Chapter Seventeen 1008th Brigade

  Along the way, we rested several times and casually picked some wild vegetables and fruits to share with everyone. When it was almost dark, we finally saw a small village.

  At that time, all twelve of us were exhausted to the point of near collapse. When we saw the village, it felt like we had seen our loved ones, and that feeling was especially intimate.

  Before Song's family treasure had a chance to speak, almost everyone shouted "We're here!" and rushed towards the small village.

  I took a look at the village and hesitated for a moment before asking Song Jiabao, "Has this village always existed?"

  Song Jiabao nodded and looked at me strangely: "Do you think there's a problem?"

  I shook my head: "Maybe it's just that I've been scared these past few days, so I'm a bit more suspicious." After a pause, looking at the village, I said: "I feel like things won't be this simple. Look at that village, isn't there something off about it?"

  Song Jiabao looked around and shook his head: "We came to this village a few days ago, nothing's different..."

  I looked at the village in front of me again, and a bad premonition suddenly rose from my heart. I immediately shouted loudly: "Come back! Can't go past!"

  Out of the ten people running towards the village, only two of my classmates stopped after hearing me, while the others continued to rush towards the small village without hesitation.

  I continued shouting while rushing over to grab Sima Qin and Zhong Lingling: "Don't go, I have a bad feeling."

  Simaqin and Zhong Lingling looked at me blankly, both of them with a puzzled expression.

  I saw those people didn't listen to me, so I gave up and turned back to Sima Qin and Zhong Lingling: "You see, this village is small, but at least it's a village. I roughly counted the houses in the village, there are no less than 100 suites, hundreds of rooms. But have you seen anyone? Not one person, is this normal? And have you seen any smoke from cooking? Don't people here cook and eat at this time?"

  Song Jiabao rushed over at this moment, he listened to my words, frowned and immediately shouted: "Come back quickly, you can't go past!"

  Unfortunately, those people didn't listen at all, and several of them had already run into the village. As I expected, the ones who had just rushed into the village only managed to shout "Ah" before being knocked to the ground by a group of people who suddenly rushed out of their homes.

  I and Song Jiabao, Zhong Lingling, Sima Qinyan watched as the people entering the village were caught again, shocked and frightened, but also secretly relieved, without thinking much, we collectively turned around and ran.

  This time we barely ran out a few kilometers, and had to sit on the ground to start resting, because we were really too tired, and there was no way to run further. Moreover, when we ran, we panicked and didn't choose a path, and actually ran back in the direction of our starting point, getting farther and farther away from our destination. Fortunately, for now, nobody has caught up with us, so we are temporarily safe.

  Song Jiabao couldn't help but stand up and look around, saying: "We've been running in the wrong direction, we're going back. I just took a look, we need to head east, east is where all the rivers here flow to, if we go east, at least we won't die of thirst."

  I nodded in agreement with Song Jiabao's proposal, took out some food from the bag on my back and shared it with Sima Qin and Zhong Lingling: "Eat quickly, we still have to rush on the road, we want to leave here as soon as possible. The sky is also getting dark, we don't have flashlights, can only find a place to wait for dawn to walk again. Now we must set off, hoping to find an abandoned mine or mountain cave to spend the night."

  Song Jiabao thought for a moment: "I know there's a cave about five miles from here, we can rush over and spend the night."

  I glanced at Sima Qin and Zhong Lingling, nodded: "Let's go quickly, otherwise, we might really have to rush on the road."

  Simaqin and Zhong Lingling exchanged a glance, just about to say something, when they heard someone say in an icy tone: "You think you can leave? It's not that easy!"

  I followed the sound and saw Li Huanhuan coming out of a nearby forest. She no longer had a scarred face, nor was there any dirt on her face, and she looked completely different. I have to say, I misjudged her age, she's at most 24 or 25 years old, and she looks very beautiful, but I don't know why she became a ruthless ****.

