Chapter 1: Opening Her Eyes in the Kidnapper’s Den

A mud house, a sparse thatched roof, a broken window.

A single oil lamp cast a dim, flickering yellow light over the entire room.

This was the first thing Song Yue saw when she opened her eyes, along with a flood of unfamiliar memories surging into her mind.

1975… Song Yue… Stepmother, stepbrother sent to the countryside, job replacement, sold to the mountains to be a wife for an old man…

There was too much information. Her head throbbed with pain, making it impossible to sort through everything. She could only focus on the most important details.

Matching them up one by one—

Song Yue roughly understood. She had been treating wounded soldiers on the battlefield when a stray bullet hit her, and now, she had ended up in the 1970s.

The original owner of this body had the same name as her. Her biological mother had passed away, her father remarried, and the stepmother brought along a stepbrother…

Everything else could wait. The immediate issue was that she had been sold. And this place—was the kidnapper’s den.

The kidnappers planned to sell her deep into the mountains, to an old man…

By then, she’d be chained up. How the hell was she supposed to escape?!

Song Yue looked down. Her hands were bound with rope.

No one was watching her. She had to get out!

Just as she was about to move, footsteps sounded outside the door.

Song Yue quickly shut her eyes, maintaining her original position.

The door creaked open.

Two men walked in, one tall, one short.

The tall man glanced at Song Yue. “Did you drug her too much? Why isn’t she awake yet?”

“That’s impossible.”

“How much did you give her? Just one pill, right?”

“Yeah, just one.”

“One should’ve been enough. Why isn’t she moving at all…?”

“You don’t think something’s wrong, do you?!”

“!”

“!”

This was Boss’s bride-to-be. If anything happened to her, they were screwed!

“Go check!”

Song Yue, lying still, listened to their conversation as their footsteps approached. Her eyelashes trembled slightly.

The steps came closer and stopped just inches away.

Both men leaned in at the same time—only to accidentally bump their heads together.

“Hiss!”

The tall man clutched his eye, hissing in pain as he staggered back two steps.

The short man turned to apologize. “Black Bro, I didn’t mean—”

“Shut the hell up and check if she’s breathing!”

“Okay, okay!” The short man hurriedly leaned in, staring at Song Yue’s fair and delicate face. He swallowed, then reached out to check her breath.

He felt for it—

Nothing?!!

His pupils shrank, and his voice trembled. “I think—”

The moment he turned his head—

Song Yue’s eyes flew open. She bit down hard on his finger.

“AHHH!”

The short man screamed in agony.

Song Yue shot up and rammed into his stomach with all her strength.

He was completely unprepared. The force sent him stumbling backward. He lost his balance and crashed onto the ground, hitting his head hard.

“Thud!”

Song Yue locked onto the exit and bolted.

She had only taken two steps—

When the tall man, clutching his eye, lunged forward and blocked her path. “You bitch!”

Song Yue’s gaze turned cold. She kicked him—straight between the legs.

“AHHHH!!”

A blood-curdling scream pierced the night.

The tall man’s legs buckled. He dropped to his knees before her.

Without hesitation, Song Yue delivered another swift kick to his shoulder.

As he collapsed, she leaped over him and sprinted outside—

As she passed a rickety table, her eyes caught sight of a short knife.

With her bound hands, she grabbed it and kept running.

Stepping out of the house—

Song Yue’s eyes quickly scanned her surroundings.

To the right—more houses, lights on. The other kidnappers and some captive girls were likely in there.

To the left—a main road with a tractor parked.

A tractor…

If she tried to start it, she’d be caught before she even got moving.

She dismissed the thought.

Straight ahead—

A vast, endless forest, stretching into the mountains.

“Damn it…”

“AHH!”

A scream from behind made Song Yue’s expression harden. Without hesitation, she bolted toward the trees.

“Black Bro, are you okay?!”

“That damn bitch ran! Go after her! NOW!”

“Hurry!”

“Yes!”

The commotion drew others from the nearby house. “Hei Zi, what the hell are you yelling about this late at night?”

The short man stammered, “B-Bro Zhou… the girl—s-she ran!”

“What?!”

“She ran?!”

“CHASE HER!”

Hearing the shouts behind her, Song Yue raced into the forest, relying on the moonlight to guide her.

Wind howled past her ears.

She panted heavily, but she didn’t dare stop. One thought filled her mind—run. Escape!

She didn’t know how far she had gone or how many times she had fallen. But each time she fell, she got up and kept running.

Fell—got up—ran.

She had no idea how long she had been running.

Her body was at its limit. Her head spun, and cold sweat drenched her back.

Only when she could no longer hear any sounds behind her did she collapse against a tree.

But she didn’t dare rest.

Under the moonlight—

She clenched the knife in her teeth and began sawing at the rope around her wrists. Her ears remained alert for any movement.

Dozens of strokes later—

The rope was nearly cut through.

She abandoned the knife and bit down on the remaining fibers, pulling hard.

Snap!

Her hands were free.

Flexing her wrists, she picked up the knife again.

Rustling sounds came from behind her.

Song Yue’s heart clenched. Alarm bells rang in her mind.

They caught up this fast?!

Several flashlight beams swept through the forest.

If she ran now, she’d be exposed.

The tree behind her was large enough to hide her—she had to bet on that.

Gripping the knife, she pulled her legs in, curling herself tightly against the tree trunk.

The voices got closer.

“You check over there. I’ll go this way. You guys, split up and search.”

“Yes, Brother Zhou.”

Reply after reply echoed through the darkness.

Scattered footsteps moved in different directions.

Five flashlight beams—two to the left, two to the right.

One was headed straight for her.

Crunch…

A foot stepped on a dry branch.

Rustle… rustle…

The footsteps got closer. The flashlight beam grew brighter.

Song Yue’s grip on the knife tightened. Her ears strained to listen. Her eyes locked onto the approaching light.

Her fingers clenched so hard that her knuckles turned white.

Three steps… two steps… one!

Now!

The moment she saw a pair of feet enter her vision, Song Yue sprang out and drove her knife into the man’s calf.

“AHHH!”

“Big Bro—”

His scream echoed through the forest.

Song Yue yanked out the knife and slashed at him wildly.

Her attacks seemed chaotic—but every strike was deadly.

A few stabs later—the man stopped moving.

She retrieved her knife, grabbed his flashlight, and ran.

Ten minutes later—

She reached a dead end.

Shining the flashlight downward—

A cliff. Below, a highway.

At least five or six meters high.

Behind her, multiple flashlight beams approached. The kidnappers were closing in!

Jumping meant death.

Getting caught meant never seeing daylight again—dying in captivity.

She’d rather choose the former.

Taking a deep breath, she prepared to leap—

When suddenly—

A bright light appeared on the road below!

!!!!!