She ran back without hesitation!
Sure enough, more than twenty masked men jumped down from the mountain at that moment!
They gripped machetes and iron clubs in their hands and charged straight at the fleeing Feng Miwan the instant they landed!
Feng Miwan glanced back at the scene, pushed off with her feet, and ran even faster!
Her stamina and speed were on full display in that moment, and surprisingly, none of them caught up to her.
She shouted at the three still by the car as she ran, “Get in the car!!”
Zhao Shutong saw Feng Miwan sprinting back like a madwoman, chased by a gang of knife-wielding thugs. “Miwan! What’s going on?!”
Ren Queyue immediately yanked open the car door. “Get in the car!”
But it was already too late!
The bandits were incredibly fast, and it was clear they had divided tasks efficiently.
Feng Miwan was almost back to the car, but there wasn’t enough time for everyone to pile in.
So she came to an abrupt stop, changed direction sharply, and leaped into the fields by the roadside!
She even turned back to yell, “Hey! You little punks! Come chase your granny if you’ve got the guts!”
The move worked instantly!
About ten bandits followed her into the fields, pursuing her relentlessly.
Feng Miwan used the tall corn stalks in the field for cover as she began her desperate game of cat-and-mouse in the wilderness, buying as much time as she could.
Xiong Yibai, who had been clearing things out of the cardboard boxes, witnessed the entire heart-stopping scene.
She quickly thought through her options, dropped the box, and bolted in the opposite direction from Feng Miwan—toward the mountain road behind the car!
Seeing this, most of the bandits split into two groups and chased after Xiong Yibai and Feng Miwan.
The remaining three bandits charged straight at Ren Queyue and Zhao Shutong!
“Tongtong, get in the car!”
Ren Queyue reacted swiftly, shoving Zhao Shutong into the back seat while positioning herself between the car door and the bandits.
One bandit’s machete came slashing down!
Ren Queyue dodged her head aside just in time; the blade struck the door frame. She seized the moment to slam the door shut and yelled to Zhao Shutong inside, “Lock it! Lock the doors now!”
Zhao Shutong tumbled onto the seat inside, dizzy and disoriented. She saw Ren Queyue in dire straits outside.
Another bandit reached for the door handle, and she instinctively hit the central lock!
“Click!” The doors locked tight!
Zhao Shutong scrambled to the window and pounded on the glass. “Queyue! Get in here!”
“Don’t worry about me! Stay in the car!”
Ren Queyue shouted back without turning, as the two knife-wielding bandits closed in from both sides.
She dropped into a crouch and rolled through the gap between them, putting some distance between her and her pursuers.
As Ren Queyue kept creating space, she tore a long strip from the hem of her pure cotton T-shirt under her jacket, wrapped it around her right hand and wrist, and tied it securely.
She had trained in boxing.
One bandit caught up and swung his knife again.
Ren Queyue sidestepped to evade the blade’s edge and smashed her right fist into the nerves on his knife-wielding wrist!
“Urgh!”
The bandit’s wrist went numb, and his machete nearly flew from his grasp.
Ren Queyue moved with agile boxing footwork, constantly shifting to avoid being cornered by the two.
She relied on her footwork and dodges, striking viciously at joints, ribs, and other weak spots whenever an opening appeared.
For a moment, the two armed bandits were thrown into disarray by her.
The bandits grew furious and attacked even more ferociously.
Meanwhile, the third bandit was frantically smashing the car window with his iron club.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
Fortunately, Xiong Yibai’s car was built tough; he couldn’t break it.
Inside the car, Zhao Shutong was frantic with worry as she watched Ren Queyue fight for her life outside.
She fumbled around in the car. Her phone? Calling the police would take too long!
She cursed herself for never learning any real self-defense skills!
Just then, she noticed the window-smasher had realized he couldn’t break in, so his attention shifted to the fierce fight on Ren Queyue’s side.
Opportunity!
Zhao Shutong timed it perfectly and shoved open her door with all her strength!
“Bam!”
The door edge slammed solidly into the bandit!
“Ah!”
Caught off guard, the bandit yelped in pain, lost his balance, and crashed to the ground. His iron club flew from his hand.
Zhao Shutong jumped out, kicked off one of her high heels, and as the bandit struggled to rise, she jammed the heel viciously toward his eye!
“Take that for smashing the car!”
“Argh—!”
The bandit let out a pig-like squeal, clutching his eye and writhing on the ground.
Zhao Shutong’s hands shook violently, but she had no time for fear. She grabbed a machete from the fallen bandit and shouted to Ren Queyue, who was now struggling against the two attackers:
“Queyue! Catch!”
She hurled the knife over!
Ren Queyue had just blocked a downward chop, her strength waning, when another blade thrust toward her ribs!
Hearing the shout, she rolled awkwardly to the side and snatched the thrown machete out of the air!
With a weapon in hand, the pressure on Ren Queyue eased a bit!
She parried the attacks clumsily, then kicked one bandit back. Panting heavily, she shielded Zhao Shutong behind her: “Stick close to me!”
But the situation remained dire.
Ren Queyue’s stamina was draining fast; her arm was bleeding from a wound, her movements slowing, her blocks growing labored.
The two bandits sensed her fatigue and pressed their assault harder.
Ren Queyue’s swings grew heavier. After one block, her knife nearly flew away, leaving her wide open!
one of the bandits spotted the gap and swept his iron rod at her legs!
At this critical moment—
“Stop!!”
Everyone turned toward the voice and saw Xiong Yibai charging from around the bend in the mountain road. Behind her trailed dozens of villagers armed with hoes, shovels, and pitchforks!
It turned out that ten minutes earlier,
As Xiong Yibai fled, she pulled out her phone and sent a voice message to Xiong Daichuan:
“Dad! We’re ambushed about ten minutes from Grandma’s house! Over twenty guys with knives! Hurry and bring backup!”
Right after sending it, a bandit hurled his machete at her back!
Xiong Yibai glanced back, ducked low, and rolled aside!
She scrambled up and kept running, knowing her stamina couldn’t match these desperate thugs. She had to find help fast!
Farmhouses dotted the roadside sporadically.
At the first one, she yelled while running, “Help! Anyone there? Help!!”
Silence from the yard.
At the second, she shouted again, “Help! Is anyone home?!”
Only echoes answered.
She called out at several houses along the way, but no one appeared.
The bandits’ footsteps grew closer; her energy was depleting rapidly, her lungs burning.
Was she really going to die here today?
No! She couldn’t give up!
Little Honey, Shu Tong, and Queyue were still waiting for her!
