Chapter 381: Crisis Lurks Everywhere

The sudden danger made Ling Chen instantly alert, and he quickly turned his head to see several logs rolling towards him from one side. The ends of the logs had been whittled by a knife, sharp beyond compare. Being hit by a log would be a certain death.

Seeing this, Ling Chen remained calm amidst the chaos, his eyes cool and collected, as he swiftly squatted down. In an instant, several logs skimmed past his abdomen and crashed into the tree trunks beside him. For a moment, all that could be heard was the rustling of branches and leaves, and falling foliage.

With the crisis averted, Ling Chen silently breathed a sigh of relief; this damned place was filled with so many traps.

Ah!

As he was thinking, a pitiful scream suddenly came from not far away. Following the direction of the sound, Ling Chen saw that one of Zhu Hong’s men had accidentally fallen into a trap and was instantly killed.

Seeing this, Ling Chen had a slight premonition; it seemed they were also unaware of the arrangement of traps in this place.

"Mr. Zhu, do you want to continue the pursuit?" The man in a suit who had been following Zhu Hong exclaimed nervously, "There are many traps in this forest, I’m concerned..."

Slap!

Before he could finish speaking, Zhu Hong impatiently slapped him across the face.

"Shut up!" Zhu Hong stared at him coldly. "We’re not going back until we find the person. Drive!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the walkie-talkie worn by the man in the suit immediately picked up a burst of static noise, accompanied by human voices. After clearly hearing the message that was conveyed, the man seemed to forget the scolding he had just received from Zhu Hong, and said excitedly, "Mr. Zhu, our men have reached the training camp and made contact with Reylov. They are on their way here. All the traps in this area were set up by Reylov. With him as our guide, we can reduce a lot of unnecessary casualties."

Hearing this, Zhu Hong, looking at the dark forest around him, hesitated for a moment before asking, "How long will they take to arrive?"

"Five minutes, at the quickest."

"Alright. Pass the word to hold position and rest, and we’ll move out later."

"Yes!"

Since he was quite far away, Ling Chen could only see Zhu Hong talking to someone, but couldn’t make out the content of their conversation. However, observing that the people had sat down right there, Ling Chen didn’t hesitate any further and immediately ran forward.

The forest on the island was very dense; the deeper one went, the more crowded the trees became. Bushy branches and leaves blocked out even the moonlight, making the surroundings pitch-black as if one’s hand could not be seen when extended.

After running for more than two kilometers, Ling Chen didn’t dare to proceed at a fast pace and instead slowed down. In such pitch-black darkness, if he carelessly triggered a trap, it would be a big trouble; he certainly didn’t want to die a confused death in such a place.

Gasping for breath, Ling Chen paused for a moment to adjust, and then took out his phone from his pocket. There was no signal on the island; the phone could only be used to check the time. It was nearly three o’clock in the morning now, and in just over two hours, daylight would slowly start to break. If he couldn’t escape from the island before dawn, they would eventually become live targets. By then, trying to escape would be troublesome.

Moreover, what Ling Chen was even more worried about was Reylov. The man had promised him three hours, and most of that time had already passed; it was uncertain whether Reylov would keep his word. Once the soldiers from Broken Teeth Training Camp got involved, the crisis they faced would be even more severe.

While pondering, Ling Chen suddenly raised his head, his sharp gaze swiftly scanning his surroundings. For no known reason, he had a strong feeling of crisis, as if a wild beast had him dead in its sights, ready to pounce at any moment.

"Don’t, it’s Ling Chen!"

A barely audible voice came from within the forest, and Ling Chen immediately recognized it; it was Hu Fei speaking.

"Fatty."

"Ling Chen, we’re over here."

Following the sound, Ling Chen finally reunited with the main force. A quick scan revealed that everyone was present; the body he had seen at the explosion site was not one of theirs. However, seeing the battered state of his companions, Ling Chen felt no happiness, only a deep frown, his expression solemn.

Both Wei Jiahao and Yuan Yun in the team had suffered serious injuries. Yuan Yun’s were the most severe, the flesh on his back torn and bloody, with shards of stone and metal embedded in his body, his breath barely hanging on. Since no one had brought medical supplies with them, immediate treatment was impossible; he had to rely solely on his own grit to persevere.

After inquiring, Ling Chen learned of the comrades’ ordeal.

Earlier, under Kaelina’s leadership, the team had intended to cross the forest and reach the location where their motorboat was docked. However, halfway there, they encountered a body. According to Kaelina, it was a soldier who had died in the wilderness at the training base. Wei Jiahao thought he might find some equipment and a flashlight on the corpse.

But when Wei Jiahao moved the body, he discovered a landmine hidden underneath. The instant the mine detonated, Yuan Yun, in an effort to protect Wei Jiahao, hurled himself over him; despite this, both were still caught in the blast. Thankfully, Wei Jiahao was shielded by Yuan Yun, so he was not in mortal danger, but Yuan Yun’s situation was complicated.

To look after the two injured, the rest of the team had to slow down and find a place to rest temporarily.

Having learned of everyone’s condition, Ling Chen glanced at Nanrong Wanqing and nodded at her, signaling she didn’t need to worry. Then he turned his gaze to Kaelina, gesturing to her with his eyes.

Understanding, she followed Ling Chen to the side and whispered, "The situation is grim. We still have halfway to go through this forest. With two injured comrades and the enemy in pursuit, it’s difficult for us to speed up our progress."

"You’re the most familiar with this area. Do you have any suggestions?"

Kaelina gave it some thought and said, "If I remember correctly, there’s a temporary camp about two kilometers from here, usually used to treat personnel injured during training. They should have the medical equipment and medicines we need. As you’ve seen, your friend’s injuries are severe, and without prompt treatment, he won’t be able to leave this island alive."

"Alright, we’ll go with your plan."

Their immediate concern wasn’t escape but rescue—first, they had to save Yuan Yun’s life.

Time was of the essence. After explaining the situation to everyone, Ling Chen immediately carried the wounded Yuan Yun and headed for the temporary camp under Kaelina’s guidance.

...

An hour later.

"Reylov, you’ve led us around for over an hour without a trace. What the hell are you doing?"

In the jeep, Zhu Hong looked at Reylov beside him and questioned coldly.

"This is your territory; don’t tell me you can’t find them."

"Mr. Zhu, don’t rush, be patient," Reylov said with a smile, glancing at the time and muttering to himself, "Three hours are almost up."

Zhu Hong frowned slightly, "What’s almost up?"

Reylov said confidently, "You want to find them, don’t you? No problem, give me ten minutes, and I’ll make sure they appear before your eyes."