Just as Tian Jiajia was about to desperately urge Xia Nuannuan to escape, Zhang Peng had already rushed over.
One of his buddies from the internet café had gotten information from the owner of a small eatery, who had seen a girl chasing a strange man wearing a mask earlier.
This friend immediately called Xu Hao and relayed the information.
Xu Hao then first tried to call Qin Tian, but the call didn't go through, possibly due to poor signal where Qin Tian was.
So, Xu Hao called Zhang Peng.
Zhang Peng, who wasn't far away, arrived as quickly as possible.
He told his friend to continue waiting at the eatery for Xu Hao and the others, while Zhang Peng himself went to search in the direction the owner had pointed.
"Tian Jiajia, you stupid woman, how did you get so bold!"
"You think just because you're good at arguing, you're amazing? Chasing a bag thief, you have no sense of safety at all."
"I've never lost an argument, but I know I'm useless in a real fight. When something like this happens, shouldn't you call for help first? Are you an idiot?"
Zhang Peng muttered constantly, looking around anxiously.
At this moment, despite his constant complaints, his heart was filled only with worry and panic.
He decided that once he found this foolish woman, he would scold her soundly, letting her know that it wasn't that he couldn't win an argument with her, but rather that he was being chivalrous and always yielded to women in arguments.
"Tian Jiajia—"
Zhang Peng suddenly shouted.
In a nearby alley, Tian Jiajia, who was preparing to break through by force, suddenly froze.
"Nuannuan, did you hear that?"
Tian Jiajia whispered in surprise.
"A sound? No!"
Xia Nuannuan denied, astonished.
"No? That's not right, why did I think I heard Zhang Peng's voice?"
Tian Jiajia frowned.
Could she be hallucinating in this dangerous situation?
But if it was a hallucination, why Zhang Peng's voice?
With his build and fighting ability, he wouldn't be able to save them even if he came!
"Brother, it sounds like someone is shouting. Let's act quickly!"
One of the men also seemed to have heard a voice and spoke nervously, urging them on.
The man who had snatched the bag hesitated about whether to go for a bigger score. Hearing this, his eyes changed.
"Alright, let's do it!"
"Heh heh... Little ladies, what were you two whispering about? I saw it all. Don't think too much, or don't blame me if my knife isn't blind and ruins your pretty faces."
"Stop the nonsense. Take them down quickly. Luckily, I was smart and prepared this. I didn't expect it to actually be useful."
The man next to him pulled out two handkerchiefs from his pocket and handed one to the other.
The man took it with a smile that was even more sinister.
The handkerchief was soaked in some kind of potion. As long as it was used to cover the mouth and nose, one would temporarily faint within seconds.
Seeing this, Xia Nuannuan and Tian Jiajia's faces tensed immediately.
"Nuannuan, get ready!"
Tian Jiajia reminded sternly, her gaze fixed resolutely on the man on the left, who was alone.
"No, Jiajia, don't do anything rash!"
Xia Nuannuan urgently dissuaded her.
"There's no other way. Listen to me, I'll definitely help you escape."
"Jiajia, no!"
"Tian Jiajia, you stupid woman, say something if you're here!"
Suddenly, another shout came.
This time, all of them heard it, and Xia Nuannuan and Tian Jiajia immediately recognized it as Zhang Peng's voice.
"Brother, bad news, someone's found us."
"Why so soon? What do we do? Should we run?"
The two men panicked immediately.
"Run my ass, let's act, knock them out first!"
The leader shouted an order.
"Zhang Peng, we're here!"
Tian Jiajia shouted excitedly, no longer caring about being called a stupid woman by Zhang Peng.
As long as she could be saved, she could be a stupid woman!
"Tian Jiajia!!"
Upon hearing the shout, Zhang Peng's face lit up, and he immediately rushed into the alley from which the sound had come.
"Little ladies, are you looking for death? Shut up!"
"What are you doing? Get away, Zhang Peng, come and save us."
Tian Jiajia cried for help in a panic.
At this critical moment, Zhang Peng managed to suppress his impulsive shouting. In a moment of inspiration, he loudly yelled, "Officer, they're in that alley over there."
Inside the alley, the three men approaching Tian Jiajia and Xia Nuannuan heard this, and their faces under their masks changed drastically.
"Brother, bad news, the cops are here."
"Damn it, let's run. We've gone too far this time, we'll be locked up for many years."
The two men panicked completely and, without thinking, turned and fled.
However, the leader was clearly a bit smarter. He suspected the shouting outside was a bluff and that the police wouldn't arrive so quickly.
"Stop! Grab them and use them as hostages."
The man shouted urgently, and at the same time, he lunged towards Xia Nuannuan and Tian Jiajia.
"Brother, let's run, leave them."
"Yeah, let's get out of here!"
The two who had already run out of the alley ignored the orders, shouting as they fled without looking back.
Thus, the situation of being trapped between a wolf and a tiger changed.
But the leader was too fast. Running directly would mean being caught.
"Nuannuan, run!"
Tian Jiajia stood in front of Xia Nuannuan, trying to let her escape first.
"No!"
Xia Nuannuan refused decisively. She suddenly bent down, picked up a piece of broken brick from the ground, and threw it with all her might at the man.
Perhaps it was due to practicing her aim while playing tennis in a school club, but the brick hit the man squarely on the shoulder.
"Ah!"
The man cried out in pain, and his forward momentum halted.
"Run!"
Xia Nuannuan grabbed Tian Jiajia's wrist and pulled her towards the alley exit.
As the two girls rushed out of the alley, Zhang Peng came sprinting from the side, while the man, wielding a weapon, chased them out of the alley with bloodshot eyes.
"Bitch, stop right there!"
The man, blinded by rage, swung the knife in his hand, the blade reflecting a cold glint.
"Zhang Peng, be careful, move aside!"
Tian Jiajia shouted urgently.
Zhang Peng's heart trembled. With a courage he didn't know he had, he shifted his direction slightly and collided with the man.
With a cry of pain, the man was knocked to the ground by the impact. Zhang Peng staggered forward a few steps, then naturally used his body to pin him down, squatting on him. He grabbed the man's wrist holding the knife and forcefully smashed it against the ground.
"Damn it, let go, let go of me..."
Zhang Peng roared, increasing the pressure.
"Zhang Peng..."
Tian Jiajia's eyes widened, her voice trembling slightly.
She could clearly see that the blade was already stained with crimson blood.
Xia Nuannuan was also completely stunned.
Under the pain, the man's grip loosened, and the knife slipped from his hand, with Zhang Peng pinning his arm firmly beneath him.
"Phone, phone!"
Xia Nuannuan was the first to recover. She ran over, kicked the small knife away, then grabbed Tian Jiajia's bag from the man's other hand and yanked it back forcefully.
"Jiajia, quickly call an ambulance."
She threw the bag directly to Tian Jiajia.
"Yes, yes, yes, ambulance, ambulance..."
Tian Jiajia caught her bag, her voice already choked with tears, and fumbled to find her phone inside.
"Hiss... Damn it, did I get cut..."
Zhang Peng felt the pain then, grimaced, and looked down. Indeed, the clothes on his abdomen were already stained red.