Chapter 618: Chapter 618: Someone Is Coming

"Master, what should we do?"

Yin Le presented the long stick and knife taken from the carriage, glanced worriedly outside the courtyard.

The sun was about to set; in a quarter of an hour, it would be completely dark. The narrow road on the cliff was not suitable for a carriage.

More footsteps were approaching from the southeast, quickly arriving at the front of the courtyard.

Da Lang’s hearing was still intact, making his scalp tingle, "Mother, just how many people in this Wildcat Village are human traffickers?!"

"That must be asked of the little liar." Qin Yao suddenly turned her head, her sharp gaze firmly locking onto the small figure hiding outside the door.

"Bring him here." Qin Yao signaled Da Lang and instructed Second Lang, Sanlang, and Si Niang to take the torches from the wall, light them up, and place them in the front yard.

There was no need to light lamps inside the house to prevent becoming a target. The firelight in the courtyard provided a rough silhouette view inside, which was sufficient.

The person outside heard the commotion and was scared to run.

Da Lang saw him, quickened his pace, and caught him in one move.

"Let go of me!" He was feisty, turning his head to try and bite Da Lang.

Da Lang pulled out a dagger, placed it against his neck, and the person quieted down, with his face covered in blood; the firelight in the courtyard made him look eerie at first glance.

"Mother, I’ve brought him." Da Lang pushed him in front of Qin Yao. Before anything else, a smaller figure rushed out from the corner, raised his fist to hit Qin Yao, crying out, "Bad people, bad people, let my brother go!"

Qin Yao looked down coldly; the little fellow trembled, scared, and slid right beside his brother, eyes tearing up, wanting to cry but daring not to make a sound.

Qin Yao pointed at the older one, "You must be Gouwa, tell us everything you know..." She magically pulled out a fragrant, crispy wheat cake, promptly hearing a loud growl from the brothers’ bellies.

"Finish talking, and this cake is yours."

"If you don’t say..." She coldly glanced at those lying around, "You’ll meet the same fate as them!"

Yin Le and Second Lang, Si Niang were already using ropes brought by the thugs to tie up all those who could still move.

With not enough rope, Si Niang had a smart idea, pouring the unfinished drugged tea from the table, handing it to Senior Sister Le, each thug was given a cup, and they instantly lay flat.

Gouwa shrank a bit, his voice hoarse, "I’ll talk, I’ll tell everything."

Firelight ignited at the gates, torches exposed outside the walls, creating a yellow glow.

There were quite a few people standing outside, but because the inside was eerily quiet, nobody dared to knock on the door.

Pretty cautious. Qin Yao complained inwardly.

Yin Le brought food; the siblings ate the cakes to restore energy while trying to wake up Liu Ji, this hapless dad.

Qin Yao found a stool to sit, piecing her large knife together while listening to Gouwa’s confession.

Three months ago, a group arrived at Wildcat Village, engaging in arson, killing, robbery, committing all sorts of evil deeds, slaughtering all the elders, capturing all men, women, and children to sell, subsequently staying there.

Though the place wasn’t too remote, their numbers were extensive, around a hundred replacing the original villagers, aided by local isolation; all visitors were drugged and sold off, remaining unknown to outsiders.

Gouwa and his younger brother were original residents, their parents, grandparents, and two sisters were all taken away, their whereabouts unknown, rumored to have been sold into black kilns as slaves.

The brothers escaped when the village was attacked while playing in the mountains.

Yet, the two children still needed food, spotted while stealing, nearly sold off but Gouwa cleverly suggested he could lure sheep for them to slaughter, allowing them to stay.

"Besides luring us, how many have you deceived?" Qin Yao’s tone was calm but frightened Gouwa profoundly.

"Six."

"How many people have been lured altogether? Where are they all?"

Gou Dan shook his head; he didn’t know how many were lured because the group was highly disciplined, working together—the deceivers were one faction, and the sellers were another.

They divided further; some set traps like today’s, others roamed the countryside as peddlers or florists, leading people to secluded spots to be drugged and carried away directly.

"All lured sheep are kept in a cellar southeast of the village, shipments occur on the first and fifteenth of each month; today is the twelfth, those caught are yet to be sent off."

Gou Dan added, "The group going out will return tomorrow, and sixty are remaining in the village now."

So excluding those she dealt with, subtracting those guarding the cellar, there are at least thirty outside.

Qin Yao felt her knife piecing was redundant upon this realization.

Yet, her survival in the apocalypse was due to never underestimating, even against an ant, she would give her all.

"Let’s practice, Ah Yue, Da Lang, have you eaten enough?"

Both quickly swallowed their last mouthful of cake, nodded heavily, "We’re full."

"Do you know how to break such a situation of being outnumbered?" Qin Yao asked while taking a bite of Si Niang’s passed cake, noticing the brothers’ longing eyes, she let Si Niang give them one cake. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

She kept her promise by giving one and not half or two.

Liu Ji’s cakes weren’t many; there was barely enough for her family.

Si Niang still bore a grudge over Gou Dan’s deception, reluctantly giving the cake, but her inherent kindness didn’t permit excessiveness, placing the cake before them and stepping back.

Father was carried back by Senior Sister Le from the carriage, lying among the thugs; she and her brothers tried pressing acupoints and other methods but failed to wake him, worrying somewhat.

Would the drug really harm Father’s body? Boohoo, she didn’t want Father to die!

Si Niang picked up the kettle, gritted her teeth, "Splash!" She poured it on her father’s face.

Liu Ji’s long eyelashes fluttered and suddenly opened his eyes, just as Da Lang’s response to Qin Yao’s query reached his ear.

"Mother, Uncle Ah Wang said, in such circumstances, fleeing is the best strategy!"

Liu Ji: What fleeing, what best, what strategy?

"Father, you’re awake!" Second Lang, Sanlang, Si Niang eagerly crouched in front of him, eyes brimming with concern.

Liu Ji was a bit dazed, his head dizzy, unable to think properly, instinctively sensing something bad had happened.

He slowly sat up, surveying the surroundings—bloodshot eyes bulging, severed palms, squirming humanoid shapes—

"Ahhh!"

A pig-slaughtering scream echoed within the yard, as a thug about to knock retreated in fear, "Big big big, big brother, he he he..."

A single scream rendered the subordinates speechless, as the one-eyed burly man sneered, "Spineless creatures! I’ll handle it myself!"

Strode forward with resolve, ready to kick down the tightly closed courtyard door.

He couldn’t believe that mere two women skilled in martial arts could be so formidable!

"Big brother, wait!"

The thug shouted again, suddenly pointing to the village entrance, someone was coming.