Simulated Crime, This Criminal Doesn’t Seem to Be Acting

【Oh my god, suddenly like this, you guys must be the group that loves to hide in the bushes while gaming!】

【Sister Sang! I admire you for getting out of this situation, even though you didn't actually escape!】

【Maybe it's my confidence in Sister Sang, but I think if this gang doesn't take care of her now, they're going to face major trouble later!】

As Ye Sangsang from the live stream slowly opened her eyes, she felt like she might have to restart her life.

After escaping once, these people would definitely come up with ways to kill them.

However, what surprised her was that when she woke up again, she was just tied up, and she was tied together with Chen Yu.

They were bound to a sofa, sitting back-to-back, with Chen Yu also unconscious.

It seemed that she wasn't the only one who had been knocked out.

Her first thought was confusion; according to the criminal logic, they should have killed them immediately.

Were they planning to keep them alive until the third day?

She observed the surroundings, and although she felt a bit of fear, it was minimal. So, she wasn't trembling with fear, but her face showed the expression of someone terrified.

She quickly spotted the person who had hit her over the head.

He was around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, about 178 cm tall, with a tough, harsh appearance. He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and casual black pants, and his eyes looked extremely sinister.

The moment their eyes met, Ye Sangsang pretended to be scared and dropped her gaze.

For Ye Sangsang, he was indeed very sneaky, suddenly appearing and whacking her over the head. Combined with the previous injuries, every move she made caused stabbing pain from the back of her head to the front.

Ye Sangsang didn't complain about her misfortune; if there was a fourth person, then so be it.

When there are too many problems, they no longer feel like problems.

If it really doesn't work, then she'll just restart. She didn't have the obsession of winning in one go.

But giving up was impossible. Even if it was an infinite loop, she would find a way out every time. If all else fails, she would kill one after another until she felt satisfied.

As Ye Sangsang was buried in thought, a few people standing by the dining table started talking.

"If I hadn't come late and stopped by to buy something on my way back, they would have escaped!" The gloomy man looked around at the three people around him, his eyes filled with icy murderous intent.

Lin Deqiang placed his right hand on a nearby chair, lowered his head, and admitted his mistake, "It's our negligence. We thought these two couldn't escape anymore, but we didn't expect them to still be so unruly."

The other two also admitted their oversight.

"I hope there won't be a next time," he said without hesitation.

The three men, who were older than him, were scolded in an unceremonious tone. Although they were displeased, they didn't show anger at being rebuked by someone younger.

However, Zhao Hong, or Zhao Lao's Third, moved his eyes around, managing to hide the discontent in his eyes.@@novelbin@@

Ye Sangsang remained silent, playing the part of a frightened dove, waiting for their next move.

The youngest among the gang, despite his age, held the most authority. After speaking, he gestured toward the dining table, "Come, let's eat."

Ye Sangsang was a bit puzzled. Were they really just here to taunt them?

If she remembered correctly, this was a robbery and murder case. Why hadn't they searched for money or interrogated them about where the money was hidden?

Was it because they were waiting for all four members to gather?

Ye Sangsang's mind raced with many thoughts. At that moment, Chen Yu behind her woke up. Ye Sangsang could feel that he was momentarily agitated, realizing his wife was behind him, which calmed him down.

Realizing that his wife was behind him, he stopped moving and whispered softly, "I'm sorry, it's all my fault..." He was already weak from blood loss and, upon seeing the men, was so startled that he couldn't speak and was knocked unconscious.

The rest of his words implied that he had held his wife back. They had a chance to escape, but because of him, they were caught again.

"Don't take it to heart, it's okay," she didn't blame anyone. Under those circumstances, having one more or one less person made no difference.

Neither of them spoke further. Chen Yu's emotions were clearly desperate, and he lowered his head, feeling miserable in silence.

Ye Sangsang was very composed. Even if this was real, and she was going to die, it might just be like that.

