The children all had tears in their eyes, but they dared not make a sound and followed Song Mian quietly.
From afar, Song Mian saw those people enter the warehouse and then quickly emerge again, before dispersing into the surrounding forest in search of their tracks.
Most of the human traffickers went in the direction of the highway.
Song Mian had initially considered finding a highway and leaving along it, but she immediately realized that in this situation, the simpler and easier the road, the more likely it was that these human traffickers would intercept her along the way.
In that case, these paths are clearly not feasible.
"Sister, this way," Little Stone said, pointing to a very difficult-to-climb hillside not far away.
The hillside was covered with many protruding rocks, overgrown with weeds, and thorny vines sprouted from the cracks in the rocks, making it difficult to find a place to step.
"Little Stone, are you sure?" Song Mian's little face was all scrunched up in worry, her usual lively expression now replaced by a troubled expression. "We're not familiar with the roads here, and we have a child with us, so we should choose an easier route."
Tao Tao said to Zhou He beside her, "Brother Zhou He, look how amazing this big sister is! She seems to be able to see things that we can't see, and she can even communicate with those things normally!"
Zhou He nodded and squeezed Tao Tao's hand: "In that case, we should follow our big sister even more."
"Sister Song, believe me, I'm sure I'm on the right path. I remember it very clearly, I'm sure I've been here before." Little Stone's resolute gaze was fixed ahead.
Song Mian was surprised, and then a thought suddenly occurred to her, causing her heart to clench painfully.
These human traffickers are really brazen; they may have already abducted innocent children to Longding Mountain a long time ago.
Perhaps Little Stone was one of them back then.
However... after Little Stone was captured and brought here, he shouldn't have been able to escape or access the terrain on the mountain.
Could it be that Little Stone was lucky enough to escape from human traffickers before his death?
But if that's the case, how could Little Stone have died at such a young age?
Moreover, Little Stone died nearly eighty years ago. At that time, this mountain should not have been developed yet. Would human traffickers bring Little Stone here?
One question after another came, but Song Mian ultimately chose to trust Xiao Shitou and led the children up the hillside.
Her hands, body, and even face were covered in cuts from thorns and weeds. Song Mian pushed the children uphill, listening to the little stone's muttering voice in her ear.
"Go a little further past this hillside, and you'll find a small river with lots of fish and crystal-clear water... Keep going, and you'll reach the path down the mountain. The path is a bit steep, but there are many trees along the way to hold onto, so you can walk normally. Keep going, and you'll arrive... you'll arrive..."
Song Mian glanced meaningfully at the little stone beside her.
Little Stone didn't notice Song Mian; he was trying hard to recall the fragments of memories that kept surfacing in her mind.
He seemed to gradually remember some key things.
For example, the mountain road in front of us, or some things that happened in the past.
He used to walk this path, leading some people down the mountain.
However, he couldn't remember exactly who he was with.
But he clearly remembered that he wasn't the only one who led those people down the mountain; his brother Hong Sheng and the other friends were also there.
They were a group of children, leading a group of people whose identities he couldn't recall, down the mountain.
As he pondered this, Little Stone felt a splitting headache and didn't pursue the matter any further.
Meanwhile, Song Mian resolutely followed the path indicated by Xiao Shitou.
The key point is that Song Mian only discovered after taking this path that everything Xiao Shitou said was true.
Along the way, there were many strange rocks. After walking down the hillside for a short distance, they came across a small stream. Then, a path leading down the mountain, surrounded by trees and covered with wild grass, appeared before Song Mian and his companions.
"We're saved!" Looking at the road stretching all the way down the mountain, Song Mian turned around warily and glanced behind her: "Although this road is hidden, those human traffickers may not be completely unaware of it. Come on, let's hurry down the mountain. We can't let those human traffickers catch us no matter what."
The children nodded quickly and followed Song Mian down the mountain.
The mountain road was winding and twisting, and no matter how hard Song Mian and the others tried, they couldn't increase their overall speed of descending the mountain much.
Moreover, walking on the bumpy mountain road, Song Mian could clearly feel her physical strength being depleted very quickly.
If she's like this, what about the five children who live with her?
So Song Mian bent down and carried the youngest girl, Tao Tao, on her back: "I will carry each of you for a while to help you recover your strength. We must try to get down the mountain as quickly as possible..."
The children nodded obediently, and Song Mian continued to lead them down the mountain. Suddenly, she saw a point of light flashing rapidly from the woods to the upper left.
Song Mian blinked, watching as a tranquilizer dart pierced through the leaves, grazed her arm, and plunged into the ground with a soft thud.
The moment Song Mian saw the anesthetic needle, her heart sank. She first looked down at the pillow that had sunk into the ground, then looked up at the mountain path above.
Under the moonlight, Wang Dashan, holding a flashlight and a tranquilizer gun, menacingly approached Song Mian: "You brat, you're good at finding a way to escape! Too bad, I'm going to bring you and those little bastards back today, and I'll teach you a lesson!"
The children, whose nerves were already on edge, could no longer suppress their intense fear upon seeing Wang Dashan and burst into tears in unison.
"Run! Run faster!" Song Mian pulled the children along, her steps faltering as she tried to quicken her pace.
However, the protruding stones on the ground greatly limited their speed.
Little Stone and the other little devils urged him on from the side.
"Sister Song Mian, run! There's a cave down there. Once you go inside, I'll help you escape!" Little Stone said hurriedly.
"Kids, try to hold onto your sister!" Song Mian said, and could only tuck the other two younger children under her arms.
Exhausted and drenched in sweat, Song Mian gritted her teeth and led the children in a desperate escape. Finally, before Wang Dashan could catch up, Xiao Shitou led them into the cave he had mentioned.
The cave was pitch black. Song Mian led the children in through the darkness and, following Xiao Shitou's directions, hid behind a rock.
Signaling the children not to make a loud noise, Song Mian put her index finger to her lips in a shushing gesture, then peeked out.
As the flashlight beam drew closer, Wang Dashan entered the cave.
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