The path down the mountain was not just dictated by her feet; it felt as though someone was pushing her forward. In the forest, some trees were very dense, and the moonlight came and went sporadically.
Sun Wenli's heart felt like it was about to jump into her throat. To avoid stepping in the wrong place again, she dared not run down the mountain at full speed.
It seemed as though she was the only one left in the entire forest; there was no wind, and it was so quiet that she could hear her own heavy breathing.
In her heart, she begged, pleading with the heavens to spare her this time. She vowed never to pursue romance again, as others might only be scammed for money or love. But for her? Her boyfriend was directly after her life!
As she approached halfway down the mountain, she saw a beam of bonfire, which stood out starkly in the dark forest.
She suddenly felt ecstatic and quickened her pace towards it: "Help, help!"
A middle-aged couple sitting by the bonfire immediately stood up upon hearing her voice. Seeing her rush towards them, they looked puzzled: "What are you doing up here alone at this hour? It's a miracle you weren't eaten by wolves or wild boars; we have plenty of those man-eating beasts on Thunderbolt Mountain."
Hearing their thick local accent speaking clumsy Mandarin, Sun Wenli couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. She immediately let out all the pent-up grievances and fear, grabbing the middle-aged woman's hand: "Auntie, please help me call the police! My boyfriend plans to sell me!"
The middle-aged woman was taken aback: "What? Sell you? You must have run into human traffickers!"
The middle-aged man looked at her sympathetically: "Why would you attract such people? They're very cunning. Our police have cleared them out a few times, but they hide like tumors across the border, waiting for the heat to die down before coming back."
At this moment, Sun Wenli was in a state of panic: "Auntie, could you please help me call the police?"
The middle-aged man asked her, "Where's your phone?"
The phone was indeed in Sun Wenli's pocket, but for some psychological reason, she replied, "Uncle, I lost my phone while escaping just now; it must be up in the mountain. Please help me call the police! Once I'm safe, I'll definitely repay you!"
"Thunderbolt Mountain's signal is intermittent; we might not be able to make a call," he said.
"What should I do then?"
"Uncle, Auntie, what should I do? Please help me! I'll kneel down to you!" Sun Wenli was desperate; it was not easy to find someone willing to help her, and she needed to seize the opportunity.
The middle-aged man said, "We were originally going to gather firewood on the mountain. Since it's like this, we'll forget about the firewood and take you down the mountain first."
Upon hearing this, Sun Wenli nodded repeatedly, her face lighting up with joy: "Thank you, thank you, Uncle and Auntie!"
The middle-aged woman looked kindly at her: "Quick, let's go! We'll take you down the mountain, and then you can call the police. You're an outsider, and we're locals. We don't want to attract trouble or provoke these criminals. After we get down, even if you call the police, don't mention us, okay?"
Hearing their reassurance, Sun Wenli felt even more at ease and repeatedly promised, "Uncle, Auntie, you can rest assured. I swear I won't reveal a single word about you."
The man readily replied, "That's good. Running into us today is your lucky day, young lady. Otherwise, getting out of Thunderbolt Mountain would be quite difficult. Every year, at least eighty to a hundred hikers die on this mountain."
The more he said this, the more grateful Sun Wenli felt. She was lucky; her life should not end here!
Meanwhile, the live streaming room that she had momentarily forgotten was already buzzing with discussion.
Many people started to theorize: "What are the odds of meeting fellow townspeople in the dead of night? Does such a coincidence really exist?"
"The key point is that they're going up the mountain at this hour to gather firewood. I've never farmed or gone up a mountain, but I think this behavior is a bit inhumane. How can you gather firewood in the pitch darkness? Using a flashlight would just be a hindrance! Plus, Thunderbolt Mountain isn't a tourist spot; it's in an undeveloped area, and there are wild wolves, wild boars, tigers, leopards, etc. Aren't they afraid of being eaten by beasts?"
"Do you remember that guy named Xu Chao who was on the phone with the trafficker to arrange a handover? Doesn't that mean the trafficker is also on this mountain? This couple's appearance is too coincidental. Could they be the traffickers who arranged the transaction with Xu Chao over the phone?"
There will always be smart people who see through the foggy background. Both Xiang Wan and the viewers in the live streaming room could only see Sun Wenli's broadcast, which was pitch black, making it impossible for her to see the fate of these people through her special ability. Yet, she sensed that something was off. Going out to gather firewood at this hour was a flimsy excuse that could only fool a dazed Sun Wenli.
"I'm so anxious! We all know something's off, but how do we tell Sun Wenli?"
"Yeah, she just escaped one danger and fell into another trap."
"I'm just praying that Sun Wenli can wake up to the reality soon and not be tricked by the traffickers into unknowingly going to their destination!"
Thunderbolt Mountain was long and steep. Even this local middle-aged couple had to stop and rest frequently. Sun Wenli, on the other hand, struggled to keep her pace up. She walked while glancing back frequently, fearing that Xu Chao, that bastard, would come chasing after her again.
"Let's take a break," the middle-aged man said as he stopped, placing the basket he was carrying on the ground and fanning himself with his straw hat.
Even in the cooler mountains, walking for a long time made it impossible to avoid sweating profusely.
Although Sun Wenli was very reluctant to stop, she had nearly exhausted her strength, and with the danger approaching, her physiological response kicked in. "Uncle, Auntie, I need to use the bathroom. Please wait for me for a moment; I'll be quick."
This statement caught the middle-aged woman, who was rummaging through the basket for rope, off guard. She exchanged a glance with the middle-aged man, and upon seeing him nod slightly, she smiled and said, "Alright, go ahead. Just don't wander too far; there are still plenty of bears on Thunderbolt Mountain."
"I won't. I'll stay nearby. Auntie, do you see that pine tree over there? If anything happens, I'll shout for you."
"Okay," the middle-aged woman replied readily.
Sun Wenli jogged behind the pine tree, quickly taking care of her business, her eyes still vigilantly scanning the surroundings.
Suddenly, she remembered the phone in her pocket. She took it out immediately and, upon seeing the comments on the screen, her face turned even paler.
"Oh my god, sister, you finally remembered you're still live streaming?"
"This isn't right! It's late at night, and it's past eleven. Are you really going up the mountain to gather firewood or to feed bears? Wenli, you need to be more cautious; they're coming for you!"
Sun Wenli's voice trembled as she looked helplessly at Xiang Wan. "主播,我,他们..."
Xiang Wan understood what Sun Wenli wanted to ask: "I can't make a judgment about their appearance, but it's highly likely they don't mean well!"
"The safest option is not to travel with them. Find a way to get away. Be careful and remain inconspicuous; you may not have sensed the danger yet, but they've already regarded you as prey caught in their trap."