The other party abruptly cut off contact, causing Chen Jinzhao's brow to furrow.
He was certain he had heard that voice before, but he couldn't recall it at the moment.
"I hope it's not an old acquaintance," Chen Jinzhao muttered to himself.
He tossed the walkie-talkie to the ground, refusing to carry such a device. It might contain a tracking chip. If his guess was correct, those people would be on their way, and Chen Jinzhao couldn't linger here.
It was time to leave.
Chen Jinzhao took a handgun and a sniper rifle when he departed.
He continued in the direction Wu Lingyun had gone. After a few minutes, he spotted drones circling overhead. With nothing else to say, Chen Jinzhao raised his hand and shot, taking down all of them. Fortunately, the drones hadn't flown too high; if they had been beyond his handgun's range, Chen Jinzhao would have been helpless.
After dealing with the drones, Chen Jinzhao resumed his movement.
He followed the trampled, messy grass on the ground, but the tracks disappeared at the root of a tree.
Huh?
Where did the person go?
Chen Jinzhao scanned his surroundings, but Wu Lingyun was nowhere to be seen.
Could she have been captured?
Thinking of this, Chen Jinzhao was consumed with anxiety, muttering, "You absolutely must not fall into their hands. These are desperate criminals. If you do, your fate will be dire."
Just then.
Chen Jinzhao felt a surge of alarm and raised his hand to catch a pebble that flew towards him.
"Who's there?"
"Lingyun, is that you?"
Chen Jinzhao stared in the direction the pebble had come from. After a few seconds of waiting, he heard rustling sounds about ten meters ahead, and then Wu Lingyun emerged from that spot.
"You're my cousin, Chen Jinzhao?" Wu Lingyun asked.
Upon hearing this, Chen Jinzhao breathed a sigh of relief. "That's right, it's me. Come to my side quickly, I'll take you away."
Wu Lingyun hurried to Chen Jinzhao and brought her face close, less than ten centimeters from his, examining him intently before finally confirming that the person before her was indeed Chen Jinzhao.
"It's you..."
Wu Lingyun was overcome with joy, tears streaming down her face.
Never before had she wanted to see Chen Jinzhao so desperately.
Chen Jinzhao surveyed Wu Lingyun, noticing numerous wounds on her body, sustained during her escape. Fortunately, these injuries were not severe, mostly scratches from branches and weeds.
"How are you doing now?" Chen Jinzhao inquired.
Wu Lingyun, feeling utterly wronged, explained her situation to Chen Jinzhao: after fleeing for a while, she had become weak and exhausted. Coupled with the dense forest nearby, she hadn't dared to wander aimlessly. It wasn't until she heard gunshots a moment ago that she guessed Chen Jinzhao had arrived, so she had obediently stayed put, waiting for him.
Chen Jinzhao breathed a sigh of relief. "Fortunately, you didn't run off. Otherwise, I really wouldn't have found you."
"Your feet..."
As Chen Jinzhao looked down, he noticed Wu Lingyun was barefoot and bleeding slightly.
Wu Lingyun, surprised by Chen Jinzhao's sharp night vision, reacted by saying, "I lost my shoes while I was running, so I ended up like this."
"Cousin, what should we do now?"
This was the first time Wu Lingyun had willingly and proactively addressed Chen Jinzhao as "cousin."
Chen Jinzhao replied without hesitation, "You lost your shoes, which will make our escape difficult. Moreover, those people are likely less than three kilometers away. We can't go back to meet Uncle, so we'll have to find a place to hide."
"Ah? My dad, he..." Wu Lingyun was deeply worried.
Chen Jinzhao replied, "Don't worry, Uncle is in a safe location, and I'm not necessarily afraid of these people."
This pitch-black night was Chen Jinzhao's domain!
Wu Lingyun immediately put away her negative emotions and said to Chen Jinzhao, "Cousin, I'll do whatever you ask. I hope I can be of some help."
"Alright, climb onto my back now. I'll take you away from here first," Chen Jinzhao said.
Wu Lingyun had lost her shoes, and being delicate, she certainly couldn't endure such hardship. It might be more convenient for Chen Jinzhao to carry her, but Wu Lingyun hesitated. Chen Jinzhao added, "Don't waste time. If you think I'm dirty, you'll just have to endure it."
"That's not what I meant. I'm afraid of being a burden to you," Wu Lingyun said softly.
Chen Jinzhao felt an indescribable emotion. "I am your brother. What would be the point of surviving if I abandoned you here? Listen, this isn't the time to think about these things."
Wu Lingyun bit her lip and finally decided to lie down on Chen Jinzhao's back.
Without a word, Chen Jinzhao carried Wu Lingyun towards a nearby mountain. The mountain had higher terrain, making it strategically advantageous and facilitating observation of the surroundings.
On his back.
Wu Lingyun was very well-behaved, daring not to move lest she add to Chen Jinzhao's burden.
However, after walking for about ten minutes, Wu Lingyun gradually realized something was amiss. She weighed at least a hundred pounds, yet Chen Jinzhao, carrying her, had walked so far while still moving with ease, as if on level ground.
He didn't seem tired at all.
"Cousin is truly a strange person. I never really understood him before," Wu Lingyun mused to herself.
After forty minutes of trekking through mountains and rivers, Chen Jinzhao and Wu Lingyun finally reached a mountaintop. Standing at the summit, Wu Lingyun was hit by the cold wind and shivered involuntarily.
"Later, you'll hide behind that rock. Understand?" Chen Jinzhao pointed to a large rock not far away.
Wu Lingyun instinctively asked, "Why?"
"Only this way will you avoid being shot by bullets. In any case, trust my plan," Chen Jinzhao said.
Wu Lingyun acknowledged with an "oh" and hid behind the large rock as instructed.
Another ten minutes passed, and Chen Jinzhao had found the optimal sniping position. At this moment, the dark clouds overhead had been blown away by the night wind, allowing the full moon to appear.
Countless brilliant stars adorned the sky, and moonlight cascaded through the mountain forest, making the entire area seem draped in a silver veil.
Wu Lingyun looked up at the scene, wanting to imprint it deeply in her mind. Suddenly, she thought of something and poked her head out from behind the boulder, looking at Chen Jinzhao, who was also lying prone on the ground. She saw that he was covered in weeds, lying motionless as if dead.
"Cousin, are you still there?" she asked, a little frightened.
Chen Jinzhao glanced back at Wu Lingyun and smiled, "I'm fine. I'm just diligently searching for the enemy."
"Can I lie down next to you? I'm a little scared being here alone," Wu Lingyun said weakly. Receiving Chen Jinzhao's permission, she felt a surge of happiness and then lay down beside him, looking down at the forest below.
Even with the moonlight, Wu Lingyun could not see any figures, making her wonder if Chen Jinzhao had eyes like a thousand li.
Just as she was about to ask Chen Jinzhao, he suddenly said in a deep voice, "Don't speak. There seems to be movement below. Perhaps they have followed us."
Wu Lingyun quickly held her breath, afraid of disrupting Chen Jinzhao's judgment.
A hunt and its counter-hunt were about to begin!