Jiang Linchuan, carrying a flashlight, walked at the front.
The beam of light swept across the weeds and tree trunks, carefully examining the traces left by Chen Jianqiu as he descended the mountain.
With each place he found, his pace quickened.
Lian Xiao followed beside him, holding a map in his hand, occasionally adjusting his direction according to the terrain, and reminding him, "Walk slowly, watch your step, don't slip."
But Jiang Linchuan couldn't possibly slow down.
The rustling of leaves in the wind did not calm him down; instead, it made him even more anxious.
He recalled what Shen Jianqiu had said: Xinghe deliberately went into difficult places to lure the kidnappers away.
It's dark and cold in the mountains now, how scared must she be all alone?
The more Jiang Linchuan thought about it, the more rapid his breathing became.
The girl he cherished so dearly was hurt by others, and even just thinking about it made him feel excruciating pain.
"Don't worry, the villagers have already divided into five teams and covered all the possible routes. Finding him is just a matter of time." Lian Xiao patted his shoulder. "I'm also very worried about Xinghe, but worrying won't help now. Xinghe is so clever, he'll definitely find a place to hide."
Jiang Linchuan nodded without saying anything, and continued to stare at the road ahead.
On the other side.
On the earthen kang (heated brick bed) in an abandoned house.
The man Xu Xinghe stabbed lay on top of him, wincing in pain.
His thighs and abdomen were wrapped in dirty strips of cloth, the blood seeping out and soaking through the cloth, and his face was as pale as paper.
When the medication took effect in the afternoon, he went crazy, banging his head against the wall and rolling around, inflicting many new injuries. Now, any movement aggravated his wounds, causing him to curse in pain.
"A bunch of useless cowards!" He glared at the other kidnappers standing on the ground. "So many of you, and you can't even find two young women? You're too scared to go up the mountain after dark? What if they run out and call the police? All our efforts will have been for nothing!"
The henchmen shrank back, not daring to utter a sound, their heads bowed low.
They never expected that the two seemingly delicate girls would be so difficult to deal with.
One of them could injure the older brother so badly, and the other could still run away with him.
I should never have let them out in the first place; it's caused so much trouble.
“Brother, there are wild animals in these mountains at night. We searched for half a day but couldn’t find them. Going out at night is pointless... Besides, we’ve already sent people to stay on the only way down the mountain. Those two women have no food or water and won’t last long. As long as they want to go down the mountain, our people will definitely find them.”
"Hmph, don't wait until tomorrow when they take another route down the mountain. Then we won't even see a trace of the gold bars, and we'll have to hide from the police!" The eldest brother angrily pounded the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), which aggravated his wound, causing him to gasp in pain. "If I hadn't been ambushed by that Xu Xinghe, would she have been able to escape? And you guys, you couldn't even stop one person!"
Upon hearing this, another henchman couldn't help but mutter, "Boss, you can't say that... You're a grown man, and you got hurt by a little girl, which gave her the chance to escape. What does it have to do with us?"
If it weren't for his lustful nature, things wouldn't have turned out this way.
If we're really talking about right and wrong, the eldest brother is the one who's wrong the most!
"What did you say?" The man glared and tried to get up, but he fell back onto the bed in pain as soon as he sat up. He could only point at his nose and curse, "You little bastard, you dare to talk back? Believe me or not, I'll throw you out to feed the wolves right now!"
The younger brother was so frightened that he quickly shut his mouth, and the room returned to deathly silence.
The man didn't say anything more, mainly because he was in real pain!
He doesn't dare go down the mountain to see a doctor yet. Xu Xinghe's family must have called the police. If he goes there in this state, he will definitely be targeted!
After a long while, another henchman cautiously spoke up, "Boss, how about... we search for another day tomorrow? If we still can't find it, let's retreat. As long as we're alive, we can always try again..."
The man didn't speak, he just stared at the hole in the roof.
He was unwilling to give up the Xu family's gold bars just like that, but he was injured like this, and his underlings didn't have the guts. If he continued to drag this out, he might really be doomed here.
So... what should we do?
To stay or to leave?
Just then, the lookout suddenly burst through the door, his face pale and his voice trembling, "Boss, something bad has happened! There are so many people outside, torches everywhere, and some are heading this way! I estimate there are at least a dozen people, what should we do?"
The kidnappers' expressions changed instantly.
The man, enduring the pain, said, "What's the panic? Don't forget, we still have the tunnel. Quickly, carry me down!"
They chose this abandoned house not only because it was secluded, but also because it contained a tunnel that had been left behind in the past.
That way, even if something goes wrong, they can use the tunnel to evacuate and avoid being caught.
The underlings didn't dare to delay. Two of them supported the injured man, while the rest grabbed the cloth bags on the ground and quickly lifted the stone slab in the corner of the wall.
Below, a dark cellar entrance is visible, with steps leading downwards that can be vaguely seen.
"It's all your fault, you bunch of useless trash! You couldn't even catch two women!" The man was being dragged down, his face contorted in pain as he cursed, "I've been preparing for so long, and I haven't even seen any gold bars, I've been stabbed, and now even my hideout is going to be taken down!"
No one dared to speak.
The group groped their way down the steps in the dark.
Not long after the stone slab was put back in place, footsteps could be heard outside.
"There's an abandoned house here, would you like to take a look?"
Jiang Linchuan recalled Shen Jianqiu's words; she and Xu Xinghe had been kidnapped to an abandoned courtyard.
He rushed in immediately, the beam of his flashlight illuminating the room.
There were several cigarette butts on the ground, and they looked brand new.
There was a kettle nearby, and the fire that had been burning out was still radiating heat.
This indicates that the people here have only recently left.
“This must be the kidnappers’ hideout.” Lian Xiao also noticed these traces and immediately told the villagers who came in behind him, “Everyone, split into two groups. One group searches around the house, and the other group goes up the mountain. Watch out for footprints!”
Jiang Linchuan didn't speak, his gaze quickly sweeping across the room, and soon noticed the woodshed next door.
He pushed open the door and went inside; there were still traces of someone sitting on the haystack.
In the corner, a handkerchief embroidered with light blue floral patterns lay quietly.
That was something he gave to Xinghe before!
He immediately picked up the handkerchief; the once clean and pretty floral print was now covered in dust.
The fabric seemed to still retain Xinghe's scent, and Jiang Linchuan's heart ached.
Was she previously imprisoned in a place like this?
She is the daughter of the prestigious Xu family, who has been pampered since childhood. When has she ever suffered such humiliation?
"Lin Chuan, come here!" Lian Xiao suddenly shouted from the corner, illuminating the stone slab on the ground with his torch. "There should be a cellar here; the stone slab has been moved!"
Jiang Linchuan immediately went over, lifted the stone slab, and a musty smell hit him. "It's a tunnel. The kidnappers must have escaped from here."
His eyes turned cold. "I'll go in and chase them. You have people block them from the outside."
“Let’s go together!” Lian Xiao said, jumping down first. He was more concerned about Xu Xinghe’s safety. “There are so many people outside, they don’t need me.”
The tunnel was narrow and dark, just wide enough for two people to walk side by side.
The air was filled with a damp, earthy smell.
The two walked forward, holding flashlights.
They hadn't gone far when they heard footsteps and heavy breathing coming from ahead.
The tunnel itself is an echo chamber, so as long as the sound is slightly loud, it can be heard even from a distance.
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