As dawn broke, a rustling sound arose outside the tea house in Chuanhua Township.
In the faint light of the horizon, Huo Rou and Qin Ningyi exchanged a glance.
They've arrived!
Everyone held their breath, waiting for the enemy's approach.
Even the footsteps within the small courtyard instantly ceased.
A few agile individuals led the charge into the courtyard.
Muffled groans could be faintly heard from the bushes, incredibly quiet, almost inaudible amidst the chirping of birds. Those people hadn't yet realized their companions were dwindling.
"Sister Huo…" the buzz-cut man in the black jacket tugged at Huo Rou's sleeve, mouthing her name, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Like a little bride.
Huo Rou chuckled inwardly, observed the attackers' positions, and nodded at the buzz-cut man's expectant gaze.
The buzz-cut man instantly unleashed his fury. Without a loudspeaker, he was the most potent amplifier, "Charge, brothers!!"
The buzz-cut man was thrilled. He'd watched many war movies, and this was how they shouted! It was his first time cooperating with the regular army on such an operation, and he was ecstatic!
The shout startled the attackers, causing them to pause. The direct confrontation began.
However, not long after, Huo Rou abruptly discovered a problem.
"Sun Zhiyuan is not here!"
Qin Ningyi's eyes quickly scanned the surroundings. After kicking away an approaching enemy, he nodded.
Huo Rou called out to the buzz-cut man, "Brother Wen, give me half your men."
Brother Wen, engrossed in the fight, didn't ask why. He called out a name, and that person, with a team of men, rushed to Huo Rou's side.
"Sister Huo!"
"Follow me!" Huo Rou nodded and led them towards the main road.
Seeing someone leading a group away, the attackers abandoned their original objective and turned to pursue.
"You go first!" Qin Ningyi summoned the Liu family members to shield Huo Rou, "I'll follow."
Huo Rou glanced at the pursuing attackers and then at the faint light from the small courtyard.
These few people were no threat, especially not before those brats. Qin Ningyi would be fine. She nodded and decisively led her group away.
The car sped off. She checked Sun Zhiyuan's previously located phone on her laptop. The location showed it was near the small courtyard. It seemed he had prepared!
Huo Rou's face grew grim as her fingers flew across the keyboard. She checked the locations of the remaining phones and indeed found an anomaly!
"Sister Huo, where are we going?" the driver glanced in the rearview mirror. Huo Rou's expression was dark, and he tried his best to minimize his presence.
"North, to the foot of the mountain." Huo Rou had located them, her heart settling somewhat. She instructed, "Faster."
"Got it!" The driver's eyebrows shot up, and he floored the accelerator. The car shot out like a released arrow.
At the foot of the mountain range north of Taichuan City, Sun Zhiyuan, Qi Yu, and a group were sprinting along a mountain path.
Qi Yu looked around. The mountain was deserted. "Are we really leaving them behind?"
"That intelligence officer, that fox, he wouldn't let me have a chance to leave if he suspected anything was amiss." Now that they were here, Sun Zhiyuan had no intention of hiding it any longer. He found a branch in the woods to use as a support for climbing, his tone resolute. "They're definitely waiting for me around that small courtyard, thinking I only have that one option."
"Heh." He let out a low chuckle, a puff of mist rising from his breath. "I never have only one option."
It was true then, and it was true now.
"If we cross this mountain, someone will be there to meet us." Sun Zhiyuan's eyes burned with determination. He would survive and prove he wasn't useless.
Qi Yu's foot slipped. After steadying himself, he took out his phone and checked the time. "But, Sun, do we have to take this path? There's no signal here. How can we contact the people meeting us?"
"You'll know when we get there." Sun Zhiyuan didn't slow his pace. Crossing this mountain meant survival.
Once they reached the other side, he'd take his wife and children into hiding, invisible to both the US and China!
In the speeding car, Huo Rou saw the GPS signal suddenly stop moving. Ahead, the contours of the winding mountain range appeared.