When it came to letting the hostages choose other hostages, the bald man felt extremely confused. “Boss Gui, why bother switching? This Ding Zimao’s family is pretty rich; we could get off to a good start…”
“Pick another.”
He fell silent, not pressing further. The guy in the leather jacket scratched his head, “Then who should we pick? Hey, Second Brother, go grab one!”
Lin Erde walked over, lifting each child one by one, picking and choosing as if he were buying meat at the market. Although Yi Shi’s expression remained calm, his eyes were fixed on each child Lin Erde picked up, with only one thought in mind: as long as it’s not Gu Lang, there’s a chance to change the situation…
Lin Erde walked past Gu Lang, who was still bleeding from his nose. Yi Shi’s eyes darkened, and his breathing slowed a bit. But in the end, his worry was for nothing. Lin Erde bypassed Gu Lang, tacitly eliminating him from the choice. Yi Shi’s heart settled down, though outwardly, he still maintained the same expression and the same gaze, as if he had been a statue for the past ten minutes, with no change in his expression or movements.
Just as Lin Erde picked up Gardenia, Tu Laogui spoke up, “Wait.”
Lin Erde was baffled and put Gardenia down. Tu Laogui walked over, picked up Gu Lang, who was still bleeding from his nose, and looked at Yi Shi. “Is it him?”
Yi Shi’s pupils shrank slightly, but he quickly suppressed any change in emotion, maintaining a composed gaze, as if it had nothing to do with him.
Tu Laogui tossed Gu Lang to Lin Erde, then squatted in front of Yi Shi, grabbing his cheeks with one hand and forcing him to raise his head. “I’m the type who can read people’s expressions. Back then, my wife swore she hadn’t cheated, but her eyelid twitched, so I knew she was lying and killed her on the spot.”
“Just now, you did the same—your eyelashes lowered, thinking no one would notice. But too bad, it didn’t escape my eyes.” Tu Laogui revealed a smug smile. “Trying to throw out some bait, thinking I wouldn’t take it? Hah, smart people outsmart themselves.”
Yi Shi was forced to raise his chin, his neck aching, and being so close to Tu Laogui, he could see even more unsettling things in his eyes—mood swings, paranoia, delusions, and… a bloodthirsty madness.
He truly was a born psychopath.
“Call this kid’s family and demand ten million. If they don’t pay within three days, kill him.”
Yi Shi bit down hard on the soft flesh inside his mouth, the faint taste of blood spreading without him even noticing. “…Why?”
“Because your eyes told me something was off.” Tu Laogui pointed at Gu Lang. “If you hadn’t pushed him out, I wouldn’t have been sure who was the best target.”
Yi Shi’s mind buzzed, the phrases “established facts” and “causal relationships” filling his thoughts.
Established facts couldn’t be changed. It was as if his presence as a prophet only served to reinforce them, making their formation even more logical.
—
As the first hostage, Gu Lang’s family received the kidnapper’s call and immediately chose to report to the police. The bald man, furious, dragged Gu Lang out, and he never returned.
The Hai Jing police were extremely busy. The day before, they responded to a kindergarten’s report and sent out the criminal investigation team, searching everywhere for the missing school bus. That evening, they received a report from Gu Lang’s family, stating that the kidnappers had called, saying their son was in their hands and demanding a ten-million-yuan ransom within three days, or they would kill him. Since there was no recording and the call was made using an internet number, there was no way to trace the kidnappers’ location. The police set up surveillance with tech personnel at Gu Lang’s home, moving in and out openly, which was noticed by the gang members keeping watch.
Thus, Gu Lang naturally became the “chicken” to serve as a warning. A budding youth, just beginning to blossom, was cut down before he could bask in the sunshine and rain.
His blood-stained school uniform jacket was thrown on the dirty ground in the cellar. The children huddled together in fear, the two teachers wept bitterly, and Yi Shi stared at the bloodied clothing, lost in thought, feeling an indescribable mix of anger and guilt.
