Chapter 173

Chapter 173

Yi Tiantian's silent plea had no effect on the few people outside, as they had already started walking forward.

The pregnant woman on the ground continued to lie there in apparent pain, waiting for the attendant and Director to reach her.

But just as the attendant and Director reached the pregnant woman, something unexpected happened. A group of kidnappers wearing black hoods and black clothing rapidly emerged from the surrounding woods.

The kidnappers moved so swiftly that it was almost impossible to react in time.

Yueyue and Yangyang, who had been ready to call the police, already had their hands on their phones but stopped the moment before dialing when a dark gun barrel was pointed at their foreheads.

Their actions halted in an instant.

"Damn it, why didn't the system mention that they were armed as well?!"

"Well, now it's clear that a direct confrontation with them is out of the question!"

In that moment, cold sweat formed on Yi Tiantian's forehead as he realized he had completely underestimated the strength of these kidnappers.

Fortunately, he wasn't completely unprepared, as he had an additional emergency backup plan outside of the calling the police plan.

Since Yi Tiantian was sitting in the back row, the kidnappers at the front with guns pointed at everyone hadn't noticed his fingers moving quietly.

"If anyone moves again, my bullets won't have eyes!"

A menacing voice echoed through the bus.

At this point, one of the masked kidnappers began moving toward the rear of the bus, still holding a gun, causing everyone to hold their breath.

The elementary school students on the bus, though afraid to speak, had wide eyes filled with fear.

Some of the younger kids, not fully understanding what was happening, even pointed at the guns in the kidnappers' hands and exclaimed innocently, "That's so cool!"

Older children, like Xiaoming, realized the danger and instinctively took a defensive posture, their eyes filled with caution towards the kidnappers.

The driver, sitting at the front, immediately raised his hands. Though he knew his bus was full of innocent elementary students, he didn't dare confront over a dozen armed kidnappers by himself.

As for the pregnant woman, having completed her task of attracting the attendant and Director Liu, she transformed from her pained act. She sprang to her feet, ripped off the fake pregnancy pad, and pulled out a black handgun, aiming it at the two who had rushed to help her.

"If you want to live, you'll do as I say next!"

Her previously pained expression vanished, replaced by a cold, merciless gaze as she aimed the gun at them.

The attendant, still in shock, hadn't fully processed what was happening when the once weak pregnant woman morphed into a cold-blooded killer before her eyes.

"What are you planning to do?!"

The attendant asked in shock, but her answer came in the form of the black gun barrel drawing closer and the cold, merciless, almost mocking smile on the female killer's face.

"All of you deserve to die!"

Her voice was as cold as ice, devoid of any warmth or emotion.

The attendant's face turned pale as she realized the truth.

The person in front of her was not a pregnant woman at all—she had encountered a truly dangerous individual!

Director Liu, who had been filming, stopped and stood beside the attendant. He raised both hands and dropped the camera to the ground.

The female killer saw Director Liu's reaction and a faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

She looked coldly at the two in front of her and said, pointing the gun at them, "Walk forward, all the way to the school bus."

Facing the armed woman, the attendant and Director Liu had no choice but to follow her instructions, walking unsteadily and slowly forward.

But at that very moment, Yi Tiantian on the other side was frantically swiping his phone with his fingertips, racing against time.

"Contacts, contacts! I should have pinned the contact earlier!"

"Now it's such a hassle to find it!"

With the kidnappers moving towards the back of the bus, time was running out for Yi Tiantian.

Cold sweat broke out all over his body, and his hands felt icy cold, his heartbeat rapidly accelerating.

Everyone who could hear Yi Tiantian's inner thoughts began to wonder. Could Yi Tiantian have a hidden plan up his sleeve?!

Even though Yueyue and Yang Yang had reacted quickly, they still couldn't get through to emergency services.

Now, with the situation so dire, almost no one believed that Yi Tiantian had any chance of turning the tables.

But Fei Cheng, sitting next to Yi Tiantian, was doing his best to cover for him, using his body to block Yi Tiantian as much as possible, buying him more time to find that contact on his phone.

The school bus wasn't very big, and the kidnappers were moving quickly, so it wasn't long before one of the kidnappers noticed the situation at the back.

At this point, Yi Tiantian was losing control, his movements becoming erratic.

"Everyone on the bus, take out your phones, unless you want to die!"

A kidnapper approaching Yi Tiantian aimed his gun and fired a shot at the roof of the bus.

A loud gunshot echoed, and the bullet blew a small circular hole in the roof.

The younger kids on the bus were terrified; some screamed at the sound of the gunfire, while others cried out for their mothers.

The scene on the bus was heartbreaking, as they were just a group of helpless elementary school students!

They were only six or seven years old!

They had been happily preparing to go to school for a fire drill, but instead, they encountered this catastrophe, which was truly heartbreaking.

Everyone feared that these psychopathic kidnappers might do something harmful to the kids, so they quickly handed over their phones.