She wasn't a pessimist, just someone who didn't have much emotion. The pain, despair, and fear of death were all just emotions.

The strongest emotional fluctuation she ever felt was when her mother died.

Unfortunately, that emotion was fleeting, too fast to grasp.

Were normal people's emotions really that rich?

This was something she had always been curious about in her life. She always felt that many people were acting.

As the man who had hit her over the head walked over, Ye Sangsang composed herself and looked up at him with fear.

"You're pretty brave. If it weren't for me, you would have faced them head-on," he said, looking down at Ye Sangsang with a sickening appreciation and scrutiny in his eyes.

Ye Sangsang raised her head, anger in her eyes, and forced herself to maintain her composure, "Why do you do this? If you're going to kill us, just kill us. Why torture us with all these schemes?"

"You're too happy. I just can't stand it. I always feel like you two can't be separated, no matter how much I torture you," the man's eyes widened at her words, staring fixedly at her with his dark pupils and a large amount of exposed whites.

Ye Sangsang's forced composure crumbled, and tears began to fall.

The man laughed, his eyes filled with contempt. No matter where they were, even if they had run out of the neighborhood, he could drag them back.

At that moment, Chen Yu spoke up, his voice filled with desperate pleading: "Please let her go. You want money, we'll give you everything we have. I'll even take out loans for you. Just let her go."

"Hahaha, your love is really touching," the man stood up and laughed wildly, his tone full of mockery.

Just now, when Ye Sangsang thought he was the leader, Lin Deqiang walked over and said, "Qiu Fu, let them get the money out. Whatever they have, get it. If not, make the couple borrow it!"

"I know, stop nagging," Qiu Fu, the young man, glanced at him and signaled him to be quiet.

When the topic of money was brought up, the men gathered around.

Qiu Fu whispered something into the ear of the man who had just spoken, and the man nodded to show his understanding.

Then, Ye Sangsang and Chen Yu were untied, and Chen Yu was taken to the master bedroom by Lin Deqiang and Zhao Hong.

"Come, tell me, how much money do you have?" Qiu Fu asked Ye Sangsang.

Ye Sangsang didn't hide anything and told him everything she knew.

Qiu Fu raised an eyebrow, "Pretty detailed."

He stood up, his knife pointed at Ye Sangsang, flipping it in his palm.

"As long as you give us enough money, we can let you go. But you have to cooperate, understand? This escape was due to a lack of trust between us, but since you're giving us money generously, we'll let it slide this time," he paused, "If there's a next time, whoever suggested escaping or ran first, I'll kill the other one."

"Considering how much you two love each other, you wouldn't want the other person to die, would you? The one who survives will feel guilty for a lifetime!"

Ye Sangsang's eyes flickered at these words. So, maybe it wasn't that both husband and wife survived briefly, but that one of them survived.

The casefile mentioned that both husband and wife died, but it didn't say they died on the spot. Maybe someone was rescued and survived for a while after being treated in the hospital.

Combined with the fact that they thought the couple was so *in love*, if one died, maybe that was the plan all along, to create a situation where they were separated by life and death, causing extreme pain.

Such perverted tastes...

She continued to lower her head, her voice hoarse and choked, "Don't kill him, I'll listen obediently."

"Good," the man looked at Ye Sangsang.

After a while, Chen Yu was brought out of the room, and the two sides cross-checked the information they had obtained, confirming that neither of them had lied.

Although online payments were popular in 2012, many people still used cash, especially in this small and remote county. Therefore, ATMs were more common here than in Ye Sangsang's previous life twenty years later, and they were seen all over the streets and alleys.

There should be an ATM nearby, and since they had found out where it was, they would have to go out to withdraw cash.

Ye Sangsang thought that since they considered her a troublemaker, they probably wouldn't take her.

She was right. Soon, Chen Yu was brought to her, and Qiu Fu pinched his face, making him face Ye Sangsang, showing her the marks on his face and body.

