Although this is a mountainous area, there's still a stretch of road accessible by car. Otherwise, how did those three people manage to bring Lisa Li here?
So, as they traveled along, everyone moved quickly.
With all kinds of modern thermal imaging equipment, searching for someone isn't really that difficult anymore.
The convoy moved slowly, but it was effective, steadily advancing toward the place where Lisa Li was hiding.
After what happened last night, Sierra Grace was much more subdued today. She stopped trying to get Max Mo's attention and spent most of her time with Julia Yu.
Julia Yu acted as if she hadn't noticed anything, still chatting with Sierra Grace in her usual, nonchalant way, as if nothing had happened.
Sierra Grace kept testing her, but Julia Yu never showed any sign of knowing anything, which finally put Sierra at ease.
Sierra Grace knew Julia Yu held some sway with Max Mo.
A lot of Max Mo's personal matters were entrusted to Julia Yu.
If Max Mo knew about Lisa Li's situation and was the one who arranged for someone to deal with her, Julia Yu would definitely have heard something about it.
Thinking about it, Lisa Li really doesn't mean much to Max Mo.
Sierra Grace felt a surge of joy in her heart.
That means she still has hope.
As dawn broke, Lisa Li opened her eyes. The pain all over her body reminded her of what had happened last night.
Lisa Li silently shed tears, but couldn't make a sound.
She had cried all night, screamed all night.
She finally understood what it meant to cry for help and get no answer from heaven or earth.
If she had known things would turn out like this, she never would have acted so recklessly.
No matter how much she disliked Julia Yu, she never imagined she'd be sold off to this mountain village and abused by an old man.
Suddenly, a man's muffled roar came from inside the hut, filled with pleasure.
Unfortunately, there's no medicine for regret in this world.
She was finished. Completely finished.
Max Mo would never want a woman who'd been violated!
The Mo Family would never allow a disgraced woman to become their young madam!
Lisa Li cried silently, trying to struggle up from the ground, but her whole body was covered in bruises. Her clothes were torn to shreds, barely able to cover her.
Footsteps sounded outside the door. Someone came in, carrying a bowl of slop and put it above her head. "Get up and eat! Only if you eat well can you give me a big grandson! What's the use of crying? Your body already belongs to my son, so now you're part of the Hill family! Tsk tsk, you city girls are so delicate! One night with a man and you act like you're dying. Back when I married your father-in-law..."
"Mom!" A burly man came in from outside. Seeing Lisa Li still lying on the ground, tears of grievance filled his eyes and he softened instantly.
No matter what, she was his wife now.
Especially last night, when he tasted a woman for the first time—and not just any woman, but a pampered city lady. Her soft body made him never want to let go.
Now, looking at her covered in bruises, he felt a twisted sense of pride.
"Stop crying. As long as you give me a son, I'll treat you well." The man lifted Lisa Li up and tried to feed her himself.
Lisa Li raised her hand and knocked the food over. The sight was an embarrassment.
"Do you know how expensive food is? You dare flip the bowl? Do you have a death wish?" The old woman grabbed a broom and hit Lisa Li on the back. "I'll beat you, you shameless girl! You think you can act virtuous after marrying into the Hill family?"
Lisa Li didn't expect her to hit so suddenly. The pain made her roll on the ground, unable to stop.
The burly man just watched coldly. "If a woman refuses to obey, punishment is necessary."
Lisa Li screamed in pain as the old woman kept hitting her, only stopping when she was exhausted.
"If you don't want to eat, then starve!" The old woman proudly picked up the bowl and left.
The burly man sat on the ground, greedily eyeing Lisa Li's torn clothes. "I know you don't want to stay, but after what's happened, no man will marry you! If you just live quietly with me, I won't treat you badly."
Lisa Li's whole body burned with pain.
She was almost out of tears to cry.
She didn't even bother to speak anymore, not wanting to deal with that brute.
The burly man's lust flared again, and he reached greedily for Lisa Li.
Lisa Li wanted to escape, but the room was so small—where could she run?
She could only watch helplessly as that brute came to oppress her again.
"President, there are tire tracks here," someone reported. "Based on the tracks, there were probably three or four people in the car, which matches the weight estimated from the surveillance footage."
"Search." Max Mo ordered calmly.
