Chen Jinzhao and Wu Lingyun trekked through the forest. After half an hour, Wu Lingyun was utterly exhausted.
Wu Lingyun knew she shouldn't be a burden to Chen Jinzhao, so she grit her teeth and pushed on.
Especially seeing her father unconscious, she had no reason to complain. If she stopped, she might die. She just didn't know how much longer they had to run.
"Dad, wake up," she called out to Li Qiutao as they walked.
Li Qiutao, having lost too much blood, was unconscious and unresponsive to Wu Lingyun.
Wu Lingyun grew more worried.
Chen Jinzhao said in a deep voice, "We can't stop yet. Just hold on a bit longer."
"Mhmm..."
Wu Lingyun nodded.
After walking a bit further, Wu Lingyun could no longer move. She could only rely on sheer willpower to keep going.
Chen Jinzhao noticed Wu Lingyun's distress and stopped. "We've gone deep into the mountains. They won't be able to find us for a while. I'll take you to a place to rest."
"If we can't contact the outside, we'll have to hide in the mountains for three days."
Wu Lingyun didn't complain, her pretty face taut. "I'll do whatever you say, but my father..."
He probably wouldn't last three days.
Chen Jinzhao also knew Li Qiutao was in bad shape. After thinking for a moment, he said, "How about this: I'll find you a hiding place first, then I'll go out and eliminate them. We'll be out of the mountains by tomorrow at the latest."
"It was my father's carelessness this time. If we had called Xiao Wu and Xiao Hu, we wouldn't be in this situation," Wu Lingyun sighed. Chen Jinzhao comforted her, "No one could have predicted an accident like this."
"Give me your hand, I'll lead you."
Chen Jinzhao extended his hand.
Wu Lingyun hesitated for a moment. Knowing how tired she was, she still wavered about reaching out her hand.
After all—
She had been so at odds with Chen Jinzhao before.
Moreover, Chen Jinzhao was carrying the unconscious Li Qiutao, which was a heavy burden for him.
Chen Jinzhao said again, "There's no time. Give me your hand."
Wu Lingyun finally stopped hesitating and placed her hand in Chen Jinzhao's palm. He gripped it tightly and pulled her forward, which did ease Wu Lingyun's burden considerably.
Watching Chen Jinzhao walk swiftly ahead, Wu Lingyun felt a surge of guilt.
She never expected that in a moment of danger, the most reliable person would be Chen Jinzhao, the one she clashed with the most, her cousin.
Chen Jinzhao walked, then stopped.
He could have kept walking, but he stopped to give Wu Lingyun time to rest.
By then, the sun had set, and a chill crept over Wu Lingyun, making her shiver. Coupled with the long mountain trek, her legs felt heavy as lead, making it almost impossible to walk.
"I... I really can't walk anymore. Why don't you leave me and go on?" Wu Lingyun said.
She hated her own uselessness.
Chen Jinzhao couldn't carry two people at once. He said, "Can you hold on a little longer?"
Wu Lingyun shook her head.
Chen Jinzhao thought for a moment, then took off his only jacket and draped it over Wu Lingyun. Wu Lingyun quickly said, "You should keep it. The temperature has dropped after sunset."
"I'm fine. You wear it. It's just a bit dirty," Chen Jinzhao said, his upper body bare, revealing his muscular physique.
And—
The numerous scars, like centipedes, some old and some new, shocked Wu Lingyun.
What kind of person was he?
Incredible!
Under Wu Lingyun's stunned gaze, Chen Jinzhao hoisted Li Qiutao onto his back again. He then said to her, "Wait for me here for about twenty minutes. I'll come back for you then. Do you dare?"
Under normal circumstances, Wu Lingyun would not have dared.
But in this desperate situation, she didn't know where the courage came from, and she nodded vigorously. "I, I can!"
Before leaving, Chen Jinzhao repeatedly cautioned, "Remember, don't run off. Otherwise, I might not be able to find you."
"I remember. Go ahead," Wu Lingyun pursed her lips.
Chen Jinzhao gave Wu Lingyun a deep look, hoping to impart some courage.
Then, he turned and left.
Wu Lingyun didn't know where Chen Jinzhao was going, nor if he would keep his promise to return for her. She simply stayed put.
For a moment.
She felt like the loneliest person in the world.
Her phone was dead, no one was by her side, and it was getting dark.
She could only crouch on the ground, trying her best not to think too much and fall into despair.
Meanwhile.
Chen Jinzhao moved with swift strides into the deep mountains, a place he frequented as a child and where he knew of several excellent hiding spots. He didn't want to keep Wu Lingyun waiting too long, fearing she would be scared.
After all, she was his cousin.
After more than ten minutes of arduous travel, Chen Jinzhao, under the cover of night, arrived before a cave. It was more of a man-made excavation, originally intended for storing ashes. However, the people who dug it had moved to the city and reburied the ashes, so the cave could be used as a hiding place.
Chen Jinzhao carefully pushed aside the weeds clinging to the cave entrance and settled Li Qiutao inside the small cave.
Checking Li Qiutao's breathing and heartbeat, Chen Jinzhao felt his uncle could last through the night. He then retreated from the cave and covered the entrance with weeds.
Unless specifically searched for, it would be hard to find.
After arranging for Li Qiutao, Chen Jinzhao retraced his steps, hoping Wu Lingyun was still waiting for him. If she had wandered off, it would be difficult to find her in the dark.
Just as Chen Jinzhao was heading back to Wu Lingyun's location, she encountered trouble.
She was indeed a little scared waiting alone, and her phone had completely died. So she could only close her eyes and wait for Chen Jinzhao to pick her up. In this environment, she had no idea how much time had passed.
Every second felt like an eternity.
After an unknown period, Wu Lingyun suddenly heard some movement that made her heart leap with surprise.
Chen Jinzhao was here!
Before she could rejoice for long, her expression suddenly changed.
The sound wasn't coming from ahead, but from above. Wu Lingyun abruptly looked up and saw several blinking red dots hovering above her.
Wu Lingyun looked closely. These red dots clearly represented several drones.
She couldn't be sure who was controlling these drones. They could be allies, but more likely, they were enemies.
Her intuition told her she couldn't stay put, or she would lead the enemies here!
It had been almost twenty minutes since Chen Jinzhao left. Wu Lingyun, not knowing where she found the courage, fled in another direction, her objective being to prevent these people from discovering Li Qiutao's whereabouts.
Wu Lingyun took off running, not looking back.
The drones closely followed her through the dense forest. No matter where she ran, she couldn't shake them off.
It was almost despairing.
Meanwhile, Chen Jinzhao returned to the spot where he had parted ways with Wu Lingyun. Finding her gone, his heart sank.
Where had Wu Lingyun gone?