There was no helping it. If Wang An acted rashly, the girl would definitely stop screaming abruptly, or make some other strange noise.
That way, the traffickers by the fire would certainly notice something was wrong.
So even though the girl was being beaten, Wang An remained perfectly calm, waiting silently in the dark.
He saw the ringleader swinging his belt while cursing viciously
"Damn it, you really don't know what's good for you. Remember, I bought you with money. You do whatever I tell you to do. Otherwise, I'll beat you every damn day. If you push me too far, I'll let a whole gang of men have their way with you."
It was clear the ringleader was putting real force into the belt. The sharp *crack-crack-crack* of leather striking flesh rang out as it landed on the girl's body.
Pain like that was absolutely not something an ordinary person could endure.
The girl begged through her sobs
"Please stop hitting me. I can do any work, just don't touch me. I'll serve you like an ox or a horse for the rest of my life to repay you."
But how could a trafficker possibly spend that much money to buy a pretty maid just for chores? So the ringleader kept whipping her as he spoke
"Work? Your job from now on is to be a whore, servicing clients. Damn it, right now I'm just letting you get 'familiar' with how the work goes. Hurry up, strip! Otherwise, I'll whip you to death today."
Wang An noticed the ringleader had untied the girl's hands, but had tied the rope to her legs.
No wonder the girl had tried to run several times, only to fall flat on her face after a single step.
Then came the sound of the belt striking flesh again, mixed with the ringleader's heavy, cursing breaths as he swung it.
Wang An waited in the darkness for a good long while before the girl was finally completely broken by the ringleader.
He heard the girl sobbing and begging
"I'll strip, I'll strip right now. Please stop hitting me."
One had to admit, this trafficker was truly vicious. His psychological tactics were simple and direct.
He clearly could have stripped her himself, but he refused to lift a finger, choosing instead to purely beat her until she submitted voluntarily.
At the same time, one had to acknowledge that once a girl fell into their hands, none of them could escape the fate of servicing clients and selling their bodies.
Just the belt whipping alone was already more than the vast majority of girls could bear.
After the girl was broken, the ringleader's curses and the girl's screams stopped immediately, leaving only the ringleader's soft, coaxing whispers.
"That's right. As long as you behave, you'll eat well and dress finely every day from now on. Those other girls who came with you? I'll make them all listen to you in the future."
Just as the girl's hands trembled while she took off her clothes, revealing an upper body that was no longer childish, Wang An quietly crept toward the ringleader.
At this moment, the ringleader's attention was almost entirely focused on the girl; he hadn't detected Wang An's approach at all.
As for the girl, she had long been beaten senseless by the belt. Coupled with the humiliation of being forced to undress herself, she didn't even dare lift her head.
Wang An's left hand, holding the knife, extended silently, ready to strike at any moment. His right hand moved with extreme speed, delivering a sharp knife-hand strike to the back of the ringleader's neck.
Even if Wang An himself were caught completely off guard and took a strike like that, he would have passed out instantly.
But just to be safe, Wang An waited until the ringleader's head drooped and he started to fall before grabbing his collar. Only when the man's whole body went limp did Wang An gently lower him to the ground.
There was no helping it. Wang An didn't know this girl, and he would absolutely never kill someone in front of a stranger.
Before the girl could react, he sidestepped forward in a leap, crouching down. His right hand clamped tightly over her mouth, and he whispered in her ear
"I'm with the Lianfang [Neighborhood Defense/Community Patrol]. I'm here to save you all. Don't make a sound."
As he spoke, Wang An sheathed his dagger back at his lower back.
Although Wang An was merely a Lianfang member, calling himself one wasn't wrong. After all, in this era, Lianfang members had duties similar to auxiliary police in later generations.
The girl stiffened all over at first, but hearing Wang An's words, she instantly relaxed. However, the tears she had forced back while being beaten now flowed down her face again.
It was obvious this girl had been truly terrified by the trafficker's belt.
Feeling the girl nod her head, Wang An picked her up and walked toward a spot further away.
Only when he could no longer clearly hear the traffickers' voices did Wang An set the girl down.
It was only then that Wang An let out a heavy breath.
But it had to be said, a young girl's body was truly incredibly soft. Even though this girl was very thin, the places that should be developed had already begun to take shape.
Actually, this was normal for the girl. For traffickers, only girls who were young, pretty, and had great figures were valuable.
You had to know, in this era, 1,000 yuan could hire someone to buy a life. Yet these traffickers were willing to spend 1,000 yuan to buy a single girl.
It went to show just how high the "quality" of these girls had to be to meet the traffickers' standards.
Of course, one thing was certain: once these girls were in their hands, they would definitely generate profits far exceeding 1,000 yuan.
After setting the girl down, Wang An said softly
"Hide here and don't make a sound. Wait until I rescue the others, then I'll take you all away together."
As he spoke, Wang An pulled the girl's clothes together. Although the night was dark, it wasn't pitch black. At this distance, it was a serious test of Wang An's self-control.
The girl was completely at a loss, her face streaked with tears as she said to Wang An
"Big Brother, I'm scared."
Hearing the girl's plea, Wang An thought for a moment and said
"My colleague is over there. I'll take you to him now. Don't make a sound, understand?"
Wang An took the girl's hand to leave, but she had just been whipped and threatened, then suddenly rescued. Her nerves were completely frayed, so she actually went limp on the ground, unable to stand.
Seeing this, Wang An helplessly picked her up again and walked toward where Wang Li and Huang Zhong were.
One had to say, the girl's reaction was normal. She was just an inexperienced, unworldly girl. To go through such violent and dark events in such a short time—it would be strange if she *could* handle it.
When Wang An placed the girl in front of Wang Li and Huang Zhong, the two men were about to ask something, but Wang An spoke first
"She's scared. You two stay with her. I have to go back. Lao Wu, listen for my gunshot later."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wang An turned and walked back into the darkness.
Thanks to "Da Hao Di Guo Huang Di" for the reward, thank you, thank you!
Thanks to "Hei A Niu Ge" for the reward, thank you, thank you!
Thanks to "Book Friend 20241216070540232" for the reward, thank you, thank you!
(End of Chapter)