Chapter 312: Jiang Xia and Qin Yun (2/3)

After waiting a while longer, the kidnapper turned into a side alley, his figure vanishing completely from Qin Yun’s sight, even his footsteps fading into the distance.

Qin Yun stepped out from hiding and continued forward along the corridor.

So far, along his path, he had already found five hostages, each held separately in isolated small chambers.

Of the twelve hostages, only five had been found; seven still needed to be located.

Not long after, another chamber lay ahead, surrounded by wire mesh; Qin Yun crept silently toward it. Peering inside, he saw only one hostage, slumped against the wall, hair hanging over his face, obscuring his features.

“Six.”

Qin Yun glanced at the hostage, then turned to the side, where three corridors branched off, leading deeper into the mine. Without hesitation, he stepped into the first branch. After walking a dozen steps, he suddenly stopped.

Then, a figure emerged from one of the chambers, yawning as he walked out.

Qin Yun, hidden in the shadows, was close enough to clearly see the man’s stubble and smell his sweat. Instantly, Qin Yun’s gaze sharpened—he recognized the man.

Hassan Said!

The Hassan who had signed up—now everything else fell into place.

He watched the man coldly, still motionless, as the man slowly walked away.

He had spatial memory; the entire mine’s layout was gradually forming in his mind. The corridors twisted and intersected like a spider’s web, a labyrinth beneath the earth—anyone unfamiliar would get lost, but for him, getting lost was impossible.

Once the man’s back disappeared from view, Qin Yun quickly increased his pace in searching for hostages.

He methodically checked each isolation chamber, every hidden corner, searching rapidly.

Half an hour passed in an instant.

Qin Yun halted before another chamber enclosed by wire mesh. By now, he had successfully found eleven hostages—only one name remained on the list of twelve.

He looked up at the wire-mesh chamber before him; clear signs indicated someone had been held here, but no one was present now.

“Yang Jiawei, Liu Feng, Han Tingting… Jiang Xia.”

Twelve names, twelve photos, twelve sets of details flashed through his mind.

Based on his comparisons, the hostage held in this chamber was almost certainly Jiang Xia—a travel blogger, twenty-four, young, beautiful, with a stunning figure.

A woman of such beauty, in the hands of these kidnappers, faced far greater danger than the others.

“I hope she’s all right!”

All he could do was pray that Jiang Xia had not been harmed—if something unspeakable had happened, it would cast a shadow over her life forever.

Soon, he vanished from the spot and began searching the entire mine area.

Another half hour passed, and Qin Yun appeared before a chamber from which a continuous “muffled sobbing” sound emanated.

Of all the chambers, this was the only one covered by a curtain.

He gently pulled it aside and glanced inside—the scene instantly filled his vision, and his face darkened. On a crude wooden bed lay a figure, limbs bound, stretched out in a star shape, pinned to the bed.

The person on the bed was Jiang Xia.

At this moment, all her clothing had been stripped away; her pale, smooth skin lay completely exposed. Her limbs were tightly bound with coarse hemp rope, deep red marks gouged into her wrists and ankles, skin nearly broken.

Her hair was disheveled, her shoulders trembling slightly; muffled sobs came from her nose, her mouth sealed shut with duct tape.

Beside the bed stood a tall figure, motionless.

“Why struggle? Look—you’ve already bruised your skin. That’s not beautiful anymore.”

Farah’s eyes locked onto Jiang Xia’s body, his greed nearly tangible.

He shed his outer garment, revealing a muscular, dark torso, then raised his rough hand and pressed it directly onto Jiang Xia’s chest.

The instant Jiang Xia felt the kidnapper’s disgusting touch, she shuddered violently; her fear intensified, tears poured down, and her struggles became frantic, ignoring the pain in her bound limbs.

Farah squeezed twice, then chuckled lowly, immediately pulling down his pants.

Seeing this, Qin Yun ripped the curtain aside, his body a blur—he vanished from his spot and reappeared behind Farah.

He reached out, seized the man’s nape, and slammed him hard to the ground.

“Crash!”

When a man in the throes of arousal crashes face-first into the floor, the outcome needs no description. Farah didn’t even cry out—he was overwhelmed by agony, then collapsed like a pile of mud.

