Chapter 1158: Chapter 1126: Deserted Island
The boat was speeding forward, and they were heading at full speed toward the opposite side of the harbor. Chuck marked their destination on the nautical chart. It was a Deserted Island, a patch of land that had risen from the seabed due to crustal movement and, over the years, grown into a reef. With the push of centuries, the reef had rapidly expanded in scale and had now evolved into a lush green island.
"Boss, the total area of this island is over seven hundred square meters. It’s not a dead island—its surface activity is quite intense, and it’s right near a volcanic crater. It’s not very safe."
The Deserted Island was located three hundred kilometers away from where the cargo ship had docked. Although they had taken a bit of a detour, the patch of green ahead was already starting to emerge. At sunset, the island looked peaceful from afar, covered in the vibrant greenery that symbolized nature’s vitality, with various kinds of birds circling and flying around it. One side was steep cliffs, the other side dense jungle. Sea-drifted plants riding the white spray slapped against the hull.
"Boss, we’re about to get close to the island, but this also brings us closer to the reefs. Our ship can’t pull in." Chuck warned Xiao Lin; any further and they might run aground.
"Put down the rubber dinghy, we’ll go up ourselves. You and the others stay here and wait for the signal." Xiao Lin gave the order to land without the slightest hesitation. Since these people had dragged them here in Mr. Su’s name, he had no obligation to turn tail and run.
Through the telescope, a dinghy was approaching the island. There were only four people on board, sitting in two rows front and back, steady in their seats. Four oars dug hard into the water, their astonishing speed and flawless coordination fully on display.
"Go get ready. Our guests have arrived." The man in the lead wore full combat gear, high leather boots planted on the railing of a hastily built wooden shed. In his telescope, the dinghy had already been hauled ashore by the four people. The figure in front stood stock-still in his lens, his head raised at just about a forty-five-degree angle, precisely aligned with his own position. The man’s pitch-black eyes held a hint of a smile. Soon the other three had also gathered beside him. In just a few seconds, the four figures suddenly vanished from the eyepiece. The speed of it made the observer’s heart skip a beat—especially that first young man who had appeared in his sight. He had a feeling the guy had been smiling at him. Had they already been discovered? Impossible. His position was still several kilometers from the shoreline; no matter how good their eyesight, they couldn’t possibly see into the depths of the jungle... right?
Not far from this wooden shed was a natural cave. The entrance was heavily guarded, and the dense growth of native plants covered more than half of it. From a distance, it looked as if fresh vegetation were sprouting directly out of the rock face, something you’d glance past in a blink.
"There’s something off over there." The four who had split up regrouped as two teams on the other side and began a thorough sweep of the island. In an unfamiliar place, instinct played a crucial role in their judgment. So the moment the four of them set foot on the island, they had a sense of being watched. There were people here—and very capable ones at that.
Xiao Lin took the binoculars and looked toward the spot Yelu Shou had mentioned. It was a patch of uneven, tangled shrubbery. At a glance, it looked no different from anywhere else, but if you carefully distinguished it, you could see light sources among the foliage, refracted glimmers. "One on the left, two on the right."
"Are we going up?" Yelu Shou asked.
"This might be where they’re holding Lao Jiu. We’re not in a rush to hit that just yet." After marking the position in his notebook, the two of them pushed forward at full speed.
At the same time, Troy and Black Doctor, who had split off in another direction, didn’t seem to have Xiao Lin’s luck. The two of them hadn’t gone far before they strayed into an eerie atmosphere. Black Doctor was the first to notice something was wrong. He grabbed the charging Troy, stopping him short. Troy looked at Black Doctor in confusion, silently asking what was going on with his eyes.
"Shh!" Black Doctor, a bit tense, quietly shifted to the left, and the two of them quickly disappeared behind a large tree. A shadow shot up from the ground, bounding two or three steps to perch on the treetop. Parting the branches in front of his eyes, he peered down and saw a camp. Some tents still had fires going, and a few people were scattered around in the open area, sitting together and chatting. Piled around the camp were numerous wooden crates that looked like weapons, explosives, and other equipment. Among these weapons was a stack of cargo about three to four square meters in size—square parcels wrapped in oiled paper, extremely conspicuous among the weapons, yet no extra guards were posted around them. Such carelessness made the man spying from behind the bushes itch to make a move.
The shadow slid back down from the treetop. "It’s a garrison camp, not many people. The drugs are in the armory on the left side." Troy bared his teeth in excitement; he could hardly wait to charge in and kill.
"Hold it!" Black Doctor grabbed Troy again. There was a constant strange feeling seeping through this patch of undergrowth. If there was a camp ahead, then this had to be an ideal defensive line. The problem was he couldn’t see anything yet; he could only rely on his instincts to sense that strange, flowing presence. "We pull back first, find Xiao Lin, and then we talk."
The first objective of landing on the island was not an assault, but to get their bearings.
"But..." Twice stopped, Troy immediately grew unhappy, but when he saw Black Doctor’s face, despite all his reluctance, he still reined in his urge to charge in and prepared to retreat from the woods with him.
The sudden rustle-rustle-rustle sounded, as if a pack of wild beasts were bursting through the jungle from afar, charging toward where they stood. The shadows of the trees swayed, and the sound came from all directions.
"Run!" Black Doctor bellowed, drawing a deep breath and leaping back toward the direction they had come from. Troy instinctively followed in the direction Black Doctor had vanished, but he was still a step too slow. Just as Black Doctor made his first leap, several strange figures burst out of the undergrowth, moving on all fours like beasts running through the jungle. Their heads were cocked to the side, and they howled to each other.
Troy stared blankly at the bizarre figures in front of him, missing the best chance to retreat. He studied them with interest, his childlike curiosity instantly making him forget Black Doctor’s warning. And at that moment, two figures sprang out from behind him, one in black and one in white, like the Black and White Impermanence of the Underworld.
While Troy was still thinking it over, his exposed figure had already been completely surrounded by those earlier figures. The four human-shaped beasts each took one of the four cardinal directions—east, south, west, north—while the two guys like Bai Wuchang in black and white respectively stood on the backs of two of them, the four beasts forming four corners with their backs as footholds at the midpoints. The two "generals" stood on their shoulders, gaining a good bit of height over Troy, and looked down condescendingly at the seemingly slight figure in the center. (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
Comments