He was enraged by the cold-bloodedness of these murderers and guilty because this child might have escaped death, but his presence inadvertently made him the perfect victim at the perfect time.
The bald man, wearing a sleeveless undershirt with bulging muscles on his arms, drew out a small knife from his waist and started playing with it. He paced back and forth in front of the hostages, his tone stern as he lectured, “Originally, we just wanted the money. Once we got it, we’d send you all back. But your heartless parents dared to call the cops?! Now look at what’s happened—they’ve pissed off the old ghost, and he’s already sent people to keep watch. If we find out anyone’s family goes to the police, we’ll kill them!”
The blade gleamed coldly, and if it weren’t for the tape covering their mouths, the cellar would have been filled with cries. The bald man seemed to enjoy watching the children’s terrified expressions. He squatted down and gently traced a little girl’s face with the tip of the knife. “Look at this soft, tender skin—must be treated like a princess at home, huh? Wonder if the food in the underworld will be as good!”
The little girl shook her head desperately, trying to dodge, terrified that the knife might accidentally cut her delicate skin. Next to her was Gardenia. Xiao Shitou’s throat went dry with tension, afraid the bald man would target Gardenia next. Yi Shi looked at the girl’s face, confirming that she was indeed the hostage who would die tomorrow.
This is a tragic story destined to happen.
In the end, the girl was dragged out by the collar of her clothes. Xiao Shitou sighed in relief as a shadow fell over him. He instinctively looked up and saw the man in the leather jacket standing in front of him, watching Yi Shi with an unkind smile. Yi Shi’s gaze was indifferent. The man in the leather jacket crouched down and showed him a bloody photo of a body stuffed in a suitcase: “See this? If his family behaves and listens, there won’t be these troubles. So you’d better be obedient and listen to me…”
The rough, calloused hand was stroking the slender legs wrapped in tight leggings back and forth. Yi Shi’s eyes remained calm, as if it were not his legs being touched. The bald man sneered at this, lazily crossing his legs, not caring. Lin Erde came down the ladder, seeing the man in the leather jacket was infatuated, and shouted: “The boss told you to pick a kid! What are you doing?! Hurry up, or I’ll get scolded!”
Reluctantly, the man in the leather jacket stood up and randomly picked up Xiao Shitou, wanting to see the woman’s reaction.
In the end, Yi Shi’s expression hardly changed from before. He looked at him quietly, his eyes calm. The man in the leather jacket thought he could see him panic and made a fool of himself, tossing Xiao Shitou back.
Xiao Shitou fell onto Yi Shi, his face buried in the soft object. Realizing where it was, his cheeks flushed red. His hands and feet were bound, so he could only wriggle and struggle like a caterpillar, taking a long time to roll onto the muddy ground.
Yi Shi noticed that the little boy’s ears were actually red and couldn’t help but chuckle. The sponge padding really could fool an adult man, and the young boy believed it without question.
The bald man held one, the man in the leather jacket held two, one on each side, both being the hostages who would die in three days. The rest were taken away from the cellar under the cover of darkness to another cave. Following their route, Yi Shi realized that Lin Erde indeed had some skills; once they entered Cheng’an Mountain, he moved like an armadillo, finding every secluded spot and getting to know the structure of the towering mountain thoroughly.
According to the case progress, the Haijing police were currently working around the clock, spreading a large number of personnel to investigate the school bus route, obtain surveillance along the way, and interview to confirm the identity of the kidnappers. The former took about a day because the zoo was far from the city, and Linjia Village was even more remote, located near Cheng’an Mountain. The sparse surveillance cameras along the way, with some deliberately damaged, meant that manpower had to be used to conduct interviews and investigations to initially determine the route.
Once Linjia Village was found, identifying the kidnappers was not difficult. Since these people only sought speed, not detail, and were too rough in their work, leaving clues everywhere, the fingerprints on the discarded suitcase quickly led to the identification of vagrants Chen and Wang, and eventually the notorious criminal Tu Laogui surfaced.