After dealing with Farah, Qin Yun turned his gaze to the woman on the bed.

Jiang Xia stared fixedly at the sudden intruder—his familiar face, his swift, ruthless actions.

“Mmmmm… mmmmm…”

Qin Yun quickly pulled out his dagger and sliced through the ropes binding her limbs; then a trembling body flung itself at him, clinging tightly.

The problem was, she was completely naked—this left him deeply awkward.

“Put on clothes first!”

Qin Yun had to remind her, then gripped her shoulders, forcing her to calm down.

Jiang Xia tore off the tape on her mouth; her fear had not faded, and shame? At this moment, there was no shame—only the overwhelming relief of survival.

Only after she had dressed and staggered off the bed did she speak.

“Qin… Qin Ye… Am I dreaming?”

She stared at Qin Yun, utterly incredulous—how could a man who had been live-streaming in the Serengeti suddenly appear here?

Then, a sudden insight struck her: “Qin Ye, did you see my message?”

“That message was yours?” Qin Yun froze.

Jiang Xia nodded vigorously, grateful she had dared to send it—if Qin Yun had arrived even a moment later, she would have been violated. Even if rescued afterward, she would never have had the courage to live.

“Not now. Including you, I’ve found all twelve hostages. You must stay here until I’ve dealt with all the kidnappers before I can take you out.”

“Qin Ye, I want to come with you—I know how many kidnappers there are.”

Jiang Xia looked at the man before her, a sense of safety she had never felt before rising in her heart.

It was this man who had descended from nowhere and rescued her from despair.

“Uh… all right.”

Qin Yun hesitated—though she hid it well, fear still lingered in her eyes. He looked down at the man on the ground, then kicked him sharply in the back of the neck to ensure he wouldn’t wake up, and tied him up with nearby rope.

“Follow me!”

The two quickly left the chamber and soon found a place where the kidnappers rested.

Two sleeping mats lay there, each with a figure lying on it.

Qin Yun slipped inside, pressed his fingers against the Yamen acupoint on both men, and they instantly went limp, falling into unconsciousness.

“There are thirteen kidnappers total. The leader… was the one named Farah.”

Qin Yun nodded slightly, repeated the motion, and bound the two men back-to-back.

Things had gone far smoother than expected—this late at night, most of the kidnappers were asleep; dealing with them was as easy as stepping on an ant.

In less than half an hour, all the kidnappers except the two at the mine entrance were knocked out and tied up—including Hassan Said.

The two at the entrance posed no challenge—he easily knocked them unconscious before they could react.

“Jiang Xia, return to your chamber. I won’t show myself—I’ll notify the Kenyan police. They’ll rescue you.”

At Qin Yun’s words, Jiang Xia panicked.

“Qin Ye, I want to go with you—I’m scared here.”

She gave him a pitiful, delicate look—so fragile, so heartrending. Too bad Qin Yun was straight.

“No. You must stay here.” Qin Yun’s tone left no room for argument. “But don’t worry—I’ll stay nearby until you’re rescued.”

“But—”

“Trust me.”

“Then where do I find you after?”

“Don’t look for me. The embassy will arrange for your direct return home.”

Jiang Xia reluctantly agreed. Then Qin Yun pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

It was barely four in the morning; when Guo Feiyan answered, she was still half-asleep.

Only after Qin Yun repeated himself twice did she snap fully awake.

“What? Found them? Where? Okay, I’ll send Kenyan police immediately. Yes, you withdraw—don’t worry about anything.”

After hanging up, Guo Feiyan still couldn’t believe it.

But she knew—on such a massive matter, he wouldn’t lie.

Soon, a location pin and a string of data—a set of latitude and longitude coordinates—appeared on her phone.

…

An hour later, over a dozen police cars surrounded Mount Gypsum, sealing it off completely.

Immediately, fully armed special forces stormed into the mine.

Not long after, all twelve hostages were brought out, and all thirteen kidnappers were carried out on stretchers.

Watching this, Qin Yun turned and walked away. He swept his sleeve, leaving not a single cloud behind.