"Are you still able to walk?" Chen Jinzhao turned to look at Wu Lingyun.
A flicker of panic appeared in Wu Lingyun's eyes, but since they were both shrouded in darkness, Chen Jinzhao did not catch it.
She recomposed herself and quickly shook her head, "I, I'm fine..."
Chen Jinzhao glanced again at Wu Lingyun's injured foot and said apologetically, "I was thinking about some things earlier and forgot that your foot was injured. I'll carry you over."
Wu Lingyun wanted to decline again.
Chen Jinzhao said firmly, "Get on. It'll be easier for both of us."
"But you're also injured, are you alright?" Wu Lingyun said.
Chen Jinzhao shook his head, "This minor injury means nothing to me."
Wu Lingyun finally yielded to Chen Jinzhao's insistence and obediently rested on his back. However, as they walked, Wu Lingyun felt a wave of weariness wash over her, and before long, her eyes fluttered shut.
It took Chen Jinzhao an hour to return to the cave where Li Qiutao was. He had learned on the way that Wu Lingyun had fallen asleep and had no intention of waking her.
Even so, Wu Lingyun woke up.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes and asked, "Cousin, have we arrived?"
"Mm, I'll put you down first."
"Okay!"
Chen Jinzhao asked Wu Lingyun to wait outside the cave. He intended to go in and check on Li Qiutao's condition.
Before he could make a move, the weeds at the cave entrance rustled, making a dry sound. Chen Jinzhao's heart sank. Had his uncle been eaten by wild beasts in the mountains?
There were many ferocious beasts in these vast mountains.
"Who?"
Chen Jinzhao uttered in a low voice.
The rustling from the weeds grew louder. Chen Jinzhao held his breath, his gaze fixed on the cave entrance.
Not long after.
A figure emerged from the cave, stooping low. When Chen Jinzhao saw the person's appearance, he heaved a sigh of relief and quickly stepped forward to support him. "Uncle, why are you awake?"
"You're injured, don't move around carelessly."
This figure was none other than Li Qiutao.
Li Qiutao raised a hand to wave, his movements very small. It was evident that he was very weak at the moment.
Seeing this, Wu Lingyun also stepped forward to support her father and repeatedly asked about Li Qiutao's condition. Li Qiutao coughed a few times and said weakly, "I'm fine, I won't die yet. Actually, I woke up a long time ago and wanted to leave this place to find you. But after hearing the gunshots, I stayed put, for fear of causing trouble for you."
"Lingyun, are you alright?"
Wu Lingyun quickly replied, "Dad, I'm fine, it's just my cousin..."
Upon hearing this, Li Qiutao immediately turned to look at Chen Jinzhao. Only then did he notice that Chen Jinzhao was shirtless and had horrific wounds all over his body. His heart ached.
"Chen Jinzhao, your injuries..."
Chen Jinzhao said calmly, "Uncle, I'm fine. It's you who matters."
Li Qiutao sighed.
He had not only failed to help Chen Jinzhao but had also become a burden to him.
"Right, what happened to those thugs?" he asked.
Wu Lingyun said excitedly, "Dad, you should have seen my cousin's skill, it was truly incredible. Those bandits were no match for my cousin at all, he killed them all."
Hearing his daughter affectionately call Chen Jinzhao 'cousin', Li Qiutao felt a genuine sense of relief.
The more this was the case, the more Li Qiutao felt he had wronged Chen Jinzhao, especially regarding that incident years ago...
He did not know whether he should confess to Chen Jinzhao.
The words were on the tip of his tongue, but Li Qiutao still did not speak them. He simply sighed genuinely, "Jinzhao, you've worked hard. I've wronged you."
Although Chen Jinzhao said he was fine, he felt that Li Qiutao was not referring to this matter.
He wanted to ask.
But upon further thought, if he pressed Li Qiutao, his uncle might not speak. He could only wait for Li Qiutao to initiate the conversation.
Li Qiutao added, "Lingyun, you must interact more with your cousin Jinzhao from now on. Only he will genuinely care for you, understand?"
If it were in the past, Wu Lingyun might still have had doubts, but after this incident, she had come to accept this fact.
"Dad, I understand," she nodded obediently.
Chen Jinzhao glanced at the night sky and said to Li Qiutao, "Uncle, can you move around now? I suggest we leave now. The sooner we leave here, the better. If all goes smoothly, we can descend the mountain before dawn."
"Alright, I'll follow your arrangements." Li Qiutao had no objections.
As for Wu Lingyun, she naturally didn't either.
