"We must act immediately and save that poor girl!"
"At the same time, I will make these beastly, well-dressed scoundrels pay!"
As she spoke, Ouyang Yu impatiently reached for the pistol at her waist, ready to go on stage and rescue the girl.
Seeing this, Chen Qinglong decisively intervened, grabbing Ouyang Yu's arm.
"Xiao Yu, can you listen to me? This matter is not something that one person and one gun can solve!"
"We don't have a guide or a translator with us this time!"
"Now, we can't even communicate with them!"
"Charging in like this, what's the difference between that and walking into our own deaths?"
Ouyang Yu retorted, "What are you afraid of? We have guns!"
"Besides, aren't you a martial arts expert, Chen Qinglong? Can't you just teach those thugs on stage a lesson?"
Chen Qinglong shook his head and chuckled, "This matter is probably not as simple as you think!"
"Look at the people around us; their clothes are bulging at the waist. I'm sure they're armed too!"
"If things get violent, with gunfire everywhere, it'll be chaos. It'll be hard for me to protect you, let alone take the girl from the cage!"
"The only way now is to go back and find the boss, and have the boss bring Lena and the others here!"
"Then, we can communicate and solve the problem by spending some money!"
Chen Qinglong managed to persuade Ouyang Yu and then pulled her by the arm back to their base.
Liu Kai Xuan had already finished his bath and was resting in bed.
However, he was abruptly woken by Ouyang Yu's frantic knocking.
"What's going on that has you all so agitated?" Liu Kai Xuan asked curiously.
Ouyang Xue briefly explained the situation to Liu Kai Xuan.
In fact, before coming over, Ouyang Xue had already gone to ask Lena for clarification.
What Ouyang Yu had just witnessed was, in colloquial domestic terms, called the trafficking of women.
Of course, the Thunder Empire also had laws against such things.
However, in certain special circumstances, the empire's laws did not apply.
It was highly likely that the girl's parents had incurred gambling debts at the casino.
Unable to repay their debts, they had no choice but to offer their daughter as compensation.
The casino would then transfer the young girl in the cage to a wealthy individual as a concubine, collecting some "betrothal gifts."
In this way, the casino merely acted as a collection agent for the girl's dowry, thus bypassing legal sanctions.
In such cases, even the imperial authorities would not intervene.
After all, there was a debt dispute involved, and it was only natural to repay debts.
If Ouyang Yu wanted to save the girl, her only option was to pay for the girl herself, to buy her out of the cage.
But Lena believed that doing so was utterly meaningless.
Because, in the Thunder Empire, such incidents were happening constantly.
Even if all of Liu Kai Xuan's money were spent, it wouldn't solve the problem.
However, Ouyang Yu insisted on saving the girl and even stated that she was willing to use her own money to do so.
After all, Liu Kai Xuan was the boss of this operation, and they still needed to seek his opinion on whether to proceed.
After understanding the situation, Liu Kai Xuan immediately spoke up.
"Alright, alright, everyone go get some rest!"
"Ouyang Yu, I warn you, don't go causing trouble day in and day out!"
"The lives of those outside have nothing to do with us. Stay at the base and rest well. We have to travel tomorrow!"
Ouyang Yu immediately became anxious, "Liu Kai Xuan, I never expected you to be this kind of person!"
"You cold-blooded, heartless fellow, I'm so disappointed in you!"
"Xiao Yu, let's go. Don't meddle in other people's business. Let's get some rest," Ouyang Xue said, pulling Ouyang Yu by the arm, concerned that she might escalate the situation.
As they left, Ouyang Yu remained filled with resentment.
Liu Kai Xuan could only offer her a helpless, wry smile.
As Lena had said, such incidents were commonplace in the Thunder Empire, happening all the time.
Even if you saved one person today, there were millions more waiting to be saved.
Furthermore, the girl's father was a gambling addict.
Even if you saved her today, she would likely be mistreated by her gambling-addicted father as if she were a gambling chip upon her return.
Could it be that, could it be that you'd have to bring her back to the country to raise her?
If that were the case, the trouble would be unimaginable.
Liu Kai Xuan was willing to get involved, but Ouyang Yu continued to fuss.
In the end, Ouyang Xue had no choice but to call Chen Qinglong to accompany her and the translator back.
Unfortunately, by the time they returned, the girl in the cage was no longer there.
The guide inquired and learned that the girl had been married off to a desert merchant.
Finding that desert merchant was now impossible.
Ouyang Yu cried all night over this matter.
It wasn't until the next morning, when they were preparing to depart, that Liu Kai Xuan noticed Ouyang Yu's eyes were swollen from crying.
Liu Kai Xuan sensed a strong sense of aggression from her and decided not to provoke her, getting into a different car with his two bodyguards.
...
The convoy left the desert town. Unexpectedly, less than five kilometers out of town, they were ambushed.
The group blocking the convoy wore tattered clothes and looked like refugees.
However, the weapons they carried were extremely impressive.
They had heavy machine guns, mortars, rocket launchers, and even an old tank.
With such a lineup, if the enemy had opened fire, they could have turned Liu Kai Xuan's convoy into scrap metal in minutes.
The enemy had forced the convoy to stop by means of force. Lena decided not to flee but to negotiate with them.
Liu Kai Xuan's car was the third vehicle in the front row.
Liu Kai Xuan could hear Lena's conversation with the enemy.
Upon meeting the leader of the opposing group, Lena first identified herself.
"Friends, we are a convoy from the Thunder Security Company. We are passing through your esteemed territory, so we request your kind cooperation!"
"A small token of our appreciation, a humble offering!"
As she spoke, Lena took out a gold bar from her bag and handed it to the other party.
"No, thank you."
The man with the scar on his face waved his hand and smiled, "I dare not accept money from the Thunder Company!"
"However, I am very interested in your boss, whom you are escorting!"
"Please, Captain Lena, introduce us to your boss!"
"This..."
Lena replied with a wry smile, "My friends, our boss is from abroad!"
"Your current display is very likely to frighten them. I suggest you give me some face and let this go."