  I was stunned for a moment, and then I immediately understood: "So you're not a hostage, you're ****, I said why I always felt that you looked familiar, it turned out that you were the woman who mocked me on the bus..."

  Li Huanhuan smiled, looking very happy. She had a gun in her hand and was aiming it at me: "You little rascal, try to escape again and see what happens! Humph, you're quite capable, managing to slip away multiple times right under the noses of so many people. But in the end, you still can't escape our grasp, and now you've fallen into my hands! I advise you, if you know what's good for you, just follow me quietly back. Otherwise... I'll shoot you dead on the spot!"

  I knew she was telling the truth, and if I dared to escape now, she would definitely shoot me dead. My heart was secretly anxious, and I glanced at Sima Qin and Zhong Lingling who were extremely tense beside me, and made up my mind to say: "The person you want to catch is me, as long as you let my classmates go, I'll go back with you."

  Li Huanhuan burst out laughing: "Don't daydream, all four of you have to go back with me! Let me tell you, among the eleven hostages who escaped with you, we've already caught seven. As long as I bring the four of you back now, all the hostages will be recaptured. At that time, if I push you forward, I'll see if those turtle egg military men dare to shoot at us."

  I knew those seven people wouldn't be able to escape the trap set by ****, but now we four absolutely can't let Li Huanhuan take us all back. So I laughed: "You think you alone with a gun can capture us four? Let me tell you, if you don't agree with me, I'll risk my life and make sure to drag you down to death with me."

  The sentence I just said even scared myself, if it were the old me, I would never say something like that to threaten anyone.

  Li Huanhuan was taken aback for a moment, raised the gun in his hand and said: "Then you try it out, let's see if your fist is hard or my bullet is fast!"

  I continued laughing: "At least you can't keep all of us here. As long as I alone can tie you up, the others will definitely be able to leave safely."

  Li Huanhuan sneered: "Then try it, I don't believe it. With my many years of battlefield experience, I'm afraid of you, a student?"

  "What if I join in as well?" Song Jiabao suddenly said: "Do you want to take control and kill both of us with one shot?"

  Li Huanhuan was taken aback, and suddenly pointed the gun at Song Jiabao, decisively pulling the trigger.

  I was so shocked that I didn't have time to think much, and with a great effort, I pushed Li Huanhuan to the ground. At the same time, a gunshot rang in my ears, which scared me almost to cry out. The gunshot at such close range was too frightening.

  I hastily looked at Song Jiabao, and in between his tightly clenched teeth, a painful expression appeared on his face. I immediately became tense and hurriedly asked: "Are you okay?"

  Song Jiabao didn't answer me but instead yelled "Be careful!"

  I suddenly remembered Li Huanhuan, who I had pushed to the ground. As I turned my head back, she was about to raise her pistol again. In this extremely urgent moment, I didn't dare hesitate for a second. I immediately rolled forward and rushed in front of Li Huanhuan, using all my strength to punch her forehead.

  This time I struck without any hesitation, hitting the target with one shot. Li Huanhuan's hand, which had just been raised, fell weakly, and the gun also dropped to the ground.

  I snatched up the pistol that had fallen to the ground and ignored Li Huanhuan, who was knocked unconscious by me. I rushed over to check on Song Jiabao's injuries.

  Song Jiabao's abdomen was hit and he bled a lot. If he doesn't receive timely treatment, it will definitely lead to big trouble.

  But now we are in the wilderness, lacking medical care, where can we find someone to treat Song Jiabao? I could only use a simple strip of cloth torn from my clothes to bandage him, to prevent excessive blood loss.

  I was at a loss, and Sima Qin and Zhong Lingling were also at a loss except for their tense faces. I took a deep breath, grabbed my hair fiercely, and my brain started spinning like never before. Suddenly, I thought of Li Huanhuan who was unconscious on the side, so I jumped over and slapped her awake with a loud slap, cursing: "It's all your fault, you bastard! Wake up... if we can't save him, I'll kill you..."