"Take a good look, inch by inch. Lin Deqiang will accompany you to withdraw money later, and Zhao Hong will drive. If I get any information that either of you has made any abnormal moves, I'll kill her," he whispered in his ear in a low voice.

Even Ye Sangsang couldn't help but admire this move; Chen Yu's expression clearly showed more fear.

They took him to change out of his blood-stained clothes, grabbed the bank card, and set off.

Only Qiu Fu and Wang Lao'er remained in the room, both sitting back down to eat.

As Wang Lao'er passed by the corner of the living room where Qiu Fu's duffel bag was placed, he accidentally tripped over it, causing a faint clinking sound of metal colliding.

"Ding."

The sound was crisp but very faint.

If Ye Sangsang hadn't been closely observing the two of them, she wouldn't have heard it at all. Having been blind for a short period before, she recalled that the sound was that of a solid metal object, not a knife.

Their weapons were all quite conventional, such as a knife about twenty centimeters long with minimal wear, similar to a kitchen knife. There was also a claw hammer with a shiny stainless steel finish, in excellent condition—items that are commonly found in the market.

One could say that these were... hastily prepared.

The scene, reconstructed based on the survivors' accounts, police investigations, and recorded video and photo evidence, suggests that they were a gang on the run who had come to this small city, and these were their newly prepared weapons.

Why did they choose this couple? Was it purely because they were loving and Shen Lingling was beautiful?

Or was there another motive?

Perhaps this was just a waystation, where they intended to obtain... something.

Robbery would yield money, of course.

The couple had bought this house with a mortgage and spent a lot on the renovation, leaving only 50,000 yuan in their account from what their parents had given them, not their own savings.

It was possible that they had committed such a heinous crime for just 50,000 yuan, but Ye Sangsang felt their purpose went beyond mere money.

Ye Sangsang lowered her head and silently pondered.

Unfortunately, with such limited information, she couldn't deduce much more.

The immediate priority was to stay alive and find a way to escape.

Honestly, this was her first time encountering such ruthless individuals.

In previous encounters with hardened criminals, she had been in the dark while they were in the open, and with some effort, she could deal with them.

But this time was different—they were face-to-face, the odds were against her, and she was in a weakened state.

As time passed, Ye Sangsang felt the effects of the painkillers wearing off. Her forehead was covered in sweat, and she began to lose consciousness due to the pain and infection from her wounds.

"She's running a fever. Fragile, isn't she?" someone said, their shadow moving under the light.

Another replied, "Tsk, you were the one messing around the most. She's held out for this long—that's pretty impressive."

After an unknown period, Ye Sangsang was helped up and given fever medicine.

When she opened her eyes, it was Shen Lingling's husband, Chen Yu, who had returned.

His lips were pale, and his eyes were filled with anxiety as he looked at his wife, who had just woken up.

Ye Sangsang shook her head at him, glancing at his pale face, guessing that the injury to his abdomen had caused significant blood loss. She glanced at the three men sitting in the living room, who showed no intention of leaving.

They had gotten the money they wanted but still intended to torment them for three days.

However, now they needed to rest, so Ye Sangsang used the opportunity to sleep.

Chen Yu dared not touch his wife's battered body, watching her finish the medicine and fall back into a deep sleep, his eyes filled with tears.

He prayed to the heavens that this was all just a nightmare.

That once they woke up, they would still be that ordinary couple who bickered at times but lived happily together.

Gradually, the outside world brightened.

"You say you love the lilac, because your name is derived from it..."

In the living room, Chen Yu's phone rang.

Lin Deqiang, who had confiscated the phone, woke up, frowned, and listened to the call. "I've already fixed it myself. No need to come over," he said after hearing the message.

Chen Yu realized it was the property management he had called yesterday to come over and fix the faucet. He thought they might at least check in, but the realization brought despair, and he lay weakly, tied up on the couch.

