Chapter 31: The Harvest

"Someone is heading your way, be careful."

Zhong Da glanced at the text message from Zhong Yuan, put away his phone, and signaled to Xiao Hua. Xiao Hua understood and nodded. The two then split up, one moving left and the other right.

Before long, Zhong Da heard movement. He peeked out cautiously and saw three figures moving stealthily toward the riverbank in the shadows. Without a moment's hesitation, Zhong Da raised his pistol and fired three quick shots. All three men collapsed almost simultaneously. Zhong Da quickly changed his position.

A moment later, a subtle sound approached from the left. Hiding behind a tree, Zhong Da watched the pistol in his hand, his expression impassive, mentally gauging the distance. When the figure was about four or five meters away, the sound suddenly ceased. The person had stopped. Zhong Da’s brow twitched.

At that exact moment, gunfire erupted, and a hail of bullets slammed into the tree trunk. Zhong Da dropped low and sprinted from behind the tree. Bullets followed him, sending wood chips and leaves flying, yet none could touch him.

Just then, another gunshot rang out from behind them. The man who had been firing his rifle wildly shuddered and froze; the rifle clicked empty, its voice silenced. Immediately after, another shot echoed. A second man, having just poked his head out, was struck in the shoulder.

Not far away, Xiao Hua pulled his head back, his face bright with irrepressible excitement. Back home, he had barely touched anything other than crude hunting rifles. Although he had picked up several pistols in Krabi previously, he had never actually fired one. Zhong Yuan had taken them to practice a few times recently, but due to a shortage of ammunition, they hadn't fired many rounds.

Today was his first real combat experience, and his performance was surprisingly good. It made Xiao Hua feel invigorated, stirring a sense of daring in his heart. However, a sudden bullet grazed his hair and embedded itself in the tree behind him. The sound of the trunk splintering startled him so badly that his newfound bravado vanished instantly. He crouched low and scrambled to hide elsewhere.

Before he had gone a few steps, a hand suddenly reached out from the side and yanked him hard. Xiao Hua was terrified and raised his gun to fire, but the other person was faster. Before his finger could pull the trigger, the stranger grabbed the barrel, pushed it back, and snapped the barrel assembly right off.

Only then did Xiao Hua realize it was Zhong Yuan. His heart, which had been in his throat, seemed to be caught and gently lowered back into place. His pale face was drenched in cold sweat. He gave a sheepish grin and started to speak, but Zhong Yuan raised a hand to stop him.

Zhong Yuan made a silent gesture for him to stay put, then looked left and right to ensure the coast was clear before slipping out from behind the tree. There were only two enemies left, one of whom was already wounded. To Zhong Yuan and Zhong Da, they no longer posed a threat. Within moments, without another shot being fired, the battle was over.

Hearing Zhong Da’s soft call, Xiao Hua emerged from behind the tree to join them.

"There are likely still people outside, and the woods might not be clear yet. You two head toward the Ya River Bridge first to scout the situation. Don't go out into the open; wait for me," Zhong Yuan said, handing his backpack to Zhong Da.

Zhong Da took it without fuss, said, "Take care of yourself, brother," and led Xiao Hua along the river toward the Ya River Bridge. Zhong Yuan scavenged ammunition from the bodies nearby, picked up a rifle, and began to comb the woods.

By now, the fire from the wooden shack had spread for dozens of meters, and thick smoke was billowing outward, severely clouding visibility. There was no chance of survivors left inside; if any members of the Buddha Hand Gang were still alive, they would be retreating toward the edge of the forest. Zhong Yuan followed the direction of the smoke.

Sure enough, near the edge of the woods, he spotted two figures walking out. He didn't rush to fire; instead, he quickened his pace to pursue them.

The two men heard the commotion and glanced back. In the dim environment, exacerbated by the thick smoke, they couldn't tell friend from foe, seeing only a shadowy figure. Zhong Yuan shouted in Southern Thai, "Run!"

The men, thinking it was a companion, didn't hesitate and began to run faster. But just as they burst out of the woods and thought they were safe, they began to heave sighs of relief—a burst of gunfire erupted from the trees behind them. Bullets flew out of the darkness, glinting in the cold, pale moonlight, and struck both men. They shuddered, collapsed forward, and struggled for less than a meter before falling completely still.

On the clearing by the bridge, seven or eight cars were parked haphazardly. Brother Guang, who had been sitting in his car watching a video, heard the gunfire and looked back just in time to see his men fall. After a moment of shock, he didn't hesitate to slam the car door, crawl from the back seat to the driver's side, start the engine, and attempt to flee.

Just then, a figure darted out of the woods at the bridgehead, sprinting toward the pickup truck at full speed. As the truck finished its turn, the figure reached the tailgate, leapt up, and jumped into the cargo bed.

"Xiao Hua, go get a car!" Zhong Yuan saw Zhong Da jump onto the pickup and followed suit without hesitation. Xiao Hua, who had just emerged from the woods, heard the command and immediately ran toward the other vehicles. Before he reached them, Zhong Yuan had already grabbed the side of the pickup, flipped himself over, and landed in the bed.

Inside the truck, Brother Guang had seen the two men board his vehicle and slammed his foot to the floor. The engine roared, and the truck accelerated rapidly. But then, he slammed on the brakes. The sudden stop threw Brother Guang forward, his chest slamming against the steering wheel in pain.

The two men in the cargo bed had it even worse. Zhong Da lost his footing and hit his head against the truck box, blood trickling down his forehead. Zhong Yuan fared slightly better; he had anticipated the movement and grabbed the railing, but before he could warn Zhong Da, the driver hit the brakes.

Zhong Yuan glanced at Zhong Da but quickly looked away—this was not the time for concern. As the truck surged forward again, Zhong Yuan steadied himself, leaned out over the railing, gripped it tightly with his left hand, and fired his pistol with his right. The bullet shattered the rear door window.

"Stop the car, or you're dead!" Zhong Yuan shouted.