"Jie, how should we deal with this girl?" Tiger asked.
Shen Zhijie lowered his head to wrap the bloodied wound on his palm with a cloth strip. He glanced at the trembling woman crouched next to the car wheel and remained indifferent, "Cleanly, don't leave any troubles."
She had a pleasant voice, with a clean and slightly cool tone.
"I got it," Tiger replied, picking up an iron rod about a foot long and heading towards the woman.
It was a thumb-sized threaded steel rebar that He Yan had picked up from a construction site and placed it in the toolbox next to the front passenger seat. She had intended it for self-defense, but she never thought it would fall into the hands of criminals, becoming a weapon threatening her life.
Survive, she must survive no matter what!
He Yan's body shivered like chaff, but there was a voice in her heart screaming wildly. Her parents were still alive, living a peaceful and harmonious life, and they would never accept her tragic death in the wilderness. Besides, she had Liang Yuanze waiting for her to reunite with him.
She shouldn't have driven alone on this rural road, she shouldn't have assumed that driving would keep her safe, and she definitely shouldn't have stopped the car when she saw a person lying on the road... she should have just stepped on the accelerator and sped past!
But now wasn't the time for regret and self-blame; she was on the brink of death.
"Please, don't kill me. I'll give you the car and money! I won't call the police, I beg you not to kill me!" She pleaded timidly, crawling a few steps to kneel and plead in front of the man sitting on the roadside, "Please, spare my life. I saved you by stopping the car just now. Please let me go. I will never say anything. Tonight, I didn't see anything, I didn't encounter anything, really, truly!"
She was a fairly clever woman, which made Shen Zhijie couldn't help but raise his eyes to take a longer look at her. Her tear-streaked face, delicate and exquisite features slightly distorted by fear, her eyes brimming with tears, gleaming with desire. However, this didn't soften his cold heart; he remained indifferent and lowered his head to bandage the wound on his hand that he sustained when jumping off the truck, nearly getting it cut in half by pressing it against a sharp stone on the roadside.
The woman continued to kowtow and cry for mercy at his feet, making him feel a bit annoyed. It was inconvenient to tie the bandages with one hand, so he handed his palm to the thin monkey beside him and coldly asked Tiger, "What are you dawdling for?"
Tiger came over and lifted her up as he would a chick, dragging her to the roadside bushes.
He Yan struggled desperately but didn't dare to scream. In this desolate wilderness with no village in sight, screaming would be in vain. It would only make her die faster, so she continued to plead and cry.
"Tiger, wait!" The thin monkey who was bandaging Shen Zhijie's palm softened his heart and called out to the tiger, then carefully sought Shen Zhijie's approval: "Brother Jie, let's keep this woman for now. With her like this, what can she do to us?"
Shen Zhijie's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he pursed his lips in silence. The tiger couldn't help but mock his brothers, "Are you feeling lustful, little brother?"
The thin monkey grinned and, with a lascivious look in his eyes, unabashedly expressed his desire, questioning the tiger in return, "So what if I am? We haven't touched a woman for over a month. Don't tell me you don't want to?"
In the bright moonlight, the tiger lowered his head to look at the young and beautiful woman in his hands and couldn't help but feel a bit moved. She was indeed a young and attractive woman with delicate features and a seductive figure.
Both of them were a bit swayed, and they both looked at Shen Zhijie.
Shen Zhijie's cold and fierce gaze swept over the frightened He Yan, and his words were cold and ruthless, "We're escaping for our lives. If you want to play with women, do it after we're safe."
He Yan shivered uncontrollably, trying hard not to faint, and pleaded with a pleading look towards the thin monkey-like man, seeking the only chance to survive, "Brother, as long as you don't kill me, I'm willing to do anything. I have parents at home, and they only have me as their daughter."
The thin monkey was truly tempted, and boldly, with a smile on his face, pleaded with Shen Zhijie, "Brother Jie, it won't take much time to play with her right now."
Before Shen Zhijie could respond, the tiger couldn't help but laugh first and scolded, "Look at your lack of character!"
Although he scolded like this, he didn't continue to drag He Yan away. Instead, he and the thin monkey both looked eagerly at their leader.
These were two brothers who had been through thick and thin with him. Shen Zhijie glanced at both of them, casually picked a blade of grass from the side of the road and put it in his mouth, revealing a look of impatience on his usually sharp and cold face, and said, "You two, act quickly!"
The thin monkey cheered and sprang up, and headed straight towards He Yan, who was struggling, while the tiger smiled and let go of her hand generously, saying, "Let your little brother take the lead."
He Yan didn't evade, obediently following the thin monkey's lead, but kept pleading, "Brother, please don't kill me. I'll do anything, I won't say anything. I still have parents at home, and they only have me as their daughter."
"I won't kill you. I won't kill you, as long as you behave!" The thin monkey replied, while eagerly grasping He Yan's chest, feeling the warmth and softness under the fabric, becoming even more anxious. He glanced around anxiously, and hurriedly dragged her into the bushes.
"In the car, let's go to the car." He Yan's voice was soft as a mosquito's buzz, but it still alarmed the man in the distance. Two icy glances fell on her, and she quickly explained, stammering, "It's more comfortable in the back seat, doesn't hurt as much."
