"Andrew, are you done yet? Hiding in there trying to scare me again? If you don't come out soon, I'm really going to get mad!"
Linda, struggling to walk on the uneven mountain ground, called my name as she approached with a flashlight, scanning the dense pine forest in search of me.
But at that moment, I was already bound tightly with rope by Scarface and his two accomplices. A rag was stuffed into my mouth, and a cold fruit knife pressed against my neck. Even if I desperately wanted to warn Linda of the danger, I was completely powerless.
The three thugs had me concealed in a thick patch of undergrowth. The tall, skinny one—called "Third"—noticed Linda approaching and whispered nervously, "Boss Qiang, that woman's coming this way. What do we do?"
Scarface Qiang kept the blade at my neck and warned me not to move or he'd slit my throat. He then turned to his men and ordered, "Third, Fourth, flank her from both sides. Grab her quietly—don't make a scene or you'll wake the students at the camp."
"Yes, Boss Qiang."
The tall one and the short, stocky one immediately crouched and began circling Linda from both sides, moving stealthily.
If Linda had been an older female teacher or a male one, I might not have panicked so much. But because she was young, tall, beautiful, and captivating, seeing two thugs sneak toward her made my heart race with anxiety. My eyes darted, my mind spun. I desperately searched for a way to warn her.
I glanced at the blade at my throat. I was terrified, but one wild, reckless thought surged up: these men were clearly dangerous criminals, the kind of scum who wouldn't hesitate to commit heinous crimes. Linda was exactly the kind of woman that could provoke their worst instincts. I couldn't let her fall into their hands.
Before high school, I'd been a timid boy. But everything I'd been through recently had changed me. I wouldn't say I'd become brave, but in the face of danger, I was no longer paralyzed. And now, somehow, I feared for Linda far more than I feared for my own life.
There's a line from a movie that goes, "Cowardice is born from lack of love—or not loving deeply enough." Maybe it was because I had fallen in love with her that I found courage.
As I watched Linda unknowingly walk toward the trap, I thought of that night in the alley when she was nearly assaulted. I didn't hesitate—I threw myself forward, slamming into Scarface with all my strength.
He clearly didn't expect me to fight back so suddenly. His eyes flashed with surprise. A seasoned thug like him could have easily slashed my throat the moment I moved, but he hesitated for just half a second—perhaps he didn't truly want to kill me.
That half-second was all I needed. I rammed into him hard and knocked him to the ground. Without waiting, I struggled to my feet and stumbled out of the woods, trying to reach Linda. With the cloth still stuffed in my mouth, I could only make muffled "mmmph mmmph" sounds, hoping to warn her of the danger.
Linda had just stepped into the forest when she heard the commotion. She raised her flashlight and caught sight of me—bound, gagged, and staggering toward her. Her eyes widened in shock and horror, unable to comprehend what she was seeing.
"Andrew, what happened?!"
Instead of turning and running, she rushed toward me.
But Scarface had already scrambled to his feet, cursing as he lunged forward and tackled me again. He pinned me down, one strong hand grinding my face into the muddy, leaf-covered ground. "You little bastard, you really wanna die? I'll make that happen."
"Ah—mmph!"
Linda gasped and tried to scream, but before the sound could fully leave her throat, the tall thug, "Third," appeared behind her and clamped a hand over her mouth. Her cry died instantly—any noise might have been mistaken by distant campers as a bird's screech.
Third waved a knife under Linda's eyes and growled, "Don't move—or I'll kill you. And that student too."
Terrified by the blade, Linda stopped struggling. Third then barked at the stocky one, "Fourth, tie her up too."
Soon, Linda ended up just like me—hands bound, mouth gagged with a cloth. I had been beaten for resisting. My face was bruised, muddy, and swollen. I looked a complete mess.
Linda, still in shock, glanced at the three thugs, then looked at my battered face. Unable to speak, she locked eyes with me, silently asking what had happened.
I let out a muffled groan and shook my head—indicating that I didn't fully understand who these people were or what they wanted.
"Damn, this chick is seriously hot," the stocky thug muttered as he shone a flashlight on Linda's face. His bulging toad-like eyes gleamed with perverse delight. He turned to Scarface. "Boss Qiang, what do we do now?"
"This place is too close to the students' camp," Scarface said. "Any loud noise and we'll get noticed. Move them to Old Bear Forest."
Each of the three thugs held a knife and flashlight. They forced Linda and me to march away from the campsite.
Linda and I exchanged a look. There was nothing we could do—we had no choice but to go with them.
The three thugs seemed to know the terrain well. They led us along a winding path deep into the forest, farther and farther away from the students. The trees grew denser. We walked for more than an hour, likely beyond the borders of Qingyun Mountain and into a remote, wild forest.
The moon still hung high, casting dappled light through the canopy, shimmering like scattered jade on the forest floor. All around was silence, broken only by the occasional call of a crow or the rustle of a startled animal.
Scarface led the way with his flashlight, while Third and Fourth walked behind Linda and me with their blades drawn.
Linda stayed close to me, taking small steps. She was clearly scared, but tried to act calm—perhaps because she was older and my teacher, she felt responsible for appearing strong in front of me.
I was scared too—but I wasn't stupid. Quietly, I memorized the direction we were headed and gauged how far we'd traveled from Qingyun Mountain. I observed the surroundings, committing every detail to memory like it was a physics problem. I started thinking—how could I use this information to help us escape?
Third must have noticed me glancing around too much. He jabbed me in the back with his knife hilt. "Move it, you little bastard! Don't get any funny ideas. Boss Qiang already said—try to escape again, and we'll gut you both."
Now that we were far from the student camp, they no longer bothered to lower their voices. They spoke openly, emboldened by the isolation.
The stocky one trailing behind Linda had never taken his eyes off her. Now he sneered, his eyes glued to her curvy figure. "Hey Third… I kinda *do* wanna stick her—wonder what she feels like?"