Everyone got out of the car and started following the tire tracks, advancing in a fan-shaped formation.
Since the other side was clever enough to destroy the car, it showed they were cunning, skilled, and experienced.
So, it was very likely they'd faked the tracks to look like the car kept going, but actually hid the person nearby.
Like that, the group slowly advanced, time ticking by.
Around ten in the morning, they finally found the village where those three people had sold Lisa Li—Hill Village.
"Mr. Mo, we've got the info on this village," the assistant said, handing the file to Max Mo. "It's called Hill Village, and it was dissolved as an administrative unit about six years ago. The village committee was merged with another, so they now share leadership. There used to be fifty-six households, but most moved away in recent years—either to the city with their kids or to nearby towns. Only five families remain: Daniel Strong, Paul Steel..."
After the assistant finished reporting on the village, he waited for Max Mo to review the details and asked, "Should we search door to door?"
Max Mo replied calmly, "Split up and search."
"Yes, sir." More than ten people immediately split into several groups, searching every household one by one.
A few others didn't go into the houses but started searching the surrounding wilderness.
As soon as Sierra Grace entered the village, she felt uneasy and didn't dare go forward, sticking close to Julia Yu.
Julia Yu chuckled, "Miss Xue, are you scared? Well, these villages are so run-down, it's hard for them to find wives. If they saw your pretty face, they'd probably want to snatch you up for themselves."
Sierra Grace's face turned pale, but she forced herself to sound firm. "You really know how to joke! In this group, it's just you and me who are women. If I'm in danger, you might not be that safe either."
Julia Yu smiled, "I've been learning taekwondo since I was sixteen. I'm not exactly an expert, but I think I can protect myself here. Miss Xue, have you ever learned any self-defense?"
Sierra Grace's expression grew even more unpleasant.
"If Lisa Li was sold here, she's probably not getting out," Julia Yu said. "I've worked several similar cases before. Families who buy women are terrified their new wives will run away, so they starve them for days, then break their legs so they'll never leave the mountains. Then they force them to have child after child. Those women are tortured until they lose their minds—even if they're rescued, they're never the same. Many of them were once pretty young ladies from wealthy families, just like Miss Xue..."
"Enough, stop it!" Sierra Grace couldn't take it anymore and screamed, "It's not me, it's not me!"
Julia Yu gave Sierra Grace a cold look but didn't say another word.
Julia Yu had seen too much of the world's cruelty and evil.
Even after all Lisa Li's slander, Julia Yu never thought about selling her to a place like this.
But Sierra Grace did.
She had the face of an angel, but her actions were worse than the devil's.
We're all women—why do this to each other?
Lisa Li needed to learn her lesson, but why did it have to be this way?
Still, Julia Yu wasn't a saint either. She only jabbed Snow Grace with a couple of sharp words, then stayed silent.
The group slowly advanced, and soon a lonely stone hut appeared on the hillside ahead.
There were signs of smoke at the hut, clearly someone lived there.
After searching elsewhere without success, everyone headed for the stone hut on the hillside.
When Sierra Grace saw the hut, her pupils shrank and she stopped in her tracks, refusing to go any further.
"Julia Yu, I don't feel well. I'm not going any further—I'll wait here for you guys." As soon as she finished, Sierra Grace turned and ran back toward the convoy as if something was chasing her.
Julia Yu didn't bother with her and kept moving forward with the group.
Max Mo walked steadily ahead. Before long, someone had climbed the hillside and reached the hut's door.
Just then, a man's muffled shout came from inside the hut—he sounded extremely satisfied.
The people at the door had sharp ears; hearing the commotion inside, they already guessed what was happening.
In an instant, they rushed forward, kicking the door open.
Crash!
The rickety door was kicked off its hinges in an instant.
They rushed inside, but after seeing what was happening, they immediately backed out.
By then, Max Mo had arrived as well.
"Boss Mo, we've found her," one of them said, their faces a little flushed. "But inside..."
Max Mo had heard the noises inside and already guessed what was happening.
Max Mo turned and looked at Julia Yu.
Julia Yu nodded, understanding his meaning.
At that moment, a man's panicked voice came from inside the hut: "Who—who are you? This is my home! What do you want?"
Julia Yu dashed inside. Looking up, she saw a man hurriedly pulling on his clothes—his pale body was such an embarrassment to witness.