Chapter 111

Chapter 111

The jeep quickly turned around and headed back towards Linya City. Feng Pansha sat in the back row, recounting the events to Chu Ya in the passenger seat.

"… Knowing you went to Linya City, Shen Juanjuan cried for a while but then calmed down. He just stood at the iron gate waiting, with those kindergarten kids playing there. Since the gate was locked and we were too busy, we didn't pay much attention to them. But when I looked back, they were gone, leaving only Lin Duozhi on watch. Lin Duozhi wouldn’t talk, no matter what. It took Wang Chengcai’s coaxing and trickery to get the truth out. There was a hole under one of the walls, and the kids had crawled through it to go to Linya City."

"Shen Juanjuan wouldn’t dare, would he? Maybe they’re hiding somewhere in the church?" After hearing Feng Pansha's account, Chu Ya still seemed skeptical.

"Why wouldn’t he dare?" Rong Chen slapped his thigh, "When he was three or four, he’d crawl through holes to the garbage dump, getting caught many times. A shameless repeat offender, and tunneling is his specialty."

Chu Ya pressed his lips tightly together, eyes fixed ahead: "How long have they been gone?"

"Almost an hour," Shi Yongzhi said.

"They must have already entered the city by now."

Rong Chen's voice changed with worry: "It’s too dangerous for those dozen kindergarten kids in the city. Listen, there’s gunfire again. Listen! And those who kidnap children for ransom. By the way, do we have enough money left to ransom the kids?"

"Don’t worry, nothing has happened to the kids yet, and you’re already thinking about the ransom," Feng Pansha comforted from the side, "They might not even be kidnapped. They could have been snatched by Mutants before they even got into the city."

"Oh dear." Rong Chen slapped his thigh again, "Manager Feng, don’t say that."

Chu Ya’s expression was unreadable, but his tense body and clenched fists revealed his current anxiety: "Shen Juanjuan’s Quantum Beast was sent back to the mental domain today. If we calculate the time, it should be almost ready to come out."

Gunfire echoed throughout Linya City, and the streets were nearly empty. Those who had to go out wrapped themselves tightly in their clothes and hurried along. Most of the streetlights on both sides of the road were damaged, casting flickering light where a group of hand-holding children could be seen walking.

"You want flowers, so you need to find that house. The flowers I have were given to me by someone in that house," Shen Juanjuan walked beside the line, maintaining order, "He goes in for a moment and comes out with flowers. I don’t know how many are inside."

"Will he give us flowers too?" the children asked.

"I don’t know. If he doesn’t, you can go back, and I’ll look for my brother."

"We want to find Brother Chu Ya too."

"Where is Brother Chu Ya?"

Shen Juanjuan thought for a moment: "He must be in that big house."

"Oh dear."

"Who’s saying 'oh dear'?" Shen Juanjuan asked.

"It’s Wang Xiaoxi."

"Wang Xiaoxi, what’s wrong?"

"Ouch… I fell."

"Lie still, let the squad leader help you up."

Before Shen Juanjuan could act, Yu Datou had already rushed out: "Let the deputy squad leader hold your hand."

Shen Juanjuan continued watching the line: "Why aren’t the last two holding hands? What if they get lost? I’m the squad leader, you have to listen to me, or I won’t take you out again."

Chen Hongliang also turned around: "I’m the deputy squad leader, you have to listen to me too. Who’s walking on the street? Get back in line."

"Be quiet, don’t let the adults find us," Tang Yuanyuan warned from the side.

A bright light streaked overhead, and the children stopped, following its path as it landed ahead, igniting a pile of garbage in flames.

"Wow, it’s on fire."

"The fire is huge."

"Let’s go warm ourselves by the fire."

Shen Juanjuan stopped them: "Why do you play with whatever you see? That’s not right. We’re not here to warm ourselves by the fire, hurry up and keep moving."

Tang Yuanyuan added: "Don’t go to the fire. We need to walk in the dark areas; the fire will attract attention."

The children continued forward, looking around and whispering to each other. They soon reached a crossroads, unsure which direction to take, standing bewildered on the roadside.

"Squad leader, where do we go now?" a child asked.

