A More Sinister Conspiracy than Scamming for Compensation

Though they had been talking for over ten minutes, it had really only been a short while. They quickly arrived at the old woman's home. It was a small one-story house with a courtyard. Upon pushing open the wooden door, Su Yijia saw a reclining chair in the yard and decided to help the old woman to it. However, just as she took her first two steps into the courtyard, the door suddenly slammed shut.

Su Yijia attempted to turn back, but the old woman reached out, trying to grab her arm. However, Su Yijia was prepared and evaded her grasp. She quickly turned around, taking a few steps backward.

Biting her lip, Su Yijia gazed at the three men blocking the door and the old woman who had straightened up. Although the old woman's complexion remained pale, there was no sign of weakness in her entire body. Her yellowed eyes gleamed with sinister intent.

"Girl, you're in our hands now. It's best to cooperate honestly; perhaps things will be better for you in the future," the old woman threatened.

"What do you mean by 'better for you'?" Su Yijia regained her composure and calmly inquired. She noticed a rusty firewood chopper nearby and discreetly moved closer to it. However, from the perspective of those people, the firewood chopper was partially concealed by the reclining chair.

"We'll find a relatively good family for you," the old woman patiently replied.

However, the three men were less patient. "You brat, stop the nonsense and hand over the money you have on you, or don't blame us for getting rough," one of them said.

Su Yijia sighed inwardly. She was just a cannon fodder supporting character, not even an important one. Wasn't this kind of ordeal supposed to be reserved for the female lead? How did she end up in this situation?

Suddenly, taking advantage of the moment when those people were unprepared, she used her toe to pick up the firewood chopper and gripped it firmly in her hand. Her quick and clean action made the expressions of the four of them turn serious.

"Xu, why did you pick such a tough nut?" one of the men complained.

The old woman glared at him irritably. "Do you think there are so many lone girls on the road? We purposely chose a less frequented path. If we weren't leaving tonight, I wouldn't have been lying under the sun for over two hours. Besides, I just pressed all my weight onto her. Helping me over here would have exhausted her long ago. How much strength do you think would be left?"

This was her method to deceive and trap several helpless young girls. Otherwise, how could they have succeeded so smoothly?

The three men had no choice but to look at Su Yijia menacingly once again.

"You brat, do you think you can fight us with a firewood chopper? Have you ever used a knife? Are you brave enough to use it? Don't end up injuring yourself. If your skin gets damaged, good families won't want you anymore, and we'll have to marry you off to the poorest and most ruthless man."

"You talk too much," Su Yijia said while firmly holding the firewood chopper.

Seeing that she was unwavering, the three men sneered and grabbed some sticks from the side before charging at her.

Su Yijia tilted her waist, leaning back to avoid three wooden sticks aimed at her face. As she stood back up, she swung the firewood chopper horizontally at one of the men.

Until it was deeply embedded in his flesh, they had never expected that a seemingly slender girl would act so viciously. If it weren't for the bone in the way, it might have injured his internal organs.

Without waiting for them to react, Su Yijia raised her foot and kicked the injured man out. Then, with a swift swing, she aimed for the other man's neck.

The man's widened pupils reflected fear as he shifted his body just enough to narrowly avoid a fatal blow. Still, his shoulder bore a deep gash.

"Ugh!" Su Yijia's back took a brutal hit from the uninjured man's stick.

Although the assailant had initially aimed for her head, the fierce wind gave away the stick's impending strike. Su Yijia had no time to dodge, so she moved forward slightly, allowing the stick to strike her back. Simultaneously, she pushed forward with the strength in her hands, driving the stick deeper into the man's body.

Pulling out the firewood chopper, Su Yijia turned around and delivered a powerful kick to the man's knee.

With no restraint in her strength, one kick could easily shatter the man's kneecap.

After a high-pitched scream akin to a pig's squeal, she didn't stop there. She delivered another brutal kick to the man's abdomen.

The pain rendered the man unconscious, and only then did Su Yijia, with a cold expression, turn her gaze toward the now bewildered old woman.

The old woman trembled and attempted to flee.

Su Yijia closed the gap in three swift steps and kicked the old woman on her lower back.

The extent of her injuries remained uncertain, but she was left incapacitated on the ground.

Picking up the discarded hemp ropes nearby, Su Yijia proceeded to bind the hands and feet of all four of them.

She searched their bodies, and unlocked the door that had been sealed shut by the keys found in their pockets.

Inside, she found several girls aged seventeen or eighteen, as well as two boys aged three and five, and all of them were tied up.

Upon seeing the blood-dripping firewood chopper in her hand, they let out terrified muffled screams. However, thick pieces of cloth gagged their mouths, muffling their voices.

"Don't be afraid; I was lured here as well. But they are no match for me, and they've all been subdued and tied up," Su Yijia reassured them as she cut the hemp ropes binding them using the firewood chopper.

They hastily removed the cloth gags from their mouths and clung to each other, sobbing loudly.

Su Yijia was overwhelmed by their noise, but she couldn't afford to be too harsh, fearing it might further terrify them.

After waiting for a while and seeing that they still couldn't calm down, Su Yijia could only speak with resignation, "Please don't cry anymore; you're all safe now. I need to go to the police station to report this. Are those four people part of a larger group? Will it be safe for you to stay here?"

"No, there are no more of them! We're definitely safe," the dirty little boy replied crisply.

The girls immediately gave him a stern look before turning their attention back to Su Yijia. "You can't report it to the police! We can't let anyone know we were abducted; otherwise, our reputations would be tarnished and we'll never be able to get married."

Although Su Yijia felt some annoyance at their attitude, she also understood the importance of a woman's reputation at this moment.

"So that's why I asked you to stay here and keep an eye on those people. I'll call the police. You can explain the situation here discreetly, and then leave quietly. In that way, no one will know," she said.

But the girls simply didn't accept her arrangement. "Are you sure no one will know just because you say so? You were abducted too, just go tell the police what happened; why do we have to testify?"

"Yeah! Even without us, they kidnapped you, and they're still human traffickers."

Su Yijia noticed that they showed no gratitude towards her and instead seemed pushy, which furrowed her brow further. However, as a woman, she understood their fear very well. She also knew that they might lose trust in people and become more self-centered because of their traumatic experience. It was a normal aftermath of such an ordeal. So, she suppressed her temper and didn't get angry.

"If you don't want to testify, then go ahead and leave," Su Yijia sighed.

The girls, who had just been confrontational moments ago, suddenly fell silent. An awkward expression appeared on their faces as they exchanged glances.