  Li Huanhuan was slapped awake by me with a loud slap, and after being slightly dazed for a moment, her eyes immediately showed a murderous gaze.

  I couldn't care about those things, I pointed a gun at her forehead and shouted loudly: "How can you save him? You damn well better say it quickly!"

  Li Huan's eyes grew increasingly stern, and she said coldly: "Follow me back, and someone will naturally rescue your friend! Otherwise, we might as well die together!"

  I listened to her words and immediately calmed down: "Can he really be saved?"

  Li Huanhuan looked at the gun in my hand and slowly nodded: "We have a doctor who can save him."

  I thought for a moment and then said, "I'll go back with you, but you have to promise to save him. And... spare my classmates, they won't pose any threat to you... I'm begging you..."

  Li Huan looked at Sima Qin and Zhong Lingling, and said coldly: "Just relying on these two people, even if I let them go, they won't be able to find a way out of here..."

  "I can draw them a simple route map," said Song Jiabao, gritting his teeth in pain. "Following this map, they'll be able to find their way out of here."

  I immediately agreed and helped Song Jiabao take off his backpack from his back, found a small notebook and a pen and handed them to him.

  Song Jiabao's hands kept shaking, but he still insisted on drawing the route map. Although this route map was not very detailed, it also marked some main landmarks and routes, enough to let Sima Qin and Zhong Lingling find their way out.

  I handed the route map to Sima Qin and Zhong Lingling, saying: "Be careful on the road, you guys carry the things in our backpacks. Now it's dark and not easy to recognize the road, so be extra careful." I paused for a moment, then turned around to look at Li Huanhuan: "Do you have a flashlight on you?"

  Li Huanhuan raised her head and remained silent.

  I was anxious, rushed over to search her body, and as a result, I really found a military flashlight in the pocket of her jacket. So I handed the military flashlight to Sima Qin and Zhong Lingling, and reminded them again: "It's not easy to recognize the road at night, you go to the place that Song Jiabao said earlier to spend the night, and wait until dawn tomorrow to find a way out. Be very careful, don't get scattered."

  Simu Qin and Zhong Lingling were somewhat timid, after taking the flashlight, they didn't leave immediately, but looked at me, wanting to speak but hesitating.

  "Come on, let's leave early and go back home. It won't be peaceful around here for a while."

  "What will you do then?" Sima Qin said in a low voice.

  I was taken aback by his words, and after a long while, I said: "Don't worry about me, I won't be in trouble. They want to take me as a hostage, not kill me. Let's go, hurry up, or else we won't be able to leave if more people come chasing us."

  Simaqin nodded and turned around first. In the moment she turned, I saw a tear rolling down from the corner of her eye. She probably also understood that this time I was caught back, it would be difficult to escape again, those people wouldn't let me truly escape from their hands once and for all.

  Zhong Lingling didn't say much, she just looked at me silently, lowered her head and walked away from my side.

  After they walked far away, I turned back to Li Huanhuan and said: "Let's go. You walk in front, we'll follow behind you. Don't play any tricks, I'll be keeping an eye on you."

  Li Huanhuan sneered, "You little brat, don't order me around. One of you is injured and the other is just a student, what right do you have to command me? At worst, I'll just drag this out with you guys and see who can outlast whom."

  I didn't have a good solution at the moment, but Song Jiabao was after all an elder, with a vision far beyond mine. I heard him say: "You can exhaust yourself if you want, anyway I won't live long either. Why not just shoot you dead now and let you accompany this old man forever in these deep mountains? That way, Jin Cang can escape."

  Li Huan suddenly became speechless, glared at Song Jiabao with hatred, and turned around to lead the way.

  I supported Song Jiabao from behind, following him slowly and carefully. Because we didn't have a flashlight, walking in the dark was inevitably difficult, and I couldn't help but stumble, which often pulled on Song Jiabao's wound, causing him to cry out in pain.

