Chapter 159: A Car Chase and Gunfight on the Mountain Road

Half an hour later, a car was speeding towards the village chief’s house. The driver was the cousin from the little girl’s aunt’s family. She was a woman in her thirties with long red hair, a noticeable scar across her face, and a cigarette hanging from her lips as she cursed, "That little brat isn't answering the phone!" A man sitting beside her commented, "Maybe she fell asleep and her grandpa took her phone away." The woman smacked him while still driving, "Are you stupid? Why wouldn't grandpa answer the phone? And Sol isn't answering either! Something must have happened!" The man, holding his cheek, didn’t dare respond. The woman’s eyes were fierce. "Call Andrew and ask if any strangers have come into the village!" The man quickly made the call. "What? No strangers in or out?" "Only Auntie drove someone out? What was she doing?" The woman listened, her face growing darker. Finally, she snatched the phone, "Get someone to stop them right now! How long has it been?" "What? Half an hour?" "Andrew, you must have a death wish!" Cursing, the woman stomped on the gas, the car hurtling towards the village chief's house at top speed. As soon as she got out of the car, the woman knew something was wrong. The gate to the village chief's house was wide open, and there was no sound of movement or conversation from inside. She and her men rushed in, finding the little girl lying on the floor. Her wrist still bore the positioning bracelet, neatly placed in her room. This was why the woman hadn’t come looking sooner. She’d assumed the child was just being naughty and had her bracelet taken away. After all, the signal had stayed in the girl’s room. But after a few more minutes, the woman realized something was wrong. If the girl was in her room, there was no way she wouldn’t answer the phone! So, she started calling the village chief, his wife, and Sol. She even called Edward, who she usually couldn’t stand. No one answered! That’s when the woman knew for sure something was wrong. “I’m going to kill them and feed them to the dogs!” she roared, flipping over a table in her rage. The five or six men around her didn’t dare make a sound. Finally, when she seemed to calm down a bit, one man cautiously asked, "Sis, should we sound the alarm?" The woman shot him a deadly glare, "Idiot!" The man quickly ran to the dining room and pulled the alarm. As the alarm blared, Mag, who was lying under the backseat, clutched Irene, trembling violently. She had heard this sound many times before. Mag had once tried to escape, even making it out of the mansion and spotting Saroyan. That day, Saroyan had been on patrol. Without a word, he grabbed her and threw her into the holding area. All along the way, dirty men had made lewd comments about Mag and Saroyan. Later, Mag and the other imprisoned girls had been forced to watch as the dogs tore a person apart. That was when Mag started to lose touch with reality. If Irene had known this, she would have told Mag that her body was protecting her by automatically forgetting those traumatic events. Mag had tried to escape many more times after that. Almost every time, it was Saroyan who saved her. The most outrageous attempt was when Mag escaped and ended up at Meg’s house. Meg was about to call people to beat her and drag her back when Saroyan walked in, sat her down at the table, and had her eat. Meg had been suspicious of Saroyan, but he hadn’t explained anything. From that day on, Mag lived in Saroyan’s room. That was why Mag trusted Saroyan so much. Without him, she would have already ended up as dog food. Hearing the nightmare alarm again, Mag could only think of Saroyan and the kiss they shared that night. Irene quietly observed the village chief's wife. Her expression was clearly becoming hesitant, and her hands trembled. The villagers in this area were all from elite farms, with large properties. Even after driving for so long, and with some delays, they were still circling within the village. But up ahead was the final exit of the village. The guard at the entrance hadn’t received any news. He came out to stop the car, leaving his phone inside, missing Andrew’s call. After the village chief’s wife put on another show of anger and got the guard to let them through, he muttered to himself as they drove away, “That old bat’s temper is getting worse.” But when he got back inside, his face paled. He saw over a dozen missed calls on his phone. The guard ran out, started his car, and sped after Irene and the others. Etta, watching through the rearview mirror, saw the car chasing them. He leaned out of the window, his forehead covered in sweat. Closing one eye, he grimaced in pain as he aimed his gun at the pursuers’ tires. A slender, strong hand gently lowered Etta’s. He turned to see Irene beside him, her long hair brushing against him. The next second, a gunshot rang out, and the tire of the pursuing car deflated. The screech of brakes filled the air. Etta stared at Irene in disbelief. She had just hit a moving target at 100 km/h with precision! This girl was full of secrets. But when Etta looked at Irene’s fingers, he was puzzled again. Those hands were too perfect, with no calluses from shooting or fighting. Etta’s gaze darkened. He said, "Thank you." Irene knew he had been scrutinizing her, but in his condition, there was no way he could have taken that shot. His shoulder injury wouldn’t have withstood the recoil. He could have fired, but it would have meant never being able to shoot again. Irene admired resilience and didn’t want to see someone with such potential lose it. Even if it raised suspicion, it didn’t matter. She was confident that this man, even if he sensed something, had no proof. Her record was clean. And besides, he was in the military, a man of principle. Without evidence, they wouldn’t act like the mob and take someone out on suspicion alone. The car drove to a holding area five miles outside the village. It was in a small gorge. The village chief’s wife opened the door to the basement, and with a flashlight, Irene saw the scene inside. There were indeed many girls huddled together. When they heard the door open, they flinched in fear, clinging to each other. The sight made Irene’s heart ache. Etta spoke in a deep voice, "Don’t be afraid. We’ve notified the military. You’ll be rescued soon."