Chapter 26: The Little Troublemaker of the Seventies (26)

Ten minutes later, Liu Suisui regretted her actions.

A scammer pretending to have been hit by a car is merely a matter of poor character, an attempt to extort money. But a kidnapper is an entirely different story, because they are after your life.

As she was shoved into the dimly lit, windowless room, she finally realized that villains are a constant throughout the ages.

At the very beginning, the old woman had worn a kind, grandmotherly smile, allowing Liu Suisui to help her walk step by step toward the outskirts of town. It wasn't until they had turned through several alleyways, just as she was about to ask where the woman lived, that she spotted two men waiting at the mouth of the lane—men who looked anything but honest.

In a flash of insight, she had a sudden thought.

"Grandma, I just remembered I didn't turn off the gas at home, and my mom is calling me back because my grandma is giving birth to my dad. Goodbye!"

She left the woman stunned, unable to grasp what she had just said. But that hardly mattered. Once they had reached this point, did they really think they would let her escape?

Soon, the two men blocked her path to prevent her from running. To avoid unnecessary physical contact, she spoke quite calmly: "Don't touch me. I'll walk myself. Where to?"

The men were so taken aback by her cooperative attitude that they were momentarily confused.

"I don't like people touching me. Hurry up and tell me, which way?" she asked, glaring at them with impatience. She looked nothing like a victim.

Rather than running away, getting drenched in sweat, and gasping for air like an asthma patient, only to be caught and dragged back anyway, it was far better to be sensible from the start. By being decisive and skipping the struggle, she could at least keep her dignity.

The two men exchanged glances. One took the lead, while the other followed closely behind, terrified that she might bolt if he looked away for a second.

As they passed the old woman, Liu Suisui frowned and couldn't help but remark, "Old woman, how long has it been since you bathed? You reek."

The woman smelled strongly of age, but Liu Suisui had refrained from commenting out of respect for her elders. Now that the mask had fallen, there was no need for such restraint. She decided to get the last word in.

The old woman’s face twisted in an instant, her kindly facade shattering. "You brat, just wait until later. You'll get yours."

Just like that, she had fallen into a trap. And she had walked into it willingly. It just goes to show that when a girl is out on her own, she must protect herself. Sometimes, a cold demeanor is the best way to stay alive.

***

In the small, dark room, she was not alone; there were several other girls and children. Hearing the commotion, they peered through a sliver of light to see the new arrival, their eyes red from crying and filled with despair. Initially, there had been only one or two, but the number had grown steadily, and now there were seven or eight.

"I want to go home! Waaah..."

"Don't cry, they'll hit you. Stop, please, it hurts when they hit. Just stop crying."

There was no chance to cause a scene. This wasn't the city center, but there were houses nearby; if they made enough noise, they might attract attention. But the traffickers had their methods—a single shout of "it's just a family matter" was enough to keep the neighbors from daring to interfere.

Liu Suisui sighed, feeling that she must have forgotten to check her horoscope before leaving the house today.

"007, why didn't you tell me that old woman was trouble?"

"Host, if you couldn't tell, what makes you think I could?"

Can a system really be compared to a human? All they could do was calculate the values of mission targets.

"Sigh! I should have realized it sooner."

Who in their right mind goes out to buy groceries in the afternoon? Usually, people finish their shopping in the morning and then go out later to chat. But in the future, supermarkets sell groceries all afternoon. Her habitual thinking had led her into a blind spot.

She wondered if Li Xiangyang would be able to find her.

***

Elsewhere, Li Xiangyang had just returned from getting the steel registration stamp for the bicycle. He circled the area but couldn't find her anywhere. Thinking she might still be in the public restroom, he went outside and called out.

There was no response. It was as if she had vanished from his world, leaving no trace behind.

Had something happened?

He mounted his bicycle and searched the surrounding area several times, but he couldn't find her in any of the streets or alleys. His panic grew. He had never heard her mention any relatives in the city, and they had agreed to meet right there. Although they hadn't known each other long, he instinctively felt she wasn't the type to simply abandon someone and leave.

Gritting his teeth, Li Xiangyang pedaled toward the police station.

***

In that era, there was no such thing as waiting twenty-four hours before filing a report, so the police accepted it immediately.

"Don't panic. Tell me exactly what happened. Maybe she's just somewhere nearby and you happened to miss her," Officer Liu said, attempting to calm him before listening to his account.

The story was simple: he had just finished stamping the bike, and when he returned, she was gone. He thought she had gone to the restroom, but after calling for a long time, no one answered. Furthermore, a girl had come out of the restroom and scolded him for being a pervert, so he knew for certain the restroom was empty.

The situation was clear: she was missing, and likely kidnapped.

"My daughter is gone! Officer, she went out to buy things yesterday and hasn't returned! You have to help me, my daughter is missing!"

A woman’s heart-wrenching wail echoed through the station. She was crying loudly, her words clear to everyone. In any era, human traffickers are rampant, and their targeted schemes are often impossible to guard against.

"Please, don't worry. Tell me, where does your daughter go most often? Let's check those places first, shall we?"

Li Xiangyang listened from the side, his heart tightening. Everything seemed to line up. She had truly been taken by villains.

"Officer, my friend was just taken today. They must still be in the city; they couldn't have left yet. Please, send people to check the surrounding area—they might be hiding in some house."

With multiple cases overlapping, could it really be a coincidence? Officer Liu took the information seriously. If this was true, they needed to mobilize the force immediately.

"You're right, comrade. I'll get people together right now."

"I'm coming with you."

Meanwhile, in the small, dark room, Liu Suisui had walked in on her own accord, so she hadn't suffered any injuries. But she wasn't the type to sit around waiting for rescue. At any time, self-rescue is the best option.

"Hey, is anyone out there? I want to talk to you. Is anyone there? Let's make a deal!"