The thin monkey, blinded by desire, really dragged her towards the car in the middle of the road, pulled open the rear door, and pushed her in. Shen Zhijie looked coldly at them, then tilted his head slightly towards the tiger, and the tiger understood his meaning and followed up, holding He Yan from behind.
The car was a large white SUV. The tiger leaned against the car, joking with the thin monkey inside, through the partially open car window, "Are you still in one piece?"
The thin monkey mumbled unclearly, and there was the sound of fabric rubbing and a few muffled sounds from the woman inside the car.
"Damn it!" The tiger couldn't help but curse, took a few steps forward and spat on the ground, then turned and scolded the people in the car, "Monkey, be gentle!"
"She's still a little chick!" The thin monkey's voice was filled with surprise and smugness, panting and calling out, "I've really hit the jackpot today!"
The tiger was taken aback, spat on the ground, smiled at Shen Zhijie who had been silent all along, "Brother Jie, look at this energy. Don't shake the car to pieces!"
"She's still a chick? Unexpected." Shen Zhijie gently tugged at the corner of his mouth, revealing a hint of mockery, and slowly withdrew his gaze.
He Yan bit her lip in endurance, took a deep breath, and with one arm hugged the man's neck, subtly pressing his body down, while her other hand secretly reached for the bag behind the driver's seat.
There was a small but very sharp fruit knife. The last time Liang Yuanze drove her to a spring outing, on the way back she was lazing in the back seat. She woke up, then used that knife to cut him some fruit. At that time, she was sitting in the back seat, cutting the apple into small pieces and feeding him. He suddenly grabbed her finger, mischievously ignoring her cries and refusing to let go.
She had to survive. He Yan kept telling herself in her mind, her dad, mom, and Yuanze, they were all waiting for her. She couldn't die here, in such a humiliating, unbearable violation.
He Yan finally felt the knife, with the assailant still pressing onto her. She had never been so calm before, as she slid her hand across his back, trying to locate his heart. However, she couldn't be sure, and feared that the knife was too short to pierce his heart with one blow.
He Yan knew she didn't have time to hesitate. She hooked his head and forcefully covered his mouth with her head. The man didn't understand her intention, and even seemed surprised by her reaction. He tightly embraced her waist, passionately kissing her.
In that moment, He Yan's hand decisively stabbed into his neck.
That was a fatal spot, and the man's thin body stiffened in an instant. He struggled to lift his head, his eyes widened as if trying to see the woman he was pressing down on. Unfortunately, he never got the chance. He Yan's legs tightly wrapped around his lower body, her hand pressing tightly against the back of his head while the other gripped the knife handle. She used all her strength to slide it downward, severing the vertebrae, major artery, and windpipe... everything collapsed under the sharp blade.
It truly was a good knife, truly worthy of being brought back from Switzerland.
Blood sprayed out, and she had to reach out to cover it. Her body was soaked, her vision nearly obscured by blood, and the person on top of her finally stopped struggling. The warm body was now filled with faint convulsions. He Yan, however, dared not loosen her grip. She secretly glanced outside the car at the towering, fierce man standing not far away, with another man, "Jiege," sitting up front.
The car was still running; she hadn't turned it off when she got out earlier. She couldn't alert them and quickly crawled to the front, locked the car, and then drove away.
This was her only chance to survive.
He Yan took a deep breath and gently pushed the thin man off her.
Shen Zhijie was resting with his eyes closed, also contemplating their next move. They had escaped over a thousand kilometers, and Nanqiao City was not far away, yet the future remained uncertain. Perhaps, he shouldn't have indulged the two, Lao Hu and Shouhou, at this time. But they had followed him all the way out, without a day of relaxation during the thirty-plus days of escape. Even if they were absurd for a few hours, what could he do?
He was distracted, and his taut nerves relaxed a bit. He didn't even hear the slight sound when the car door was locked. The car lights, which were turned off to avoid attention, suddenly lit up. He looked up in surprise and saw the white SUV madly rushing toward him.
The intense light momentarily blinded him, but after a blink, he clearly saw the person driving. It was the woman who had just cried and pleaded, now with half her face covered in blood, the other half ghostly pale. Only her eyes remained dark, devoid of tears, filled with fervent hatred, so bright it was dazzling.
"Brother Jie—" Lao Hu exclaimed, and without hesitation, rushed over, pushing him to the side just as Shen Zhijie was unable to get up. His body instinctively rolled to the roadside, and the car wheel brushed past his shoulder. Lao Hu was hit by the front of the car and flew out over ten meters before landing with a dull thud.
The car didn't stop at all, running over Lao Hu's legs before zooming off.
He Yan gripped the steering wheel tightly, pressing on the accelerator wildly. The car raced forward along the country road until it reached the bright city streets, where she abruptly slammed on the brakes. Her whole body shook uncontrollably; her hands trembled so violently that she couldn't even hold her phone, let alone dial Liang Yuanze's number.
"Ah—" She let out a low growl like a wild beast and bit down hard on her wrist until the pain stopped her trembling. Then she was able to dial Liang Yuanze's number and said tearfully, "Call the police, Yuanze. Call the police, something's happened to me."
She had come to his city alone late at night, just to surprise him.
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