44
Meanwhile, in the desert outside the city, fierce winds whipped up the yellow sand. A group of riders dressed in black reined in their horses and leaned down to inspect the tire tracks stretching toward the ruined city. The trail was clear, its direction unmistakable. Their leader sneered and snapped his reins. "After them! The target is in there!"
Hooves thundered as the black-clad figures raced like phantoms toward the deathly silent ruins.
The people inside the city soon noticed the disturbance in the distance. A shrill alarm pierced the sky, and terrified residents poured into hidden cellars for shelter.
Several black-clad riders charged into the heart of the ruins. Their gazes swept over the jeeps parked beside the road, but not a soul was in sight. Everything around them was empty and silent, with only the wind and sand moaning.
"Angelina! I know you're hiding down there!" the leader roared at the ground, his voice laden with cruel menace. "If you don't come out, we'll fire ten thousand shells! I'll flatten this entire city and turn it into real ruins!"
Deep in the cellar, Angelina went pale at his words, panic rising inside her. "How did they know I was here?"
Xun Uchiha calmly pointed at the ground and said in a low voice, "From the tracks the tires left."
"Those damned tire tracks..." Angelina gritted her teeth, torn between anger and helplessness. "What do we do now? Do I have to go out and get captured again?"
"Leave it to me." Xun Uchiha straightened his collar and strode out of the cellar.
The moment he stepped into the sunlight, Xun Uchiha faced the black-clad riders and called out, "Angelina isn't here!"
His shout seemed to trigger some switch of terror. The riders turned, and their pupils contracted