The Anarchist of Ophridia (Horsemen Origins Book 4)

Part 9

Zao picked Lee up and carried him into the truck where the three men drove off towards the mines. The Tingchia shot at the coal carrier, their blaster bolts making contact but not slowing the vehicle down. Jay radioed the guards on the tower ahead, but they'd already sealed off the gates.

"Zao! Shoot out the terminals that power the gate!" Jay screamed. "Otherwise we're going to know what it feels like to run into a brick wall!"

"What? Are you crazy?" He asked.

"It's our only chance!" Jay screamed.

Zao peered out of the window and fired at the terminal, which sizzled and crackled. Blaster bolts tore through the hood of the truck, but Jay kept driving.

"Almost seems like it'd be easier to surrender," Zao said. Lee and Jay both glared at him, their eyes full of daggers.

"Only a thought," He said as he leaned back into his seat. Lee's thoughts swirled inside in his head over Quan's words of how one of those in Lee's inner circle belonged to him.

Jay raced through the bleak and unending desolate Ophridian landscape until the Tingchia had given up pursuit.

"They finally caved. Unrelenting lot dontcha think?" Jay asked.

"They let us go," Lee said. "Quan won't stop hunting. He'll use drones to search for us out here."

The men rode in silence through the Ophridian darkness. Lee looked up to the mountains and thought of the sunlight. He imagined the glow as he meditated on the side of the mountain, where he saw his visions of terror, where this all began. Now he'd been shot and one of his best friends had been killed to ensure his escape.

The men circled back and abandoned the truck less than five kilometres away from the mines. They arrived to the mines a ragged bunch, but this made them blend in with the miners effortlessly. The three men stole some mining uniforms and tried their best not to call any attention to themselves.

They labored in the mines for three days. Every eye that crossed their path threatened the sign of recognition. Fraternizing with other miners took on a tactical role, one in which the three terrorists needed to solicit information of what was happening in the city. Every interaction was planned to see who knew what, yet they had to appear uninterested enough to only be soliciting gossip.

During the three days Lee's leg was in constant pain. His leg muscles strained from the burden, but he never ceased moving for the sake of the mission. In the back of his mind, he knew the three men would get caught, but their goal was only to last long enough.

"Word through the mines is the men are quite sore about their homes being disrupted by the Tingers," Jay whispered as the three men met for their daily meeting. Lee sat and stroked the hair of Ju's doll, imaging it back in her hands.

"Yeah, that's what I'm hearing too," Zao said.

"Why aren't they reacting?" Lee asked. "Why aren't they putting a stop to it?"

"Think about it Lee. The blokes are all out 'ere. Nothing they can do for their families."

"That's it. It's because nobody sees," Lee replied. "The Xiongbu. It's all done in secret, hidden away from the eyes of the public. Yes people are sad about the loss of their loved ones, but they don't see any of it. Nobody's outraged because nobody knows where the bodies go," Lee explained.

"You're right," Jay said. "If we can get the Tingers to overreact and lash out at the public, then they'll see. They'll resist against him."

"Yeah well it won't take much. Quan is uprooting everyone to find you," Zao said. "He and Yiu Mei have gone mad in their search for you."