Shen Juanjuan looked left and right: "Last time I went to that building, I took the bus, turning this way and that…"

"So which way should we turn now?"

Shen Juanjuan thought for a moment, pointing in a direction: "This way."

Occasionally, a passerby would appear, stopping in shock upon seeing the line of hand-holding children, thinking they were hallucinating.

"Is that a group of children? Am I seeing things? There are so many children in Linya City?"

"No, they look about five or six years old."

"That’s impossible, this is Linya City. They must be dwarfs."

"Look at their faces, they’re all children’s faces, and they can barely walk. They’re not dwarfs."

"There must be a powerful person nearby, otherwise, how could a group of young children wander around at night? And Guangta Gang and Bitao Tang are fighting ahead."

"See how neatly they’re lined up, and they have leaders… Hurry, don’t stare. We might already be under surveillance by those protecting them."

...

The jeep arrived at the building where Xiao Rui lived. Before the car had even stopped, Chu Ya rushed into the building and ran directly to the fourth floor.

Several subordinates stood in the hallway, though they had already seen Chu Ya, they still tried to block him: "Please hand over your weapon—"

"Move aside!" Chu Ya shouted sternly, his face dark.

His voice was so commanding that his subordinates dared not block him again, watching as he rushed into the room at the end of the corridor with Black Wolf.

When Chu Ya pushed open the door, Yun Tuo was half-reclining on the sofa, resting. Seeing Chu Ya, he sat up in surprise: "Xiaoya."

A layer of sweat had formed on Chu Ya's forehead. Without much ado, he said directly, "Brother Yun Tuo, please contact Chairman Xiao and have his men help me find the children."

"Find children?" Yun Tuo stood up abruptly, "Juanjuan?"

Chu Ya had been relatively calm in the car, but upon seeing Yun Tuo, he could no longer maintain his composure, his eyes reddening as he said, "Yes, he came to Linya City."

"Don't worry, I'll contact Xiao Rui right away; he's currently outside." Yun Tuo strode out of the room, spoke briefly to one of the subordinates standing in the corridor, and returned with a phone in hand.

"... Yes, a six-year-old child, he came to Linya City alone—"

"Thirteen."

Yun Tuo turned in shock, "Thirteen?"

Chu Ya had forced back his tears, his voice hoarse, "Thirteen, all around five or six years old." After saying this, he didn't linger, hurrying out of the room, "I'm leaving first. I'll go look for them now, Brother Yun Tuo, wait for Chairman Xiao's news for me."

"Wait, I'll come too." Yun Tuo grabbed the jacket draped over the armrest of the sofa and rushed out, but Chu Ya was already gone from the corridor, only the sound of hurried footsteps descending the stairs remained.

"Mr. Yun, the chairman asked you to stay in the room and rest," a subordinate quickly stepped forward to block him.

Yun Tuo stopped, surveying the group of subordinates, "Xiao Rui told you to watch me and not let me leave?"

"Not to watch you, but to be at your command and serve you. You're injured now, and Chairman Xiao wants you to stay in the room and not go out," the subordinate replied respectfully.

"What if I insist on leaving?" Yun Tuo asked.

The subordinate said, "Mr. Yun, don't make it difficult for us..."

"Be at my command and serve me." Yun Tuo smiled faintly, "Alright, I won't make it difficult for you. I won't leave, but I need you to find people for me now."

Linya City was embroiled in a conflict between two major forces. Most people, fearing the violence, stayed indoors, but a few still engaged in small-scale skirmishes.

"Hou Er, we've always collected protection money from that store. Your sudden interference is against the rules."

"Ha! Chen Laoba, just because you say it's yours, does it mean it is? Who do you think you are?"

Two motorcycles were burning on the street, and two groups of people were hiding behind iron pillars, guns in hand, shouting at each other. Passersby, seeing the scene, detoured to avoid it.

"Hou Er, I've tolerated you for long enough. Let's settle this tonight... to the death..."

The speaker's voice grew weaker, his expression strange. The gunmen hiding behind the pillars also poked their heads out, looking surprised at something on the left side of the street.

Shen Juanjuan led the team past these people, constantly reminding them, "Follow the squad leader, don't get separated, always follow the squad leader."

