At Hou Qingxu's command, Lao Wei sprang into action again, leading a group of men directly to Lanqiong Mountain. This time, they were not unarmed, but well-equipped.
Humans have a penchant for formalism, such as tears of regret devoid of genuine emotion, or ineffective rescue efforts that are merely for show.
If Ning Yun had truly disappeared alone on Lanqiong Mountain, she would probably be long dead by now, but we still have to go to great lengths to rescue her.
Lao Wei still intended to take advantage of the chaos, but unfortunately, they underestimated the terror of the deep mountains and forests. After leaving Yizhuang and gradually moving away from human activity areas, the real wilderness was not the fresh air, lush greenery, and picturesque scenery they had imagined. At this time of year, the most abundant creatures were insects.
With mosquitoes swarming everywhere, just looking at them gives you a creepy feeling; how can you possibly appreciate the scenery?
The mountain path was difficult to traverse. The group of people, waving their hands to shoo away the insects, crawled along the narrow mountain trail, drenched in sweat. They were carrying so much equipment that they couldn't move fast at all, and soon they were too exhausted to continue.
Lao Wei decisively ordered everyone to rest on the spot. Just then, a person suddenly emerged from the woods. "Halt! Who are you?"
He was wearing a green military uniform with a red armband on his arm and a gun on his back; he appeared to be a member of the forest rangers.
Forest rangers are authorized to carry firearms. After all, they occasionally encounter dangers while patrolling in the wild, and carrying a gun can create a sufficient deterrent to poachers, illegal loggers, or hungry wild animals.
When this ordinary-looking forest ranger appeared carrying a gun, everyone present froze for a moment. This was normal; ordinary people instinctively became respectful when they encountered someone with official status.
The forest ranger asked, "What are you doing here? It's dangerous in this remote area. If you don't have anything to do, please don't go any further."
Lao Wei stepped forward and replied, "It's like this, a friend of ours got lost in the mountains, and we spontaneously organized a search party to look for him..."
He was telling the truth and wasn't afraid of being verified, but the forest ranger wouldn't let him go. "Finding people should be left to professionals. You should go back now; it would be even more troublesome if you got lost too."
"Comrade, human life is of utmost importance, we just want to do our part," the crowd explained in a cacophony of voices.
The forest ranger was outnumbered but remained defiant. "The terrain here is complex, and the protected area is just ahead. I'm not trying to stop you, but for inexperienced people like you, going there would be a waste of time."
"Brother, please be lenient with us. We're not stealing trees or poaching; we really just want to save people." Lao Wei noticed the other party's tone softening and quickly handed over a Red Envelope.
The forest ranger hesitated for a moment, then politely declined before putting the Red Envelope in his pocket. "Alright, once you're inside this pass, please don't make any loud noises. Absolutely no open flames or smoking, to avoid starting a forest fire."
"Understood, understood." Lao Wei exchanged a few more pleasantries, then hurriedly led his men away.
The blond-haired boy following behind curled his lip, somewhat impatient. Couldn't this kind of task just be a pretense? He spat on the ground and turned around to find the forest ranger holding up his phone, pointing it at them.
Huang Mao didn't pay much attention and followed closely behind Lao Wei and the others.
After they and the forest ranger had left, a figure staggered out of the woods. He was covered in blood, his face haggard and pale, looking more disheveled than a refugee. He muttered, "They're all dead! All dead! Hah..."
He could still hear the mournful cries of his companions echoing in his ears. His heart was filled with endless grief. They had encountered an extremely terrifying supernatural phenomenon, and Professor Zhang and the rest of the archaeological team were all dead.
Thinking about his nightmarish experiences over the past few days, which felt like Hell, Xiao Li couldn't help but tremble.
"Those people won't let me go." Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to calm down, knowing he was still in danger.
He was the sole survivor, but he didn't know if he could survive in these mountains; he always felt something was wrong with his body...
The mountain weather is unpredictable. In the blink of an eye, dark clouds gathered and a light rain began to fall. Lao Wei and his group walked forward in the rain for a while and happened to see a dilapidated wooden shed, so they took shelter inside for the time being.
"Damn it, the weather forecast said it would be sunny for the next two weeks, how come it suddenly started raining!"
"I'm soaked to the bone. With this rain, the mountain roads will definitely be even more difficult to travel. What should I do next?"
A few people complained quietly.
