Chapter 48: A Passionate Confession
It wasn’t entirely impossible.
After all, with the Space available, she could leave this den of wolves at any time.
But what should she do after rescuing them?
If the elderly couple happened to wake up, she couldn’t just tell them she had stormed the enemy’s stronghold to save them, could she?
Regardless of how far-fetched that reason might sound, their first reaction would definitely be that she was lying.
No other reason—she was too young. So young that just by looking at her face, one could tell she possessed little combat prowess.
With this frail, delicate body, how could she possibly rescue them from within the gang’s headquarters…
Thinking further ahead, they might even start suspecting some conspiracy and scheming.
In short, the subsequent chain of reactions would definitely not be positive.
But if she didn’t follow them, there would be no way to track this group’s whereabouts.
Like a clay ox entering the sea—finding them later would be like searching for a needle in the ocean.
After weighing the pros and cons, Shen Yi’an decided to follow them.
As long as she pinpointed the gang’s hideout, she could still report to the police in time to arrest them.
Having made her decision, she controlled the Space and followed behind the members of the ‘Axe Gang’ as they moved forward.
Before they had even covered a kilometer, she noticed the group ahead changing their route.
The group, who should have been walking on the main road, were now crouching and sneaking into a denser part of the forest, soon disappearing behind the lush greenery.
Sensing something amiss, Shen Yi’an maneuvered the Space closer.
As soon as she moved near the tree where someone was hiding, she overheard hushed discussions.
“Hey, is your idea really going to work? What if that person didn’t follow us?”
“I’m just the one suggesting the plan. The final decision is up to the boss.”
“That makes sense. If the boss hadn’t listened to you, we wouldn’t be here right now.”
“Enough talk. Let’s just see if it works in a moment.”
Hearing this, Shen Yi’an understood what these people were plotting.
So, since they couldn’t find the ‘sneak attacker,’ they decided to ‘lure the snake out of its hole.’
If there really was someone hiding in the shadows, they might indeed be fooled by this act.
Because these people hid quickly enough and chose their hiding spots well enough.
If anyone were actually following them, they’d be captured in no time.
Unfortunately, as the sneak attacker herself, she had already followed them inside the Space.
Not only had she followed, but she had also overheard their plan.
So, their scheme was destined to fail.
Now that she knew their intentions, Shen Yi’an didn’t want to waste any more time. She decisively controlled the Space to move toward the elderly couple’s location.
After rescuing them, she still needed to return home. Any later, and it would cause internal family conflict.
After all, it was her father who had allowed her to drop off the couple and then wander around the Seed Market area.
When she found the elderly couple, they were placed at the base of a thick, sturdy tree.
Not lying flat, but leaning against the tree trunk.
No one was guarding them, likely because they weren’t worried that the unconscious pair would wake up and run away on their own.
Watching the last traces of sunset fade from the horizon, the outside world gradually darkened.
Taking advantage of the waist-high grass and bushes around her for cover, Shen Yi’an swiftly emerged from the Space.
She hid behind the tree for a few minutes, confirming that the hushed discussions behind her were still ongoing and no rustling footsteps could be heard. She knew her appearance hadn’t alerted anyone.
Just in case, before taking action, she first crouched behind a large tree and peeked out.
Making sure she hadn’t attracted anyone’s attention, she quickly took out the pills she had made earlier in the Space and stuffed them into the mouths of the elderly couple.
Well, due to the lack of proper pill-making tools, the pills only looked like pills in shape—in reality, they were as bumpy as a hedgehog.
Fortunately, their effectiveness was guaranteed.
Worried that the elderly couple might choke if they swallowed them directly, she thoughtfully fed them a few sips of Spirit Spring Water.
Within five minutes, the elderly couple, who should have been unconscious with their eyes tightly shut, showed signs of waking up.
Seeing their brows furrow and their heads begin to sway slightly, Shen Yi’an knew they were about to make noise.
Before the two could open their eyes, she quietly leaned in and whispered, “If you’re awake, don’t open your eyes yet. Listen to me.”
Seeing their trembling eyelids suddenly grow still, she knew they had heard her.
Without wasting time, she explained the current situation.
At the end of her explanation, she added, “…I don’t know how long these people will stay here. All I can do is wake you up first.”
“In a moment, I’ll go out and distract them. You two should seize the opportunity to run as far as you can.”
“Don’t look back, and don’t worry—I can protect myself.”
After getting up to leave, she quickly turned back and squeezed the elderly couple’s hands.
“I’ve seen you two on the news before, and I even went to Jingshi to study in hopes of meeting you.”
“Maybe I was just unlucky, and that dream never came true.”
“But meeting you two here is truly fortunate, so I hope even more that you can escape this danger safely.”
After this passionate confession, she uttered the words “goodbye” and disappeared behind the large tree.
Hearing the young girl’s voice fade away, the elderly couple, with their eyes still tightly shut, silently squeezed each other’s hands.
Though no words were spoken, they could guess what the other was thinking.
Neither had expected someone in a northern city like Lancheng to recognize them.
Remembering the young girl’s final warning, they remained anxious but kept their eyes closed, fearing that acting on emotion might ruin everything.
After a brief wait, a clear voice rang out from the front.
“You kidnappers, how dare you abduct elderly people!”
“I’m not afraid of you! I’m going to report you to the police!”
“I saw you—I saw you hiding behind the big tree!”
“Just you wait, the police will be here soon!”
As the voice fell, footsteps could be heard sprinting toward the road.
Seeing this, the members of the “Axe Gang,” who had been waiting for a long time, could no longer hold back.
They had been hiding in the woods to capture people, and now that someone had revealed themselves, they couldn’t let the opportunity slip.
With a cold snort, the leader of the Axe Gang waved his hand behind him.
“Everyone, chase after them!”
“Don’t let them get away!”
“Daring to provoke us—looks like they’ve got a death wish.”
At his command, the gang members hidden in the dense woods swarmed out in pursuit.
Only the gang leader, walking at the very back, glanced back at the elderly couple leaning against the large tree before joining the chase.
Founding heroes who had been on the news?
Hah, so what!
Now that they were in his hands, even if they weren’t stripped of flesh, they’d lose a layer of skin.
Wiping the smirk off his face, he turned and followed the others, muttering curses under his breath.
“Damn it!”
“A little wench dares to provoke us? Truly ignorant of life and death!”
“Once we catch her, I’ll show you how I deal with her!”
The curses faded into the distance, and the footsteps gradually weakened.
The elderly couple leaning against the tree knew immediately that the people around them had been lured away.
Having been active on the battlefield for many years, they understood better than anyone the difference between having people around and being alone.
They dropped all pretense. The moment they opened their eyes, they helped each other up and began observing their surroundings.
“Where have they taken us?”
“Looks like the road leading into the city?”
Hearing the certainty in his companion’s tone, the old man scanned the surroundings and nodded.
“Right, this is indeed the road into the city.”
“Let’s not just stand here. We should move quickly.”
“Don’t let the young girl’s good intentions go to waste.”
At this, the old woman’s voice carried deep concern, “But your arm…”
“It’s nothing!” The old man casually moved his uninjured arm.
“Even days under heavy artillery fire couldn’t take me down. What harm could come from just sleeping in the grass?”
The old woman seemed to want to say more, but ultimately remained silent as she followed the old man in another direction. Soon, they disappeared into the vast wilderness.
Meanwhile, the young girl they had been speaking of had already concluded her dog-walking activity and slipped into the Space.