Chapter 260: Chapter 258: Rescue

As the woman’s figure vanished, the traffic started moving again.

The semi-truck that had just barreled toward Su Miaoyi sped past, then stopped a short distance ahead.

The people standing around, ready to help, cried out.

But when they opened their eyes again, nothing had happened.

Some of the surrounding cars had also pulled over.

The semi-truck’s driver got out. His legs were so weak when he climbed down that he stumbled and couldn’t even stand up straight.

The person from the passenger seat was also leaning on the truck for support. The two of them circled the vehicle, finding nothing. They even checked underneath, but it was still empty.

There was no blood on the truck, nor any sign of an impact.

A few other people came over to the truck to help look, but they also found nothing.

While the crowd was discussing what happened, Su Miaoyi stood by the bus stop sign, completely motionless.

"It must have been that woman. The clothes of the person I saw from my car looked just like hers."

"That can’t be right. The woman I saw had her hair down, but this one’s hair is braided."

"This is so weird. Maybe I was mistaken, but there’s no way this many people saw it wrong. I saw that truck about to hit the girl with my own two eyes."

"Well, as long as no one got hurt, it’s all good. Let’s go, let’s go. Otherwise, we’re going to cause a traffic jam."

After talking for a bit, the crowd dispersed and drove off.

A bus pulled up to the stop, and the people waiting for it got on and left.

Su Miaoyi suddenly snapped out of it. She shivered, dazed for a moment before looking around and realizing she had somehow made it to the bus stop on the other side of the street.

She pulled out her phone and started searching for a map of the eastern village, all the while wondering how she had gotten across.

She remembered seeing something suddenly as she was crossing the street.

’Did some kind soul carry me over here?’

The icy chill hadn’t left Su Miaoyi’s body, and she was trembling slightly. But she couldn’t afford to worry about being cold or shaky. She immediately opened a satellite map of the village, which showed a clear layout.

Looking at the layout, she recalled the vision she’d seen, found the corresponding street, and marked a location on it before quickly sending it to Zhuang Yanzheng.

"Zhuang Yanzheng, what’s your team’s position?" Su Miaoyi circled the bus stop sign and noticed that a metal panel on the lower-right corner of its back had been tampered with. "Are you far from the location I sent?"

"We’re approaching from several directions. Brother Zheng’s team is very close," Zhuang Yanzheng said.

"Tell him to get over there now. I just had a vision—the kidnapped child is in a refrigerator at that location. Tell Brother Zheng to hurry," Su Miaoyi said. "The child’s condition must be critical, or I wouldn’t have seen the vision. You should call an ambulance, too."

"Got it." Zhuang Yanzheng immediately contacted Brother Zheng.

Su Miaoyi grabbed a wooden stick from a nearby planter, pried open the metal panel, and pulled out a voice recorder.

She played the recording: "Su Miaoyi, see that residential complex across the street? Building Eight, Apartment 1801. If you want to save the person, come over right now."

Su Miaoyi held the voice recorder and stared at the residential complex across the street.

It was hard to tell which one was Building Eight, and the sky had grown completely dark. Some apartments were lit up, while others were dark.

’Still, someone could easily watch me with binoculars from one of those buildings. Or take me out with a sniper rifle.’

’But I’ve been standing here for a while now. That must mean they don’t have a sniper rifle.’

Su Miaoyi looked up the name of the complex on her phone, sent the detailed address to Zhuang Yanzheng, and then tossed the voice recorder into a trash can.

She also tossed the one she had found at the factory earlier, worried it might contain a listening device.

She crossed the street again, speaking to Zhuang Yanzheng as she walked. "I just found another voice recorder. She’s telling me to go to this address."

"You’re planning to go?" Zhuang Yanzheng said. "Now that we know where the child is, you don’t have to go over there."

"I’m already on my way," Su Miaoyi said. "We still have to catch the culprit."

"It’s too dangerous. They’re luring you there. The location is definitely a trap," Zhuang Yanzheng said.

"I know," Su Miaoyi replied. "They’re probably watching me from one of those buildings. At the very least, I have to get inside the complex."

"Alright. Be careful."

Su Miaoyi crossed the street and headed into the complex. Since she didn’t have a key card, she showed her police ID to the security guard.

She also spoke with property management for a bit to ask about the residents of Building Eight.

According to property management, Apartment 1801 was still unsold.

She also had them notify the residents that police were conducting an investigation and that everyone should avoid loitering outside.

Once inside the complex, she found Building Eight and went in.

The elevator also required a key card, so she headed straight for the fire escape stairwell.

However, she didn’t go up.

She was waiting for news from Brother Zheng’s team.

Outside, she had appeared rushed and anxious, but once inside the building, she slowed her pace.

The seconds ticked by. After nearly five minutes, Zhuang Yanzheng’s voice came through her earpiece: "We’ve got the child."

Hearing those four words, Su Miaoyi pushed open the stairwell door and headed back outside, leaving the building entirely.

"What’s his condition?"

"Not good," Zhuang Yanzheng replied. "Brother Zheng is driving to rendezvous with the ambulance now."

Su Miaoyi recalled the little boy she had seen that morning. She frowned and asked, "Was there anyone at the scene?"

"No," Zhuang Yanzheng said. "She must have assumed we’d never find the place, so she just dumped the kid in a refrigerator in an empty apartment and left. Brother Zheng got the child out as soon as his team arrived."

"Then no one has tipped off the person over here," Su Miaoyi said. "You and your team should stay put for now."

"Alright." Although Zhuang Yanzheng was worried for her safety, his trust in her was greater.

Su Miaoyi stepped outside the building and began to stroll through the residential complex.

She walked slowly, her hands clasped behind her back.

Although the message had given her a precise location, she suspected her target wasn’t necessarily in Building Eight. They could be somewhere else entirely, so she made a point of walking around the entire area.

She stopped to look at the flowers and rustle the grass with her foot.

Then, it belatedly dawned on her that something was wrong with her hair.

She raised a hand to touch it.

’If I remember correctly, my hair... it’s been down ever since I woke up this afternoon. Besides, I never braid it.’

’At most, I’ll use a claw clip or just a simple hair tie.’

’Braiding... for one, it’s too much trouble, and for another, I’m not even good at it.’

’Something’s wrong... very wrong...’

Just as she was thinking this, she heard a sudden, swift movement behind her. Without even a moment to turn, she immediately dodged out of the way.

After sidestepping a few paces, she turned to face the woman.

It was the same person from Lu Zhishen’s portrait—a foreigner.

’I remember Lu Xian calling her Mia.’

"Mia?" Su Miaoyi called out.

A flicker of something passed through Mia’s eyes. Without a word, she lunged, slashing at Su Miaoyi with a dagger...

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