  I had to use my gun several times to force Li Huanhuan to slow down, but I still couldn't completely avoid jolting Song Jiabao's wound, causing him to lose more and more blood, and it was getting more and more dangerous. In a hurry, I couldn't help but think secretly: If Song Jiabao can't hold on, I'll shoot Li Huanhuan dead with one shot to avenge him.

  Li Huanhuan seemed to have guessed my thoughts and said coldly, "If we continue like this, we won't make it back to the village by dawn. Your friend will definitely not last until then. In my opinion, why don't you carry your friend on your back? That way, we can hurry back to the village faster, and your friend can receive treatment sooner."

  I thought so too, and couldn't help but want to go back on Song Jia Bao immediately. But Song Jia Bao stopped me: "Can't do that, if you carry me, I won't be able to keep an eye on her. If she has any tricks up her sleeve, we'll be in danger."

  Sweat immediately flowed down from my forehead, and I secretly said "good luck" while also feeling a few more points of danger towards Li Huanhuan.

  Song Jiabao saw that I understood his meaning, slightly relieved: "Keep an eye on her, don't worry, I'm fine." Paused for a moment: "You search her again, see if she has any military-use phone or something, if we can contact our people, then we won't have to work so hard."

  As soon as I heard Song Jiabao's words, a possibility suddenly occurred to me: Li Huanhuan had been guiding us to their base all along. This way, we would never be able to harm her again, and she could take our lives at any time. As for what she said about their people rescuing Song Jiabao, it couldn't be entirely trusted either - who knows if she was using this as a ploy to lure us in?

  I quickly went up and searched Li Huanhuan again, and as a result, I really found a military phone, exactly the same as the military phone I used before. Ignoring Li Huanhuan's murderous gaze, I forced her to sit down on the spot and quickly connected the call.

  "This is the 1008 Brigade Headquarters, what can I do for you?"

  "I was thrilled: 'Hello, I'm a student who's been kidnapped and just escaped. But one of my companions is injured and needs urgent treatment. We're stranded in a big mountain, can you send a helicopter to pick us up?'"

  That voice seemed to pause for a moment, then said: "Please clarify, you are students who have been kidnapped, right?"

  "Yes, yes. Someone in our group is injured and needs urgent medical attention, but we are trapped in a mountain and hope you can send a helicopter to rescue us."

  That voice finally understood this time: "Okay, I will report this matter to the superior leader immediately. Please wait patiently and do not hang up the phone. We will locate you according to your phone's positioning system for convenience."

  I exclaimed with joy: "Thank you. You must hurry, my companion is badly injured and can't hold on for much longer."

  That voice responded with a "We'll be right there." and then there was no more sound.

  I didn't dare hang up the phone, but instead put it aside and helped Song Jiabao sit down, saying happily: "Hold on for a little while longer, someone will come to rescue us soon."

  Song Jiabao nodded silently, he had no strength to say anything more.

  I also feel very tired, but because I still have to take care of Li Huanhuan beside me, I don't dare rest.

  Li Huanhuan is still staring at me with a gnashing look, as if she would like to kill me and then feel better.

  I knew it was because I had searched her earlier and she had misunderstood me, but for an enemy, I didn't consider these small matters, after all, survival is crucial.

  Li Huanhuan, however, didn't think so. She suddenly spoke coldly: "You're Jin Cang, right? I'll remember you forever. Do you know what will happen if you fall into my hands?"

  I was taken aback and couldn't help but laugh: "Actually, I wouldn't even think about this matter. If I really fell into your hands, maybe I would..." I thought for a moment, suddenly feeling that it was impossible: "This is not possible anymore, the 1008 team will come to pick us up soon, you'd better think about what you should do."

