Chapter 030: The Hunt

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The wooden cabin where Zhong Yuan and the other two had lived for nearly a month was now completely engulfed in flames. The roof beams groaned and creaked within the fire, liable to collapse at any moment.

The blaze raged fiercely, waves of heat carrying sparks into the surrounding darkness. Several other patches of fire had already appeared throughout the dense forest.

Though it was already May, the rainy season had yet to begin. After an entire winter, the forest floor was thick with dry branches and fallen leaves. Once the fire truly spread, the people hiding in the woods could very well all perish in the flames.

Recognizing that the situation was turning dangerous, Zhong Yuan quietly sent Zhong Da a text message, telling him to take Xiao Hua to the riverbank and hide there. If the fire grew worse, they were to go straight into the water.

As for him...

In the gloom ahead, several figures moved forward stealthily, inching along with exaggerated caution.

They had formed a triangular formation, with one man leading and another bringing up the rear. Clearly, they were more disciplined than the previous group. Yet judging from the way they held their guns and the force with which they placed their feet, their professionalism was limited.

In other words, they had probably received some training, but they were not true professionals.

In truth, if Zhong Yuan wanted to leave now, there was little chance these men could stop him.

But for Zhong Da and Xiao Hua to escape unharmed would be considerably more difficult.

Besides, if the Buddha Hand Gang had managed to find them once, they would certainly be able to find them a second time.

Even if they left this place and headed straight for the airport, there was no guarantee they would get away before their plane took off.

The criminal forces in southern Thailand were far more rampant than those back home.

Even collusion between soldiers and bandits was nothing unusual.

So the best course of action now was to hurt them badly. If once was not enough, then he would do it again!

Since the Buddha Hand Gang insisted on fighting him to the death, he did not mind helping the government of southern Thailand clean out a few of these ruthless vermin.

Besides, Dongcuo had chosen to remain in southern Thailand. Only by tearing the Buddha Hand Gang out by its roots could Zhong Yuan consider him truly safe.

At that thought, Zhong Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched the furtive figures.

The hunt had begun.

Crack!

Xiao Jie, walking at the rear with a rifle in his hands, was moving as carefully as he could, yet he still accidentally snapped a branch beneath his foot. He froze in place. When he looked up and saw the others turning toward him, he could only offer an awkward grin.

“Watch your step,” the man in front whispered harshly.

Xiao Jie nodded hurriedly.

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The group continued onward.

Xiao Jie grew even more cautious, directing most of his attention toward the ground for fear of stepping on something else and making a noise. Time slipped silently by amid the barely audible footsteps.

Suddenly, a faint breeze drifted from behind and brushed against his ear.

He paid it no mind. His body moved forward with his next step—and then the back of his neck struck something sharp and icy.

His eyes widened. At the same instant, a hand shot out from behind and clamped over his mouth. He never even thought to struggle, but the man behind him had no intention of letting him go.

The next moment, his head was twisted sharply to one side at an angle no ordinary person could manage.

His young body was then lowered gently onto the dead branches and fallen leaves. Zhong Yuan took his rifle, slung it over his back, and sprinted after the others.

Xiao Wu, who had been walking a little ahead and to Xiao Jie’s right, apparently had not heard anything. He glanced back.

In the darkness, “Xiao Jie” darted behind a tree, then poked his head out and looked toward him.

Xiao Wu paused briefly. That step “Xiao Jie” had just taken had been unnaturally nimble, but he gave it no further thought. Seeing that the other man had not fallen behind, he turned his gaze forward again.

But in the next instant, “Xiao Jie” had vanished.

Five or six meters ahead to the left was another of Xiao Jie’s companions, a man known as Brother B. He wore a close-cropped haircut, and tattoos covered him from neck to wrist.

Brother B was the most capable fighter among them and the man Brother Guang trusted most. He had served in the military for two years and was a decent marksman. The men who had entered the forest with him were usually trained by him.

By now, they were roughly a hundred meters into the woods. From where they stood, they could vaguely make out the glow of the fire.

Brother B softly imitated a birdcall.

Everyone stopped at once.

Yet at the very moment they halted, a faint sound suddenly came from somewhere not far to Brother B’s left. It was so quiet that it seemed no more than an insect crawling through the fallen leaves.

No one but Brother B heard it.

He tensed instantly, fixing his gaze on that direction. His finger curled around the trigger, ready to pull it at any moment. But as time passed, not another sound came from that spot.

It really might have been nothing more than an insect.

Just as he relaxed and turned his head away, two hands suddenly appeared and seized his head, wrenching it hard to one side.

A soft crack.

Like Xiao Jie, Brother B stared wide-eyed, his head twisted at the same impossible angle.

Leaning against the tree, he slowly slid down to the ground.

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About ten meters away, Xiao Wu faintly heard something and turned to look toward Brother B. But the light was dim, and the forest offered little visibility. He could make out nothing.

Even so, he did not think much of it. After all, Brother B was the strongest among them.

Before long, however, he sensed that something was wrong.

Brother B had told them to stop there, yet no further order followed. That was unusual.

A faint unease stirred in Xiao Wu’s heart. He was hesitating over whether to sneak closer and take a look when a slight disturbance suddenly came from the direction of the two men ahead.

Then came the bang of a gunshot.

Xiao Wu’s heart clenched. He spun around and saw a shadow topple sideways through the gloom, crashing into the bushes and sending a rustle through the leaves.

He had no idea where the shooter was. His heart hammered wildly, and before he could react, another gunshot rang out.

Again, he could not see the shooter—but he knew where the bullet had struck.

Bang!

The tree in front of him exploded apart. Tiny splinters flew like countless shards of broken glass, piercing his cheeks and forcing a scream from his throat.

In a panic, he raised his rifle and fired.

Amid the continuous gunfire, bullets poured forth, sweeping across the darkness before him. At that moment, friend and foe alike were targets.

Crouching behind a tree not far away, Zhong Yuan closed his eyes and counted the seconds. Three or four seconds later, the gunfire abruptly ceased.

At that instant, Zhong Yuan sprang from behind the tree like a hunting leopard. Before his feet even touched the ground, his muzzle was already aimed at the enemy.

Bang!

Xiao Wu, who was about the same age as Xiao Hua, jerked his head violently backward. His entire body followed, collapsing behind him.

That made six men dealt with in total.

But there should still be others in the forest—two or three at most.

After gathering up the men’s ammunition, Zhong Yuan continued searching deeper into the woods.

By now, the fire farther inside had begun spreading outward. The isolated patches of flame had grown considerably. Those remaining men probably could no longer stay where they were. But after hearing the commotion from Zhong Yuan’s position, they certainly would not dare come this way.

So...

They would head for the riverbank.

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