Initially, Yi Shi thought he was similar to Pang Daozi, both being somewhat clever but mainly impulsive, with an ordinary level of intelligence. He now realized that Tu Laogui had never hidden the fact that he was the mastermind; he even hoped that the police would quickly find out that this kidnapping case was his work, casting a shadow over the stable Haijing and satisfying his twisted sense of accomplishment.
They only entered the cave when it was dawn. The entrance was quite narrow, and adults had to bend over, gradually opening up after a few meters. Drip, drop, the water dripping from the cave ceiling fell on their heads. Yi Shi was oblivious, but Xiao Shitou, who was in a worse situation, felt the drops of water on his neck, sliding into his clothes along with the chilling winter air.
Yi Shi nudged Xiao Shitou with his elbow, indicating him to move in front. He would try to shield Xiao Shitou from the falling water. Xiao Shitou shook his head, seemingly unwilling to be underestimated or protected by a “woman,” and stubbornly puffed out his chest like a little man.
Lin Erde pushed from behind: “What are you dawdling for? Do you think you’re here for a vacation?!”
His push was strong, causing Xiao Shitou to stumble. Without Yi Shi blocking in front, he would have likely banged his head badly in the cave. Xiao Shitou steadied himself and glared angrily at Lin Erde. Yi Shi, however, kept a deathly gaze on Lin Erde, seeing him as a person who wouldn’t last long and thus stirred no waves.
The cave’s central area was quite large, with a high ceiling, but the humidity was excessive, with water dripping down constantly, echoing around. It was fine during the day, but at night, temperatures in the mountains dropped to below ten degrees, turning the water into ice. The children huddled together, shivering, with the only warmth coming from their dirty school uniforms, clustering together for warmth.
Yi Shi leaned against the rock wall, managing to free one of his bound hands. The rope binding him was loose and had already been undone.
Tonight, there were only three people in the cave: the bald man, Lin Erde, and a newly replaced dwarf. As long as he could find the right moment to seize a weapon, dealing with these three was not a problem. If he could escape, he would find a way to contact people, and everything would be resolved once there were people involved.
However, after the incident with Gu Lang, he was unsure how much of his ideal could be realized.
The guilt over Gu Lang still lingered in his heart. Yi Shi felt that it was his mistake that led to the child’s death. The children huddled together next to him, with the boy whose ribs were injured suffering from worsening fever, the girl Xuan Xuan whose ear injury got infected and caused the scalp to swell and pus, and the fat boy who had lost control and was wearing dirty clothes.
They were once precious to their families, but now, they had suffered all the hardships of decades.
With his eyes on these heart-wrenching scenes, how could he just sit and wait?
Yi Shi gritted his teeth, deciding to take another gamble. This time, he had to be extremely careful to break the curse of the established facts.
As time passed minute by minute, deep into the night, Lin Erde, yawning repeatedly as if possessed by a yawn bug, leaned against the cave wall, yawning endlessly. Soon, the dwarf caught the yawning infection, and both of them yawned together, their eyelids almost sticking together.
Only the bald man remained energetic. It was useless to scold the other two; usually, he would be out partying all night like a dragon, but when it came to work, he became as tired as a dog. Lin Erde touched his nose, and the dwarf dared not retort; it was clear that the bald man, aside from Tu Laogui, was the one who could most effectively intimidate them.
If one wanted to stay awake, they had to find some fun. Their eyes wandered around the three “women” in the cave. The real kindergarten teacher shrank back in fear, while Yi Shi, the fake, remained unmoved, with a hint of excitement in his eyes: the opportunity he had been waiting for had finally arrived.
The dwarf stood up and walked towards Yi Shi. Lin Erde reminded him, “Hey! That’s what the third one wants. If you touch him first, he’ll hold it against you!”
The third one was the man in the leather jacket, and the dwarf was the fifth. With a smug grin and an exceptionally lewd and disgusting appearance, the dwarf rubbed his hands together: “Hehe, we’re not doing anything, just touching.”
