157 Step On I

Vroom… Vroom… Vroom…

With the phone gently vibrating in her pocket, Wu Ruoyu felt like her heart was about to jump out of her chest. She quickly stepped on the clutch with her left leg, before stepping on the accelerator, so that the roaring sound from the engine could mask what was happening.

Wu Ruoyu skillfully controlled her driving tempo by gradually increasing the roaring sound of the engine. With the external noise of traffic and the sounding horns as a cover, it did not raise the hoodlums' attention, nor could they have ever associated the cause-and-effect relationship between all of these things.

Only a silhouette could be roughly seen, due to the dim light that was shining in from the streetlights. With a glance at the hoodlum in the front seat, Wu Ruoyu pretended to hang her left hand down naturally, before quickly inserted it into the pocket of her windbreaker to press on the accept call button. Then, she slowly removed her legs from the clutch and accelerator. 

"Were you thinking of secretly unfastening your seatbelt, before jumping out of the car to escape?" The guy with the grey jacket noticed Wu Ruoyu's minor movements, but he did not see her placing her hand in her pocket, due to his poor sight and the dim lighting.

"You are welcome to give it a try, just to see who can act faster!" said the guy with a dark smile.

"Big brother, how… How could that be?" Wu Ruoyu forced a laugh, her face pale. "I was just scratching myself!" Wu Ruoyu quickly retracted her left hand to grab onto the steering wheel, after she had finished speaking.

"Do you still feel itchy elsewhere? I can help you scratch it!" Liu Zi, who sat in the back seat, stretched his head in between the two with a perverted gaze.

"Behave yourself and keep looking at our rear!" The guy with the grey jacket pressed Liu Zi's head back with his palm while swaying the blade in his hand in front of Wu Ruoyu's eyes. "As long as you cooperate obediently and get us to our destination, we won't hurt you." 

"Then, Big Brothers, may I know where is your… your destination?" Drops of sweat were oozing from Wu Ruoyu's fair forehead.

The car was currently traveling at the speed of 50 miles per hour, as if headed towards Highway 103. If there were no unexpected events, then there would only be 20 minutes left before the car passed through Ring Road and entered into a sparsely populated section of the highway.

"Listen to the party's command and follow the party!" The guy with the grey jacket rolled his eyes.

"Hello? Hello? Hello?"

Chen Fan stood at the entrance of Catherine's Love with a gloomy expression. He did not manage to find Wu Ruoyu, despite having walked around the whole place. And, although she had answered his call later on, there had been no response on the other end even after he had said hello for quite a while.

What is going on here?

Chen Fan returned to his car. The reason why no sound could be heard from the call was not due to a system error from the telecommunication company. The fact that he had heard the occasional sound of horns from cargo trucks in the background allowed Chen Fan to understand that Wu Ruoyu was purposely refusing to speak after answering the call. After saying hello two more times, Chen Fan hung up the call gloomily.

Could it be that it was not convenient for her to pick up my call, because she is currently driving? Or could it be that she was taking her revenge for the previous incident by not showing up?

Chen Fan thought about it for a while, then felt that it was neither of those reasons. It was not as it she was racing on Autumn Mountain with nine consecutive cornerings, so how could she have no time to speak after answering the call? If she planned to stand him up, then the effect would have been better if she had simply made up a reason versus silence.

Chen Fan sat in the car, bored. He then started to listen to music, deciding to call again in five minutes.

"Little girl, I suggest that you speed up a little!" The guy with the grey jacket smiled gently, but his dark brown pupils had a cold look in them.

"Big… Big brother!" Wu Ruoyu's body was trembling under such immense pressure. "I… I am afraid that I cannot control the car if I drive too fast…"

"Haha…" The guy with the grey jacket felt an inexplicable sense of delight. To him, this was even more pleasurable than blocking a girl in an alley at night. As he was unable to resist it, he laughed. "Foreign girl, your Mandarin is excellent. Which country are you from?"

"Bel… Belgium!" Wu Ruoyu replied, strategically choosing a lesser-known small country.

"What kind of a weird country is that?" Liu Zi stretched his head to the front again. "Big Brother, now that the cars have turned on their headlights, I can't see anything!"

"Then, you just behave yourself and sit down. Don't talk nonsense here. This incident is more serious now, based on the news that I saw this afternoon. So, we need to hurry up and lay low at Lao Shan's place, at least until it blows over."

