The night grew later, and still there was no news of Hu Jia, making Lü Qingqing increasingly uneasy.
She not only worried about Hu Jia's safety but also about the reality he would have to face soon.
With less than half an hour until midnight, if Hu Jia wasn't found, he would be lost in the unknown.
"What should we do?" Lü Qingqing's usual composure had vanished; she was starting to panic, even feeling at a loss.
"Don't worry, he has his backpack. There's a memo inside," Ouyang Wen said, though he was also inwardly anxious. He couldn't show it, so he could only offer comfort.
"But that memo..."
"No 'buts.' That memo will always be there."
Ouyang Wen cut Lü Qingqing off. He knew what she was worried about. Who could guarantee the backpack wouldn't be lost? Who could guarantee that Hu Jia would remember to open his backpack when his episode struck?
But now, they could only place their hope on the backpack still being there and Hu Jia looking at it.
...
"Brother Er, where is this place?"
"I don't know. How could Wang Xia's house have such a mechanism?"
Under the moonlight, the only sound around them was their footsteps.
The cold wind howled, and the two felt an icy chill all over. "No, we have to go back immediately. This is too strange."
"Go back? How? That madman chased us all the way. We finally got rid of him, only to walk into a trap?"
The two speaking were Wang Yanlin and Wang Yangang. They couldn't comprehend how they had ended up in such a strange place.
The surroundings were gloomy, and the weeds were waist-high.
Just that afternoon, they had encountered Hu Jia. One chased, two ran. But relying on their familiarity with the terrain, they had evaded Hu Jia's pursuit multiple times.
It turned out that after Wang Yanlin gave Wang Xia the spot to enter the police academy, Wang Xia and the Wang brothers became good friends.
Wang Xia had also proactively told them about the secret tunnel under the stove.
That day, when the Wang brothers realized their crimes were exposed, they had tacitly chosen to flee.
But the village roads were already blocked by the police. Seeing no hope of escape, they decided to hide in Wang Xia's tunnel.
They had been to this place once before. They knew there was a small grove of trees behind it.
The brothers had intended to hide there for a few days until the police had all left the village before coming out. But unexpectedly, they had given themselves away, attracting Hu Jia.
Hu Jia pursued them relentlessly, finally cornering them by a wild pond.
This pond was their daily water source, not very large, only about an acre in size.
They had planned to hide in the water to evade Hu Jia's search. But to their surprise, as soon as they jumped in, they discovered there was a light underwater.
The light was about ten meters away, clearly an exit.
The brothers were overjoyed; this was truly a way out of a desperate situation. It turned out a cliff divided the pond into two. From the surface, it looked towering, but beneath the water, there was a passage that directly pierced through both sides of the cliff.
The Wang brothers had been troubled for a long time by their inability to escape the small mountain village. But unexpectedly, this pond connected to the outside world.
The two swam with all their might towards the light source. It was only about ten meters away, a trivial distance.
However, their movement in the water created ripples, and Hu Jia, who had followed, also jumped in.
They thought they had escaped death this time, but to their dismay, the brothers had wandered for a whole night inside and couldn't find any way out.
Yes.
The cliff face on the Garden Village side was a sheer precipice. But if one could stand at a high vantage point, they would realize it was actually a circular sinkhole.
The small grove outside the Wang brothers' tunnel was outside the pit, while the place where the Wang brothers now stood was inside the pit.
This was like a rat falling into an oil jar. They thought they would live happily ever after, but instead, they met their end prematurely.
They had been hiding and running all along, and the Wang brothers had explored almost every inch of this place. What surprised them was that people had lived here before.
Because they found wooden houses in the pit.
They were not large, but they were definitely not natural.
But fortunately, the place was overgrown with tall, dense weeds, which had caused Hu Jia considerable trouble.
After all, if you hid your body in the deep grass, no one could find you.
"Do you hear that? Is that footsteps?" Wang Yangang and Wang Yanlin were crouching in the deep grass. In the pitch-black night, Hu Jia's footsteps were getting closer.
"Damn it, he's like a persistent ghost. Bury your heads," Wang Yangang warned Wang Yanlin.
Indeed, a dark figure was approaching them from a distance. Judging by the silhouette, it was undoubtedly Hu Jia.
Perhaps because it was late and he was unfamiliar with the environment, he walked slowly, seemingly exploring everything in the grass.
Their hearts pounded.
The Wang brothers regretted not taking a knife from home when they fled. Now, even if they wanted to ambush him, they couldn't guarantee success.
After all, Hu Jia had a dagger.
Crouching in the deep grass, they tried their best to remain motionless. Hu Jia stood about a meter away, looking around.
Suddenly, Hu Jia's gaze fell upon the Wang brothers, and he lunged forward.
The dagger in his hand glinted coldly.
"Ah!" Wang Yanlin shouted, throwing a stone he held towards Hu Jia.
Hu Jia dodged it by tilting his head.
Wang Yangang also held a rock, watching Hu Jia with a wary expression.
The moment Hu Jia moved, he would smash the rock at his head.
"People?" Hu Jia's tensed body suddenly relaxed. "There are people here."
His voice seemed to carry a hint of excitement.
This completely confused the Wang brothers.
What was wrong with this person? He didn't seem to recognize them?
"Oh dear. Two brothers, I apologize for earlier. I thought it was a wild beast." Hu Jia sheathed his dagger, a smile on his face, and even clasped his hands in apology to the Wang brothers.
They were stunned!
Wang Yanlin and Wang Yangang were dumbfounded.
What?
Were police officers using acting skills to catch people now?
Seeing that the Wang brothers remained silent, Hu Jia felt apologetic. He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Are you two brothers injured? I'm truly sorry; I really didn't expect there to be anyone inside."
As Hu Jia spoke, he took two steps forward, startling the Wang brothers into stepping back.
"Could you please tell me what this place is? Have you seen a man in white clothes with a side-parted hairstyle run past?"
Seeing that the two in front of him still didn't speak, especially their fearful and confused expressions, Hu Jia gave up. "I'm truly sorry, gentlemen. I'll leave now. Oh, and if you see the man I mentioned, stay away from him. He's not a good person."
Uh...
Wang Yangang was so shocked he almost dropped the rock in his hand.
"Brother. I'm a little scared," Wang Yangang nudged Wang Yanlin.
Wang Yanlin glared at him. Who wouldn't be scared of a lunatic like that?
That's right. Hu Jia had entered his next amnesiac phase.
He had forgotten everything and his memory had regressed to seven years ago, when he was still chasing criminals.
Watching Hu Jia walk away, a cold wind blew. Wang Yangang moved closer to Wang Yanlin. "Did he just say a man in white ran past here?"