The children glanced at the people hiding behind the pillars, then turned their attention to the burning motorcycles.

"There's fire here, let's warm ourselves by the fire."

"That's not fire, those are cars, cars on fire."

"Wow... let's warm ourselves by the fire from the burning cars."

"That looks scary, let's hurry and leave."

...

Both sides temporarily halted their fight, mouths agape, watching in astonishment as the group of children chattered and walked away. It wasn't until the children paused at a crossroads, hesitating and looking around, that they gradually came to their senses.

"Boss, those seem to be children?" one person asked, dazed.

The scarred man nodded slowly, "Yes, you didn't see wrong, they are children."

"Aren't they a windfall? In Linya City, people can barely support themselves, let alone raise children without skills?"

"Because raising children is hard, think about it, who could raise so many? Don't have ideas about them, be careful you earn the money but don't live to spend it."

"Boss, why not ask Hou Er's opinion? We can all go together, and when it's done, we can blame it on them."

The opposing side also stopped fighting, whispering behind the pillars. A moment later, Hou Er spoke from behind a pillar.

"Chen Laoba, did you see that? A whole group just passed by. Interested? If you are, let's stop fighting and do this deal together?"

Chen Laoba, swayed by the idea, his eyes gleaming with determination, "Alright, Hou Er, let's do it together."

Shen Juanjuan encountered another crossroads and chose to turn left again, leading the group down the left street.

"Shen Juanjuan, should we go this way? I don't think you remember the way," Tang Yuanyuan asked doubtfully.

Shen Juanjuan pointed with his finger, "The bus goes around and around, it seems to go that way. Yes, it goes that way. Chu Baolong definitely knows the way, but it fought today and can't come out yet, it's sleeping in its nest."

"Wah, I want to go back, the street is so dark, I'm scared..." Wang Xiaoxi sobbed.

"Squad leader, deputy squad leader, I also want to go back. We can't find Brother Chu Ya, and I don't want flowers anymore," the other children began to murmur.

Chen Hongliang comforted them, "We'll find them soon. Look how dark the street is. We might not find flowers or Brother Chu Ya, but we might find ghosts."

"Ahhh!!!" The children screamed in terror, and Tang Yuanyuan hit Chen Hongliang's arm, "Can you not talk? Can you not talk?"

"We'll find them soon." Shen Juanjuan walked beside Wang Xiaoxi, putting an arm around his shoulder and speaking softly, "I'm the guide, I'm here, what are you afraid of? Who has a thick skin and isn't afraid of me? Tell me, who has a thick skin and isn't afraid of me? Even ghosts are afraid of me. If they dare to come—" Shen Juanjuan's eyes flashed menacingly, and he shouted towards a dark corner, "Some thick-skinned ones, I won't name names, but if they dare to come, I'll tear them apart."

"Then I, I want to go in front, I want to keep watch," Wang Xiaoxi sniffled.

"Alright, alright, you can keep watch," Shen Juanjuan wiped the tears from his face, comforting him, "Don't cry, you can keep watch."

Yu Datou walked out, leading Wang Xiaoxi: "Come on, let's go on watch."

The children hadn't gone more than a few dozen meters down the street when they heard someone shouting behind them: "Kids, kids, wait, kids."

"Kids? Are they calling us?"

Everyone stopped and turned around, seeing a group of about ten people walking toward them.

"Are they calling us?" The children looked at each other in confusion.

"Yes, they're calling you," said one of the people from behind.

Shen Juanjuan called out loudly, "Who are you? What do you want with us?"

"Just wait a moment, uncles need to talk to you."

A burst of gunfire illuminated the sky, and Shen Juanjuan saw the scar on the face of the man at the front, recognizing them as the ones who had been hiding behind the pillars earlier.

Although these people were smiling, the children felt increasingly nervous as they approached, instinctively stepping back.

"Don't be afraid, kids, uncles just want to talk to you."

Chen Laoba tried to keep his tone gentle, but the long scar on his face was truly frightening. Tang Yuanyuan whispered, "This person looks like a bad guy. Let's go, don't listen to what they say."

The children turned and hurried away, frequently looking back.

"Don't be afraid—"

As another hoarse voice sounded, one of the children screamed, and the others followed suit, panicking and running forward.