"Stop arguing! If things aren't done well, be careful Young Master Hou gets angry and kills you all." Seeing the morale wavering, Lao Wei quickly intervened to calm things down. "Don't rush. Whether we find the person or not, we have to make a show of it. We should stay in the mountains for at least a day or two before we go back and report."
"Brother Wei is right." Yellow Hair immediately agreed with Lao Wei's words, "In these deep mountains and forests, people simply can't survive for long. Food, clothing, shelter, and transportation are all problems. Finding food in the mountains is very difficult. A person can only carry a limited amount of food, which will be gone in a few days. At night, you might also encounter wild animals. That girl has been missing for so long. If she really got lost in the mountains, I'm afraid we won't even be able to find her body."
It's unlikely that you can traverse the mountains alone. Even with ample supplies, it's easy to get lost without a guide.
Of course, there is another possibility: Ning Yun was kidnapped by criminals, who might have protected Ning Yun from death for some reason.
But Lao Wei and his group would never confront the suspected Ghost Tamer head-on for Ning Yun's sake.
It's starting to rain now, so continuing into the mountains is impossible. Moreover, the sky is overcast and it will get dark soon. If we try to turn back in the rain, judging by the time it takes, we probably won't be able to get out of the mountains until nightfall.
Walking in the mountains at night is practically suicide.
Lao Wei thought for a moment and said, "Let's rest in this cabin for now and go down the mountain tomorrow morning after the rain stops."
Everyone nodded in agreement. The sound of raindrops pattered down, and they didn't notice a figure slowly emerging from the woods. His movements were very quiet, the sound of rain masking all noise, and his eyes were fixed on the direction of the wooden house.
Click--
The door to the wooden cabin was violently smashed.
A scream rang out.
"Run! Split up and run..."
A desperate escape, a well-prepared hunt.
Despite their superior numbers, Lao Wei and his group were still at a disadvantage. Their opponents were too strong, like wolves among sheep. Even the supernatural Supernatural that Lao Wei summoned, including the Fierce Ghost spirits, could not withstand them.
In just a few minutes, Lao Wei and his gang were almost wiped out.
The remaining people fled in panic, running aimlessly through the dense forest in the rain.
However, the mountain path was slippery and muddy after the rain, and such behavior was tantamount to courting death. On the steep mountain path halfway up the mountain, someone suddenly slipped and fell down with another person next to him. Someone tried to stop to help, but soon a shrill scream was heard.
Those who are alone are more likely to be eliminated.
A wave of sorrow washed over Lao Wei, and he quickened his pace. Those who had died were all his beloved relatives and friends!
The hunters moved through the dense forest with ease, swiftly capturing and killing their targets one by one.
Lao Wei found that no matter how he ran, he seemed unable to escape his hunting range.
"Damn it!" He was furious. He stopped abruptly, pulled out a gold pistol, and pointed the dark muzzle at the woods behind him.
At this moment, all was silent; the air seemed to stand still.
"Brother Wei." Of the few survivors, some continued running into the distance, while others stayed behind with Lao Wei, because Lao Wei was the strongest in the group, and running around alone in the mountains would increase the mortality rate.
The blond-haired man's expression twisted. No matter how much he usually acted tough, he finally showed his fear at this critical moment. He also raised his gun, his eyes darting left and right.
"Everyone, stand back to back in a circle," Lao Wei said, his eyes fixed straight ahead. He felt that there were people defending behind him, so he only needed to focus on what was in front of him.
Unfortunately, he was still somewhat naive. As he concentrated and stared straight ahead, a scream filled with fear suddenly came from behind him.
"Ah--"
Those standing at the back were on high alert when the attacker suddenly struck from behind. Before they could even react, a dim light flashed, and one of them was cleaved vertically in two. His bones, flesh, and internal organs were all severed and scattered like splattering debris.
Puff--
The other man snapped out of his daze and immediately fired, but before his finger could even pull the trigger, his head was crushed, and a large amount of blood gushed from his headless upper body.
The next instant, the evil hunter finally revealed its true form.
The man, with an ordinary appearance and a common face, easily lost in a crowd, opened his mouth and chuckled, "Hehe, who will be the next one to be killed?"
Upon hearing this sound, Lao Wei and the others felt their scalps tingle and goosebumps rise to their feet.
"Shot!"
At Lao Wei's command, bullets roared out, emptying the magazine in one go.
But then the person suddenly moved, as if teleporting, their movements unpredictable and ghostly. The force of their leg struck a man in the stomach, and a strange sound rang out, like a stuffed ball bursting. The man was sent flying backward, crashing into a tree, followed by the sound of a broken spine. It was clear without even looking that he was dead.
