Hu Jia could not understand how he had been chasing Mou Ji Xuan during the day, only to find himself in darkness with a blink of his eyes.
And this place, it was so strange. What kind of desolate wilderness was this? Not a soul in sight.
Oh, no, he had seen two people earlier, but judging by their expressions, they seemed even more frightened than he was.
As the night deepened, Hu Jia slowly realized that the place seemed to be enclosed by walls on all sides. He had wandered for a long time without finding an exit.
Could I be at the bottom of a vat?
Never mind, he’d go to the small wooden hut to warm up.
As he pushed open the door, a creak startled the Wang brothers who were sleeping inside.
Seeing Hu Jia return, the two Wang brothers sat up simultaneously.
They had just been discussing how Hu Jia seemed not to recognize them at all. Therefore, upon seeing Hu Jia again, besides being wary, they also wanted to test him.
“Uh, big brother, what’s wrong?” Wang Yan Lin asked cautiously.
“I’m truly sorry, I didn’t expect anyone to be inside. I’ll leave now.” Hu Jia immediately apologized upon seeing the Wang brothers lying inside.
However, he felt the cold air outside and turned back, saying, “Uh, I didn’t mean to disturb you, but it’s really too cold outside. Could I trouble you to rest here for a bit?”
Wang Yan Gang did not speak, but Wang Yan Lin agreed.
He could tell that this man was a bit deranged, and perhaps he could be used.
“May I ask, where is this place?” One must ask if they don't know.
“This is sort of our secret garden,” Wang Yan Lin came up with an explanation.
Secret garden?
Hu Jia’s gaze, tinged with thought, swept over their two bodies huddled closely together.
Yes, indeed, this was a place to keep secrets.
“How did I get here, and how do I get out?”
“We don’t know how you got here. We only met for the first time yesterday. But if you want to get out, the cliff wall over there is a bit gentler.”
“You mean climb up?”
“Mhm.”
Wang Yan Lin nodded gravely. They also wanted to get out, but he would never choose to swim out of the pool.
What a joke, the outside was full of Hu Jia’s men. Going out would be a death sentence.
Yesterday afternoon, they had discovered a feasible route on the left cliff face.
The rib cliff was slightly lower, only about 50 meters high. Furthermore, its slope was gentler compared to the other three sides.
Most importantly, they had found many protruding stones on this cliff face. As long as they were careful, they could climb up along these protruding stones.
However, there was one thing: no one knew if these protruding stones were stable. Nor did they know if there were any dangers on the cliff face.
They needed someone to scout the way.
And Hu Jia was the best candidate.
“You two have gone to great lengths for your secret,” Hu Jia said with a sigh.
“Heh heh.” Wang Yan Lin chuckled. “Can’t be helped, the outside world won’t tolerate us.”
“Yes, there aren’t many people as brave as you. But it’s okay, maybe in many years, people won’t have so many prejudices.”
Wang Yan Lin deliberately brought up that people outside wouldn’t tolerate them to see if Hu Jia had truly forgotten them.
But from Hu Jia’s expression and demeanor, it was clear he had indeed forgotten everything about Hua Yan Village.
However, why did his words always feel a bit strange? Could it be that in many years, committing murder would be acceptable?
“Earlier, you seemed to be looking for someone?” Wang Yan Gang was still thinking about the person in white that Hu Jia mentioned.
“Alas, to be honest, I’m a police officer. I’ve been tracking this person for a long time, but for some reason, I lost him.”
“Are you sure you were chasing one person, not two?”
“Of course, I’ve been investigating him for a month.”
Seeing how certain Hu Jia sounded, the Wang brothers were convinced that this person’s mind was truly troubled.
In that case, they could sleep soundly and without worry. When they woke up tomorrow, they would use Hu Jia’s strength to climb out of the cliff, and then deal with him.
…
Lu Qingqing had not slept all night. She truly couldn’t sleep.
“We’ll continue searching at first light. Don’t worry, we’ll definitely find him,” Ouyang Wen said, his heart aching at Lu Qingqing’s haggard appearance. “You should at least get some sleep and recover some energy.”
“I can’t sleep. I feel miserable thinking about how panicked and distressed he might be right now due to his amnesia.”
“Don’t overthink it. Maybe he’s asleep.”
“If you suddenly found yourself in an unfamiliar environment, how could you possibly sleep?”
Lu Qingqing was too anxious, her voice unintentionally rising. Seeing Ouyang Wen’s hesitant expression, she quickly apologized, “I’m sorry, I’m too anxious.”
“It’s fine, I understand,” Ouyang Wen smiled, his heart feeling a bit dejected.
But he quickly perked up. Finding Hu Jia was the most important thing right now, and he shouldn’t be thinking about anything else.
As soon as dawn broke, another search party was organized.
This time, everyone searched more meticulously, leaving no stone unturned. Finally, they discovered Hu Jia’s backpack.
The backpack was submerged in a pond. Yesterday, due to the approaching dusk and the fact that no one had thought there would be anything in the pond, it had not been discovered.
But now, with daylight, the backpack became visible.
“Why is the backpack in the water?” Ouyang Wen frowned as he looked at the retrieved item. “Did he fall into the water?”
“No, that pond isn’t deep. It was visible at dawn, you could see to the bottom clearly. We didn’t find Captain Hu,” a subordinate who had been searching reported.
“No, I still have to go and see. This is the only clue.” The long period of hopelessness had given Lu Qingqing a glimmer of hope. Even though the searchers reported no sign of Hu Jia’s body, she still wanted to see for herself.
And just as Lu Qingqing was circling the pond, Hu Jia and the Wang brothers had already climbed halfway up the cliff.
They had woven many reeds together. With practice, the lengths became longer, and they could be used as ropes. Each of them tied a reed around their waist, to assist with any unexpected accidents during the climb.
“Be careful behind me, this rock is a bit loose.” Hu Jia, climbing at the very top, tested each protruding object.
“This rock is a bit sharp. Test it with your palm before grabbing, there’s a sharp point on it.” Hu Jia had already pricked his skin earlier.
Wang Yan Gang, following behind, reminded Hu Jia to slow down from time to time, as he was also worried about Hu Jia falling.
Wang Yan Lin, however, looked at Hu Jia’s figure thoughtfully.
The three continued to climb. With only twenty meters left to the highest point, Hu Jia suddenly stopped.
“Why aren’t you climbing anymore?” Wang Yan Gang’s arms were sore.
Hu Jia lowered his head and looked at the two men below: “I think you can tell me who you are now, right?”
As he spoke, his toes twitched slightly, carrying a clear threat. If their answer was unsatisfactory, he would kick them down at any moment.
This place was remote and desolate, with no food sources besides a water supply. Therefore, the appearance of these two men here was unreasonable.
Moreover, there was absolutely no way in or out of this place. How did these two men get in?
Wang Yan Lin’s expression turned grim. This Hu Jia was truly insidious. He probably already had suspicions but chose to make a move only halfway up the mountain. “Brother Hu, this is not fair. We let you into the house to shelter from the wind, and this is how you repay us?”
“That wooden hut was old and dilapidated; it looked like no one had lived there for a long time. I presume you haven’t been living here for long either. So, how did you get in?” Hu Jia asked.
Wang Yan Lin’s mind raced, trying to formulate a strategy. It was clear that Hu Jia did not consider them bad people, but merely harbored doubts about their presence in this location.
“When we came down, there was a vine here, but the vine broke, and we got trapped here,” Wang Yan Gang said, also glancing down the cliff. “The vine is down there, do you want to see it?”