Luo Zheng followed the direction up the mountain reminded by Wu Jin and quickly found the marks carved with a knife along the way. He ran wildly as if he were an enraged cheetah, soon scrambled over the barbed wire, and beyond was the neighboring country. Thinking of his kidnapped little sister, Luo Zheng ran frantically without looking back.
He had been on the move for two hours without a sign of anyone. If it hadn't been for the marks along the way, Luo Zheng would have doubted whether he was following the wrong trail. He ca upon a river and followed the marks to the bank. There, he saw trampled grass and ssy footprints; the assassin must have stayed here for a while.
Following the footprints and the marks, Luo Zheng chased up the river. It was now midday, and still no sign of the assassin. Thinking of his little sister being forced to run all this way must have suffered greatly, he beca increasingly anxious and did not dare to stop, continuing the relentless pursuit.
"Boom!" A clap of thunder sounded, and Luo Zheng looked up to see dark clouds covering the sun, a rainstorm was imminent.
The heavy rain would wash away the traces on the ground, making it difficult to track. Luo Zheng's face darkened as he sped up his chase, weaving through the forest, the rain pouring down furiously. It seed as if the world had entered a domain of water with very low visibility. Standing on a mountainside, Luo Zheng's cold gaze was full of murderous intent as he stared ahead at the valley. With the rain coming down, he shuddered to think how much more his little sister might suffer, which fueled his urgency to hasten his pace even more.
There were still knife-carved marks along the way, without which it would have been impossible to chase. Passing around a mountain peak, he saw only more peaks, an endless succession, with towering trees blocking out the sunlight. Arriving at a ridge, and looking ahead, Luo Zheng found the dense forest obscured the view, and his mind filled with turmoil and worry.
The rain seed endless. After two or three hours, there was no sign of stopping. With the assassin continuing to move, Luo Zheng did not dare to pause, keeping up the pursuit. But as night approached, visibility in the forest would drop significantly, making it nearly impossible to travel and to see the marks, risking losing the trail completely. However, the assassin wouldn't be burdened by this and could keep moving.
If he didn't catch up with the assassin before dark, the cover of night could allow the assassin to escape. With this thought, Luo Zheng beca even more restless and sped up again, gasping heavily as he ran wildly through the forest like a wounded lone wolf, dodging the obstructing trees around him, his cold gaze searching for marks, while the rain poured down his face.
Suddenly, Luo Zheng felt uneasy, as if soone in the forest was spying on him. Startled, he darted behind a large tree, keeping a vigilant watch ahead, not missing any detail. Rain struck the trees, falling to the ground with a rustling sound, as mist filled the air, obscuring any suspicious activity.
"Ghost brother?" A voice ca through the rustling of the rain.
"Captain Wu?" Luo Zheng called out, surprised and uncertain.
"It's ." The voice sounded again, and soon, a figure appeared through the pouring rain, becoming clearer as it approached. It was Wu Jin. Luo Zheng saw him clearly and rushed over in joy, only to find that Captain Wu, like himself, was drenched, emitting steam, with deep frown lines and a resolute expression on his face.
"Ghost, I..." Wu Jin saw Luo Zheng and started to speak with embarrassnt, but Luo Zheng cut him off.
"Captain, where's the assassin?" Luo Zheng asked urgently, his murderous intent palpable.
"The assassin is resting up ahead; the rain is too heavy, and after hurrying all day, even the assassin couldn't hold up anymore. How about you?" Captain Wu asked quickly, assessing Luo Zheng up and down, and upon seeing that Luo Zheng still seed relatively composed, his body radiating heat, and his eyes firm, he smiled appreciatively and said, "You arrived quickly; if you hadn't co, I would have had to act. There are three assassins in total. Let's flank them from the left and the right. I'll take on two, and you'll handle one. Any problem with that?"
"Wait, there are only three assassins?" Luo Zheng asked in surprise. Seeing Wu Jin nod assuredly, he slipped into deep thought, his chilly gaze flashing with a hint of concern as he said, "It seems they left so people in Beijing. They really wanted to draw us away. It's good we didn't let Lan Xue and the others follow, or else we would've fallen right into their trap."
"I considered that as well and have already notified Drunkard to go and provide backup. Don't worry, the Military Research Institute won't have any issues. The pressing matter now is to take out these three assassins. They moved quickly on the way here, which shows they're all experts. I was worried that a sneaky attack might put the little sister in danger, so I waited for you before making a move. Let's go," Wu Jin explained.
"Alright." Luo Zheng agreed, and followed Captain Wu forward cautiously. The two spread out as they walked.
About ten minutes later, Luo Zheng saw that the woods ahead were quiet, with no signs of life. Yet, Captain Wu signaled a warning, and quickly hid behind a big tree. Luo Zheng watched him warily as Captain Wu kept signaling 'danger' and 'be cautious,' prompting Luo Zheng to gaze apprehensively ahead where the heavy rain and mist obscured all vision.
At that mont, the captain dropped to the ground and drew his pistol, crawling forward like a huge python searching for prey in a rainstorm, sliding along, the contours of the terrain without making a sound. His body seed to blend into the surroundings, and if one weren't paying attention, he would be undetectable—an exquisite display of agility, thought Luo Zheng, impressed by the scene and the national Blade's captain's remarkable skill.
Just as Luo Zheng was about to move forward, he saw Captain Wu gesture for cover and nodded in response, hiding behind the large tree without stirring. He peered ahead, the frigid barrel of his gun aid at the lurking target, ready to strike at any mont. Soon, Captain Wu slid to a stop behind a large tree, leaning against it to catch his breath and signaling Luo Zheng to carefully join him.
"Crack, BOOM." A pale lightning bolt tore through the storm, illuminating the surroundings, followed by a thunderous roar. Using the light from the lightning, Luo Zheng still didn't see anyone ahead, which made him falter and grow more cautious. He mimicked Wu Jin, lying down, and using the bushes and trees for cover, he slid forward silently, occasionally looking around with his lethal intent carefully concealed.
After sliding for so ters, Luo Zheng too took cover behind a large tree. Standing up, he leaned against the tree and peered ahead cautiously. With the next lightning flash, the surroundings were brightly lit, revealing a foot extending from behind another large tree. The foot was bare, clad in stockings, delicate—a girl's foot. Luo Zheng imdiately thought of the little sister and couldn't help but rejoice.
As Luo Zheng was about to rush forward to rescue, he caught a glimpse of a 'danger' sign gestured by Captain Wu from the corner of his eye. His heart chilled, he nodded and remained vigilant, scanning the area. He noticed Captain Wu pointing towards the top of the large tree and instantly realized the implication, carefully inspecting the treetops. The downpour obscured his vision, the visibility was extrely low, and he found nothing.
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