The guy with the grey jacket let out a long sigh. Now that the three of them were seated in the car, it would be best for them to behave themselves. Even they had to admit that, if they forced this foreigner to become anxious, it would not be beneficial to anyone.

Vroom… Vroom… Vroom…

Just when the car fell into silence, the phone in Wu Ruoyu's pocket started to vibrate again.

"Cough… Cough…" Wu Ruoyu quickly used coughing sounds to cover it up, before using the prior method to gradually increase the sound of the roaring engine.

"You should use the tip of your toes to gently step on the clutch, otherwise it will waste a lot of gas!" Without the bustling environment and the sound of honks, the guy with the grey jacket was able to hear the change in the engine sound. However, he did not suspect anything. Instead, he rolled up his sleeve to look at the time, before continuing to gaze outside the window.

"Cough cough…" Wu Ruoyu patted her chest. Then, when there was a flash of white light shining from the car's headlights in front of them, thus preventing everyone from opening their eyes, she took the opportunity to quickly insert her hands into her pocket to press on the accept call button.

"Hello… Hello…" Chen Fan was sitting in his car, frustrated. After Wu Ruoyu answered the call, she remained silent.

"Liu Zi, get me a cigarette!" The guy with the grey jacket snapped his fingers.

"Ah, Big Brothers, there are policemen in front of us. Please don't use me as a hostage!" Wu Ruoyu suddenly pointed to the front of the car, screaming loudly.

"F*ck!" Liu Zi slapped Wu Ruoyu's head with his palm, before placing a knife horizontally on her neck and shouting, "What the heck are you shouting for? You scared the hell outta me! That is just a stupid traffic police booth that is used to catch and issue summons to cargo trucks. What the heck are you shouting for, when your car is not pulling any cargo? Don't pull any tricks! Just drive steadily, or I will slash you with my knife."

"Did you hear me?" Liu Zi shouted beside Wu Ruoyu's ear with his rough voice once again.

"I hear you…" Wu Ruoyu's whole body was trembling. The immense fear and pain from her head caused her eyes to well up with tears.

Wu Ruoyu knew that this rare chance would only come once.

If the call was not from Chen Fan, or if Chen Fan was not as smart as she thought he was…

Wu Ruoyu did not dare to think further…

Is there any point, even if Chen Fan reported her missing to the police, or chased after her himself?

As long as the hoodlums noticed something was wrong with the situation and slashed her with a knife, she would still need to bid farewell to the next day's sun. The guy sitting in the back seat was right. The two policemen, who held torchlights, did not even spare a glance at the white Audi A4 that slowly drove by the police booth.

After the car passed by the police booth, Wu Ruoyu stared ahead quietly. Then, an incoming light from afar directly shone on the windscreen…

Instantly, Wu Ruoyu bit her lip, while she quickly inserted her left hand into her pocket to press on the speaker button, just at the precise moment when everyone could not open their eyes, due to the flashing light.

...

Chen Fan did not do anything that would worry Wu Ruoyu, neither was he a fool. The moment he heard Wu Ruoyu's scream and another guy's roar from the other end of the call, he immediately realized that things had taken a turn for the worst. The dialogue replayed back in his mind...

"Big brother, there are policemen in front of us, please don't use me as a hostage..."

"F*ck! That is just a stupid traffic police booth that is used to catch and issue summons to cargo trucks. What the heck are you shouting for, when your car is not pulling any cargo? Don't pull any tricks! Just drive steadily, or I will slash you with my knife."

These two sentences, together with the horn sounds from the previous call, implied that Wu Ruoyu had been kidnapped by two people and was traveling somewhere in Zhongyun.

Chen Fan quickly wound up his car windows before maximizing the volume on his phone. His anxious and brooding expression was like a storm brewing on the ocean, getting worse as time goes on.

"Turn left at this junction!" There was a clear voice coming from the other end of the phone.

"Big… Big Brother, I think the road sign showed… showed Canglong Hill. Why are we… we headed there…" The sound of Wu Ruoyu's tearful voice could be heard from the phone.

"Don't be afraid, little girl. Nothing that you are worried about will happen, as we are just passing by that route!"

Canglong Hill?

Chen Fan quickly scanned the car once, before pulling out a towel that he used for wiping the car. He then cut out a strip of cloth to tie his phone around his head, just like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle!