"Here, take my phone if you want it."

The first to speak was Fei Cheng.

Even in the midst of chaos, Fei Cheng remained calm, his voice steady and unshaken, without a trace of fear.

Following Actor Fei's lead, all the adults on the bus handed over their phones.

Yi Tiantian was the last to comply, reluctantly handing over his phone to the kidnapper in black.

No one knew if Yi Tiantian's backup plan had actually succeeded, as he hadn't shared any further inner thoughts since then.

At this moment, the female killer standing at the front of the bus was forcing Director Liu and the attendant to move back at gunpoint.

"You, get up there!"

The female killer pointed the cold, menacing gun barrel at the attendant and spoke to her coldly.

The attendant's legs gave way beneath her, and she stumbled backward, her body stiff with fear as she slowly retreated into the bus, surrounded by the kidnappers' guns.

After collecting the phones, the kidnappers began to frisk the attendant roughly.

Although they were wearing masks, the sickening intentions behind them were all too clear.

Her lips trembled, but she remained silent, tears streaming down her face, overwhelmed by humiliation and terror.

"What are you crying for? I'm just checking if you have any hidden communication devices!" the kidnapper who was roughly frisking her said with a vulgar laugh.

The other kidnappers laughed, as if they were discussing something as mundane as eating or sleeping, rather than humiliating a woman.

Everyone behind them clenched their teeth as they watched the attendant being humiliated.

These kidnappers were utterly inhumane, nothing but beasts!

Yi Tiantian was especially furious.

"Who are these disgusting people?! Why would they hijack a school bus out of nowhere?! And why are they treating the attendant like this!"

"Don't they know this bus is full of children?! This is utterly insane!"

The female killer seemed to be the leader of these kidnappers. Everyone moved aside to make way for her.

The female killer's lips curled into a smile. One hand was in her pocket, while the other casually pointed the gun at Director Liu.

"Hello kids on the bus! Have you ever seen what a real gun looks like in the real world?"

Her voice was unnervingly gentle, almost maternal, but everyone knew she was no mother—she was likely the one who orchestrated this nightmare.

The female killer looked at the terrified eyes and flowing tears of the children on the bus, and the smile on her lips twisted into a cruel, mocking grin.

She even bent down, holstered her gun, and handed it to a little girl sitting nearby, saying with a smile, "With this gun, you can kill the person you hate the most! Let me teach you how to use it..."

And with that, the deranged female killer actually began to teach the little girl how to use the gun to kill.

But the little girl was clearly in a state of extreme shock, so no matter what the female killer said, she didn't respond at all, like a stiff doll. The little girl's small, pale hand trembled as it touched the cold metal of the gun, and fresh tears spilled from her wide, terrified eyes.

Seeing the little girl's frightened expression, the female killer didn't give up but instead laughed out loud.

"Why are today's kids so useless? When I was in the base, I was trained to kill from a young age. I spent three days and nights doing nothing but killing..."

A collective gasp of horror rippled through the bus as the full weight of her words sank in.

The female killer was definitely not an ordinary person.

And she had mentioned some kind of "base," which could potentially involve even more sinister forces.

Everyone was waiting for Yi Tiantian's heart's voice to answer their questions, and he didn't disappoint, quickly searching for relevant information in the rumor system.

"This damn gossip system, why can't it give us a heads-up about certain things in advance!"

"Why does the system show these high-level terrorists as just ordinary kidnappers?"

"I'll check if the system has any info on this female killer!"

Everyone was sitting stiffly in their seats, waiting for Yi Tiantian's next thoughts.

Both Yueyue and Yang Yang were encountering such a dangerous situation for the first time. Yueyue's once rosy face had turned pale, and she sat frozen, her brow furrowed with fear.

Yang Yang, however, seemed oddly calm, almost relaxed, despite the danger.

Yueyue glanced at Yang Yang sitting next to her from the corner of her eye.

Lately, she had found Yang Yang to be increasingly strange. If it weren't for his identical appearance, Yueyue might have thought he was possessed!

While everyone waited for Yi Tiantian's thoughts, the female killer made her next move.

"I know you have questions. Too bad I’m not in the mood to answer them. You’ll die with those doubts."

The female killer's smile was as cold as a glacier, exuding a chill.

"You, get out of the bus and be our hostage!"

After kicking Director Liu from behind, she forced him to stumble forward.

Director Liu pushed his glasses up. He had almost been kicked to the ground by the female killer behind him and could only tremble as he followed her instructions, stepping off the school bus.

"Why did they make Director Liu get off?!"

"Logically speaking, these kidnappers shouldn't need a hostage! Their ultimate goal is to bury everyone alive!"

"Why are they making such strange moves? Could it be that..."

Yi Tiantian had brought everyone's doubts to a peak, and they began to guess the answer to this question.

"Could it be that one of us is working with the kidnappers?!"

"And the insider is... Director Liu, who came to film the documentary."

