"Not good!" The leader rushed toward the front gate. Sure enough, it stood slightly ajar.
"She ran out?" One of the others sounded incredulous. "How? How did she even manage that?"
"She can't have gone far. After her!"
The group took off running.
They chased all the way to the main road at the base of the bamboo-covered hill, but there was no sign of her. A few steps more and they'd be near the town. But the town still had power. If they were spotted there, even if they succeeded tonight, getting away would be difficult.
There was still no explanation for the strange wave of Class A fugitives across the country who had all recently turned themselves in. People said once that level of wanted notice was issued, there was no escape.
These men had only done petty crimes before, never reaching Class A. This time, they were taking a big risk, hoping to make one last score and then retire. Getting arrested would make everything pointless.
"Forget it!" the leader barked. "We go back, grab what we left behind, then lay low in the mountains for a few days. We'll wait and see, and if it's no good, we'll find another chance."
They returned to the courtyard.
"This door..." someone muttered.
The gate was now fully shut.
"She tricked us! She's still inside!"
"To the ladder, move!"
They had been tricked—by a girl, no less. Their fear had long since burned away, replaced by a cold, rising fury. Now, all they wanted was payback. They scaled the ladder again, vaulted over the wall, and landed hard in the courtyard.
This time, they weren't here to sneak around. This time, they were going to tear the house apart.
Or so they thought.
Because the moment they looked up, everything changed.
Arrayed across the silent courtyard stood forty-nine towering silhouettes, still as statues, yet radiating murderous intent. Each one was over two meters tall, broad-shouldered, thick with unnatural muscle, and exuding raw physical strength.
But something was off. Their postures were too stiff, their presence too uncanny. Like mannequins that had forgotten they weren't alive.
And then there were the twin buns.
Each warrior wore simple cloth armor, but their heads were neatly adorned with matching double buns. Despite their hulking builds, there was no mistaking it—they were all female.
And standing at the heart of this grim phalanx, arms folded with no hint of fear, was the very girl they had come to abduct.
Song Miaozhu didn't look surprised. She looked mildly amused.
She had just completed the final step in the summoning ritual, imbuing the last of her paper soldiers with spirit. The moment she sensed something was wrong at home, she'd sent the little paper servants to bait the intruders inside.
Forty-nine nights of meticulous crafting had finally paid off. Her battalion was ready.
And how generous of these thugs to arrive just in time for a live demonstration.
The twin buns? That had been a last-minute touch. The little paper servants were fanatics when it came to aesthetics, and honestly, long braids weren't practical in a fight. Twin buns were tighter, cleaner, and frankly cuter.
Besides, the Secret Art of Paper Crafting never specified that soldiers had to be male.
And Song Miaozhu, for her part, didn't see the point in surrounding herself with men when fierce, beautiful women suited her tastes far better.
"Attack!" Song Miaozhu commanded.
All forty-nine paper soldiers surged forward and subdued the seven intruders, their blows heavy and unrelenting.
"Argh!"
The cries of pain came almost immediately.
"Muffle them," Song Miaozhu said coldly.
The paper soldiers shoved their hands into the kidnappers' mouths.
The shouting stopped, but Song Miaozhu didn't call off the assault.
The beatings went on for several rounds. Watching from the sidelines, Song Miaozhu felt that with forty-nine paper soldiers pummeling only seven people, the outcome was too one-sided. She couldn't really gauge how powerful her creations were.
Their punches, however, looked more than convincing. Some of the thugs who had talked about tying her up were already halfway unconscious.
"Enough," she said at last.
The kidnappers barely had time to catch their breath before hearing her follow up with, "They're too weak. Zero, you go. The rest, step back."
"You little brat! You're pushing it too far!"
Song Miaozhu ignored the outburst and addressed the soldier. "Attack."
She had numbered the paper soldiers for easier command, from Zero to Forty-Nine.
Zero stepped forward without hesitation. Fists flying, legs kicking, the lone soldier began his assault. The previous gang beatdown had been bad enough. But now, it was one against seven. Surely they could win this time?
The thugs clenched their teeth. Even if they couldn't escape tonight, they were determined to fight back. As long as they didn't end up in a holding cell, there would always be a chance for revenge. If they got hurt badly enough, maybe they could even press charges against the girl and drag her down with them.
"Get her!" the leader shouted.
All seven charged at Zero.
Less than a minute later, they were all on the ground, questioning their life choices. They were no small-timers. On the streets, each of them had a reputation. But never had they imagined that seven grown men couldn't take down one opponent.
Worse still, they had used fists, knives—even a chainsaw. Yet Zero had not a scratch on her. Not a drop of blood.
It was terrifying.
Looking back on everything that had happened tonight, they realized they might have walked straight into a nightmare. This girl wasn't some fresh university graduate. She was a monster with bodyguards that weren't even human. A normal college girl, even if she caught them, might get angry and beat them up, but would eventually call the police.
But this one—who had inhuman paper soldiers at her command—now that they had seen all this, would she really let them go?
The gang leader was no longer so sure.
An enemy who didn't feel pain and couldn't be injured had shattered their will to fight.
"What... what are you people?"
"Us?" Song Miaozhu raised her brows. "And who are you? Who sent you?"
The kidnappers trembled but said nothing.
"No answer? Zero! If they die, toss them behind the mountain. The beasts deep in Yunwu Mountain should enjoy the midnight snack I send them."
Her tone was cold and unyielding. She didn't actually plan to feed them to the beasts, but she had no intention of letting them off, either. In the world of the living, the law handled justice. Even if your enemy was a criminal, going too far in self-defense could still land you in jail.
But the underworld judged by a different code. According to Yin Law, retaliating against someone who plotted harm against you was neither a sin nor a crime. Calling the police tonight would only bring unwanted attention. Her little paper servants had already caused enough chaos trying to fend off the intruders.
Explaining the paper soldiers? Impossible.
It was better to investigate on her own, quietly and thoroughly.
Frankly speaking, this might be the work of Feng Jinwen and the others who had been removed from the SEIU.
As far as Song Miaozhu could tell, only that group still coveted her abilities. Especially now that they had lost their official posts and been labeled with serious misconduct. Life was miserable for them, and they dared not die either. Taking the risk to kidnap her actually made sense.
The thugs, hearing the kind of words that would make even hardened criminals tremble, finally gave up hope.
"I'll talk! I'll talk!"