Chapter 183: Cloud Mountain (Part V)

An Feng's heart sank. Mo Lan had already been captured, and if the people behind rushed forward blindly, they would plunge right off the cliff. He had no confidence that he could rescue Mo Lan from so many adversaries while simultaneously warning the others behind them.

Mo Lan shook her head frantically, tears welling up in her eyes. Had she known it would come to this, she would not have been so reckless, which had now plunged them into an impossible dilemma. What should they do? Grandfather and the others were still waiting for them to return; they could not die here.

Cold never expected An Feng to be the second one to charge up. He immediately pressed his blade directly against the skin of Mo Lan's neck, snarling viciously, "Either you drop your gun right now, or I'll kill her."

A cold wind swept past, sending a chill down everyone's spine. With the sheer cliff just ahead, the howling wind grew even stronger, whipping the leaves in the forest into a frantic dance. The sunlight fell quietly over everyone, casting a thin, golden sheen upon each of them.

An Feng remained still for a few seconds, taking stock and counting—there were eleven men in black in total. From their bearing and aura alone, it was clear these were no soft, incompetent scum they had encountered before. He glanced at Mo Lan and saw a streak of bright red already staining her neck, a sight that pierced his eyes with deep pain. He dropped his handgun straight to the ground and slowly stepped forward, preparing to approach Mo Lan directly.

One of the men in black immediately aimed his firearm at An Feng's head, snorted coldly, and stepped up to bind An Feng tightly with thick vines, winding them round and round. Once bound, he dragged An Feng a few paces toward Cold, shoved him roughly down beside Mo Lan, and then stuffed a handful of leaves directly into An Feng's mouth.

An Feng was furious. Although the blood on Mo Lan's neck had not continued to gush, the skin had undeniably been broken. His heart ached; if he had the ability, he would slice the throat of every single one of these men. Yet now that he was the one tied up, he could only pray that the reinforcements following behind would not be as reckless as they had been.

The boss could no longer wait over on the other side and insisted on leading a contingent of men in black on a brisk walk toward them. He was determined to come over and personally savor the expression on that arrogant punk An Feng's face.

Their path was smooth and well-trodden, entirely unlike the rugged mountain trails the others had traversed. Within minutes, the boss arrived before An Feng. Knowing full well who it was, An Feng refused to spare him even a single glance.

The boss sneered, refusing to believe just how much longer this insolent brat could afford to act so high and mighty. Knowing that there were still people trailing behind, he was in no rush at all. He simply stood there, staring intently at the two bound captives with a mocking smile. Trying to fight him? They didn't stand a ghost of a chance.

Xiao Qi and Liu Fei panted heavily, gripping their hook knives as they hacked relentlessly through the vines. Every single step was an agonizing struggle. Despite the freezing weather, sweat poured continuously from their brows, soaking their clothes right through, yet they pressed forward without stopping.

Though they had long since lost sight of their comrades, they stubbornly kept going. They forged ahead, following the footprints left behind. They had considered pausing for a brief rest, but the moment they remembered their companions were in mortal danger, they quickened their pace even further.

Finally, they reached the dense forest, but both of them instantly sensed a sharp, dangerous aura. They halted, gazing quietly into the thick woods, and without a word, put away their hook knives and drew their firearms, readying themselves for battle at a moment's notice.

After waiting for a couple of minutes, Xiao Qi and Liu Fei exchanged glances. It seemed those men had no idea the two of them had arrived. With the forest this dense, charging blindly out would undoubtedly give away their position. Yet charging out was their only chance to save the others, so they mustered all their strength and lunged straight in the direction from which the others had previously come.

Hearing the rustle of foliage being breached, four men in black instantly sprang out, acting as living human cushions to intercept the two newcomers and prevent them from tumbling straight over the edge of the cliff.

Xiao Qi and Liu Fei steadied their footing and stabilized their posture. Taking in the grim scene before them, their eyes widened, and their grips on their guns tightened instinctively. How had things turned out like this? Although they had anticipated danger, they had never imagined a scenario quite so dire.

"Is anyone else coming?" the boss asked playfully, toying with the colorful luminous jade in his hand while keeping his eyes fixed intently on the two arrivals. His gaze was filled with amused intrigue. It seemed all of these people had gathered ahead of time, saving him the trouble of waiting until his preparations were fully complete.

Neither Xiao Qi nor Liu Fei spoke. They exchanged a single look and prepared to squeeze their triggers, determined to open fire. No matter what, death was a distinct possibility now, so they had to make sure a few enemies went down to the grave with them.

The boss chuckled darkly. It seemed these people were all fiercely loyal, but the consequence of such blind loyalty was that they would have to die together. Had they not chosen the wrong side, these two would have made fiercely loyal subordinates and exceptional talents. What a pity; all of these people had to die to pave the way for his grand ambitions.

An Feng had been closely observing the colorful luminous jade in the boss's hand the entire time, and with his sharp eyes, he had long since spotted a small worm crawling upon it. He frantically flashed signals to Xiao Qi and Liu Fei multiple times, gesturing for them to shoot that object—preferably hitting the worm itself, which would surely yield a miraculous surprise.

Being somewhat thick-headed, Xiao Qi failed to notice the signals at all; right now, her heart was hammering with nervous tension. Having served as officers for so long, they still possessed basic tactical awareness. They had to fire simultaneously; if they shot one after the other, they would surely die without a single remaining chance.

The other men in black had already raised their firearms, aiming directly at Xiao Qi and Liu Fei. If the pair dared to open fire, over a dozen bullets would instantly tear into them. This was a high-stakes gamble: win, and they might escape safely; lose, and they would forfeit their lives right here.

Liu Fei had been closely watching the expressions of everyone present and finally deciphered An Feng's intent. Without batting an eye, he quietly shifted his aim toward the tiny worm resting on the colorful luminous jade in the boss's hand. He had only a single chance, and he mentally calculated the probability of a direct hit several times over in his mind.

Mo Lan swallowed hard, tears slowly streaming down her face. They were truly going to die here. Regardless of whether they pulled the trigger or not, the two reinforcements had already exposed themselves and were doomed to perish. What could they do?

With one final exchange of glances, Xiao Qi and Liu Fei closed their eyes simultaneously and pulled their triggers. At the exact same fraction of a second, over a dozen bullets came screaming toward them from all directions. Amidst the sound of lead tearing through flesh and blood spurting freely, Xiao Qi and Liu Fei managed faint smiles as a loud gunshot rang out.

An Feng closed his eyes in utter despair, having long foreseen this outcome. How could he possibly face the captain now? He was the one who had led these people out and failed to bring them back safely; he was the one who had cost the precinct two of its finest officers. If he had only let the two of them turn back earlier, would any of this ever happened? But alas, there were no "ifs" in life.

By sheer luck, Liu Fei's bullet struck the target dead center, hitting the worm. The boss had been standing right at the edge of the cliff. The moment the worm was struck, his entire body convulsed violently, blood gushed from the corners of his mouth, and he tumbled backward, collapsing heavily onto the ground. Xiao Qi's bullet had struck the boss's arm, but the physical pain meant nothing to him; the damage inflicted by the worm was infinitely more severe.

Once all the operatives had finished discharging their rounds, they rushed forward upon seeing that the boss was wounded, realizing there was no longer anyone left capable of posing a threat to them.

Glares of bitter resentment flashed in the boss's eyes as he looked at An Feng and Mo Lan, and he commanded furiously, "Let's move out."