Ye Sangsang still felt pain all over her body but not as intensely.

She didn't hold out much hope—if someone had noticed midway, it wouldn't have resulted in such a tragedy.

[This scenario feels just like the Blind Girl scenario—time drags on painfully.]

[I'm already scared. It's almost the second day now.]

[This group, I feel like they'll come up with something else to do just out of boredom.]

"I need to use the bathroom," Ye Sangsang said, looking up at the men.

To prevent them from escaping, both she and Chen Yu had been tied up with ropes and couldn't move on their own.

Seeing the frail couple, the three men glanced at each other, and Zhao Hong stepped forward to free Ye Sangsang.

Once the rope was untied, they allowed her to go.

The apartment was large but mostly empty, and being on the twelfth floor, they were confident Ye Sangsang couldn't escape, so they simply let her go.

Ye Sangsang had been tied up for several hours, and even after being untied, she couldn't move immediately. She paused for a moment, then slowly shuffled toward the bathroom.

The apartment was a three-bedroom, one-living-room layout, approximately 110 square meters, with two bathrooms.

Under their watchful eyes, Ye Sangsang chose the common area bathroom.

Once inside, she gently closed the door. Instead of using the bathroom right away, she first began to move her wrists, inspecting her injuries.

Her body was covered in many wounds, mostly superficial.

There were only two serious ones: one in a private area and one penetrating wound in her arm. Fortunately, she had taken antibiotics the previous night, or she would have been left in much worse shape.

The bathroom was separated into dry and wet areas. After painfully finishing her business, she opened the mirror cabinet to look for anything useful.

It contained very ordinary items.

She opened the lower cabinet, which held things like showerhead screws, pushpins, or rubber gloves for washing clothes.

She thought for a moment, grabbed a handful of pushpins, and carefully placed them in the pocket of her two-piece casual outfit.

A surprising discovery was a nail clipper tucked away in a corner, which she picked up and stored in her pants pocket.

Before they killed them, they had to find a way to escape, or else they were doomed.

These were all preparations, no matter if they could be used or not—they had to be made.

The bathroom window, once opened, was only a foot wide, positioned around Ye Sangsang's waist level. She gently pushed it open and looked out the window.

Seeing the edge of the building about thirty centimeters wide, she pulled her gaze back.

After doing all this, she got up and walked out.

Submissively lowering her head, she slowly approached Zhao Hong, who tied her up again.

"I'm a bit hungry. Let's make some breakfast," Lin Deqiang said, emerging from one of the rooms.

Qiu Fu nodded and looked at Zhao Hong. "Go downstairs and buy some breakfast, following the route I told you."

"What about them?" Zhao Hong said, pointing at the tied-up couple.

Qiu Fu thought for a moment. "Buy some, but not much. Just enough to keep them alive."

Lin Deqiang rubbed his hands together, eyeing Ye Sangsang with a greedy expression before looking at Qiu Fu. "You know, my life's been pretty dull lately..."

He trailed off, his meaning clear.

"Keep the noise down," Qiu Fu instructed impatiently.

Lin Deqiang chuckled and excitedly walked toward Ye Sangsang.

Ye Sangsang could sense Chen Yu trying to sit up, as if to shield her.

She softly ordered, "Don't move."

Lin Deqiang reached Ye Sangsang, glared at Chen Yu, who was stiff with tension, and slapped him across the face.

Chen Yu ignored the slap, raising his head with eyes full of pain. He looked at Lin Deqiang and pleaded, "Please, let her go! She's already severely injured—she needs to rest. We've given you the money; if it's not enough, I'll borrow from friends and family to repay it later. We won't report it to the police."

"She'll die."

Saying this, he slowly moved his bound body and knelt toward the remaining three men in the room, his head thumping heavily on the floor.

Ye Sangsang bit her lip. This body was indeed on its last legs, and Chen Yu truly loved his wife.

[Tears in my eyes.]

