Chapter 496: Self-Rescue (Part 1)
Little Tang Mo listened to the CLACK-CLACK of the train, trying his best to remain calm.
It went without saying—he knew he had either been kidnapped or abducted by human traffickers.
Given that he was on a train rather than locked up somewhere, the most likely scenario was that he’d been taken by traffickers.
Abducted... again.
Having been abducted once before, Little Tang Mo was overcome with a mix of fear, frustration, and helplessness.
Even though he was a big boy now, the thought of being taken by the scariest kind of people—human traffickers—still made him want to cry.
But he couldn’t cry. He couldn’t just give in to tears.
Even if he was scared, he had to overcome it.
Little Tang Mo tried hard to recall what Su Li and Wu Sheng had told him before.
Maybe it was because he had been abducted before and had experience. Maybe it was because he was older now and knew more. Or maybe... maybe it was because of what Su Li and Wu Sheng had taught him.
In any case, Little Tang Mo calmed down with surprising speed and focused on remembering.
Because of his previous abduction and the abuse he had suffered, Su Li had repeatedly taught Little Tang Mo how to deal with all sorts of dangerous situations, bad people, and traffickers.
The first and most important thing Su Li taught him was to protect himself and not let himself get hurt, no matter what.
Then there were all sorts of emergency escape and rescue methods. Su Li had made it clear to Little Tang Mo that if anything happened to him, she would come find him immediately.
Thinking of this, Little Tang Mo calmed down a little more. He forced his uncontrollably stiff body to relax and stop trembling.
Wu Sheng had also taught Little Tang Mo similar things, not just about traffickers, but about all kinds of bad people.
After Su Li was kidnapped once, Wu Sheng had specifically taught Little Tang Mo what to do if he or his mother ever faced abduction or danger again.
He had even given him a homemade toy gun with a special function, but unfortunately, he didn’t have it with him...
A thousand thoughts raced through Little Tang Mo’s mind, though only a few seconds had passed in reality.
"...This kid is older now, especially the big one. He’s terribly mischievous, with endless energy. You know the old saying, ’So naughty at seven or eight that even the dogs can’t stand them’? That’s him, exactly."
"If he wants to play or if something doesn’t go his way, he’ll just start screaming everywhere that I’m not his mom. If he sees the police or someone, he’ll even yell for help. It drives me crazy."
As Little Tang Mo came to his senses, he heard that soft, gentle female voice still making small talk. The voice belonged to the person holding him.
"His dad has spanked him plenty, but it’s no use. He even taught his little sister to yell along with him. What does his sister know? She just yells when he tells her to..."
"When kids get mischievous, they can really drive you mad. You don’t have to tell me, I get it..."
Another, slightly older voice chimed in, seeming to come from the seat opposite them.
Hearing this, what was there for Little Tang Mo not to understand?
This woman was making excuses for why they were sleeping so much and laying the groundwork. This way, if they woke up midway and claimed she wasn’t their mother, the people around them wouldn’t believe it.
Little Tang Mo’s heart sank. ’Plan to wake up and ask passengers for help... crossed out.’
’And Little Tongtong...’
The moment he thought of Little Tongtong, Little Tang Mo could no longer pretend to be asleep and immediately opened his eyes.
He was indeed on a train, and the person holding him was a woman with thin, kind-looking eyebrows.
Little Tang Mo glanced at her, then immediately turned his head and saw Little Tongtong’s sleeping face.
Little Tongtong was in the arms of a simple and honest-looking man, sleeping soundly... No, it would be more accurate to say she was still unconscious.
Seeing Little Tongtong, Little Tang Mo immediately breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the "little sister" the woman mentioned was indeed Little Tongtong.
When the woman saw Little Tang Mo wake up, a strange glint flashed in her eyes before she smiled.
"The big one’s awake. Did we wake you up? Look at you, you were drooling in your sleep..."
She casually pretended to wipe drool from Little Tang Mo’s mouth, but as she turned him, she actually clamped her hand tightly over his mouth to stop him from crying out.
Little Tang Mo didn’t struggle much. When he smelled a familiar scent on the woman’s hand, he reflexively held his breath.
Although he held his breath in time, Little Tang Mo still inhaled a little, and his eyelids immediately grew heavy.
He bit the tip of his tongue lightly to stay awake, but on the surface, he looked groggy and seemed to have fallen asleep again.
"He’s fallen asleep again. His eyes were open, but who knows if he was really awake..."
Little Tang Mo’s head felt groggy, but he remained vigilant and forced himself to stay conscious. The strength with which the woman held him made him afraid to make any sudden moves.
Perhaps having laid all the groundwork, the woman didn’t speak again after that.
However, Little Tang Mo kept his ears open, listening to the conversations around him and the sound of the broadcast.
That’s right, the train’s broadcast announcement.
It was already 9:30 PM... The train had long since left the Imperial City.
He listened to the weather forecast and then an introduction for this train line.
The train number, departure point, final destination, and the places it would pass through... Aside from a few place names he couldn’t hear clearly, Little Tang Mo committed everything else to memory.
Soon, the train seemed to slow down, and the broadcast started again.
"We will soon be arriving at Yuanjing Station. Passengers disembarking at Yuanjing Station, please be prepared..."
When Little Tang Mo heard the name Yuanjing, his heart jolted.
He hadn’t expected they had already left the Imperial City and were now in a neighboring province.
Little Tang Mo had a good memory and was a fast learner. Su Li was always most willing to buy him things, especially for his studies.
Little Tang Mo’s room had a world map and a map of Huaguo on the walls, and a globe on his desk.
His memory was excellent. While he couldn’t remember every city and county in the country, let alone the layout of all the world’s nations, he had a general impression of most of them.
Especially with the map of Huaguo; he knew or had an impression of, if not one hundred percent, then at least seventy percent of the places on it.
So naturally, Little Tang Mo knew of Yuanjing in the neighboring province.
Just as Little Tang Mo’s mind was racing, the woman holding him suddenly smiled and said goodbye to someone.
"This is our stop. We’re getting ready to get off."
"Okay, goodbye then. Be careful. Do you want to carry the kid on your back? He’s getting big, must be hard to hold, right?"
"It’s fine, it’s fine. I can just carry him off. We’ll have to wake them up once we’re off the train anyway."
The woman refused, and together with her "husband" holding their "daughter," she grabbed a backpack and prepared to disembark.
Although Little Tang Mo tried his best to stay conscious, his body was weak. He was still affected by the drug, after all.
But the good thing was, he could still make a sound. He had a plan: he would call out to a crew member for help in a moment.
Perhaps the woman sensed his intention, or maybe it was just out of caution, but just as Little Tang Mo had this thought, his mouth was suddenly and skillfully covered.
With his mouth covered, Little Tang Mo couldn’t make a sound. His body was too weak to struggle, and in the end, he was helplessly carried off the train.
At the same time, because his mouth was kept covered, Little Tang Mo uncontrollably inhaled that familiar scent again and finally passed out once more.
When Little Tang Mo was woken by waves of crying, he found himself in an enclosed space.
Besides Little Tongtong, there were a dozen or so other children around him.