A young boy from the 1970s, separated from his family, fled famine and led his younger brother into

"Brothers, keep your eyes peeled! This is a big fish!"

In the smoking area between the carriages, Ma San lowered his voice, a greedy and ferocious excitement on his face, and spoke to several men in front of him who were clearly not good people. The leader was a one-eyed man with a scar on his face. He exhaled a smoke ring, and a fierce glint flashed in his cloudy single eye.

"Ma San, are you sure you didn't see wrong? Just two little kids, what kind of profit could they possibly make?" Scarface was clearly skeptical.

"No doubt about it!" Ma San patted his chest, spitting as he spoke, "Let me tell you, that girl is incredibly cunning! Don't let her young age fool you, she's as shrewd as a monkey! A couple of days ago at the Xiangyang Village black market, it was her who fooled me with just a few words and managed to steal three ounces of cured meat from me! Later I found out she's that runaway girl from the Su family, and that idiot Su Weiqiang has put a twenty-yuan reward on her!"

"Twenty yuan?" Another fat man with a face full of scars curled his lip. "Going through all this trouble for twenty yuan?"

"That's not the point!" Ma San's eyes shone brightly. "The point is, I saw it with my own eyes—that little girl had a piece of jade hidden on her! Top-quality white jade, with a dragon carved on it! It's obviously an old artifact, a real treasure! That piece of jade is worth more than twenty, two hundred, or even two thousand yuan!"

"A jade pendant?" The scarred man's one eye narrowed instantly, a greedy glint flashing within it. "What kind of dragon?"

"Who can see it clearly? Anyway, it's a dragon! Let me tell you, if this deal goes through, we won't have to worry for the rest of our lives!" Ma San urged enthusiastically.

Scarface was silent for a moment, then stubbed out his cigarette butt on the ground and said coldly, "Done! But let's make it clear beforehand, that piece of jade is mine. If we catch those two brats, we'll take the boy, and the girl... well, just like you said, we'll send her back to Su Weiqiang in exchange for the reward."

"Okay! Scarface, I'll do as you say!" Ma San nodded and bowed hurriedly.

What they thought was a discreet conversation was actually overheard by Lin Wenjun, an "intellectual" pretending to read a book nearby.

Lin Wenjun's heart sank to the bottom. Although she hadn't heard everything, the keywords "girl," "jade pendant," and "abducted" had already sent chills down her spine!

She closed the book without a word, her gaze seemingly casually sweeping in Su Nianci's direction. She saw the two children snuggling together, sleeping, looking innocent and oblivious to the impending danger.

No! We have to find a way!

Lin Wenjun's mind raced. Should she find the train police? But she had no evidence, and even the police might not believe her based on what she'd overheard. Acting rashly might alert the two children and put them in even greater danger.

She glanced at the human traffickers; they all looked fierce and menacing, clearly not to be trifled with. She, a weak woman, was no match for them.

What should I do? What should I do?

Lin Wenjun was extremely anxious, and her palms were sweating.

At this moment, Su Nianci, the "prey," was far calmer than the "observer."

She didn't sleep at all.

From the moment Ma San appeared, every nerve in her body was on edge. Although she couldn't hear what they were saying, she could guess what was going on from their greedy and calculating glances.

Ma San must have come for Xiao Shitou's jade pendant!

Moreover, he also found accomplices—a group of more professional and ruthless human traffickers in the car.

Su Nianci's lips curled up slightly.

She was just wondering how to deal with this group when they delivered themselves right to her doorstep.

She gently patted the little stone in her arms. The little stone woke up immediately. He was very sensible and didn't make a sound, but just looked at her with his dark eyes.

Su Nianci leaned close to his ear and whispered a few words quickly in a voice that only the two of them could hear.

Little Stone's eyes widened, a flicker of fear crossing his face at first, but then, when he saw his sister's calm and resolute eyes, his fear transformed into complete trust. He nodded forcefully and firmly.

After making the arrangements, Su Nianci took a deep breath.

Next, it will be time to test her acting skills and courage.

She deliberately shifted her body, as if she had just woken up, then pulled Little Stone along and stood up.

"Sister, I...I'm hungry," she said in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, making sure that everyone around her could hear her.

"Hungry? Let's go to the dining car and see if there's anything to eat." Su Nianci said, while deliberately opening her worn-out canvas bag and rummaging through it.

This action completely exposed her body to the passageway, making her clearly visible to the greedy eyes not far away.

Scarface and Ma San exchanged a glance, both seeing the signal to attack in each other's eyes.

To get to the dining car, you have to walk through several carriages, including a few dimly lit connecting points. Those are the best spots to make your move!

"Let's go." Su Nianci seemed oblivious, pulling Xiao Shitou along as she swaggered into the corridor.

Lin Wenjun's heart leaped into her throat at the sight! She wanted to warn them, but she was afraid of alerting the human traffickers. She could only watch helplessly as the two small figures walked step by step into the carefully laid trap.

Sure enough, as soon as Su Nianci and Xiao Shitou left, Ma San and the other two thugs immediately followed, while Scarface stayed behind, pretending to be nonchalant and keeping watch.

A silent hunt officially began in this cramped train carriage.

Su Nianci pulled Xiao Shitou along slowly. She could clearly feel the several shadowy gazes following her and the approaching footsteps behind her.

Her palms were also covered in sweat.

Isn't she afraid?

Of course afraid.

She was just a five-year-old child, facing several vicious adults. If anything went wrong, she and her brother would be doomed.

But she also knew that fear would not solve anything. The more dangerous the situation, the calmer she needed to be.

As she walked, she quickly scanned everyone in the carriage out of the corner of her eye. She was searching for another "weapon."

Soon, her gaze settled on a passenger who was dozing off not far to her side.

He was a burly man with a full beard, wearing a greasy leather jacket, and fast asleep, clutching a large bundle in his arms. Judging from the strong smell of alcohol and his rugged demeanor, he seemed like a long-distance trading "middleman."

Most importantly, at his feet was an empty glass bottle of Erguotou liquor.

That's it!

A glint of light flashed in Su Nianci's eyes.

She pulled the little stone along and walked to the burly man's side. Then, she deliberately tripped and fell towards the burly man.

"Ouch!"

She didn't fall on the burly man, but rather precisely "fell" onto the empty wine bottle.

"Snap!"

A crisp cracking sound rang out! The glass bottle shattered into pieces instantly!

"Who the hell is it! Are you looking for death?!" The burly man with a thick beard was startled awake, sat up abruptly, and his eyes, as big as copper bells, blazed with rage.

Su Nianci quickly got up from the ground, and in her hand, without anyone noticing, she had a piece of the sharpest and most pointed shard of glass!

She hid the "weapon" in her sleeve, then, pulling Xiao Shitou along, walked into the darkness of the connecting area between the carriages without looking back.

Ma San and his men behind him merely sneered at the scene, completely oblivious to anything unusual. In their eyes, it was nothing more than an accident caused by a child's unsteady gait.

They followed Su Nianci and Xiao Shitou into the dimly lit, smelly connecting area between the carriages.

Here, at the junction of two carriages, the wind whistles in through the gaps, perfectly masking all the evil.

"Let's do it!"

With a low shout from Ma San, two thugs pounced on the children from the left and right, one covering their mouths and the other grabbing their waists, trying to drag them into the nearby toilet!

At the critical moment, a cold glint flashed in Su Nianci's eyes!

She didn't struggle, but instead used all her strength to slash the sharp shard of glass from her sleeve into the artery of the large hand covering her mouth!