[This scenario is too tragic.]

[These guys are real animals—pretending to cooperate with them, yet constantly going back on their word and tormenting them.]

Ye Sangsang was filled with pain, her eyes brimming with tears as she silently sobbed, urging Chen Yu to get up.

Lin Deqiang was indifferent, directly grabbing her arm.

Chen Yu struggled mightily to lift himself, attempting to use his bound body to crash into him.

Lin Deqiang kicked him directly in the stomach, causing the bandaged area to seep with fresh blood.

Ye Sangsang looked at him, gritting her teeth and said, "Don't move, don't beg." She didn't understand, but still hoped he wouldn't waste his efforts.

Lin Deqiang sneered and ignored her, dragging Ye Sangsang toward the room with force, cruelly saying, "If you dare to stop me again, I'll do her right here!"

Chen Yu's body stiffened, his despair and dejection evident.

"Forget it, it's still early. Let her wash up, change her clothes, and apply some medicine. We can talk about it tonight," Qiu Fu, who had been sitting quietly, spoke up at this moment.

Lin Deqiang's face quickly flashed with anger, but after a while, he threw Ye Sangsang away.

Ye Sangsang sighed inwardly, her sympathy for the couple reaching its peak as they were toyed with.

His intervention wasn't out of compassion; it was because the couple's resistance had been too loud. He needed to keep them quiet.

It was morning now, and although the neighborhood was less populated, if the noise was too loud, someone might notice. If the couple didn't care and made a racket, they could still be discovered.

He hadn't considered this before, but seeing the couple's intense emotions, he decided to step in.

It also allowed the couple to feel grateful to him.

Indeed, Chen Yu's expression when looking at Qiu Fu was complicated.

He moved next to Ye Sangsang, asking her to wash up and take medicine.

All he hoped for now was that his wife could survive; he didn't think about anything else.

Ye Sangsang was untied again. She moved, pale-faced, found a first-aid kit, and took out some ointment before entering the master bedroom.

They didn't pay attention to Ye Sangsang's movements because throughout the entire house, except for the bathroom, invisible burglar bars had been installed; she couldn't escape.

Ye Sangsang washed up and changed into dark, long-sleeved, and long-legged clothes, carefully placing thumbtacks and nail clippers in different pockets.

After coming out, the two of them were given a bun each.

After breakfast, the four of them began to move around the room, gathering cash and gold jewelry, which they stuffed into the bags they had brought.

"This money, so damn little, less than we expected," Lin Deqiang complained.

Wang Lao'er pointed at the couple, "Make them borrow, ask their families to transfer money to their cards."

"Are you stupid? Borrowing money could invite their relatives to visit. We went through so much trouble to choose the timing when they came back from visiting their parents, and the next few days are supposed to be quiet. Do you want to attract them to come here?" Qiu Fu frowned, his gaze toward Wang Lao'er full of disgust.

Wang Lao'er shrank his neck and shut his mouth.

Zhao Hong moved closer to Qiu Fu, "Then what should we do? This amount of money is... too little."

Ye Sangsang and Chen Yu were no longer bound to the couch but were arranged to sit back-to-back in the southeast corner of the living room.

Listening to their complaints, Ye Sangsang realized these men were very short of money.

"What can we do? Be frugal, and we'll have money later," Qiu Fu glanced at the three of them and then swept his gaze toward Ye Sangsang and Chen Yu's direction.

Ye Sangsang kept her head down, feeling the gaze pass over indifferently. She couldn't move; if she did, they would notice she was listening to their conversation. Only by appearing numb and emotionless could she make them lower their guard.

Zhao Hong said, "That's right, we'll be fine after a few days."

"Alright, less talk, let's study this again," Qiu Fu took out a piece of paper, and the few of them huddled together, their voices low, and Ye Sangsang couldn't hear what they were saying.

For the next period, Ye Sangsang and Chen Yu were bound together, constantly under their surveillance.

