A group of men approached, their demeanor rough and aggressive. They clearly looked like trouble.
The taxi driver, accustomed to all sorts of people on his daily routes, saw the group of burly men staring intently at the young woman beside him, like a pack of wolves spotting a rabbit.
His expression changed, and he quickly said to Zhan Xiaojun, "Miss, you should go. It's not far to your destination, you can run there! Hurry."
Zhan Xiaojun smiled faintly, "It's indeed not far, about twenty minutes' run, but I'm afraid they won't let us leave. Uncle, you should get back in the car and wait for the traffic police."
She figured these men had targeted her from the start. The driver was just caught in her wake.
"Miss, run!" the driver urged, some anxiety in his voice. He could see now that the men were after the young woman!
Zhan Xiaojun replied with a gentle smile, "I'll run later, I need to deal with this first. Uncle, please get back in your car, don't get involved."
The taxi driver wanted to say more, but seeing the menacing look of the men, he knew he couldn't afford to provoke them, especially with a wife and child to support. Besides, the young woman didn't seem afraid of them.
He immediately got back into his car.
He quickly called the traffic police.
Seeing Zhan Xiaojun standing still, not running, and showing no emotion, the men all chuckled. Women were generally timid, they thought, perhaps she was still shaken from the car accident.
"No one to give you a ride? Brothers will take you!"
"Come on, call us 'brother,' and we'll take you where you're going."
"Hahaha, call me brother, and I'll make sure you have a night you won't forget, how about that?"
Their eyes, like those of wolves, were fixed on Zhan Xiaojun. They had found her alluring even from inside the car. Now, up close, their desire intensified. She was too beautiful! A woman whose beauty couldn't be bought.
Zhan Xiaojun glanced at the damaged taxi, "You've damaged someone's car, don't you think you should pay for it?"
"Pay? Hahahaha, is there any surveillance footage? Can you prove it was us who hit it?"
"What are you talking about? He drove into us! We just got out to help."
"Miss, do you need a hand? It's getting dark, and it's cold. Let us brothers warm you up!"
Hearing the scoundrels' words, the taxi driver was furious. He couldn't believe that in this modern day, such scoundrels would dare to bully people!
Zhan Xiaojun's gaze turned cold, and she looked at them with a smile that wasn't quite a smile. "Who sent you?"
The men were surprised that Zhan Xiaojun got straight to the point. However, they were paid to do a job and couldn't leave any loose ends.
"We don't understand what you're saying. Come on, let's take a stroll in the woods behind us."
"After we're done, we'll treat you to a late-night snack."
"Judging by your appearance, you haven't had any good late-night snacks, have you? We'll treat you, and we guarantee you'll enjoy it! Hahahaha!"
The more vulgar their talk, the more their lust grew. They stopped wasting time and reached out to grab Zhan Xiaojun. In their eyes, she was just a weak woman, easily subdued with a single blow.
However.
Zhan Xiaojun's eyes suddenly sharpened, and she said coldly, "You don't know how to behave? I'll teach you."
...
It was exactly eight o'clock.
Ning Yecheng glanced at his watch and then looked towards the door. The girl was usually punctual, but today she was late. It wasn't like her. He walked to the window and looked out at the silent night.
...
In the woods.
Zhan Xiaojun patted one of the men's faces. Her gaze was indifferent, her aura commanding. "Now, can you tell me who sent you?"
Usually, after a beating, people become compliant, sometimes even smarter. The five men, all well over six feet tall, now lay on the ground, unable to get up, their eyes wide with terror as they looked at Zhan Xiaojun.
Had she trained in martial arts? They were five men! She had handled them as easily as a cat playing with mice. Who would have thought such a seemingly delicate girl could fight so well! She was a monster!
"We really don't know what you're talking about. We just saw you and couldn't resist. You're too beautiful!"
The other four men nodded in agreement.
Zhan Xiaojun, who was always good-tempered, smiled and nodded, "So, it was just lust at first sight."
"Yes, yes, yes!"
"We know we were wrong this time, and we'll never dare to do it again! Really, we'll never dare again! From now on, we'll cross the road when we see women, we'll never make the same mistake again!"
"It wouldn't be good for you if word of today's events got out, so let's just call it even, okay?"
"Yes, yes, yes, let's call it even!"
"How about we compensate you with some money? Just let us go!"
They had tried to escape earlier, but after only a few steps, she had caught up and sent them flying with a kick. She had actually kicked them flying! They still felt like their ribs were broken, sweat beading on their foreheads from the pain. If they hadn't seen with their own eyes that she was a fragile twenty-year-old girl, they would have thought the person who beat them was a world champion in martial arts. She was too fierce! Too deadly!
Zhan Xiaojun lifted her foot and stepped on one of the men's heads, pressing nearly half his head into the dirt. "Still not talking?"
"I'm running out of patience."
She bent down and gently twisted the man's hand. The pain shot through his fingers, and he let out a wail. "Ah! Ah! Stop, stop! It hurts so much!"
He regretted it. This woman seemed like a renegade agent, willing to use any means to extract information!
"I'll talk, I'll talk, okay?"
Wailing...
Hadn't that taxi driver called the police? Why weren't they here yet? If they didn't arrive soon, they would be tortured to death! Suddenly, a terrifying thought struck the other men. Would next year's anniversary of this day be their memorial? This girl was a lunatic!
Wailing...
Just then, Zhan Xiaojun's phone rang. Seeing that the caller was Ning Yecheng, her expression shifted slightly. She answered calmly, "I've encountered some unexpected trouble, I'm afraid I'll be a little late."
Ning Yecheng heard the wind and some pained cries through the phone. He remained unfazed and asked no further questions, only saying, "Mm, be careful."
"Okay, thank you."
Zhan Xiaojun hung up the phone. She then looked at the man she was interrogating, "I have other matters to attend to. Don't waste my time. Speak."
On the other end, Ning Yecheng called Liu Ning. "Go and find out where Zhan Xiaojun is and what trouble she's run into."
...
Half an hour later.
Ning Yecheng stood by the window, receiving Liu Ning's call.
"Boss, has Miss Zhan also undergone special training!"
Assistant Liu's tone was filled with unprecedented shock. He was looking at the scene before him and listening to the men describe what had just happened. He felt as if he were reading a novel! A novel that was utterly detached from reality!