Chen Jinzhao, just like before, carried Wu Lingyun.
Li Qiutao watched this scene, a smile appearing on his lips. This was a scene he had thought about many times, never expecting it to happen under such circumstances.
Fate truly loved to play tricks on people.
"That's good too."
"I was only shot, I won't die anyway. If it can bring about family harmony, then it's worth it," Li Qiutao muttered to himself.
The two walked forward.
Li Qiutao occasionally initiated conversations with Chen Jinzhao, mostly asking about his childhood experiences. Chen Jinzhao did not hide anything from them, sharing some embarrassing stories from his childhood. Wu Lingyun, on Chen Jinzhao's back, giggled like silver bells, and the atmosphere was very harmonious. Li Qiutao also told Chen Jinzhao about Wu Lingyun's childhood experiences, which also made Chen Jinzhao laugh.
"Dad, stop talking, it's too embarrassing!" Wu Lingyun's face turned red.
Li Qiutao and Chen Jinzhao exchanged glances and laughed heartily.
Chen Jinzhao suddenly asked, "Uncle, I heard you lived on the other side since you were young. Why did you come back to develop here later?"
Wu Lingyun also looked at Li Qiutao. Come to think of it, she had never met anyone from that side either. Li Qiutao's expression faltered for a moment, then he sighed and shook his head, "The situation over there is very complicated. There were some family changes, and I was left alone. I returned here to develop, partly to return to my roots, and partly to escape the pursuit of my enemies."
The two understood.
"Then, could the people who came to pursue you this time be from over there?" Wu Lingyun asked.
Li Qiutao shook his head, "Unlikely. How could people from over there have the capability to control the domestic communication system?"
Chen Jinzhao nodded, that made sense.
After the three had walked for about forty minutes, they suddenly heard a rumbling sound from above. Wu Lingyun excitedly pointed upwards and said, "Look, quick! Three helicopters, they must be rescuers!"
Chen Jinzhao used his excellent eyesight to see the markings on the helicopters. "Yes, they are rescue personnel from the relevant authorities. We're saved."
Wu Lingyun shouted towards the sky.
However, the loud roar of the helicopter engines drowned out her voice.
Chen Jinzhao let her down from his back and said to her, "Your voice is too quiet. I'll fire a warning shot to get their attention."
Bang bang bang!
The three gunshots indeed attracted the attention of the three helicopters, which quickly circled overhead.
Wu Lingyun and Li Qiutao breathed a sigh of relief. They had finally waited for the rescuers.
After a while, several rescuers descended via a rope ladder. The leader was Shangguan Yu'an. Shangguan Yu'an, dressed in a military uniform, quickly walked up to Chen Jinzhao and examined him with a worried look. "Instructor Chen, how is your injury? Where are those thugs? We can take some of you out first, and then the rest of us can stay behind to deal with them."
"I'm fine. Those people have already been killed by me. You can send people to collect the bodies," Chen Jinzhao said.
Shangguan Yu'an let out a long sigh of relief. Chen Jinzhao asked, "You couldn't contact me. Has the communication system issue been investigated?"
"It has been investigated. The explanation given was that there was a system error, which caused many numbers to become invalid. If nothing unexpected happens, communications should be restored now," Shangguan Yu'an replied.
Chen Jinzhao sneered.
He'd be a ghost if he believed it was a system error. There was definitely something fishy going on.
Wu Lingyun stood by, watching their conversation. She could clearly see that Shangguan Yu'an was completely obedient to Chen Jinzhao, and frankly, she liked Chen Jinzhao. She felt inwardly that her cousin had really good luck with women.
After a brief conversation with Shangguan Yu'an, Chen Jinzhao arranged for Wu Lingyun and Li Qiutao to be sent to the hospital. As for himself, a simple bandaging would suffice.
A seemingly ordinary tomb-sweeping trip almost cost him his life, which was something no one had expected.
"Yu'an, transport Zhang Jingchou's body to the Kunlun Research Institute and ask them to analyze the drug residue in his body. Urge them to decipher the drug's components as soon as possible," Chen Jinzhao instructed.
He really wanted to know which major consortium was researching this stuff!
Such drugs had to be guarded against!
If a large number of formidable fighters were created, it would disrupt social stability and order!
Shangguan Yu'an suddenly thought of something and hesitantly said, "Does this fall under the scope of gene drugs? If it does, I know of a pharmaceutical company in the north that is also researching this."
"Shen Guo Pharmaceutical, backed by the Qin family."