"Get out!"

After nearly two hours of the van swaying, it finally stopped. Blindfolded and hands bound, Xiaodie and I stumbled out under the guns of two masked men.

The air smelled fresh—earthy with leaves—unlike the city. We must be deep in the suburbs. Two hours was enough to cross cities. Since I’d been blindfolded the whole time, I couldn’t pinpoint our location.

All I knew was my luck today had hit rock bottom.

You kidnap the mayor’s daughter? Fine. But why drag me into this…

"Don’t wander. You know the consequences."

Before I could steady myself after stepping out, something cold pressed against my temple.

"Unit 3, drive back. Report progress. We’ll handle this with the others."

"Roger."

During their exchange, I quickly calculated: three kidnappers total—one driver, two armed. Two skinny guys, one fat. All masked, no distinguishing features. Their gun grips looked professional. If Dadi was right, these were trained killers. No rash moves.

No martial art beats a bullet.

What impressed me was Xiaodie—silent the whole ride. The mayor’s daughter and their main target. Was she terrified? Or had her emotionless "three-no" persona kicked back in?

Pushed along a muddy path for half an hour, a heavy door creaked open. A massive shove from behind sent me sprawling forward.

*Thud.*

I hit the ground, then someone yanked me up. Metal cuffs snapped around my wrists, locking me to something cold and solid.

"Stay put. Our mercenaries outside have orders to shoot you on sight. Move, and you die."

The man’s voice faded. A door slammed shut ahead.

Seriously… at least take off the blindfold…

Already worried about Azure Excellence, my mood plummeted at that sound.

Silence crept in.

Faint frog croaks echoed from outside.

"Yi Yao…"

Three minutes later, Xiaodie’s shaky voice broke the quiet.

"Yi Yao, are you there?"

"Yeah. What’s up?" I sat still, blind.

This place was filthy. Dust coated everything—abandoned for years.

"Why so quiet?"

"No point talking to thugs."

"You—" She sounded furious. "Looking for a beating?"

"Save it. We can’t even see. But hey, Xiaodie—what’s your full name? Why do your gang brothers call you ‘AV’?"

"Hmph. None of your business."

"Fine. Let’s stay silent then. Wait for them to decide our fate."

"Don’t—" Her tone softened, almost pleading. "I’m sorry… Yi Yao, they won’t just leave us here, right? What if snakes crawl in…?"

Her voice drew closer. She must’ve shuffled toward me.

Hearing the usually stoic girl sound so vulnerable sparked a weird thrill in me. I teased, "Aren’t you fearless?"

"W-who said I’m not scared? They have guns… and look like bad news. I—"

Just a middle schooler, Xiaodie’s voice trembled more.

"Will they kill us? Demand ransom from my dad? Or force us to…"

"Calm down." I cut her off. "If they wanted us dead, it’d have happened in the van. They’re using us to threaten Jiangnan Gang and Black Dragon Society."

"Threaten? How?"

"First—last night, did Jiangnan Gang really not pay thugs to harass my home?"

"Impossible!" she nearly shouted. "Tianhai banned all talk about it. Qinghao swore he wouldn’t touch you. Weren’t you the one chasing us?"

"Exactly. Thugs trashed my dad’s shop, claiming Huang Qinghao sent them."

"But Qinghao was with me both nights. His phone died—no charger. I swear it wasn’t him."

"So we’ve been played. Someone close to you or me is a mole."

"Who?"

"How should I know? If Dadi hadn’t called me earlier, I’d—"

A door scraped open again in the darkness.

"Well, well. Chatty little birds."

*Rip.*

The blindfold tore off after two hours. Blinding light hit my eyes. Two figures—one fat, one thin, both masked—shone flashlights on us. The same kidnappers.

The heavier one pointed at Xiaodie. "Boss, is this her?"

The thinner man nodded, eyes shifting to me. "They’re friends. Brought both to be safe."

"Let her call him."

"Got it."

The fat man dialed a number. "Mayor Huang? No, not a reporter. Your daughter’s with us… No ransom. Just one small favor… Details later. Heard her? She’s fine. See for yourself."

He pressed the phone to Xiaodie’s ear.

Even half a meter away, I caught a man’s frantic voice: "Xiaodie! Speak! Are you okay…?"

"Dad…" She choked back tears. "Dad… I want to go home…"

"Heh heh…" Satisfied, the fat man snatched the phone back. "Heard that? No police. Or else—"

*Bang!*

His pistol flashed. The shot echoed through what felt like an abandoned factory.

"Your dinner. Skip it if you fear poison."

He tossed a sealed supermarket bread loaf between us. Holstering his gun, he sneered at Xiaodie. "Huang Yingdie. Blame being the mayor’s daughter. Whether he calls cops or not—you both die tomorrow night. Hahahaha!"

He spat on the floor, followed the thin man out, and slammed the door.

Darkness swallowed us again.

"You lot—guard them. Failure means consequences."

"Understood."

The voices outside froze my blood.

He wasn’t lying. Guards surrounded us.

It was around 8:30 PM. Sixteen-year-old girls. Cuffed backward to an iron pole. No tools.

If he meant it, Xiaodie and I had to escape—no matter what.

But first…

"So your name’s Huang Yingdie?" I fought a grin. "No wonder they kept yelling ‘AV’—your name really is AV…"

Xiaodie. Huang Yingdie. Yellow shadow butterfly? More like yellow video disc. AV.

"Laugh it up! Go ahead!"

Moonlight seeped in. Her face flushed crimson, lips pouting. Adorably furious.

"No, really. Names are unique—like lives. No one’s abandoned at birth. I’d never mock yours."

*Liar. I’m dying to laugh.*

"Hey, Xiaodie. Since we’ll die tomorrow… tell me about your school?"

"What’s to tell? Just the usual—"

She cut off mid-sentence. I’d stood up, fixing my messy hair, and showed her my unlocked cuffs.

"You—"

I lunged, clamping a hand over her mouth.

"Shh… I can get us out. But swear you’ll obey me—no matter what."