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Zhiqing stepped forward, completely shielding Ziya behind him, and the room was engulfed in darkness. Perhaps it was a chain reaction from being accustomed to bright environments that made entering a dimly lit space feel so disorienting. Zhiqing hesitated at the doorway, not moving his feet forward. Although he did not enter the room, he could clearly hear the heavy breathing coming from inside. There was also the sound of chains clanking, which added a sense of weight to the dark atmosphere. Zhiqing instinctively felt that the person inside must be a man.
As Zhiqing adjusted to the dimness of the room, he lifted his gaze and confirmed his analysis. A man stood there, his upper body exposed, with his hands shackled at either end by chains. One end of the chain had a padlock, and each hand was secured with its own lock, while a larger lock was fastened around his feet. Why was he locked up like this? Ziya pondered as she scrutinized the man's appearance from head to toe. He was burly and fierce-looking, with a scowl that made him seem quite intimidating—no wonder Xiao Ranhong was afraid of him.
Zhiqing continued to observe; compared to the woman he had seen earlier, this man's condition was much better. He had a prominent scar running diagonally from his right eyebrow down to his left cheek. Judging by the scar, it was clear that this man was no saint. Other scars dotted his neck and arms, and fresh blood still lingered at the corners of his mouth; those wounds had already begun to clot, but his limbs appeared largely unharmed.
"Sister, maybe we shouldn't unlock him; he looks really fierce," Xiao Ranhong whispered timidly from behind Ziya.
Ziya ignored Xiao Ranhong's words, holding the key in her hand with eyes full of hope. At that moment, she simply wished for another friend and an additional source of strength to stand against evil forces.
"Don't be afraid; there are no bad people here now. Anyone who has been harmed is our friend," Ziya reassured Xiao Ranhong as she prepared to use the key to unlock the man's shackles.
The man moved his restrained hands, pulling on the chains tightly while looking at Ziya with gratitude as she approached with the key. He cast a disdainful and hateful glance at the girl who had been hiding behind Ziya, urging her not to unlock him.
Xiao Ranhong couldn't meet his gaze and lowered her head. As Ziya bent down to unlock the shackles on his feet, she lost her cover and quickly jumped behind Zhiqing, peeking cautiously at the imprisoned man.
While unlocking the man's cuffs, Zhiqing remained vigilant, scanning their surroundings in fear of repeating a previous mishap—wherein saving someone inadvertently hastened their demise.
Due to her nervousness, Ziya's hand trembled as she held the key; it struggled to fit into the lock on his foot.
"Hurry up! I need to relieve myself!" The man's coarse words startled Ziya even more, causing her hands to shake uncontrollably.
"Damn it! Do you even want your freedom? Is this how you treat your savior?" Zhiqing said firmly, genuinely wishing for Ziya not to unlock this man.
Zhiqing recognized the man as Li Mao, who lived near South Gate Bridge. Li Mao had been a troublemaker since childhood, engaging in all sorts of misdeeds, and had just been released from prison after serving his sentence. He was a dangerous individual, and now this dangerous person was about to join them in a perilous situation. Would saving him backfire and increase their risks?
"Well, um, cough cough, we're just in a hurry, right? Alright, it's my fault. Beautiful sister, could you move a bit faster? Once this is over, I'll burn incense for you and pray to keep your beauty everlasting," he said with a slick tongue. Zhiqing could only feel disgust.
"Stop the nonsense. Just being saved is enough; don't cause us any more trouble," Ziya finally managed to insert the key into the lock. With a soft click, the lock popped open.
"Thanks a lot," Li Mao said casually, clasping his hands together in gratitude towards Ziya. He began to shake his hands vigorously, producing a series of cracking sounds from his knuckles. Then he made an unexpected move, stepping aside in front of Ziya and Xiao Ranhong as if to do something inappropriate. Zhiqing was furious and slapped him, causing him to quickly retract his hand.
"What the hell? Why did you hit me? I couldn't hold it anymore," he exclaimed, his lewd gaze fixed on Ziya as he continued, "Hey girl, you saved my life; I owe you forever. Just say the word, and I'll give you anything."
His words startled Ziya, making her heart skip a beat before she could respond.
Zhiqing seized the opportunity to grab Li Mao's collar and shouted angrily, "Damn it! You better behave yourself! Didn't your father teach you how to treat vulnerable people?"
"Come on! Let's have a contest! I'm itching all over and need someone to scratch it!" Li Mao retorted angrily. He then glanced at Xiao Ranhong and added, "What the hell? Is one girl worth this much effort? There are two of us; why not share?"
Li Mao struggled free from Zhiqing's grip, wiping his nose with an arrogant tone.
"Listen up, you punk! We're all in this together now. Do you even know where we are? If you want to chase girls, consider yourself lucky if you make it out alive!" Zhiqing glared at him with fierce eyes.
"Zhiqing, let's go," Ziya said sincerely regretting not listening to Xiao Ranhong's advice; they had rescued a desperate criminal. She feared that if Zhiqing clashed with him now, it would lead to serious trouble during such critical times. With many people around, suspicions and doubts could easily lead to their demise.
As Ziya intervened to stop their scuffle, Li Mao naturally loosened his grip on Zhiqing when he saw her approach. A smarmy smile spread across his face as he raised his hands in mock surrender. "I respect no one but you; fine then, no fighting."
Ziya ignored his antics and shot him an annoyed glance before taking Zhiqing's arm and walking away.
Xiao Ranhong was so frightened that she no longer dared to show a smile. She pressed closely against Ziya, feeling a strange thrill in the harsh environment. However, she was very much afraid of the fierce Li Mao. The more she acted this way, the more Li Mao wanted to scare her. He immediately made a scary face and let out strange "wah wah" sounds, which sent Xiao Ranhong darting ahead of Ziya and the others.
"Where is this? Who am I? Who are you?" Li Mao suddenly recalled Zhiqing's earlier words, and with a jolt, he came to his senses. Seeing Zhiqing and the other three leading the way out of the room, he hurriedly followed behind them into the dim corridor shrouded in flickering lights.
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