Ye Qiu halted abruptly.
Zhu Xiong Ying pointed at a deep trench ahead, saying, “Careful, Saint Doctor Ye, there are mines in that trench.”
The trench was about ten metres wide and a hundred metres long, filled with a thick layer of leaves.
Ye Qiu quietly activated his Heavenly Eye and scanned the area.
Sure enough, the trench was packed with densely buried mines.
“How did you know there were mines?” Ye Qiu asked curiously.
“It’s my job. I can smell a mine from a mile away,” Zhu Xiong Ying replied. “Saint Doctor Ye, looks like we’ll need to detour.”
“No need,” Ye Qiu said, grabbing Zhu Xiong Ying’s shoulder and leaping forward.
By the time Zhu Xiong Ying realised what was happening, they were already on the other side of the trench.
Zhu Xiong Ying was stunned.
The trench was ten metres wide, yet Ye Qiu had crossed it in a single step while carrying him, without even breaking a sweat.
“Saint Doctor Ye, do you know martial arts?” Zhu Xiong Ying asked in shock.
“A little,” Ye Qiu replied.
Who’s he kidding?
Zhu Xiong Ying knew full well that even the top special forces soldiers in the Southwest Military Region couldn’t leap over such a trench.
And Ye Qiu had done it while carrying a man weighing over a hundred pounds.
“Saint Doctor Ye, are you a Dragon List expert?” Zhu Xiong Ying asked again.
In his mind, the Dragon List represented the pinnacle of skill.
Ye Qiu shook his head, “No.”
Not?
Zhu Xiong Ying was taken aback, then tried to reassure him, “Don’t be discouraged, Saint Doctor Ye. I’ve heard the Dragon List is full of old men. You’re so young, give it a few years, and you’ll definitely make the list.”
Ye Qiu: “…”
Seeing Ye Qiu stay silent, Zhu Xiong Ying added, “Saint Doctor Ye, trust my judgement. You’ll definitely become a peerless master one day.”
Ye Qiu didn’t want to dwell on the topic, saying, “Time’s short. We need to find Tang Fei and the others quickly. Lead the way!”
“Saint Doctor Ye, follow me,” Zhu Xiong Ying said, taking the lead again.
The two moved swiftly through the primeval forest.
Along the way, they encountered several more minefields, all of which they easily bypassed.
After advancing fifteen li, Zhu Xiong Ying slowed down, saying, “Though this area has no stationed troops, it’s under joint jurisdiction of both countries. I’ve never been to the forest ahead, so tracking Tang Fei and the others from here will be tricky.”
“No problem, I’ll handle it,” Ye Qiu said, drawing a tracking talisman.
Soon, a wisp of black qi floated before him.
“Follow me,” Ye Qiu said, leading Zhu Xiong Ying onward.
The forest was filled with towering ancient trees, blocking out the sun, and the heavy chill gave it an eerie, foreboding atmosphere.
After a few more li, Ye Qiu suddenly stopped.
“What’s wrong, Saint Doctor Ye?” Zhu Xiong Ying asked, confused.
“I smell blood. Be cautious,” Ye Qiu warned, moving forward.
Zhu Xiong Ying, gripping his loaded rifle, followed closely behind.
After fifty metres, they came across a body.
The ground was stained with large patches of blood.
“This is a Hades Hall soldier,” Zhu Xiong Ying said.
Even without the reminder, Ye Qiu recognised the camouflage uniform as Hades Hall’s.
Stepping forward, Ye Qiu examined the wounds and found a deep gash on the soldier’s neck.
Clearly, this was the fatal injury.
Anger flashed in Ye Qiu’s eyes as he said coldly, “This soldier died about a day ago. His carotid artery was sliced by a master. The killer could’ve ended it in one strike but didn’t. They deliberately cut a small slit in the artery to drain his blood. But the low temperature here meant he died before his blood could fully drain.”
Zhu Xiong Ying fumed, “That’s cruel. When I find the killer, I’ll make them pay.”
“Even if the killer stood before you, you couldn’t take them down. They’re incredibly strong,” Ye Qiu deduced from the wound that the killer was likely a God List-level master, possibly even stronger.
This made him worry for Tang Fei’s safety while also puzzling him. Why would a master of this calibre appear here?
Could it be the drug lord’s ally?
That didn’t add up.
If the drug lord had such a powerful ally, they wouldn’t need to flee into this forest.
Who could the killer be?
“Let’s go,” Ye Qiu said, not lingering, and continued forward with Zhu Xiong Ying.
Initially, Ye Qiu had considered sending Zhu Xiong Ying back, but after seeing the body, he scrapped that idea.
Zhu Xiong Ying was safest staying with him.
They pressed on.
Soon, a second body appeared.
Another Hades Hall soldier, with the same fatal neck wound.
Ye Qiu and Zhu Xiong Ying quickened their pace.
Before long, they found a third body, then a fourth, a fifth…
In less than half an hour, they discovered thirteen bodies.
All were Hades Hall soldiers.
Each had a neck wound, clearly the work of the same killer.
“Damn it, killing so many Hades Hall soldiers. Unforgivable!” Zhu Xiong Ying cursed.
As a soldier, seeing so many comrades fallen filled him with rage.
Ye Qiu’s mood was heavy.
War God had mentioned that fourteen Hades Hall members had gone missing with Tang Fei. Now, thirteen were dead, leaving only Tang Fei and one other.
“Where are Old Tang and the last soldier? Are they still alive?” Ye Qiu wondered, growing anxious as he led Zhu Xiong Ying onward.
After about two kilometres, they found another body.
Another Hades Hall soldier.
With this, all fourteen soldiers were accounted for, dead.
“No matter who the killer is, daring to kill our country’s soldiers, you’re done for,” Ye Qiu said, suppressing his anger, and continued with Zhu Xiong Ying.
Ten minutes later, from a distance, Ye Qiu spotted another body lying in the forest.
His heart leapt to his throat.
“It’s not Old Tang, is it?”
Whoosh—
Ye Qiu darted forward and, upon seeing the face, breathed a sigh of relief.
It wasn’t Tang Fei!
The body was a blonde, blue-eyed foreigner with a beard, dressed in designer clothes, a gold chain around his neck, and five gemstone rings on his left hand, looking ostentatious, clearly a wealthy man.
“He’s the drug lord Tang Fei’s team was chasing,” Zhu Xiong Ying said.
Ye Qiu frowned.
The drug lord was dead, and so were the fourteen Hades Hall soldiers. Who was the killer?
What was their motive for killing so many?
Just then, a piercing scream echoed from the forest ahead: “Ah…”
