Hu Jia stared at the wild man before him, his eyes glinting with coldness. They stood facing each other, neither willing to back down.
Ten minutes earlier, Hu Jia had been agonizing over the whereabouts of Lü Qingqing, when this wild man suddenly appeared.
Though the wild man's hair obscured his eyes, Hu Jia sensed the other's gaze fixed on him.
There was no killing intent, but there was hostility.
“Are you an escapee or someone in hiding? How long have you lived in these mountains?”
“Where are our people?”
“Have you seen a girl?”
Seeing no response, Hu Jia suddenly realized the wild man might not understand him.
Even though he suspected the wild man had only recently taken up residence in the mountains, who knew if he could speak, or if he had grown up in the forest?
What if he was someone who had a grudge against civilized society?
Now, Hu Jia was in a dilemma. Without communication, he couldn't extract any information, let alone find his hiding place.
Since he couldn't kill the wild man, he had to drive him away. Following the behavior of wild animals, they would flee to a place they deemed safe when injured.
If he tracked its movements, he could find the trapped trainees.
In mere seconds, Hu Jia had formulated a plan.
He lunged forward, his palm transforming into a fist, aiming straight for the wild man's face.
The wild man was also agile. After a few exchanges, Hu Jia realized he didn't know boxing; he only knew how to dodge. It was likely his survival instincts in the forest that made him so nimble.
He would roll in the grass, climb trees at a moment's notice, and leap from one tree to another, swaying and jumping high.
Even while dodging, he could casually pick up stones to hurl at you or grab a branch to poke you.
On the surface, he seemed to be on the defensive, but only Hu Jia knew how difficult it would be to subdue him quickly.
He was like a mischievous monkey from Journey to the West.
However, after several clashes, Hu Jia noticed the wild man's stamina was waning, likely due to his long life in the deep mountains and insufficient nutrition.
Gradually, his movements became less fluid, his speed less astonishing, and even the stones he threw had less impact.
The wild man also realized this and decided to stop engaging, attempting to flee.
But Hu Jia stuck to him like glue, making it impossible to shake him off.
As Hu Jia closed in, the wild man suddenly stopped. He was utterly exhausted, panting heavily.
This situation instead frustrated Hu Jia, who silently roared, "Run! Hurry up and run! I promise I won't catch you!"
But the wild man, as if resigned to his fate, didn't run. Instead, he began to tidy his hair.
He had previously pushed back the hair on his forehead, torn a piece of vine from a tree, and in a few simple movements, tied his hair back, revealing a weathered face.
Hu Jia was stunned by this series of actions.
What was he doing?
He opened his arms towards Hu Jia, babbling something incomprehensible.
Hu Jia listened intently for a long time, and his expression suddenly turned grim. This monkey-like creature was asking him for a hug!
"My ass!"
Damn it, was he really so handsome that even monkeys desired him?
He glanced at the wild man, who was still speaking indistinctly, his arms still outstretched.
Sigh.
Fine.
A wild man lacking affection meets a handsome man.
There had to be some story.
Hu Jia seemed to undergo intense internal deliberation. "I can hug you, but you have to tell me where my colleagues are."
Hu Jia took the wild man's hands, even rubbing them with his thumb. His skin was indeed rough.
With a stern face, Hu Jia embraced the wild man.
Huh.
The wild man recoiled as if startled, pushing him away.
Hu Jia had remained vigilant, fearing a surprise attack. But to his surprise, after pushing him away, the wild man glared at Hu Jia as if deeply insulted.
“You… hug, cannot… insult…”
Hu Jia froze. Hug, cannot insult what? What was he even saying?
He broke out in a cold sweat. Did this wild man not want just a hug and have other intentions?
“You can… report, cannot… insult… me.”
Damn it!
Hu Jia finally understood. So the outstretched hands were because he thought Hu Jia was going to handcuff him!
…
“We need to move faster. Heaven truly watches over us, that he actually survived.” Lü Qingqing and her group were carrying a makeshift stretcher through the bushes.
They had emerged from the wild man's cave.
After rescuing the trainees from the transmission institute, Lü Qingqing learned that only one wild man inhabited the cave. The voices they heard before entering were actually the voices of the trainees.
Just as they were discussing whether to eliminate the wild man before retreating, one of the supposedly deceased individuals miraculously revived.
To be precise, that person had never been dead, only unconscious.
Now, forgetting about the wild man, they immediately used branches and vines to fashion two stretchers and hurried towards the camp with the rescued individuals.
Not long after leaving, they encountered Hu Jia.
“Why are you here?” Lü Qingqing exclaimed, seeing Hu Jia.
“I was worried about you, so I came.” Hu Jia looked her up and down, and seeing she was in good condition, he breathed a sigh of relief.
After a brief exchange, Hu Jia understood the entire ordeal.
“Don't be so reckless in the future. If you encounter danger, where will I find my wife?” Hu Jia said sternly.
Lü Qingqing was taken aback by Hu Jia's sudden remark, her face flushing crimson.
“Oh…” a chorus of teasing erupted from the surroundings.
Hu Jia's companions dared not tease him, but Lü Qingqing had already become quite familiar with them.
Just moments ago, they had even handed over the token of the second stage to Lü Qingqing.
Lü Qingqing was quick to accept, having saved lives and completed the mission. Why not?
Hearing the teasing, Lü Qingqing felt a mix of sweetness and embarrassment, her face growing even redder. If it hadn't been for the darkening sky, it would have been even more obvious.
Hu Jia also felt a bit awkward and was contemplating changing the subject when he noticed the two stretchers, his eyes narrowing as he recalled the wild man's words.
He had said he didn't kill these two.
“The message you sent back said two deaths, but it turns out one of them was in a deep coma. For a police officer, not even distinguishing between death and coma is quite something.”
Hu Jia deliberately snorted, instantly silencing the teasing.
Seeing everyone put in their place, Hu Jia haughtily signaled for them to head back.
Hmph, laughing at me?
The group proceeded in an orderly fashion, some carrying stretchers, others holding torches.
Lü Qingqing, as the sole female, enjoyed the luxury of walking empty-handed.
“What are you looking at?” After walking a few steps, Lü Qingqing turned back, noticing Hu Jia gazing into the woods behind them.
“Nothing,” Hu Jia replied, turning back. “Let’s go.”
“Mhm, stay close to everyone, so you don’t get ambushed by the wild man,” Lü Qingqing reminded Hu Jia.
“Don’t worry, he won’t come out,” Hu Jia replied casually.
“Oh? Is he afraid of you?”
“Haha, I’m so handsome, he's bound to avoid me.”
“Get lost! Maybe it’s a female wild man, seeing your rosy lips and handsome face, she'd want to hug you.”
Uh oh.
Hu Jia's expression stiffened.
Hugging a wild man?
He seemed to have already done that.
…