Lin Erde laughed and swore, making crude jokes, showing no concern for the impact on the children.
The dwarf crouched down, tugging at Yi Shi’s clothes in a manner similar to teasing a little wife. Yi Shi pretended to be shy, lifting his chin slightly in a feigned reluctance, his eyes glimmering like rippling water, softly asking, “There are too many people here… Can we go over there?”
The dwarf was momentarily stunned, then swore and felt a surge of heat in his lower abdomen. If he didn’t act now, he would be burned by desire. The other end of the cave was pitch black, and the dwarf untied the rope on Yi Shi’s feet, pulling him towards the dark interior. Lin Erde got up, “You really taking him in there? Didn’t you just say you’re going to touch him?”
“This woman is too alluring; I can’t resist.” The dwarf, turning into a lustful fiend, held a flashlight in one hand and pulled Yi Shi with the other, heading deeper into the cave. The bald man cursed him for being pathetic, then reminded him to hurry back once he was done.
The depths of the cave were even darker and quieter. The dwarf eagerly pushed Yi Shi to the ground. Yi Shi, like a boneless mass, pressed against the cave wall, pinching his voice and saying, “Help me take off my coat.”
The dwarf, inflamed with desire, eagerly started groping. Yi Shi cooperated, his fair and slender hands sliding inside the dwarf’s coat, lightly stroking him. The dwarf clicked his tongue, “Damn, the third one still thinks you’re a virtuous woman. What a fool!”
Yi Shi smiled faintly, his hand reaching into an inner pocket and finally touching what he wanted.
The dwarf, focused on peeling off half the clothing, didn’t notice the sharp, cold blade pressing against his neck, emitting a chilling light.
“Remove one of my clothes, and you’ll lose a layer of skin.”
The dwarf’s eyes widened, feeling both frustrated and angry. He cursed himself for being careless and falling for this woman’s trick. Did she really think she could escape just by grabbing a knife? How naive! If he shouted, the bald man would come immediately and take her down!
“Come…!”
As he began to shout, his mouth was covered tightly, and a needle-like pain pierced his neck, with warm liquid flowing out. The dwarf’s face changed dramatically as he realized the hot and bloody liquid was coming from his own neck.
“If you don’t want to die, keep quiet,” Yi Shi whispered in his ear.
The dwarf nodded repeatedly, the knife’s tip piercing his skin, threatening to reach his artery. He dared not disobey. Yi Shi slowly removed his hand, gripping the dwarf’s right shoulder. With some technique, there was a faint, muffled sound at the joint, and the dwarf’s face turned pale as his mouth was quickly covered again, muffling his scream.
“Find a way to lure Lin Erde over,” Yi Shi said coldly.
The dwarf’s entire right arm hung weakly, trembling and nearly crying, “I, I, I’ll call him over for a 3P…?”
“Do as you wish.” Yi Shi pressed the small knife slightly forward, “If you say anything wrong, you’ll face the consequences.”
Sweat dripped down the dwarf’s forehead; this woman was ruthless, even dislocating his joint! Pretending to be a delicate flower, she was actually a poisonous vine. What was she really…
Suddenly, the dwarf’s eyes fixed on the part of Yi Shi’s neck covered by the black high-necked top. Was that… an Adam’s apple?!
“You, you’re a man?” The dwarf’s eyes were filled with tears.
Yi Shi glanced over, too lazy to respond.
Now the dwarf really wanted to smash his head against the wall. Were the others outside blind? They had captured a cross-dressing transvestite and hadn’t even noticed!
To save his life, the dwarf took a deep breath and shouted, “Second brother, come here!”
His shout echoed through the cave, and Lin Erde quickly responded, “What’s up!”
The dwarf glanced at Yi Shi, closed his eyes, and went all out: “This woman is too provocative; I can’t handle her alone!”
