Chapter 5 — The Flight of No Return

Almost everyone bore physical injuries. Some stared with hollow eyes, resembling lifeless puppets. Others were consumed by stark terror, huddled into themselves, completely devoid of vitality. A sharp pang pierced through my chest, dragging a heavy ache along with it. At the sight of those wretched women, the rest of the villagers fell into a deathly silence. In this modern era, widespread illiteracy regarding the law was rare; they knew very well that their actions were criminal, yet it had never crossed their minds that they would actually be caught. Now, with the evidence laid bare before them, they understood that escape was impossible. Every single one of their faces turned ashen.

As they were being led away, Phong suddenly turned his gaze toward me and broke down in desperate pleading.

"Shu, save me... I... I was forced by them! They used my parents to threaten me, forcing me to bring those women back. I never meant to harm you!"

"I beg you, believe me! For the sake of all our years together, please put in a good word for me, won't you?"

"Phong."

I stared intently into his face.

"When you opened the door for your father, I didn't see the slightest sign that you were being coerced."

"When you urged your father to act quickly, I didn't notice any reluctance from you either."

"When you tried time and time again to lure me back here, I certainly didn't feel like you were forced."

"Just a moment ago, when you believed I would never make it out alive, weren't you acting quite arrogant?"

A cold smile touched my lips.

"And as for the old days between us..."

"Can a creature whose heart is entirely rotten and driven purely by self-interest even bear to utter such words?"

"That's not how it was, Shu..."

His face turned deathly pale, and he opened his mouth to offer more excuses.

"Save your glib tongue and your ability to twist right from wrong for the judge."

I refused to spare him another glance. Supported gently by a female officer, I descended the mountain. Behind us, he collapsed into total ruin, screaming hysterically, but no one paid him any heed. The entire group of perpetrators was escorted into waiting police cars.

After I was admitted to the hospital, my parents rushed over in a panic. The sight of the injuries covering my body wrenched their hearts with anguish.

"You reckless girl, your courage grows bolder by the day!"

"How could you embark on such a massive plan and make such a grave decision without uttering a single word to your parents!"

My mother's eyes were red and swollen.

"Do you have any idea how nearly our hearts stopped beating the moment we heard the news?"

I hurried to comfort them.

"This was a confidential operation, I simply couldn't disclose it."

"Besides, didn't Uncle Liu guarantee my safety? You both can rest easy."

Hearing this only fueled my father's fury further.

"Don't even mention that damned Liu!"

"I treated him like a sworn brother, yet he used my daughter as a human shield! To send you into such a perilous situation without so much as a warning!"

"I am not finished with him yet!"

I was caught somewhere between amusement and utter helplessness, forced to patiently soothe their frayed nerves. The entire operation had been meticulously planned by Uncle Liu and me. Ever since I discovered that the disappearance of Hue was tied to Phong, and after hearing the silent screams of my own wandering spirit, I understood the reality all too well. In the remote mountain village where Phong lived, atrocities like this were certainly not isolated incidents. The women locked away in that living hell were definitely not just Hue and me. I wanted to rescue them. In doing so, I would also be rescuing the version of myself who once cried out to the heavens with no answer, and called upon the earth with no response.

I had taken the initiative to seek out Uncle Liu, telling him how widespread human trafficking had become in Phong's village and begging the police to intervene. This case fell outside Uncle Liu's jurisdiction, so he had coordinated with the local police. However, the outlook was bleak. These mountain villages were fiercely insular, a labyrinth of interconnected peaks and isolated settlements. Most of the villagers were bound by blood ties, and even the village officials were elected from among their own kin. Not only did they turn a blind eye to these crimes, but they actively shielded one another.

Furthermore, the mountain roads were perilously complex. Outsiders could never navigate them alone. To penetrate the mountains, the police desperately needed a guide. The local authorities were no strangers to the plague of human trafficking; they had previously formed investigation teams, hired local guides, and made multiple attempts to visit the village. But employing a local guide invariably meant leaking information beforehand. The villagers would be tipped off instantly, sealing every mouth shut. Even if someone deigned to speak, it would only be in empty, evasive platitudes. The local police had even resorted to forceful measures, storming residences in search of captive women. Yet every single time, they returned empty-handed. They suspected the villagers had been tipped off in advance and had quickly transferred the victims elsewhere. Lacking people and evidence, the police had even been slandered and reported by the villagers. With no concrete proof, their hands were tied. The situation had become an insoluble puzzle for the local authorities.

When Uncle Liu explained all of this, my hands and feet had turned ice cold. The depths of depravity in these small, forgotten corners of the world far exceeded the limits of human imagination. Without a moment's hesitation, I looked straight into Uncle Liu's eyes.

"I am willing to act as your guide."

At that exact moment, Uncle Liu had stared at me in stunned silence, right before I laid out the rest of my plan.