Occasionally, some of them would leave for a few hours and then return. It seemed they had begun to treat this place as their own territory.

In the afternoon, Lin Deqiang thought his chance had come and ordered her to cook for them.

When she stood up, she could clearly feel the gazes of the men on her. The sticky, greedy, and lascivious looks seemed to penetrate her clothes, falling on her body.

Entering the kitchen, her back facing them, Ye Sangsang's eyes gleamed with coldness.

"You'd better not let me escape, or you'll feel what it's like to die."

She picked up the short knife and slowly began cooking.

Being watched, she couldn't do anything else, silently preparing the meal and serving it, her expression numb.

After eating and being satisfied, the men's desires arose.

This time, she chose to comply, voluntarily walking into the room.

When she woke up, the pain in her body had lessened. Ye Sangsang sat up, trembling, and slowly put on her clothes.

Chen Yu spoke softly to comfort her, asking her to prioritize survival, not to think too much, and not to burden herself with guilt.

Ye Sangsang picked up the clothes on the ground, the pocket full of thumbtacks touching Chen Yu, who paused briefly but said nothing.

"Don't be afraid, we can escape," he comforted again.

Ye Sangsang said nothing, looking at the fresh marks on his face—this was the first time she had seen a couple still supporting each other in adversity.

When she entered the bathroom earlier, she knew Shen Lingling had the opportunity to jump off the building.

After the immense humiliation to both body and soul, the possibility that she still held on, likely stemmed from Chen Yu.

The two didn't have much time alone together, and they were soon brought back to the living room.

Perhaps due to their previous compliance, they felt the couple had surrendered, and Ye Sangsang was pulled into the middle of the three men.

Chen Yu watched from the side.

Qiu Fu didn't participate; this wasn't because of his kindness, only that he didn't lack women.

Were these three men long-term residents of closed environments, such as prisons?

Ye Sangsang was held, forced to watch television with them, and occasionally insulted.

Her expression showed humiliation and anger, her body trembling with emotion.

Only she knew she was thinking.

Escaping tonight was impossible; after last night's attempt, their vigilance would be strong.

Escaping would be difficult, and they must ensure these men couldn't catch up quickly, or they wouldn't get far.

This was a new residential area, with many ongoing constructions and fewer people; they also couldn't fully trust the security guards. They had to hide first and go to the nearest police station or a very crowded place.

She didn't have Shen Lingling's memories, but she had the map function provided by the game system.

The entire community was the innermost building, the one with the fewest people. There were three exits in the community, the nearest being about fifty meters away.

The area to the left was a mountain, a park, the right was the main entrance of the community, facing the main street.

But the main street had little commercial activity; almost no businesses were there. They had a car, which made it easy and quick to chase if they went that way.

So, they could only escape from the left exit, go to the park's back gate, climb the mountain, cross the park to reach the park's plaza, where the other exit was not far from a police station.

After considering it several times, Ye Sangsang made a plan and decided to cooperate with them, starting the action tomorrow night.

The day after tomorrow morning, these men would either kill or severely injure the two and leave.

Thinking of Chen Yu's injuries, Ye Sangsang wasn't sure he could carry out the escape plan with her.

She had to find a way, had to find a way.

Ye Sangsang was emotionally distraught, crying, while her mind remained icy-cold and calculating. Her hands, trembling from thought, made the scene even more pleasing to these men.

To Lin Deqiang, the couple was too perfect, their life too happy with no hardships. Why should they, ordinary people, live such a privileged life? He felt satisfaction seeing Ye Sangsang's painful expression.

He caressed Ye Sangsang's face, "You know? This is my first time with a teacher, just as I imagined."

"I feel it's not as exciting as a hairdresser, too lifeless," Wang Lao'er pulled a smile and commented.

Zhao Hong glanced and commented lewdly, "It's about the same, but with all the bruises on her face, it doesn't look good."