He then fired up the black BMW and rushed towards the motorway. Residents of Zhongyun would remember Canglong Hill, because of their specialty, which was a fish that glows in the dark, known as the Night Pearl.

Chen Fan only knew that Canglong Hill was faced towards the south and the north, but this did not prevent him from accurately identifying its location. After using his fingers to quickly tap a few times on the GPS navigation installed in the car, the shortest route to the destination was marked.

It showed a distance of 47 kilometers… It then instructed Chen Fan to head north for six kilometers, then take the fifth loop...

The BMW was electronically limited to traveling at a speed of 250 kilometers per hour, but in reality, it could go up to 300. With Chen Fan driving it, the car completely erupted, cruising at a speed that made people tremble! It overtook cars, one after another, as it sped through the lanes with a loud roar.

Chen Fan forcefully drove 120 kilometers per hour, even on an asphalt road with a speed limit of 50. After speeding through seven consecutive red lights, Chen Fan suddenly slammed on the brakes with a screech. After leaving two long marks at the corner, the car rushed towards the Fifth Ring Road!

...

As time passed, Wu Ruoyu's face turned increasingly pale. There were still 11 kilometers to go before they would reach Canglong Hill. Aside from a few cars that occasionally passed by, there was nothing else on the road.

Originally, there was no beautiful scenery that would attract people to Canglong Hill. But one day in the year of 1998, a person with nothing better to do decided to camp for a night in Canglong Hill. But, when he woke up to pee in the middle of the night, he surprisingly found a deep swamp not too far away, which was filled with many glowing fish. The region then became instantly famous, which is how it caught people's attention, and how it received its moniker.

Now, the government has built three highways in the area. One of the highways leads to Canglong Hill, while the other two lead to Guanhua Town and Sihe Township respectively. Late at night, places near the abandoned mountain area are the perfect spots for killing and burning...

If I wait until we reach the foot of Canglong Hill, then what awaits will be…

First physically taken advantage of, and then killed...

These nightmarish thoughts slowly washed over Wu Ruoyu's mind.

"Two… Two Big Brothers! We will reach… reach Canglong Hill in another 11 kilometers. When the time comes, can you release me?" The only thing that Wu Ruoyu could do now was to keep reporting her current position aloud for Chen Fan's ears on the other end of the hidden phone. But, the issue of whether the call had been hung up or not was out of her control.

"Turn left to head towards Guanhua Town, once you reach Canglong Hill. Naturally, we will release you once we arrive there." The guy with the grey jacket, who was now polishing his nails with the knife, raised his head and spoke with a light smile.

As she looked at the meter, which was jumping bit by bit, the uncertain hope in Wu Ruoyu's heart was gradually lessening. This was because she understood that the direction in which this man was referring to did not lead to Guanhua Town at all. Instead, it led to Canglong Hill.

After 12 minutes, the lights were no longer shining boundlessly. The side of the road was starting to become more rugged. Those big shadows at the cornerings were continuously implying that this place belonged to steep mountain terrain.

When the car reached the T-junction in front of them, Wu Ruoyu's heart fell. There were still no signs of any action being taken! It truly did look like this could really be where her life ends!

"Big Brothers, where should we go now?" Wu Ruoyu asked calmly, as she slowed down her car.

"Turn to the left!" The guy with the grey jacket sat up from his seat and pointed at the pitch-black road ahead with his knife.

"Okay!" Wu Ruoyu nodded her head, keeping focused on her surroundings.

She had come to Canglong Hill before, and she remembered that there should be plenty of large rocks at the side of the road. She could just find a large one, then crash into it with the car.

After driving for about 30 seconds, Wu Ruoyu found her target with the car's highlights, as she was taking a turn at a cornering. It was a large rock that was three meters tall and two meters wide, which was sitting just one meter away from the road.

Just another 200 meters. The car is now at third gear, going 50 kilometers per hour. If I completely step on the accelerator and use the remaining distance of 50 meters to shift into fifth gear…

Wu Ruoyu was contemplating her target. The Audi A4 could definitely increase to a speed of 130 kilometers per hour from this distance, and 130 yards would definitely be enough length to...

Due to the dark interior of the car, the guy with the grey jacket failed to notice the fiercely determined expression on Wu Ruoyu's face. Otherwise, he would have immediately suspected something.

Hopefully, this safety belt is not that safe. Otherwise, being half dead would be a pain in the a*s…

Wu Ruoyu gently placed her hand on the car gear and took two deep breaths. Then, she aimed the car at the large rock. With the tip of her toes taut, she prepared to step on the accelerator, pushing it straight to the floorboard until the end.

