The short, stocky thug—nicknamed "Fourth"—grinned wickedly and reached out to grope Linda. I had been closely observing both the surroundings and the movements of these three goons. The moment I saw his intent, I immediately threw myself between him and Linda, glaring furiously at the guy who was barely 1.6 meters tall. I tried to hurl insults at him, but with my mouth stuffed, all I could produce were muffled "mmph mmph" sounds.
"Thud!"
That squat thug—muscular, dark-skinned, and broad-faced like a block of iron—kicked me to the ground. Unsatisfied, he gave me two more heavy kicks, spitting as he cursed, "Trying to play the hero, huh? Think you're some knight in shining armor? I'll show you what reality looks like. Third, keep an eye on this brat—I'm gonna go have a little fun with the hot teacher."
Linda, also gagged, looked terrified. She squatted beside me, making anxious muffled noises like a frightened deer.
Just as Fourth was about to touch her, Scarface Qiang, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped and turned back, his voice cold: "Fourth, what the hell are you doing?"
Apparently intimidated by Scarface, Fourth forced a sheepish laugh. "Heh, Boss, she's just so fine. I just wanted a feel, that's all."
Scarface snapped, "Take care of business first—get them to the abandoned cabin in Old Bear Forest and finish what David hired us to do. After that, do whatever the hell you want. But right now, focus."
Reluctantly, Fourth backed off. He walked over and gave me another angry kick. "Get up, damn it! You think playing dead's gonna save you?"
I shot him a glare filled with hatred. If I survive tonight, I swear I'll make you pay.
As I stood up, I happened to catch a glimpse of a small mound of leaves a few meters ahead. In the moonlight, something cold and metallic glinted beneath the surface—barely visible. A blade tip.
Looking closer, I realized it was a hidden animal trap, probably set by a local hunter. It was well camouflaged with leaves and nearly impossible to spot—if not for the glint of moonlight hitting the serrated edges, I wouldn't have seen it.
Judging by the shape, it was a snare meant for creatures like badgers or raccoons. Not as deadly as a boar trap, but still enough to seriously injure a human if triggered.
"You deaf or something? I told you to get up!" Fourth grabbed my hair and yanked me to my feet.
From my new angle, I couldn't see the trap anymore—but I'd memorized its location.
I glanced at Linda, who was silently crying beside me, and gave her a reassuring look before continuing to stumble forward. Third and Fourth stayed close behind.
Feigning weakness, I walked with exaggerated unsteadiness, deliberately veering off course, slowly guiding the stocky thug toward the trap.
As I neared the spot, Fourth grew irritated with my slow pace. With a curse, he kicked me hard from behind. "Hurry up, you little bastard—quit dragging your feet!"
I staggered forward, almost tumbling right onto the trap. My heart stopped—but I flung myself forward just in time, face-planting dramatically into the damp, rotting leaves ahead.
"Ha! The little punk just kissed the dirt!"
Fourth laughed triumphantly and strode toward me—completely unaware of what lay beneath the foliage.
His heavy right foot came down squarely on the trap.
SNAP!
With a sharp metallic clang, the leaves scattered and two serrated steel jaws snapped shut on his lower leg.
"Aaaaargh!"
He screamed like a wounded boar, collapsing and clutching his leg, writhing in agony. The sound echoed through the forest, startling birds from the trees.
"What happened?!"
"Fourth, are you okay?!"
Scarface Qiang and Third rushed over, flashing their lights and discovering the grisly scene: the trap's teeth had pierced straight through Fourth's pants and into his flesh—blood pouring from the deep wound. It looked like the bone had been hit.
Even Scarface paled. "Shit! One of those damn hillbilly traps… lucky that wasn't me."
Fourth's face was drained of color, lips trembling. "Boss! Stop talking and get this thing off me! My leg's gone—aaahh!"
Scarface dropped down to help pry the trap open, but Fourth's cries of pain made him hesitate. "How the hell am I supposed to open it if you keep screaming like that?!"
Third, clearly close to Fourth, forgot about watching me and Linda. He squatted beside them, giving instructions: "Looks like it hit bone. Boss, go slow. Keep pressure even—don't release too fast or it'll snap again."
While the three were distracted, I wiggled the cloth out of my mouth and signaled Linda with my eyes: I'm going to untie you.
Scarface and Third were too focused on freeing Fourth to notice. I leaned toward Linda and began gnawing at the rope with my teeth. We were both tense—doing this right under their noses. One glance back and we'd be caught.
Luckily, Linda's ropes weren't tied too tightly. I just needed time, and I was confident I could free her.
Just as I loosened the final knot, Scarface sighed in relief. "Damn… finally got the trap open. Third, wrap him up."
Third tore open Fourth's pant leg to bandage the wound, grumbling, "I thought this would be an easy gig—just deleting some photos off a phone for a few grand. Now it's turning into a damn nightmare. This injury alone will cost thousands."
Scarface suddenly turned—and saw me untying Linda.
"You bastards trying to be slick?!"
I knew we were caught. No time to think. I shouted, "Linda, run! I'll hold them off!"
I didn't care whether she could outrun them in the wilderness. I lunged forward, hands still bound, and headbutted Scarface. He was caught off guard and toppled over.
I spun toward Third and landed a solid kick to his groin.
"UGH!" he grunted, clutching himself and collapsing in agony.