Gu Sisi waited in the lush grass for an entire night, not daring to close her eyes. From this angle, she could see the three men waiting just outside the grove, seemingly waiting to catch her. The three men outside were pacing back and forth.
"East, I think we should go back," one of them said.
"Yeah, she's been in there for so long. She must be dead by now," another one chimed in.
The man called East glanced at the just-dawning sky. A flicker of hesitation crossed his face, but then he shook his head. Clenching his fists, he looked at the boundless grove and said, "Don't you guys find it strange? Where did that woman come from?"
"What?" The short, dark man was confused. "Wasn't it you who said this question didn't matter just now?"
"Shut up now!" East slapped the man on the face and pushed him away.
"I'm saying that I suspect this woman actually came from inside here. She must not be dead," East turned to the other man.
The short, dark man was shocked. He jumped up and said, "How is that possible? Have you forgotten our age - old taboo?"
"I think he's right. Otherwise, did that woman just pop out of the ground?" The other man spoke up, completely ignoring the short man's words.
The two looked at each other. The short, dark man felt something was getting increasingly wrong. He asked in panic, "You guys aren't planning to go in, are you?"
"If you're scared, stay outside."
Just as he had guessed, the two men walked in one after another. The short, dark man's feet seemed to be glued to the ground, unable to move.
When he could no longer see the two men, he became even more flustered. The three of them had thus entered the grove they had never set foot in before.
Gu Sisi's eyelids twitched. She seemed to hear movement around her. Her eyes, which had been barely closed due to extreme exhaustion, suddenly opened wide. Sure enough, she saw the three men walking towards her.
They were getting closer and closer. As long as they searched carefully, they would be able to see her.
"There doesn't seem to be anything special here," East, the leader, casually glanced around. There was not a trace of fear on his face.
The short, dark man at the back said nervously, "Even if this grove is not dangerous, an entire night has passed. We must have missed that woman by now!"
"Not necessarily," East shook his head. "If our assumption is correct and this grove is not dangerous, then this place belongs to us. If it's wrong, we'll be able to see that woman's body from last night and escape in time."
"But what if we can't escape?" The short, dark man looked terrified and tense. He clung tightly to the two men in front of him. "I just have a feeling..."
The man in the middle seemed to become quite interested. He said to him, "If you're scared, go out. Otherwise, shut up."
The surroundings fell silent. The only sound in the entire grove was the sound of their footsteps.
Nearby, Gu Sisi was covering her nose and mouth, afraid that she might make a sound and expose herself.
Since she left the hotel, she hadn't eaten anything. After walking such a long distance and running for so long last night, she was completely out of energy and exhausted all over.
If she was discovered now, Gu Sisi knew that she was surely done for.
"Have you noticed that there are so many different kinds of trees here?" East suddenly stopped and looked down at the black lumps on the leaves. "And there are also many types of animals."
"Tsk," the men behind him gathered around. "Looks like sheep dung? There are actually sheep here?"
After the three men found traces of animal life, they obviously felt much more at ease.
Since animals could survive here, humans surely could too.
Gu Sisi's heart was pounding like thunder. They were getting closer and closer to her. From afar, they might not be able to see her, but if they took just a few more steps and walked around a few trees, they would definitely find her.
Rather than praying for a miracle to happen, it was better to rely on herself.
Gu Sisi touched her chest to calm her racing heart. She opened her eyes, and there was a glint in them.
The three men were still looking at the ground in the grove, trying to find more traces of animal activities. Suddenly, a figure flashed before their eyes.
The three men glanced at each other.
"Chase her!" Someone shouted.
The three men chased after Gu Sisi like they were hunting prey.
Gu Sisi didn't dare to stop for a moment. Even though her muscles were extremely sore, she exerted all her strength. However, she was finally defeated by the exhaustion of energy.
Her steps became slower and slower.
Seeing that they were getting closer and closer, the three men were like they had been injected with adrenaline. They rushed straight towards her.
Finally, Gu Sisi could run no more. She was gasping for breath and still struggling to take steps. The three men also slowed down and gradually cornered her in front of a big tree.
The leading man sized Gu Sisi up and down. He smiled at the men behind him and said, "This is a pleasant surprise. We now know that this grove is not dangerous, and she's at our mercy."
"Please let me go! Ple..." Gu Sisi was too tired to speak. Her face was as white as a sheet.
The three men didn't stop their steps. They directly reached out to drag her away, grabbing her clothes.
Gu Sisi watched helplessly as they were about to take her away, but she was completely powerless to resist.
In her heart, she shouted desperately, "Huo Cheng, save me!"
Just then, a man suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He kicked the man who was holding Gu Sisi to the ground. Gu Sisi, who had already given up, opened her eyes in surprise when she heard the man's muffled groan as he fell to the ground.
She found that it was Jiang Lihao.
Not only that, another familiar voice came. It was Yang Qian, who was running over in a hurry. She was out of breath. She hugged Gu Sisi tightly and felt her up and down. Her eyes were full of anxiety. "Are you okay?"
Gu Sisi shook her head gently. "I'm fine."
"Who are you guys?" Seeing their leader fall, the other two men became vigilant.
"Who we are doesn't matter," Jiang Lihao smiled faintly. Then he took a step forward. The threat in his words was obvious. "You should worry about yourselves instead."
The other two men quickly took a step back. The short, dark man stammered, "I - I'm telling you, we outnumber you. You'd better sur - surrender."
Jiang Lihao looked at him like he was a fool.
The other man knocked on his head. "Idiot, there are three of us on each side."
"But, but there are two women on their side. We have an advantage!"
The other man thought about it and realized he was right.
Jiang Lihao smiled. "Really?"
"Are you looking down on me?" Yang Qian walked over slowly.
Suddenly, the man on the ground got up. With a look of hatred on his face, he walked towards Jiang Lihao.
"Be careful!" Yang Qian didn't even have time to shout.
With a "thud", Jiang Lihao seemed to have eyes on the back of his head. He kicked the man to the ground again.
Yang Qian was delighted. She skipped over and squatted in front of the fallen man, who was writhing in pain.
She stepped on the man's hand and said fiercely, "These dirty hands touched my Sister Sisi just now, didn't they?"
The woman's voice sounded like a demon's at this moment. The man could only watch as she crushed his hand.
"Ah!" The man let out a pig - like scream, which made the other two men tremble with fear.
They retreated simultaneously in tacit understanding, but they were also targeted by Jiang Lihao.
They ran away, and Jiang Lihao chased after them. Taking advantage of Yang Qian's distraction, the man on the ground also ran away.
Yang Qian clapped her hands and said with a smile, "Fortunately, we came in time."
"How did you guys get here?" Gu Sisi leaned against the big tree and finally caught her breath.