Qiu Fu watched the few, fiddling with his phone, appearing to be deep in thought.

Ye Sangsang did her best to avoid their touches, her face full of disgust.

Shen Jiaojiao undoubtedly loathed these men; she intentionally displayed this expression.

The next moment, she was slapped across the face by Lin Deqiang.

She fell off the sofa, her eyes filled with fear as she stared at them.

"Bitch, dare to show such an expression at me," Lin Deqiang looked at her, his face with the extra flesh twitching.

Ye Sangsang quickly retreated backward. Lin Deqiang kicked her and then picked up some sunflower seeds to munch on, occasionally sipping some beer.

As Ye Sangsang finally managed to distance herself from them, she slowly withdrew to the farthest corner, cowering in the shadows like a quail.

The captors didn't do much beyond restraining them and leaving Chen Yu and her in the living room for the night.

They spent the whole night drinking, without a moment of sleep.

During the day, the house was bustling with activity. When they asked Ye Sangsang to cook for the third time, the captors began to notice their own lack of vigilance.

And their anticipation of something.

They weren't in a rush to kill them, so they didn't take any more actions for a while, leaving limited opportunities for harm.

When Ye Sangsang woke up again from humiliation, she quickly sensed that something was off.

Her arms were dislocated once more; last time it was her left arm, this time her right.

Among them, there must be someone skilled in this cruel art. With time running out, they were terrified that Ye Sangsang might escape again like last time.

Ye Sangsang, however, didn't attempt to reset her dislocated arms. Instead, she dragged her crippled hands and allowed herself to be tied up again, huddling in the corner with Chen Yu, watching the four of them.

“Did you dislocate her arm?” Wang Lao’er asked Lin Deqiang.

Lin Deqiang looked at the trembling Ye Sangsang and said, “This chick’s got some weird resilience, she’s like a cockroach that just won’t die.”

“You’re overthinking it. This girl’s already as docile as they come, just a bit too proud, that’s all,” Wang Lao’er replied.

At that moment, Qiu Fu intervened, “Alright, stop worrying about them. Focus on the task at hand.”

They started whispering again, discussing plans. Ye Sangsang managed to catch a few words like “deal” and “be careful”.

These fragments of conversation, presumably overheard by Shen Jiaojiao or Chen Yu, were the only bits she could piece together.

Ye Sangsang’s attention was drawn to a bag that was left slightly open after their movements. Besides tools like hammers, there were some scattered objects that glowed faintly in brassy hues.

However, the bag was soon gathered up again. Shen Lingling, who could only see clearly if something was within a meter or so, couldn't make out the details clearly.

At the same time, Ye Sangsang averted her gaze, pretending not to have noticed anything.

From her peripheral vision, she could sense Qiu Fu's gaze on her.

Ye Sangsang kept up the act, pretending she hadn’t noticed anything.

But the captors didn’t care much. In their eyes, the two of them were as good as dead.

They continued to talk until 10 PM, when Qiu Fu decided they would turn in early, ensuring the two were securely bound before heading to sleep.

One person would stay on watch, not just to prevent escape, but to guard against any unexpected events.

To avoid drawing attention by keeping the living room lights on for consecutive nights, they left only a small light on.

Lin Deqiang was left in the living room, sitting on the couch watching TV.

Ye Sangsang asked to go to the bathroom again.

Lin Deqiang untied her and let her go. Leaning against the wall, Ye Sangsang managed to reset her dislocated left arm, then her right.

It was agonizing.

By the time she was done, her back was drenched in cold sweat.

She was bound again, but once tied up, she quietly retrieved a nail file from the back pocket of her pants and started to carefully cut the edges of the thick ropes that bound her.

It would take time, but Ye Sangsang was patient.

Every so often, she would shift her body to keep it from going stiff.

Chen Yu, who had been suffering from high fever for days, weakened by loss of blood and broken bones, slowly regained consciousness.