The realization hit everyone at once. They had likely been betrayed by the director!

All the clues began to connect in everyone's minds. Fei Cheng now understood why Director Liu had rejected every plan Yi Tiantian proposed!

Because Director Liu was the insider all along.

His ultimate goal was to lead everyone down this path of no return, deliberately getting kidnapped!

"But why would Director Liu do this? What's his connection to the female killer? Why would he team up with these deranged people?!"

Like everyone else, Yi Tiantian had a million questions he wanted to figure out.

But unfortunately, the gossip system wasn't helpful. Despite searching through it thoroughly, Yi Tiantian still couldn't find any relevant information.

The female killer couldn't hear Yi Tiantian's thoughts. After "escorting"—or more accurately, "forcing"—Director Liu out, she returned to the bus.

She scanned the bus, her gaze falling on the terrified faces of the passengers. The children, whose eyes should have sparkled with innocence, were now clouded with fear.

The female killer laughed heartily.

"Ha ha ha!"

The others, puzzled by what was so funny, shot the female killer, who stood beside the driver’s seat, serious and even accusatory glances, unsure of her intentions.

However, in the next second, the female killer casually waved her hand, and a kidnapper holding a gun appeared behind her. He pointed the gun directly at the driver, who was sitting in his seat, trembling.

"You’ll drive exactly as I say. If you don’t, I’ll kill you!"

The kidnapper’s attitude was extremely firm, and his tone was icy as he issued orders to the driver.

"Okay, then I’ll leave this to you guys, and I’ll get off to watch the show!"

The female killer cast one last lingering glance at the terrified kids on the bus before getting off, cackling as she walked away.

The driver was drenched in sweat, his once-white uniform now soaked through.

The kidnapper pointed toward a path in the woods and said coldly, "Just drive along this path, and don’t look back! If you dare to look back, our men can shoot you within seconds!"

The kidnapper then pressed the gun against the driver’s temple, sending a wave of terror through him.

"Okay, okay, I’ll do as you say, just don’t kill me!"

"Hmph..."

The kidnapper snorted coldly and pressed a little harder with his hand, repeating the action a few times until the driver looked like he was about to faint, before finally putting the gun away.

"After I get off, you can continue driving. Remember, no funny business, or I’ll send you to meet your maker in the next second!"

The driver didn’t dare to delay. After the kidnapper got off, he quickly started the vehicle and continued driving along the route he was instructed.

No one knew what kind of horrifying scene was waiting for them at the end of this path.

"Something’s wrong! At the end of this path, there’s a big pit!"

"The kidnappers' ultimate goal is to make the driver drive into the big pit at the end of the road and bury everyone alive!"

Yi Tiantian’s words directly revealed the kidnappers' plan, causing everyone to gasp in horror.

What kind of hatred could drive someone to do something so monstrous?!

After all, every child on this school bus was a precious gem to their families, cherished and protected as if they were the most valuable things in the world.

If these children were buried alive, every family involved would be devastated!

Even though he knew he might be leading everyone into a deadly trap, he kept driving the school bus.

It felt like the only option left for everyone on the bus was to accept their grim fate.

Yi Tiantian frantically searched through the rumor system but found nothing, except for the sweat that kept dripping from his palms.

Yueyue and Yang Yang, seated in the back, frowned deeply, their hearts pounding so loudly that they couldn’t hear anything else.

Fei Cheng took a deep breath and silently placed a reassuring hand on Yi Tiantian’s shoulder.

Feeling the warmth from Fei Cheng's palm, he unexpectedly felt a sudden warmth, and his hand wasn't as cold anymore.

Yi Tiantian looked up at Fei Cheng, only to find that Fei Cheng was also looking at him with an intense gaze.

"I'm right here."

Fei Cheng softly spoke these words, and though they were few, they stirred a warm sense of hope in Yi Tiantian's heart.

He immediately resolved to find something useful in the rumor system to help everyone survive this man-made disaster.

Fei Cheng understood Yi Tiantian's distress and anxiety at this moment, but all he could do now was stay by his side and face the impending danger together.

Both Yueyue and Yangyang felt that they were definitely doomed, because a busload of kids falling into a pit seemed impossible to escape.

No matter how many times Yi Tiantian voiced his concerns, it was unlikely he could stop the school bus from heading toward the pit.

Just as everyone was on the verge of giving up, the female killer suddenly appeared in front of the slowly moving bus.

The driver was startled, but upon seeing the kidnappers holding guns on both sides of the road, he immediately snapped back to alertness.

The female killer shouted at the driver, "Stop!"

Without a moment's delay, the driver pulled the handbrake.

After seeing the bus come to a halt, the female killer walked straight towards the door and, with the driver's cooperation, stepped back onto the bus.

The female killer scanned the interior with her eyes and finally focused on Yi Tiantian in the back row.

She gave a mysterious smile and pointed at Yi Tiantian.

"Get out. You're coming with me."