Immediately afterwards, a short-haired youth in the group was struck hard by the man, half of his head disappearing instantly, his blood and hair scattered all over the ground, a truly gruesome death.
The Xiao Huang was terrified, standing rooted to the spot, unable to move. His sphincter muscles were starting to malfunction, and the bloody and cruel scene before him had severely impacted his mental state.
Lao Wei roared and once again activated the Fierce Ghost within him. The air around him surged violently with his movements, emitting a whistling sound.
The other party watched with great interest as he exerted his strength. Lao Wei pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, remained silent, gathered his power in his palm, and swung it out. Even if he couldn't kill the man, he would try his best to hurt him!
Thump--
The opponent neither retreated nor dodged, taking the blow with his body.
Lao Wei was overjoyed and went all out, but to his surprise, there was a crisp crack. The force he used to strike his opponent was like hitting metal or stone. A counterforce struck him instantly, and his wrist, which had accumulated most of its power, made a snapping sound.
A sharp pain shot through his body like lightning. Lao Wei screamed, staggered back several steps, and collapsed to the ground. His eyes were wide open, filled with disbelief. He looked down and saw that the once lifelike skull tattoo on his palm had faded considerably.
The unfamiliar attacker sneered, "You're too weak. You dare call yourself Ghost Tamer with this kind of strength?"
Lao Wei seemed to be in too much pain to speak, rolling on the ground. He secretly adjusted his posture, sprang up in an instant, and ran away in a flash, completely ignoring his companion's life or death, vividly demonstrating what it means to "run when you can't win."
The blond-haired youth and the other man, who were left behind, discovered that Lao Wei had run away, and their expressions revealed undisguised panic and unease.
Huang Mao reacted even faster, forcefully shoving his remaining companion toward the executioner before chasing after Lao Wei in the direction he had fled.
It must be said that this tactic did buy them a moment. Everything happened in the blink of an eye. The good news was that Huang Mao quickly caught up with Lao Wei. The bad news was that the mountain road was extremely difficult to navigate in the heavy rain, and they had gotten lost after running around aimlessly.
Lao Wei was injured and his speed was getting slower and slower. Huang Mao was terrified and was also stumbling around. Suddenly, he tripped over a tree root, his foot got stuck, and he couldn't pull it out.
"Brother Wei, save me!" the blond-haired man cried out for help.
Lao Wei initially didn't want to pay him any attention, but after thinking about it, he realized that in this deep mountain forest, having one more person could increase the survival rate, or at the very least, provide emergency rations.
Thinking this, he quickly turned back and pulled the blond-haired man out.
Who knew that the next second, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck, and Lao Wei's mind went blank for a moment. He couldn't even stand up and had to hold onto a tree to keep from falling.
"Brother Wei, I'm so sorry!" The blond-haired man's face was covered in tears. "That guy is catching up quickly! I'm so young, I don't want to die! Brother Wei, please help me stall him for a bit. I'll repay this kindness in my next life, even if it means being your slave!"
"Bullshit!" Lao Wei cursed, but Huang Mao had already taken the opportunity to run away.
"I actually messed up in the gutter! Sure enough, in this line of work, you shouldn't have a single bit of pity!" Lao Wei gritted his teeth. Although he was Ghost Tamer, the ghost tattoo he controlled was on his palm, and it had been broken. The yellow-haired guy's blow was too hard. If it weren't for the strong physique of Ghost Tamer, he probably would have been killed on the spot.
Bang--
Gunshots rang out from the distant woods. Lao Wei, still feeling a headache coming on, frowned. Yellow Hair was out of bullets. What was that gunshot all about?
There was no time to think about such trivial matters. The person chasing them had already caught up. Lao Wei gritted his teeth. Since there was no way out anyway, even if it meant risking the Fierce Ghost Revival, he would try to take the other person with him!
Perhaps sensing Lao Wei's thoughts, the man stood at a distance that wasn't too far from him, his face full of mockery.
"Why don't you come over!" Lao Wei cried out in his heart. Just then, footsteps approached from another direction.
A forest ranger dressed in old-fashioned clothes slowly walked over, carrying several bloodied human heads in his hand. One of them was yellow, its hair stained with blood, and its face still showed endless terror.
Lao Wei was shocked, "You're in cahoots with him..."
Snap--
His head was split open vertically.
The forest ranger put his body into a bag, then ordered, "Clean up the scene," before turning and leaving.