Chapter 30: Chapter 28 Self-Rescue in the Van Chapter 30: Chapter 28 Self-Rescue in the Van As soon as Kuang Tun’s voice fell, everyone who had originally been frightened hurried outside, one after another.
It wasn’t that they didn’t want to run away, but having been locked up here for several days without enough food and being drugged daily, their bodies were highly tense and weak. It was already quite an effort for them to even walk.
The girl walking at the very end wobbled unsteadily, clearly in physical distress.
After everyone had left, Kuang Tun picked up the two children from the ground and followed behind.
Liu Guobin was waiting just outside the cellar. As he watched the girls come out in line, his dark and ferocious gaze settled on each person, making everyone’s scalp tingle in the pitch-black night.
“Keep your wits about you and follow me. Don’t even think about running away! In these deep mountains and old forests, even if you scream your lungs out, no one will come to your rescue! Instead, you might be eaten by wild beasts!”
“If I catch anyone trying to escape, you won’t be able to bear the consequences!”
After intimidating everyone, Liu Guobin turned and walked toward the minivan.
The frightened girls, with tears in their eyes, fearfully followed him.
Liu Guobin opened the car door, gesturing for them to get in.
Inside the van, other than the driver’s and front passenger’s seats, all the other seats had been removed.
Jiang Ning lay there on the empty and dirty floor of the vehicle.
She kept her eyes closed, not moving an inch.
The first person to climb into the vehicle didn’t notice there was someone lying inside. When they accidentally touched Jiang Ning’s body with their hands, they became so frightened that their body went limp, luckily their mouth was sealed with tape so they couldn’t make a sound. Otherwise, a sudden scream that startled Liu Guobin and the others would have definitely resulted in a beating.
A glaring light shone in as Kuang Tun entered with a flashlight in his mouth, carrying the two unconscious children. His lecherous gaze fell on the girls climbing into the vehicle, waiting for everyone to get on before he carelessly threw the two children inside and then loudly shut the door.
This time Liu Guobin drove, with Kuang Tun sitting in the passenger seat saying ingratiatingly, “Brother Liu, I’ll take a nap. Wake me up when you get tired of driving later.”
“Mhm.”
Liu Guobin grunted in response.
The engine started slowly, and the minivan drove along the country road, swaying. The few girls sat huddled together, their faces pale and their bodies aching.
In the darkness, Jiang Ning, who had been keeping her eyes shut, opened them.
She gently moved her body, pulling her knees up to her chest and leaning slightly forward. Reaching into her socks along her calf, she took out a folding curved knife.
She had hidden a knife in each sock before she left home.
After Jiang Ning groped around and retrieved the folding curved knife, she fumbled for a bit, then started cutting the ropes on her hands.
The rope He Hui used to tie her was as thick as a pinkie, and Jiang Ning slowly cut through it in the dark.
Jiang Ning lay by herself on one side, while the other girls huddled together like small animals for warmth, curled up in a corner on the opposite side, seemingly asleep.
The fact that they didn’t sit close to Jiang Ning was actually good news for her.
That way, the slight movements Jiang Ning made wouldn’t be noticed by them.
Jiang Ning was the epitome of patience, with one hand tightly gripping the folding sickle, while her other hand moved back and forth, dragging the rope against the sharp blade.
The mountain roads were rugged, and the small van swayed back and forth. Occasionally, the sharp blade would pierce Jiang Ning’s delicate skin, sending waves of piercing pain from her arm. Yet, Jiang Ning’s expression remained unchanged, she did not utter a sound, continuing the motion with her hands.
Roughly ten minutes later, one of the ropes finally snapped.
Her hands relaxed, and her wrists, which had been bound, were free at last.
Without a word, Jiang Ning moved her wrists around, then slightly shifted her body to a more comfortable position and began to cut through the ropes binding her ankles with the sickened.
Once her hands were free, her movements became much easier. Coupled with the sharpness of the sickle’s blade, it took less than ten minutes to release the ropes on her feet.
Throughout the process, no one noticed.
Jiang Ning stowed the folding knife carefully and lay on the ground, waiting for the right moment.
Kuang Tun and Liu Guobin were both bulky men, and since the van was still on the move, it wouldn’t be safe for her to act rashly now.
As for untying the ropes of the other girls in the van, the thought appeared in Jiang Ning’s mind for just half a second before she pushed it away.
She had covertly observed that more than half of the girls in the van were underage and didn’t know how long they had been captured. They seemed to have a serious lack of strength in their steps, and after getting on the van, they were like sickly chicks, curling up in a corner without a stir.
The risk of being discovered by the two human traffickers in the van if she were to untie them was too great.
Jiang Ning clasped the rope that had bound her hands and feet tightly in her grasp. Since Kuang Tun had mentioned taking turns driving, there would likely be at least one stop along the way.
This stop would be Jiang Ning’s best chance to rescue herself and the others in the van.
Jiang Ning lay in the back of the van with her eyes closed, but her mind was alert, as though she was a predatory beast of nature lying in wait for its prey. The unpleasant smells around her had no effect on her.
Time ticked away, second by second. Jiang Ning didn’t know how much time had passed when Kuang Tun’s voice broke the silence inside the vehicle, “Brother Liu, can we stop for a moment? I need to relieve myself.”
Liu Guobin, not wanting to waste time, kept his foot on the gas, “There’s a bottle by your door; handle it in the van.”
Kuang Tun felt a bit embarrassed, “I was too happy after getting a call from my mother tonight, ate too much, I need to go for a big one.”
Liu Guobin frowned and braked impatiently, “Make it quick. I’ll drive for another hour and then it’s your turn.”
“Okay!” Kuang Tun responded and hastily grabbed some tissues from the van, got out quickly, and dashed into the nearby forest.
Jiang Ning’s eyes snapped open. She hadn’t expected her opportunity to come so fast.
Kuang Tun would be gone for at least a few minutes. Jiang Ning didn’t immediately move but waited patiently for a while longer instead.
In the driver’s seat, Liu Guobin took out his phone, fiddled with it, and then opened a short video.
The sound from the phone played aloud, and while Jiang Ning didn’t expect this pleasant surprise, she knew that when the situation was in her favor, she mustn’t act too hastily.
Muffled by the sound of the phone, Jiang Ning slowly sat up and crouched behind the driver’s seat.
Among the girls huddled together, one of them began to stir from her stupor. When she saw Jiang Ning, who was previously lying down, sitting up, she didn’t think much of it until she saw Jiang Ning slowly stand, her hands and feet unbound. The girl became subconsciously excited, her legs moved and accidentally touched some other objects in the van, creating a faint noise.
The sound was very faint, but Liu Guobin, who was engrossed with the short video, still heard it.