Not saying anything, he silently kept watch for Ye Sangsang, making sure to stay alert.

【Emotionally charged, are they about to escape?】

【Chen Yu is pretty on the ball, I thought he was on the verge of death.】

【What’s Ye Sangsang’s plan? I feel like the odds of escaping are very low.】

After half an hour, Ye Sangsang managed to cut through the ropes.

But instead of acting, she pretended to lean against Chen Yu and sleep.

All of a sudden, things took a turn—Lin Deqiang stood up and started walking toward Ye Sangsang.

Ye Sangsang, whose hands were still holding the ropes, quickly began to re-tie them, maneuvering the ropes with her hands behind her back.

It wasn’t easy, especially under these trying circumstances.

Fortunately, she had hidden the nail file back in her pants pocket right after using it, so there wasn’t any clinking sound when she moved.

Seeing the tall and burly man stepping closer and closer, Ye Sangsang "woke up" and started backing away.

At the same time, she continued to manipulate the ropes in her hands.

Within a few steps, he was right by her side, then turned to face her.

When he saw that her bindings were still intact, Lin Deqiang paused.

Ye Sangsang’s heart raced, worried that he would notice the difference in the knot.

Luckily, Lin Deqiang only gave her a suspicious glance before roughly shoving her back.

“Don’t even think about messing around, or I’ll kill you right here!” he snarled before returning to the couch.

The dim light in the living room made it hard for him to notice that Ye Sangsang’s ropes were tied differently this time. Seeing that she was secure, he let her be.

After being pushed back, despite her strong nerves, Ye Sangsang couldn't help but feel the tension.

She watched as the man returned to the couch to continue watching TV, and quietly untied herself again, this time freeing Chen Yu as well.

Looking at the ropes around them, Ye Sangsang had an intense desire to strangle all of them with the ropes.

But that option was too risky; a small noise would wake them up.

After three hours of watching TV, Wang Lao’er took over the shift. He yawned endlessly but didn't try to go to sleep. A cautious, low-profile type, he wouldn't let drowsiness take over.

Like Lin Deqiang, he focused on the TV, waiting for the time to pass so he could finally get some rest.

Next up was Zhao Hong, who was quite careless by nature. Even after Wang Lao’er emphasized the need to stay alert several times, he was still half asleep. When the next shift came, he slumped on the largest couch.

He wasn't completely asleep though; he kept the knife in his lap while dozing off to a TV show.

Eventually, fatigue started to hit him, but he didn’t dare fall fully asleep. He was scared of their escape, which would bring great trouble upon him.

So, he set an alarm for every five minutes, forcing himself awake each time. He’d glance around before dozing back off.

Ye Sangsang remained motionless until the alarm went off and his breathing became regular again. Then, she helped Chen Yu get up.

She had already briefed him on the plan earlier, so he didn’t flinch, instead readying himself and occasionally shifting his body, so as not to hinder Ye Sangsang.

The two were both weak and out of strength, but Ye Sangsang moved forward with determination.

In the dark, Ye Sangsang counted silently as they began to navigate through obstacles to reach the door.

She had calculated time; the alarm would ring again in thirty seconds, requiring another three minutes for them to move silently to the door.

This gave them two minutes’ head start—if they were efficient.

The room was pitch black, and Ye Sangsang accidentally knocked into a black canvas bag.

Just as it was about to make a noise, she quickly steadied it.

In the brief moment, she felt something inside and instinctively grabbed it, stuffing it into her pocket.

When they reached the door, she gently placed her hand on the cold silver doorknob and held her breath as she turned it quietly.

Ye Sangsang closed her eyes, deeply inhaling, before finally opening the door fully.

【Ahhhh! Save them! Make it out alive!】

【This is the last chance!】

【I’m shaking with fear, I can’t handle this tension…】

Ye Sangsang made it in time. But before they could escape—disaster struck: the loud jangling of an alarm sirened through the house.