030 The So-Called General’s Demeanor
The next morning, the first thing Pei Ningle felt upon waking was the hunger in her stomach.
The girl rubbed her belly and subconsciously wanted to brush her teeth and wash her face, but when she walked into the bathroom and turned the faucet, she remembered that the water had long been shut off here.
She could only take a bottle of mineral water, rinse her mouth a few more times as a substitute for brushing her teeth, and then splash some water on her face as a substitute for washing it.
As for breakfast, she could only drink a few more sips of water, trying to fill herself up with water. This way, at least the feeling of hunger wouldn’t be so strong.
Then Pei Ningle came into the living room and saw Wang Heng still lying on the sofa, fast asleep.
The chirping of birds and insects came from outside the window, full of life, but it made the girl feel particularly melancholic. She could vaguely hear the sound of cars passing by, but the source of the sound was too far away, too far to hope for.
She sat on the armrest of the sofa, looking down at Wang Heng’s sleeping face. After a long while, the girl stomped her foot and made up her mind.
“I can’t just starve to death in here. Come on, trying a few more times won’t make things worse!”
Pei Ningle went to the window and pushed hard against the security bars outside. The thumb-thick iron bars were already rusty, but they were despairingly sturdy. She held her breath again and pushed outwards with all her strength, but they still didn’t budge.
Besides the window in the living room, the bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom each had a window as well. The bathroom window was too small to be considered, but the kitchen and bedroom windows also had security bars.
After fruitlessly testing them all with her hands, Pei Ningle started looking for tools in the house. However, it wasn’t long before she discovered that this house had been cleaned out quite thoroughly. Let alone something like a crowbar, she couldn’t even find a small knife or even a needle. Besides empty mineral water bottles, there was only some plastic trash and the like. It seemed there was nothing else…
After wandering around the house for who knows how long, the girl suddenly heard Wang Heng’s calm voice:
“What are you doing?”
Pei Ningle turned to look at him but didn’t see a hint of panic on his face. Seeing his expression, the girl’s mood also calmed down a little.
She said, “I’m looking for something that can break the window.”
Wang Heng smiled. “The reason Brother Song locked us in here is because he was sure we couldn’t get out. Even if there were originally usable tools here, he’s not an idiot. He would have definitely taken them away in advance.”
Pei Ningle retorted, “Then what’s your plan?”
Wang Heng: “Didn’t I tell you yesterday? We wait. He won’t dare to kill us anyway.”
“Just wait like this?” Of course, this answer couldn’t convince Pei Ningle. The girl, who had just calmed down a little, couldn’t help but widen her eyes again, her hands on her hips, looking like she wanted to get angry but had nowhere to vent her anger.
Of course, she understood that it was entirely her own fault for falling into this inescapable trap. Wang Heng had been dragged into it by her, and it was already quite decent of him not to be angry at her. But understanding was one thing; the pent-up frustration in the girl’s heart had nowhere to go, and it was really unbearable.
Seeing this, Wang Heng understood that it would be a bit unreasonable not to comfort her. So he took out his phone, made a shushing gesture, typed a few words on his phone, and then handed it to her.
Pei Ningle looked at the phone screen and saw a sentence written on the unsent text message page: 【Don’t make a sound. There are still listening devices in this room, but no more cameras, I’m sure of it.】
Meeting the girl’s questioning gaze, Wang Heng nodded with great determination.
Brother Song’s actions last night had, in fact, proven this point. The first sentence of the negotiation, “How do you know I won’t kill you,” was enough to prove the existence of the listening devices. And if there were still cameras, that guy wouldn’t have needed to try to negotiate at all.
Pei Ningle thought for a moment, took the phone, deleted the sentence, typed a few words, and handed it back.
【Then what should we do?】
【Don’t worry, I’ve already called the police.】
【When?】
【Yesterday afternoon. I told my friend to call the police if I didn’t contact her.】
Seeing this sentence, the girl finally let out a long sigh of relief, feeling much more relaxed.
But soon, she had a new worry. She leaned on Wang Heng’s shoulder and whispered in his ear, “Are you sure the police can find this place? It’s so remote…”
Wang Heng subconsciously shrank his neck and moved away.
Then he took back the phone, thought for a moment, and typed another sentence: 【When I called the police, I included the license plate number of that car. Don’t worry, the police will be able to find us in less than two days.】
Seeing this, Pei Ningle was on the verge of tears and almost bit Wang Heng’s ear. “You’re not lying to me?”
Wang Heng typed the word 【Of course】 on his phone. But before he could hand the phone over, he found that Pei Ningle had already hugged him. Finally seeing a glimmer of hope for rescue, the girl’s tears were about to overflow.
He found an excuse to get away, whispering in the girl’s ear, “I need to use the toilet. Let me go.”
Pei Ningle obediently let go and watched him go into the bathroom.
Wang Heng not only closed the bathroom door but also locked it from the inside. However, he didn’t actually relieve himself. Instead, he took the gray hamster out of his pants pocket, held it up in front of him, and was silent for a few seconds.
The hamster said in a thin voice, “There are no listening devices in the bathroom, don’t worry.”
Wang Heng asked in a low voice, “Were you scratching me in my pocket just now?”
Mr. Administrator raised his little head. “You’ve been in a predicament for so long. Why didn’t you ask me for help?”
“Because I didn’t think my life was in danger. That Brother Song has no stomach for bloodshed. A kid like Pei Ningle can’t see it, but I can. Rounding up my psychological age, I’m practically a thirty-year-old uncle.”
Wang Heng suddenly felt that it was a pity he didn’t smoke. Otherwise, if he lit one up now and blew out a puff of smoke filled with the vicissitudes of life, he might have the demeanor of a mature uncle.
At this moment, Mr. Administrator spoke again, “I have to admit, your judgment is correct. The police will arrive within the day.”
The smile on Wang Heng’s lips widened. “Have you ordained it?”
“Yes, I can give you a reminder. There’s no need to be so cowardly in the future. I’ve already told you that my spacetime authority is related to your life, so it’s impossible for me to sit by and watch you die. Whether it’s an amateur kidnapper like this time, or the girls you’ll encounter in the future, if there’s a real danger to your life, I will definitely remind you.”
Mr. Administrator patted its small chest. Its appearance was very cute, but as for how reliable its words were, there was no way to know.
Wang Heng didn’t argue with it, just nodded to show that he understood, then put it back in his pocket and genuinely used the toilet.
Since the water had long been shut off, the toilet’s flush button was just for show. Wang Heng used a bottle of mineral water to flush the toilet, washed his hands, and casually walked back to the living room while shaking them dry, and sat down.
Pei Ningle, who was beside him, couldn’t help but exclaim, “You’re really not nervous at all…”
Wang Heng smiled. “This is called a general’s demeanor.”