Honk honk… Honk honk…

At this moment, there was a loud sound of a roaring engine and honks heard from behind them. It nearly caused Wu Ruoyu's nerves, which were already tense, to completely snap!

There were different expressions on all three of their faces. Wu Ruoyu was touched, as a huge hope suddenly rose in her heart. She immediately relaxed her taut right leg in order to observe through the rear mirror. She had to see if her savior had arrived!

On the other hand, the two hoodlums were shocked and suspicious. They had not met a single car for over 10 minutes, so how could they not be suspicious when one suddenly appeared?

This car that had suddenly appeared could not be seen clearly, due to that intense white headlight. One could only guess that it was a small car, based on the sound of the engine.

Honk honk… Honk honk… Honk honk…

The car behind looked as if it wanted to overtake the car in front, as it was blinking its headlights and honking continuously. Per the official traffic regulations, this represented the universal signal for: "I want to overtake your car."

"Move aside and let him pass!" The guy with the grey jacket had a gloomy expression, as he pointed a knife at Wu Ruoyu's stomach. The fact that the opposite party wanted to overtake the car coincidentally fulfilled his wish of observing its origin.

The road was on the narrow side and simply could not allow two cars to drive side-by-side at the same time. So, Wu Ruoyu slowly moved the car to the side with her trembling hands, waiting for the moment which could determine her fate!

The car behind overtook the white A4 car in a provocative manner, with a roar of its engine, followed by an ear-piercing grinding sound.

Rumble!

Upon overtaking the white A4 car, this black car immediately vanished within just five seconds, like an arrow! The only thing it left behind was the grating sound of the roaring engine, echoing in the mountains.

"D*mn this jerk! He dares to participate in a road race in these mountainous terrains at night! I think this guy is tired of living!" Liu Zi scolded that unknown person, before signaling Wu Ruoyu with his knife to continue driving.

The guy with the grey jacket shook his head, "Didn't that Takumi in the movie drive in these mountain terrains at night as well? But, I don't think that he can be Fujiwara Takumi, but maybe he's that Itsuki Tachibana, who had his car overturned! That would be more suitable!"

As if to prove what he had just said, the roar of the engine that was gradually becoming distant suddenly turned into a vicious braking sound. Then, there was a grating screech that lasted for five long seconds. Then, it got replaced with a large booming sound.

"Hahaha…"

"Oh my God, this is so hilarious…"

The two men in the car kept hammering their thighs non-stop. Their expressions, which were initially human-like, now twisted into something irregular and out-of-shape, due to all of that laughter. Liu Zi even laughed until he rolled down from the seat!

"Hahaha… Speed up! Quickly, speed up! Haha… I want to see the aftermath of his crash!"

The guy with the grey jacket laughed, his whole body shaking vigorously. He only managed to complete his sentence after a while.

This sentence was like the last straw for Wu Ruoyu, who was trembling, as tears kept on whirling in her eyes. That car belonged to none other than Chen Fan!

He really had rushed over. He came alone, without reporting to the police first, just to create an opportunity for her, without the slightest care of his own safety!

Wu Ruoyu worked hard to control her emotions, as she increased the speed of the car. After the white A4 had driven over a few hundred meters, that BMW that had smoke coming out from its front came into view.

The car was in a really bad condition. It had crashed unexpectedly into a large rock, and the front of the car also looked as if a transformer had stepped on it, as there were parts of the car flown all over the ground.

The position of the car was also very strategic. With its horizontal position, it coincidentally took up nearly the entire space of the road. Hence, if the A4 car wanted to drive through, it had to trample across the wild grass at the side.

"Jerk! Who asked you to imitate Takumi's mountain drift!" Liu Zi's eyes were filled with excitement as if he had just seen a pretty lady without her clothes. "Big Brother, you are really good. He crashed right after you finished speaking! I wonder if he is dead?"

"Haha… He will be crippled, even if he's not dead!" The guy with the grey jacket burst out in grating laughter. After being satisfied from watching the show, he swayed the knife in front of Wu Ruoyu twice. "Step on it!"

As if she'd been paralyzed, Wu Ruoyu just stared at the car blankly, without any response.

Pak!

Liu Zi then slapped the back of Wu Ruoyu's head again. "Step on it!"