They ran while looking back, seeing those people chasing after them, which made them even more frightened. Someone started crying.

"Ah!" Someone fell to the ground, and Shen Juanjuan was also tripped. He quickly got up and shouted at the children, "Let's go in here, let's go in here."

"Where is this?"

Tang Yuanyuan immediately added, "There's an alley next to us, it's very dark. Let's hide in the alley."

Shen Juanjuan and Tang Yuanyuan led the way into the alley, and the other children followed. Although the alley was dimly lit, no one was worried about ghosts now, and they ran forward with a clatter. Even if someone fell, they didn't cry out in pain but immediately got up and continued.

"Quick, hide, hide, stop running." Seeing that the group was also chasing into the alley, Tang Yuanyuan whispered.

The footsteps gradually faded away, and the children hid in the corners under the eaves or behind pillars on both sides of the alley. Shen Juanjuan hid behind a stack of metal barrels, with several children following closely behind.

"Tang Yuanyuan, is that you?" Shen Juanjuan reached out to touch the person squatting to his left, asking softly, but heard Tang Yuanyuan's hushed voice from the right: "We're over here."

Shen Juanjuan stared at the person squatting to his left, and in the dim light, he realized it wasn't one of the children but a stranger.

"Who are you?" Shen Juanjuan asked in a low voice.

The man remained silent, and Shen Juanjuan understood, "Are you hiding here too?"

Tang Yuanyuan, Wang Xiaoxi, and Chen Hongliang, who were hiding together, all poked their heads out to look at the man.

Shen Juanjuan was squeezed and whispered again, "Move over a bit, it's too crowded here."

The man then moved a step to the side.

"Little guys, where are you hiding? Are you playing hide-and-seek with uncles?"

The group was getting closer, and their silhouettes could already be seen. Shen Juanjuan held his breath and heard intermittent conversations.

"... There are more than ten of them, we'll split up... There are a few behind those metal barrels, and a few under the eaves over there..."

"Whimper, whimper..." Wang Xiaoxi, squatting beside Shen Juanjuan, let out a soft sob, and Yu Datou patted his shoulder, "Shh."

Shen Juanjuan touched the metal barrel in front of him and whispered to Tang Yuanyuan, "They said there are a few behind the barrels, are they talking about us?"

Tang Yuanyuan's voice sounded like she was about to cry, "Quick, move to the side, crawl out from there, and go."

The stranger hiding with them was already crouching and crawling to the other end, and Shen Juanjuan quickly followed.

"Yu Datou, Yu Datou." He heard Tang Yuanyuan's voice and turned back, seeing Yu Datou not moving, bent over doing something.

"Yu Datou, come on." Tang Yuanyuan urged.

Yu Datou replied, "I'm moving rocks, I'll hide here and smash anyone who comes."

"Don't do that, come on." Tang Yuanyuan quickly pulled him.

Shen Juanjuan thought Yu Datou had a point and picked up a rock from the ground, holding it in his arms.

The group was walking slowly, and someone was laughing, "Are you playing hide-and-seek with us? Let me guess, a few are hiding behind the metal barrels on the left, and a few are squatting behind the short wall on the right. Oh, quite a few are hiding behind that stone pedestal too."

"Liu Gou, did you bring the ropes?"

"I brought them, we'll tie them up like crickets soon."

...

Shen Juanjuan and the three others followed the stranger, quietly crawling out from behind the metal barrels, preparing to hide behind the house ahead.

Shen Juanjuan crouched and walked in the middle when he suddenly heard running sounds behind him. Before he could turn around, he heard a loud thud, followed by a cry of pain: "Damn, what did this little bastard hit my head with?"

Shen Juanjuan quickly turned around and saw Yu Datou being lifted into the air by someone, who was holding his head with the other hand.

Yu Datou struggled fiercely, kicking and biting the man's arm.

"Yu Datou!" Wang Xiaoxi let out a scream.

"I'll throw you to your death, you little bastard."

The man was about to lift Yu Datou, but his hands dropped limply, and he fell straight to the ground.

As Shen Juanjuan released his Psychic Bind, Tang Yuanyuan grabbed Yu Datou and shouted, "Run, we've been found."