Sha Qing

Chapter 76: Meeting On A Narrow Road (1)

Being chased by hundreds of armed men ...Such a refreshing experience... Leo abandoned his car after leaving the road where he had set up a blockade and fled into the dark wilderness while thinking bitterly: I have chased down countless people before so maybe, to be fair, God is now giving me a taste of what it's like to be hunted as well.

He felt very unhappy at the thought that his undercover mission might fail, but at the same time, he also held the hope that as long as he's alive there was still a chance of success if he could grab the said chance at an opportune time amidst the changing situations and fleeting encounters.

But for now, he'd have to find a hiding place first and get through the night safely. Due to the difficulty of searching at night, it was unlikely that the search team would go deep into the wilderness, but tomorrow, at dawn, they would-definitely. Therefore he had to find a place that was both concealed and easy to escape from.

The jungle at night was a terror to behold, but if he wanted to go towards the direction of the beach, he would have to go through it. Of course, there was the option of taking the grassy slope, but there were no trees there that he could use as a cover so he couldn't use a flashlight. And if he didn't use any light, the ever-present, grass-covered cracks in the rock bed beneath his feet would swallow him like the open mouths of hungry beasts, with no way out. Leo touched the pistol in his waistband (which, like the flashlight, was grabbed from the bodyguard he kicked out of the car) and decided he'd better venture into the jungle.

Inside the dense forest was pitch black without any natural light, and Leo had to rely on a white flashlight to navigate through a purgatory full of dangerous creatures-the hungry buzzing mosquitoes, poisonous snakes coiled hidden under the dead branches, and barbed plants that could inflict wounds on those who approached it.

The heavy rains of the previous night made the dirt and rotten leaves form into a thick layer of mud under Leo's feet, which made his trek very strenuous and difficult; what was more, the fern-covered ground beneath him would sometimes suddenly turn into a cliff! On two occasions, if he hadn't grabbed some vines in time, he would have fallen flat like a pancake several meters below.

The dark surroundings were filled with the sounds of insects and frogs that seemed to come from another world, making those in it feel more and more isolated and fear the unknown.

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Leo didn't know how he had gotten out of the jungle- it was definitely one of the most exhausting experiences he ever had, and he didn't want to remember any more of it, not even for a second.

All he knew was that he was now sweaty, tired and in desperate need of water, food and plenty of rest. By the time he saw the faint scene of the beach ahead of him in the increasingly dim light of his flashlight, he felt like he couldn't even take a step anymore.

He hadn't rested for long when he suddenly heard the whirring sound of the helicopter nearing him. When he turned his head, he saw that bright searchlights had pierced through the wilderness, just like a sword.

-They're here! Leo immediately switched off his flashlight and crept up the gentle slope full of grasses as tall as a human. The jagged edges of the grasses scraped across his skin, making bloody streaks on his cheeks, neck, wrists and ankles. It felt painful and itchy, but he could only endure and continue moving.

Before he turned off his flashlight a while ago, he made a quick scan of the area. There wasn't anything that he could use as a cover nearby; he only saw a large stretch of beach below a cliff in the direction of four o'clock.