Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Forty-Nine: The Difficulty of the Journey
Two flowers bloom, each on its own branch.
Meanwhile, the Corn Harvester Squad was engulfed in thick smoke, and Wu Wentao's side was not faring any better.
In terms of time, Bai Yudong and the others had not managed to hold them off for long; it had only been about half an hour. The reason they had not caught up with Jiang He's group yet was primarily due to the lack of a guide.
Although Wu Wentao and his team had some tracking skills, they had not descended the mountain for long when a heavy black sky descended upon them. The back slope was particularly shaded, with dense trees blocking their view completely, adding pressure to their pursuit. Furthermore, they had always relied on tracking devices for positioning, but from the mountaintop to the base, they calculated vertical distance without considering horizontal distance. Thus, while the red dot remained within a large area, determining which path to take in pursuit was not easy.
At this moment, Wu Wentao's team consisted of only five people, unable to spread out to search effectively. As soon as darkness fell, Wu Wentao used a long-range walkie-talkie to contact the five people stationed at the Power Station. Unfortunately, no matter how he called out, there was no response from them, casting another layer of shadow over Wu Wentao's heart.
It was easy to guess that it must have been that man who escaped amidst the chaos.
Caroline refrained from mocking her superior any further; her sapphire blue eyes were nearly bulging from her sockets. After a careful search, the five of them finally reached the edge of the reservoir safely but ultimately lost all trace of Jiang He's group.
Jiang He and his companions had clung to the trees above the reservoir to make their way onto the platform, while Wu Wentao and his team bravely descended directly to the edge of the reservoir. Although the drop of four or five meters was not high, it coincided perfectly with the path taken by those who had left.
However, unexpectedly, they discovered some traces at the reservoir's edge.
An Eastern European man stumbled upon two very clear footprints while relieving himself in a corner, along with a circular imprint that looked like something had been placed there.
Wu Wentao and Caroline crouched in front of the footprints for quite some time before reluctantly admitting that these were not from the group they were tracking. There were no other places nearby; if there were more than two people escaping, where were the other footprints?
"Caroline, you should head back first. Report honestly about the situation; this failure is my fault. Kenny won't blame you."
After a suffocating silence, Wu Wentao spoke these words with great reluctance. In his view, it was akin to searching for a needle in a haystack for five people to rely on tracking devices measured in meters in such deep mountains and forests. The longer they delayed, the more likely it was for their target to escape further away. The only solution now was to split into two groups: one would continue searching while the other would rush back for reinforcements.
Caroline tossed her golden hair in frustration, pondering for a long time before finally agreeing to Wu Wentao's suggestion. She took one team member and headed back the way they came.
"By the way, if they ask about Zhou, just tell a little lie. No need to add fuel to the fire," Wu Wentao said, clicking his tongue as he offered his partner a dubious idea. "I doubt that kid would dare to go back anyway; we need to get this done first."
A faint smile crept onto Caroline's lips as she teased, "What do you think would happen if Kenny found out we teamed up to deceive him?"
"Who cares? Isn't there enough going on already? We haven't found the target, Aso inexplicably left the group, and that bastard escaped amidst the chaos. We have to weigh the pros and cons," Wu Wentao replied without a hint of guilt, analyzing the situation thoroughly. "Retrieving the data is our top priority; we can't lose sight of the bigger picture."
"Alright, I'll handle this. Don't worry," Caroline said, not elaborating further. She marked Wu Wentao's current coordinates in her notebook and hurried off with a team member, disappearing into the darkness shortly after.
"Wu, should we keep searching?" asked an Eastern European man with a comical accent as he relieved himself.
"Sigh." Wu Wentao slicked back his hair into a pompadour with his fingers and looked at the shimmering reservoir, cursing, "Yes! Damn it, follow those footprints!"
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
At Jiang He, they were unaware of their enemy's frantic state. Although they had a clear understanding of each other's combat abilities, emotionally, they still held onto hope that Bai Yudong and the others would arrive soon.
The group left behind in the small courtyard on the second floor was anxious. Except for the little boy, hardly anyone could close their eyes and sleep peacefully.
Luci remained by the bedside of the sick little girl, while a Tabby Cat curled up quietly beside her, occasionally licking its paws and face. An Zheng sat next to her, feeding the girl some carrot juice whenever she briefly regained consciousness.
The conditions inside the house were limited; they couldn't use a juicer and had to resort to manual methods to extract juice. The girl lying in bed was named Wheat; she was two years older than Pan Luo. Her long black hair was soaked with sweat, clinging to her cheeks. Her delicate face was pale, and even her breathing grew increasingly faint.
"Dr. An, isn't gastroenteritis a common illness? Why is Wheat getting worse?" Luci asked anxiously, furrowing her brows as she removed the towel from Wheat's forehead. She soaked it in precious clean water before reapplying it.
An Zheng handed her the remaining carrot juice and comforted her, "When illness strikes, it can feel overwhelming. Without proper treatment, even a cold can be fatal, so there's no such thing as a minor illness. Acute Gastroenteritis, if treated promptly with medication, isn't too serious; with a good constitution, a few days of rest should suffice. But you know the current situation—prolonged fever and dehydration can easily lead to intestinal perforation or sepsis, which is far more dangerous."
Luci sighed, resting her forehead in her hand, looking at Wheat with eyes full of pity and concern.
"Her? Is she your sister?" An Zheng asked curiously, noticing a slight resemblance between the two girls.
"Yes, my cousin."
"You should go rest. I'll keep an eye on things. If you fall ill too, it will only make matters worse," An Zheng said as he tucked Wheat's blanket around her gently. "Don't worry too much; they've already gone to fetch medicine. As long as they return with it, your cousin will be fine, I promise."
Luci forced a small smile and lightly stroked Tabby Cat. "I can't sleep right now... By the way, who is chasing you? Don't you have soldiers protecting you?"
The words were spoken without intent but were heard with concern. An Zheng's expression darkened, and his smile turned bitter.
Seeing this, Luci quickly explained, "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to pry... I was just asking out of boredom. If it's inconvenient to talk about, that's fine."
"It's okay," An Zheng replied with an understanding smile. "We don't really know who they are either; all we know is that it's very dangerous. We've lost many people."
"Earlier today, Cao Liang and I went to the reservoir and vaguely heard some noises... Was that gunfire?" Luci asked cautiously.
Comment 0 Comment Count