I handed him the iron chain, telling him to keep it for emergencies.
The three of us walked to the foot of the mountain. The house was only five to six hundred meters away, close enough to see if anything happened.
He emerged from the bushes, glanced around, and quickly approached the house. Thanks to our brutal training over the past few days, our stamina had significantly improved, and even our running speed had gotten much better.
Without the sandbags on our legs, it felt like we were as light as swallows.
When we returned to Lijiang, I would have Da Kui train the security guards using these methods too. These training techniques were highly practical.
Soon, he was close to the house. He opened the door and slipped inside.
I wasn't worried about the people inside the room. They had completely lost their ability to resist. What I was worried about was the sudden appearance of the men in black.
Our fight earlier might have sounded long, but it had actually only taken a few minutes. They hadn't expected us to finish so quickly, so it was reasonable that they hadn't shown up yet.
In their minds, there was no possibility of us surviving, so I wasn't overly concerned about them showing up too soon.
Still, it was better to be safe than sorry. We had to remain vigilant.
My eyes were fixed on the path leading to Hui Ge's villa, afraid someone might appear there.
Time stretched out, becoming incredibly long. Xiao Zhang had left only a few minutes ago, but it felt like half a century.
After a while longer, I saw Xiao Zhang slip out of the room, holding clothes in his hand, and cautiously leaving the area.
My heart was in my throat. I watched his back and surroundings until he disappeared into the jungle, then I finally let out a breath.
The guards had only been subdued and knocked out, not injured. Their clothes, aside from the smell of sweat, had no bloodstains.
We didn't dare linger here. If they discovered we were gone, they would surely search the mountain immediately. This place was very unsafe.
We moved through the woods, trying to determine the direction of the seniors and hoping to notify them as soon as possible.
We were completely unfamiliar with the terrain here, relying only on the general direction.
Hui Ge's area wasn't within the barracks themselves, but the road had to pass through the military camp, meaning driving would require going through the sentry post.
If only Ah Bei were here, he would definitely know the way better than us.
Speaking of Ah Bei, I wondered if he would be implicated. If Hui Ge confirmed our identities, then Ah Bei would be in grave danger right now.
After all, he was the one who brought us here.
Just this morning, our early departure had already aroused so much suspicion from Ah Zhan. Our identities had most likely been exposed.
But there was nothing we could do to save him now. We could only pray that Hui Ge hadn't acted against him yet and was still focused on us.
We crossed the mountain and saw a few houses at the foot of the mountain.
I had already changed into a sentry's uniform. I told the other two to wait for me here while I went to see if I could find someone and ask for directions to the town.
Xiao Zhang said I should go instead. "If I find out, I'll go straight to town," he said. "This place is more important. You just wait here for us."
I thought about it and agreed. If I went and asked, then relayed the information, it might be misunderstood or miscommunicated.
As Xiao Zhang was about to leave, I reminded him to proceed with caution and told him to give a few bird calls if he didn't see us when he returned.
Hui Ge didn't have many men. Unless he deployed the army, a thorough search of the entire mountain was unlikely, but we still couldn't let our guard down. We found a densely wooded area, pushed aside branches and thorns, and crawled in.
After moving dozens of meters inside, we found a large tree. There was a small clearing beneath it. I turned to my Daoist brother and said, "Let's stay here."
My Daoist brother nodded, listening warily to the sounds outside.
I sat down on the ground. That last fight had drained a lot of my energy, and only now, sitting down, did I feel the soreness all over my body.
Especially those blows from the big black guy. They had almost shattered me. Every spot on my chest that I touched hurt.
I told my Daoist brother, "You sit down and rest too. Conserve your energy. We still have a big battle ahead of us."
I wondered if Hui Ge had discovered we had escaped yet. If he had, he was probably looking for us right now.
The mountain ranges of southern Yunnan and northern Myanmar are connected. This area is all tropical rainforest, with dense vegetation and abundant rainfall. There are only two seasons a year: rainy and dry. However, regardless of the season, there are many mosquitoes and insects in the jungle. It's bearable during the day, but at night, they can be deadly.
It was currently the dry season, with less rain. The dense canopy of the large trees blocked the sunlight, saving us from the scorching heat.
However, once the sun set, the harassment from mosquitoes and insects would be unavoidable.
I took out a bottle of medicinal oil from my pocket and handed it to my Daoist brother. I told him to apply a little on any exposed skin and to rest while we waited for the others.
My Daoist brother didn't take it. He said he had his own and told me to keep it for myself.
He also said it was his turn to stand guard and that I should sleep first.
Unable to refuse him, I applied it to my face and neck and leaned against the tree trunk, dozing off.
In a hazy state, I suddenly found myself standing on a cliff. My senior stood behind me. I asked in surprise, "You came back so quickly?"
He said, "We've been with you all along. What do you mean 'came back so quickly'? Has the injury on your head relapsed, making you forget what happened before?"
"No, I'm perfectly clear-headed. I just sent Xiao Zhang to find you, and I didn't expect you to be standing right beside me."
"Oh, you've confused me. What's going on?"
I explained, "The three of us followed Ah Bei to find Hui Ge. You stayed in town. Didn't you forget? Now the three of us are probably exposed. Hui Ge set a trap to eliminate us. We escaped and sent Xiao Zhang to find you."
"No wonder I didn't see Xiao Zhang. Could he have gotten lost? What do we do now? Hui Ge's men are already pursuing us."
I turned around and saw many people behind us. Ah Zhan was leading them, including the men in black and the three big black men we had tied up earlier.
The big black guy rushed forward, waving his arms and fury, raising his fists, ready to charge at me.
At that moment, Hui Ge appeared from somewhere. He spoke to the big black guy in a sarcastic tone, "Don't be in a hurry to act. There's a bottomless abyss behind them. No need to waste your energy; they'll jump down themselves soon. Let's see how capable they are of surviving."
I glanced back at the cliff. It was just as Hui Ge had said, a dizzying drop that would mean certain death.
Hui Ge sneered, "Run! Why aren't you running anymore? I really have to thank you. I couldn't find you, but you delivered yourself right to my doorstep. Li Hua, I admit you're very clever. Your scheme in Lijiang almost led to my complete annihilation. If I hadn't kept a contingency plan, you probably would have sent me to prison too. I, Ah Hui, am blessed with great fortune. You're still a bit short of playing with me.
Since you're already a living dead man, I don't mind telling you that I've reorganized a large supply of heroin here, and it will soon be shipped all over the world. If you, Li Hua, are capable, come and catch me again!"
He said with a sinister grin.