Yi Shi: “…”
“Hahaha, usually boasting so much, refusing to take medicine, now you’ve shown your true colors!” Lin Erde’s hearty laughter and footsteps approached, “Let me show you the bravery of second brother!”
Yi Shi held his breath, clutching the dwarf, waiting for Lin Erde’s arrival. Suddenly, the cave shook violently with a heavy rumbling sound. Lin Erde, halfway there, screamed, “The mountain god, the mountain god is angry!”
What mountain god’s anger? It was just an earthquake. Haijing, bordered by the sea on one side and mountains on three sides, wasn’t on the main seismic belt, but occasional small quakes happened. The magnitude was low, and residents living at the foot of the mountain only felt minor shaking.
Yi Shi had to brace himself against the cave wall to stabilize his position, which gave the dwarf the opportunity he needed. The dwarf suddenly pushed Yi Shi away and scrambled towards the deeper part of the cave. Yi Shi was stunned. Was this person stupid or foolish? Didn’t he realize he was running in the wrong direction?
After only about ten seconds of shaking, the cave returned to calm. Yi Shi confirmed there were no aftershocks and slowly stood up. He turned on the flashlight that had fallen on the ground, and the dwarf had long since disappeared, leaving a trail of disordered footprints.
“Dwarf! Come out! It’s an earthquake, and you’re still thinking about that stuff!”
The bald man’s shout came, and Yi Shi was devising his strategy. He was unfamiliar with the cave, and the depths might be a dead end or another exit. What mattered was whether his choices here would affect the established facts.
The bald man and Lin Erde shouted several times, but Yi Shi ignored them. He was contemplating his strategy, and about five minutes later, the voice turned into that chilling, eerie tone: “If you don’t come out in one minute, I’ll kill that female teacher.”
Yi Shi’s expression changed. The female teacher’s pleas for mercy were heard: “Please, please don’t kill me! I’ll be good and listen, I’ll go with you! I won’t meddle in things! I’m just a worker!”
Yi Shi picked up the flashlight and ran deeper into the cave. The deeper he went, the more intense the dampness became, and the stench of decay from long-standing stagnant air hit him. He frowned, almost certain that the path ahead was not an exit but a dead end.
He was looking for the dwarf and needed to find a way to silence him. Suddenly, the white light illuminated a shadow huddled on the ground. Yi Shi crouched down and recognized from the silhouette that it was the dwarf, lying like a gecko on the ground.
The person who had been lively just moments ago was now motionless, face down. Yi Shi pushed him a few times with no response. His hand reached to the dwarf’s neck, and his expression turned grim as he quickly turned him over. The flashlight revealed that the dwarf’s right forehead to temple was covered in blood, mixed with grayish-white brain matter. His eyes were slightly closed, mouth half-open, and his pupils had dilated.
The dwarf was dead.
Yi Shi scanned the narrow passage and soon found the cause of death—a conical rock on the slanted ground in the distance. The tip was broken, with skin flakes and bloodstains on the broken surface. The dwarf had been running around in the dark cave and, by a stroke of misfortune, had fallen and died on the rock. It seemed that perhaps the mountain god really was angry and had taken his life.
“Ah!”
The female teacher’s scream echoed from afar. Yi Shi hurried to clean up the mess, disheveling his wig and draping the clothes over his shoulders. He also ripped two slits in his leggings, making it look as if he had been thoroughly violated. He wiped the dagger he had taken from the dwarf clean and hid it in his clothes.
He braced himself against the cave wall and slowly emerged from the pitch-black shadow. The bald man charged over: “Where is the dwarf? Why hasn’t he come out?!”
Yi Shi pointed to the depths of the cave. The bald man signaled to check, and the female teacher, kneeling on the ground, had her hair pulled by the minions, with the tip of the knife already piercing her tender neck, blood gushing out. Yi Shi’s brows twitched. As expected, if he had been stubborn and stayed hidden, the female teacher would have indeed become a victim.
After a while, the bald man returned, looking a bit unsettled: “… The dwarf is dead.”
