Chapter 215 Who would want to come to this godforsaken place?

His voice was hurried, his tone full of anxiety and urgency.

"Sis, don't delay, hurry up and ride your bike to the town's police station to report it! The sooner the better! I can't wait any longer, I have to catch up with them right away!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the three of them nodded almost simultaneously.

Song Lei casually grabbed the carrying pole leaning against the door.

That was the thick bamboo carrying pole we usually used to carry water; it was sturdy and easy to handle.

He tightened his grip on the handle, took a deep breath, and dashed off onto the mountain path.

Shen Cuifen bit her lip and ran upwards with all her might.

Tears streamed down her face, one after another.

She was terrified.

"Shen Cuifen! Wake up!"

She jerked her head off and roared at herself in a trembling voice.

"Xiuwei will be alright! She definitely won't! She must still be alive, she must be just ahead! You have to believe in yourself, run!"

She encouraged herself as she ran.

By this time, it was completely dark.

The mountain road is winding and steep, surrounded by dense forests.

However, a narrow path does remain in the middle of this dense forest, winding its way towards the county town.

This path was originally the only way for the older generation to enter and leave the mountains.

After a new road was built ten years ago, it gradually fell into disrepair.

No one cleans or maintains it; the weeds grow wildly.

The fallen leaves piled up, seemingly long forgotten.

However, this road still exists at this moment.

More importantly, someone had just walked by!

Shen Cuifen looked down and saw that the soil was soft and moist.

A string of fresh footprints was clearly imprinted on it.

In some places, they didn't even have time to cover the fallen leaves.

This discovery gave her a jolt, and she quickened her pace involuntarily.

Since people are still walking, it means the road isn't blocked.

Since someone left, it means that Xiuwei was most likely taken away along this road!

Although my legs were sore and I was breathing rapidly.

But she gritted her teeth and continued to sprint forward.

Lu Xiuye ​​followed behind, panting.

The two were not far apart, maintaining a distance of several dozen steps.

Just as they were trying their best to catch up, they suddenly heard a series of rapid and powerful footsteps behind them.

Looking back, it turned out to be Song Wenhua who had arrived!

"Xiuye! Get out of the way!"

He shouted as he suddenly overtook Lu Xiuye ​​from the side.

"You two women can just follow behind! I was in the army, I can run fast, I'll go ahead and scout ahead! Let's figure out the situation first!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiuye ​​quickly stepped aside and dodged to a rock by the roadside.

Song Wenhua didn't even slow down his pace.

Seeing this, Shen Xiuye ​​hurriedly chased after him, shouting at the top of her lungs, "Brother Wenhua! Wait! Wait! Take this wood-chopping knife for self-defense!"

As she spoke, she drew the heavy wood-chopping knife from her waist.

The blade has been worn shiny from years of use.

"In case we really run into bad guys, at least we'll have someone to hold them off for a while!"

Song Wenhua, however, did not turn back or slow down.

Only his faint reply could be heard on the wind.

"No need, you keep it! Protecting yourself is the most important thing! I'm fine!"

He paused slightly and adjusted his pace.

He then added a sentence, his tone becoming serious.

"Xiuye, remember what I said, don't go astray! There are too many trees in these mountains, it's easy to get lost even during the day, let alone at night! If you get separated, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

Shen Xiuye ​​nodded vigorously, even though he knew the other person probably couldn't see it at all.

She gripped the machete tightly and composed herself.

He then quickened his pace, trying to catch up with the two people ahead.

The air on this spring night carried a slight chill.

The mountain mist began to rise slowly, swirling among the tree branches.

Fortunately, it is early spring.

Most of the trees have not yet fully sprouted, only the evergreen pines and cypresses still stand tall.

The remaining branches are just sprouting tender green buds.

It's sparse and not too dense.

In such an environment, at least you can still see the road beneath your feet.

If it were the height of summer, the entire mountain would be covered in layers of lush greenery.

Forget about walking, they can't even tell which way to go.

Even birds flying through it would probably get lost.

Thinking of this, Shen Xiuye ​​couldn't help but shiver and quickened her pace.

Before long, Song Wenhua's speed advantage became fully apparent.

Shen Cuifen, who was originally at the front of the group, was quickly left far behind.

Despite her best efforts, she ran with alternating legs.

However, in terms of endurance and speed, he ultimately cannot compare with a young man.

In the blink of an eye, Song Wenhua's figure had completely disappeared at the end of the dark forest path ahead.

Shen Cuifen stared at the empty darkness, a sense of helplessness welling up inside her.

But she knew that now was not the time to stop.

She wiped the sweat and tears from her face, forced back the dryness in her throat, and took another step.

Every second that wasted brought Xiuwei one step closer to danger.

All she could do was grit her teeth and keep running forward.

Even if you're exhausted, you have to keep going until the very end.

This road leads to the county town, but it takes at least four hours to cross the mountain.

The area was deserted and overgrown with weeds, with not even a pavilion to rest in.

Honestly, this route can save you at most an hour of travel time.

That was only used by people decades ago, before the road was built!

Back then, cars couldn't get into the village, and people had to walk over mountains and valleys to travel long distances.

But things are different now; an asphalt road has long since reached the entrance of the village.

The shuttle bus runs regularly to and from the county seat every day, which is convenient and safe.

Who would want to go to this godforsaken place now?

Unless it's for convenience to evade detection, or there's some ulterior motive.

Otherwise, no one would ever set foot on this desolate road.

Lu Zhonghe led Shen Xiuwei down this road, clearly intending to get rid of her without anyone noticing.

She would be sold to remote mountain areas or forced into marriage, never to return home again.

Lu Zhonghe had already made his plans, scheming step by step, just waiting to send her out of the mountains.

They had to stop them before they entered the city!

Time was of the essence; every minute was a matter of life and death for Shen Xiuwei.

Once they enter the county town, the vast sea of ​​people will make finding her like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Shen Cuifen had been running for almost half an hour, and the soles of her feet were already aching.

She didn't have time to rest; she just kept pushing forward.

Suddenly, she saw Song Wenhua squat down.

He crouched behind a clump of bushes, keeping his body very low.

Shen Cuifen immediately slowed her pace and even held her breath.

When she finally got close to him, panting, she lay down and looked ahead in the direction he was looking.

She almost cried out.

Song Wenhua reacted quickly and covered her mouth.

His gaze was stern, and he gently shook his head, signaling her to remain quiet.

Shen Cuifen trembled all over, tears welling up in her eyes.

She bit her lip hard, forcing herself to calm down.

Before her eyes, Shen Xiuwei's hands were tied behind her back with rough hemp rope.

The wrists were marked with deep red welts and the skin had turned purple.

Her face was bruised, her mouth was cracked, and her clothes were torn in several places.

Lu Zhonghe kicked and punched her.

"Beat her! Beat this little bitch to death! How dare she bite me!"

Lu Baimei rubbed the teeth marks on her arm while cursing loudly.

It turned out that Lu Zhonghe had rushed to knock on the door right after lunch.