Reborn in 78, I made my fortune by working in the mountains, supporting three families on my own.

Judging from the sounds, the group of people were by the ditch.

Zhao Lei didn't know how many people were on the other side, but he was certain that the child was in their hands.

He gripped his machete tightly, intending to stealthily approach further. If the other side outnumbered him, he would try to protect the child first and snatch the small stone back;

If there were many people, he could only follow from a distance, waiting for Qin Bowen and his group to arrive at the intersection ahead to intercept them.

If reinforcements are slow to arrive, he will have no choice but to fight to the death.

Having made up his mind, Zhao Lei tiptoed down the mountain, slowly making his way closer to the ditch.

The child's cries continued to come from the other side of the ditch, and the vicious man kept cursing under his breath, mixed with the scattered conversations of a few other people.

Before long, Little Stone's cries suddenly turned into muffled whimpers, as if his mouth and nose were being tightly covered.

Zhao Lei's heart sank, and a surge of rage welled up within him, making him wish he could kill these beasts on the spot.

But he forced himself to stay calm and dared not make a sound.

Once their whereabouts are exposed, the traffickers, in desperation, might resort to blackmailing you with small stones.

He lowered his body and, using the trees and bushes for cover, continued to move slowly forward.

His eyes were fixed on the area of ​​the ditch, and his ears were carefully listening to every word of conversation on the other side.

"Qiangzi, go easy on me, you bastard! This is real cash!"

"Oh dear, brother, this kid is so annoying. We're about to leave the mountain, so we don't want the villagers down there to hear us, or we'll get into trouble."

"Yeah, why don't you give him some sleeping pills? Just be careful, don't turn my God of Wealth into a fool."

"Okay, okay, big brother, don't worry, I'll just make a little bit, enough to keep the kid drowsy and prevent him from yelling."

"Okay, okay, okay."

Zhao Lei was now less than 30 meters away from the group. With his keen senses and hearing, he could vaguely make out what they were saying.

Judging from the conversation, it seemed like there were only two people, but based on their pace and movements, Zhao Lei concluded that there were definitely more than two people on the other side.

He continued to crouch in the grass, groping his way forward little by little.

He would move a few steps after the other person, always maintaining a distance of about thirty meters.

This distance allows you to hear what's happening ahead clearly and also facilitates quick response, making it a very safe and reliable warning distance.

As an experienced tracker, he can clearly hear the other party's undisguised conversation, and if they are not paying attention to what is behind them, they will hardly notice him hiding in the shadows.

Upon hearing that the group planned to drug his son, Zhao Lei's heart tightened.

These types of date rape drugs are extremely harmful to children. If the dosage gets out of control, they can cause permanent damage to the child's brain nerves.

A sudden urge to rush out and snatch the person surged into his mind, but he forcefully suppressed it.

This is a desolate wilderness, and the other side has many people, who may even be carrying homemade guns. If he loses the fight, he could very well end up dead in the mountains.

No matter how anxious you are, you can only stay calm and continue to follow.

Before long, a ditch appeared ahead, and the view suddenly opened up.

Zhao Lei hid among the trees, like a lurking wolf, keeping a close watch on the other side.

With the trees no longer obstructing his view, he could finally make out the figures of the group.

There were three adult men in total: a tall, thin man; a short, bald man carrying a basket on his back; and a burly, imposing man.

Judging from the way the group was talking, the burly man was the leader.

The basket on the bald man's back must contain his son, Zhao Yufeng.

Thirty meters away, Zhao Lei stared at these unfamiliar faces, his mind filled with doubt: He didn't know any of these people, so why did they have to come and kidnap his child?

But right now, there's no time to delve into the reasons; the most important thing is how to safely rescue the little stone.

The area around the ditch was open and unobstructed, so Zhao Lei didn't dare to act rashly until they crossed the river and entered the woods on the other side.

The other person could easily spot him with just a glance back.

The ditch was over ten meters wide, and with the original thirty-meter distance between Zhao Lei and them, the gap widened to more than sixty meters in the blink of an eye.

Zhao Lei watched as the three crossed the stream and entered the woods on the other side, remaining motionless.

They were not far from the river, and if they turned back, he would be immediately exposed. They could only continue to wait for an opportunity.

As the figures of the group gradually disappeared into the depths of the dense forest, Zhao Lei's anxiety grew heavier and heavier.

On the other side, Ma Dali led Qiangzi and Ganjiangdou across the ditch and into the woods.

Dried cowpea kept turning its head to look back, which made Qiangzi impatient.

"Dried cowpea, why do you keep looking back? Are you afraid of ghosts?"

The argument between the two startled Ma Dali, who also turned around and glanced over.

The ditch remained lying quietly in its place, the forest eerily silent except for the chirping of insects and birds and the babbling of the stream; not a single person could be seen.

He turned and glared at Dried Cowpea: "Dried Cowpea, what the hell are you doing? Stop being so paranoid, scaring yourself in this desolate mountain!"

Even these utterly depraved human traffickers, living deep in the mountains, harbored a deep sense of dread.

When people are in an unknown environment, they instinctively feel a sense of crisis, always feeling that wild beasts are lurking in the shadows.

Dried cowpea frowned and said in a low voice, "I have a feeling that something is watching us. As we've walked, this feeling has become stronger and stronger."

"Damn it, we're about to leave the mountain, and you're saying things like that now? Don't scare people! There are plenty of snakes, insects, and wild animals in these mountains. Don't talk nonsense, or you'll anger the mountain god."

These few people were not highly educated, and even though they committed all sorts of heinous acts, they were still superstitious at heart, fearing retribution and being possessed by evil spirits.

Hearing what Gan Zhuangdou said, the other two couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Ma Dali frowned and urged, "Alright, we'll be out of the mountain soon. Stop overthinking and hurry on our way. Once we're out of the mountain, everything will be fine."

Dried cowpeas thought it made sense, so he lifted his foot and joined the group.

Qiangzi stopped and put the basket on his back on the ground: "Wait, you seem to be in good spirits. You can carry it for a while. It's your turn."

As he spoke, he pushed the basket toward the dried cowpeas.

Dried cowpea retorted angrily, "How long have you been carrying it? We agreed to take turns for half an hour each, and you've only been carrying it for a little over ten minutes!"

The two had agreed in advance to take turns, both to share the physical exertion and to give each other a break.

Ma Dali was the leader, so naturally he didn't have to do this kind of physical labor.

Qiangzi already harbored resentment towards the dried cowpeas, and immediately retorted, "I carried the child out of the village myself. Do I need to tell you how far it was? What's wrong with letting you take over for a while?"

"I don't care, I can't carry it anymore. Take it or leave it, just don't complain when we split the money!"

When the topic of money came up, dried cowpeas could only suppress their anger.

Ma Dali stepped in to smooth things over: "Gan Dou, Qiangzi did a great job this time, and what he said makes sense. We're about to leave the mountain, so don't worry about this. When we split the money, I'll give you an extra share."

Since the eldest brother had spoken, Gan Jiangdou reluctantly took the basket.

Inside the basket was Zhao Yufeng, nicknamed "Little Stone," who had just been drugged and was now unconscious.

Just as the group was about to get up and continue their journey, Ma Dali suddenly turned around, his expression changed drastically, and he shouted in a low voice:

"No, there's something here!"