  Li Huanhuan listened to my words, seemingly stunned for a moment, then suddenly smiled meaningfully and very happily: "If I were you, I would definitely consider it. If you fell into my hands, I mean if, maybe I would... kill you!"

  My heart skipped a beat, and I couldn't help but ask: "How can you not be anxious at all? Our troops are about to arrive, and when they do, you'll be caught and thrown back in prison. Don't you feel any fear?"

  Li Huanhuan's face was a bit strange: "Even if I'm locked up in prison, there will still be a day when I come out. I advise you to think carefully about yourself, don't wait until it falls into my hands before thinking about the consequences, that would be too late."

  I furrowed my brow, and Li Huanhuan's calm demeanor suddenly made me think of a very frightening question: what if the person who just received the phone call wasn't from the 1008 squad, but was ****... I shook my head vigorously, driving this sudden doubt out of my mind.

  I've used this kind of military phone before, and I know how to contact our troops. The person who just answered the phone spoke very calmly, not at all like ****. In my heart, I was thinking secretly, but in the end, I still chose to believe 1008 team.

  Li Huanhuan seemed to have guessed the doubts in my mind, and now she was laughing recklessly: "If I were you, I would quickly take your friend and leave this place. Your friend's name is Song Jiabao, right? Hurry up and leave with him, or else it will be too late."

  I listened to Li Huanhuan's words and determined that she was just pretending, trying to scare me into letting her go: "Don't try to intimidate me with such a low-level trick, I won't let you off the hook, you're now our protective charm..."

  I hadn't finished speaking when I heard the rumbling sound coming from the sky. It was the sound of a helicopter, and my heart leapt with joy. I couldn't help but say to Li Huanhuan, "Look, our people have come to pick us up. You still dare to deceive me..."

  Li Huanhuan didn't say anything else, but instead quietly looked at me with an expression on her face that I couldn't quite decipher. Although we were in the middle of the night, by the faint light emitted from the military phone, I could still see Li Huanhuan's expression. It was a look that I couldn't understand, very complex.

  I saw a dazzling light flying towards us, overjoyed, I quickly called out to Song Jiabao: "Look, our rescue helicopter has arrived, we're saved."

  Song Jiabao was also delighted: "They arrived so quickly, after all, it's a helicopter, and the speed is just fast."

  I nodded vigorously, just about to say something, when a thread of doubt flashed through my mind again: How did the helicopter from the 1008 team arrive so quickly? From the time I made contact with them until now, it's been less than five minutes. Even if the helicopter was flying very fast, it shouldn't have arrived this soon, unless they were already nearby. But there aren't any airports or open spaces around here that would allow a helicopter to take off and land...

  Before I could think more, Li Huanhuan suddenly said: "It's still possible to leave now, this is not the plane that came to pick you up."

  I was stunned and didn't understand how she could suddenly say something like that, and I also knew in my heart that everything I thought of earlier was true, what I had been in contact with all along wasn't the 1008 team at all, but ****.

  The helicopter is moving very fast, the beam of light that shot down can already shine on us. If we want to leave, we can only take a risk. However, Song Jiabao is now seriously injured and cannot run, I am also exhausted, even if I want to escape, it's not possible anymore.

  Li Huanhuan sighed and said to me in the midst of the helicopter engine's deafening roar, "Throw away your gun. Later on, no matter who asks you anything, don't make a sound."

  I find it even stranger, isn't Li Huanhuan always resentful towards me, how come she's now acting like she's considering my well-being.

  I looked up to see the helicopter that had flown over my head, and the last shred of hope in my heart was completely shattered. The people sitting on the helicopter were ****, their attire almost identical, and they could be identified at a glance.

  Damn 1008 team, you gave me the greatest hope and then suddenly crushed my hope to pieces. The feeling of falling from the highest point of excitement to the lowest valley of sorrow is really too hard for people to accept.

  I felt a wave of anguish in my heart, and I couldn't help but cover my chest with my hands and grit my teeth.