoy moved away. The village slowly returned to tranquility.
Zhou Yao let out a long breath, feeling a delayed sense of fear wash over her; she almost felt her legs go weak.
After taking just three seconds to compose herself, she steeled her resolve and hurried towards Sina's house. She needed to return to Luo Yi's side to feel at ease.
Yan Lin and the other men from the village had evacuated; she and Luo Yi were safe. In less than half an hour, the police would arrive, and then there would be nothing to fear.
However, halfway there, passing by a Bamboo House, Zhou Yao heard faint sounds of rummaging inside, mixed with a woman's cold, low commands: "We must find him before the police arrive! — Be quiet! Are you afraid the neighbors will hear?"
Yan Lin?!
Zhou Yao suddenly felt a chill run down her spine; she hadn't left?!
In the darkness, Zhou Yao stared wide-eyed in terror as realization struck her: Yan Lin had set her sights on Luo Yi's life, which is why they split up.
When the police assumed she had escaped and sent someone to chase after her, they wouldn't expect her to remain here, waiting to leave by another route after capturing Luo Yi.
This is what they call "The Way is High, but the Devil is Higher"? Zhou Yao refused to acknowledge it.
"Search every house, Sheep Pen, attic, and don't miss a corner." This was Dao San's voice.
Zhou Yao stood still for a second or two, thinking of Luo Yi, and instinctively ran towards Sina's Bamboo House.
...
Yan Lin and the others quickly went downstairs, ready to search the next building.
"Wait!" Yan Lin suddenly stopped. The others all halted.
A ribbon was caught on a low thornbush at the entrance, sparkling with colorful beads. It looked like someone had rushed past and snagged their clothing.
Yan Lin picked it up, gradually narrowing her eyes; the beads were too cheap: "Not from our Village. It's from clothes sold to tourists."
Dao San said, "It’s said that a woman has been following Luo—she's from the Dai Ethnic Group—" At this point, Dao San suddenly realized something and coldly said, "Damn it, it's that woman!"
Yan Lin glared at him angrily: "They must be together; why aren't you hurrying to find them!"
Beside the bushes, one of the subordinates held up a torn piece of gauze and reported, "Sister Yan, over here!"
Yan Lin strode over. The group pushed aside the bushes and saw broken branches and trampled vegetation, dragging out a long trail.
Dao San said, "Luo has been injured and was dragged away by that woman."
Yan Lin curled her lips into a smirk, a fierce determination flashing in her eyes.
"Chase!"
More than ten people quickly entered the jungle, following the trail. Yan Lin was worried that their voices were too loud and might alert Zhou Yao and the other person fleeing ahead. He raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, slow down, and not to go in the wrong direction.
After a short while, his subordinates found a thin silk ribbon caught in the thorns. Yan Lin twisted the ribbon in his fingers and couldn't help but sneer; Zhou Yao had fled in such a hurry that she had left everything behind. She wore a Dai skirt only for disguise, but little did she expect that her cleverness would backfire, as the skirt was easily snagged by the thorns.
The group chased for nearly twenty minutes before finally spotting a figure.
Zhou Yao was hunched over, wiping her tears while struggling to drag someone through the forest.
Yan Lin quietly signaled his subordinates with his eyes, and they silently took cover, gradually forming a surrounding circle.
Zhou Yao in the center had no idea; she was drenched in sweat, using all her strength to pull on the rope, inch by inch dragging the person lying in the low bushes.
In the deep of night, everything was silent except for the sound of a body being dragged between the branches.
The hunting circle was formed. Yan Lin waved his hand, and everyone rushed forward to surround them.
Zhou Yao panicked and screamed as she lunged forward to embrace the person on the ground.
Yan Lin smiled coldly.
The Brothers surrounded them tightly, pushing aside the low bushes to capture the injured Luo Yi, but suddenly they all froze, their expressions strange.
Yan Lin walked over and said, "Clear a path."
Everyone stepped aside, and Yan Lin saw Zhou Yao lying on the ground, cradling a large goat in her arms.
Yan Lin was shocked and then filled with rage: "Where is Luo Yi?!"
Not long ago, at the Bamboo House,
"Search every house, the Sheep Pen, the attic, don't miss a single corner." This was Dao San's voice.
She stood still for a second or two, thinking about Luo Yi, and instinctively ran towards Sina's Bamboo House. But just as she took a step, she stopped.
If Yan Lin and the others found Sina's place, they would definitely discover the bloodstains and the smell of alcohol disinfectant. At that time—
Zhou Yao was dazed, seemingly in shock. She truly had no strength left.
Why did they have to force someone into such a desperate situation?
Zhou Yao clenched her lips tightly in anger, tears welling up in her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away.
She swiftly tore off the colorful beads and satin from her clothes, scattering some at the entrance of the Bamboo House, directly under the door light. The light illuminated them, making the beads shimmer; she scattered another handful in the bushes by the roadside.
She slipped into the Sheep Pen, dragged a sheep out, and tried to escape deeper into the woods, but the sheep refused to move. Zhou Yao pulled on the sheep, leaving traces of broken branches and vines behind her.
As she walked, she remembered to hang strands of "torn silk" on the thorns along the way.
Branches and vines parted and closed again as Zhou Yao used all her strength to drag the unwilling sheep while pulling on the rope and fearfully wiping her tears. Soon, Sina's Bamboo House was no longer in sight.
She began to cry softly, growing more frightened with each sob.
She was frustrated that it wasn't yet time to cry; she still had twenty minutes left and had to run desperately for those twenty minutes.
But the sheep was too stubborn, lying on the ground and refusing to move. Zhou Yao feared that if she moved too slowly, Yan Lin would catch up to her before the twenty minutes were up.
She pulled on the rope with all her might, like a boatman hauling a ship, cursing the sheep for being disobedient while gritting her teeth in silence, tears streaming down her face.
...
"Where are the others?!" Yan Lin shouted angrily.
She had never felt as helpless as she did these past two days, being played, deceived, and humiliated. Her hatred for him was deep; even killing him wouldn't ease her anger.
Meanwhile, Zhou Yao seemed oblivious to it all, slowly releasing the large goat. Her expression was blank from extreme fatigue; she could only manage to breathe.
Yan Lin laughed in anger: "Do you think this will save him? By running here, you've just revealed that Luo Yi is hiding in the Bamboo House. I'll send people to search right now!"
Zhou Yao glanced at her watch, and the corners of her dry mouth slowly turned upward. She looked up at Yan Lin, and a glimmer of light flashed in her previously vacant eyes; she smiled.
"What are you smiling about?" Just as Yan Lin finished speaking, one of her subordinates rushed over in panic to report, "Sister Yan, the Village is surrounded! The SWAT team has already entered the village to search!"
Yan Lin's body jolted violently, her cheeks twitching. Looking back at Zhou Yao, she felt both hatred and fury and slapped her across the face.
"Take her away!"
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