That kick wasn't light, and I could hear the sound of bones in my face. That sound was a heart-wrenching pain, but I could only endure the torment in silence.

It took a long time before they released my face. I saw a ferocious look on his face, as if he wanted to inflict all his frustrations on me. I didn't even have a chance to reach out and touch my face because my tightly bound hands were just as tight and uncomfortable.

The four of them stood in the distance, huddling together and whispering, discussing something. Time had passed for a long time, which meant Xiao Hei hadn't been found by Chen Biao and his gang. Now, Acheng's and my lives could only be pinned on him.

Although Xiao Hei wasn't as shrewd as Acheng, he had been by my side for so many years, and I believed he had the ability to adapt to circumstances. After all, in all these years, we'd seen all kinds of things.

Suddenly, the ringleader appeared in front of me out of nowhere, looking me up and down as if he was estimating how much I was worth. After a while, he asked, "Do you want to go back alive today, or do you want to be buried in this wilderness?"

I immediately answered him very sincerely, "Brothers, we've been around. Of course, we want to go back alive. I'm willing to give you some money for your loss. You name a reasonable price."

"Okay! But don't play tricks on me, or even if we don't get the money from the other side, we'll still take care of you two."

"Don't worry, I definitely won't lie to you. As long as I can afford it, I'll definitely give it to you."

The other party immediately looked at the car parked aside, as if measuring my worth based on the car's price. After calculating, he said, "One million. Not a penny less."

I also weighed the amount in my heart. For this task, I didn't think they were asking for too much, but even if they got the money, could they escape safely? I thought it was risky. If I were to give them the money, I had to transfer it to her through a third-party account. Aside from Pei Shi Yu, it was my mother. Even if I didn't call the police, they certainly wouldn't think that way, especially Pei Shi Yu. A woman with such meticulous logical thinking wouldn't let them go so easily.

Thinking of this, I felt conflicted. Although I could understand their situation, this was, after all, illegal, and taking on this kind of deal meant choosing to take a chance.

I quickly agreed, "Okay, I agree to give it to you."

"How will you give it?"

"I definitely don't have that much money on my card. I have to make a phone call to transfer it to you first."

The other party was very straightforward and immediately handed over his cell phone...

"I want to use my own cell phone to call. I don't remember the number," I said truthfully.

He very consciously sized me up, then directly turned on my cell phone and asked, "Who are you calling?"

The person who appeared in my mind wasn't my mother, but Pei Shi Yu! At that moment, I heard a series of text messages from my cell phone. It should have been from my mother and Pei Shi Yu, and at that moment, my cell phone rang again. I saw him quickly hang it up.

I remembered that when I saved Pei Shi Yu's number, it was during the initial stage after I was with President Li. The nickname I saved was still named after "witch," so I quickly told him, "Scroll down, there's one called 'Witch.'"

At first, I thought they weren't experienced, but his actions at this time confirmed my thoughts even more. I saw him find Pei Shi Yu's number and say, "I'll give you the number, and you can use my cell phone to call."

Use his cell phone? Wouldn't that expose his identity? I suppressed the excitement in my heart and calmly replied, "Okay, tell me the number."

He seemed to see through what I was thinking and said in a serious tone, "I'm not stupid enough to use my own cell phone to call. This cell phone was taken from your car."

Only then did I repeatedly look at the cell phone in my hand. It was Xiao Hei's, which meant that when he got out of the car in a hurry at the toll station, he didn't even bring his cell phone. He had no money and no cell phone. Where was Xiao Hei at this moment?

I suddenly became distracted. Not having a cell phone was a good thing for the people chasing him, but for Xiao Hei himself, it was definitely a desperate situation...

"What are you scheming? Are you going to call or not!"

The other party suddenly shouted loudly, pulling me back from my analysis...

"I'll call right away." Because Pei Shi Yu's number was already dialed on Xiao Hei's cell phone.

The call was answered quickly, and Pei Shi Yu's cautious voice came from inside: "Hello?!"

The other party was watching me vigilantly, so I could only say in a calm tone: "This is Lin Che."

"Where are you? Why can't I get through to your phone?" Her tone had already changed from the previous caution to questioning.

"I'm fine. Transfer one million to me right now..."

Pei Shi Yu immediately interrupted me warily, "Did something happen?"

At the other party's request, I had the speakerphone on, so I definitely couldn't tell the truth. Without revealing the slightest hint, I said, "Nothing happened. Hurry up and transfer the money."

Because I had instructed her when I came, I believed that she already knew my current situation one hundred percent...

"Give me the account number to transfer the money."

Just as I turned my head to ask the other party for the account number, he had already handed the card to my palm. Just as I was about to report it, Pei Shi Yu spoke again: "How can you transfer so much money? The bank is already closed."

Just as I was in trouble, the other party snatched my cell phone and forced me to say, "We want cash. Put it in the designated place tomorrow. We will send someone to get it. If you play any tricks, you will die. We will contact you tomorrow."

"Prepare the cash tomorrow, and they will call you then," I had no choice but to say to Pei Shi Yu, while also exposing my current situation.

"Release him after you get the money tomorrow." After speaking, he walked directly to the other three people.

The sky darkened quickly. It was already pitch black. Although I was wearing a turtleneck sweater and coat today, the cold had penetrated my whole body after lying on the ground for so long. Even my bones were shivering.

The four of them had already gotten into my car, and it looked like they were going to spend a long night inside. I didn't know if Acheng and I could make it to dawn, and if we could, we could see the dawn of tomorrow.

I fell asleep in the cold and hunger. I didn't know how long I slept, and I couldn't even tell what time it was now. I could only tell that it should be early morning by the moon hanging in the sky...

"Brother Lin, I want to pee," Acheng said to me very quietly.

"I want to too, but there's no way. We can only hold it in."

"I've been holding it in for too long. Would I still open my mouth if I could hold it in?"

Just as he was speaking, I heard the sound of the car door opening. Two people came down and walked straight to a place not far from us to relieve themselves. When they passed by us, I didn't even dare to make a request. I wasn't too scared during the day, but now, looking at the desolate situation, I felt a sense of terror inexplicably.