Chapter 1707 - 858: Race Against Time (2)

Chapter 1707: Chapter 858: Race Against Time (2)

Outside the cave entrance, there was the scent of rotting leaves in the air, accompanied by the chirping of birds.

Lin Beichen pushed off with force from his feet and within a few steps leapt out of the cave.

In front of him were towering trees that reached the clouds, their dense leaves stacked layer upon layer, tightly blocking out the sky—this was an impenetrable forest!

"Boss, how’s the situation up there?"

Yu Feng asked in a hushed voice from the pit.

He was worried that Lin Beichen might encounter danger outside, yet he couldn’t get out himself and could only stew anxiously below.

"Hold on, I’ll find a vine to pull you up."

Lin Beichen scanned the surroundings and quickly spotted a vine as thick as his thumb on a nearby large tree.

He drew the tactical knife from his pants leg, cut the vine, and threw it into the pit, pulling Yu Feng up shortly afterward.

"Wow, boss, we must be at least six or seven hundred meters away from that inn. Are those people reincarnated rats?"

Yu Feng looked around in astonishment.

Lin Beichen didn’t reply, he just patted Yu Feng’s shoulder and then began to observe the area.

Quickly, Lin Beichen’s gaze fell upon a low lacquer tree not far away.

The long petioles on the lacquer tree had been broken, drooping powerlessly in the air, with faint white resin oozing from the break.

Judging from the direction of the break, it was clear those people had fled toward the dense forest ahead.

But the problem lay in the forest ahead.

This dense forest was connected to a rainforest, and the rainforest was near the border. If those people crossed the national boundary, Lin Beichen and his team had no authority to apprehend them.

"Identified enemy escape path, suspect heading towards Myanmar rainforest, requesting headquarters support."

Lin Beichen’s voice sounded slightly hoarse over the radio.

Many of his team members were injured; how could he let those people get away?

Without waiting for a response, Lin Beichen quickly pursued in the direction Poisonous Snake and the others had fled.

The sap flowing from the broken petioles indicated they hadn’t left long ago, meaning Lin Beichen still had a chance to catch up with them.

Even if it costs my life, I must make sure these desperadoes aiming to cause trouble in our country fall before they reach the border line!

Seeing Lin Beichen’s increasingly quick pace, Yu Feng hurriedly took bigger strides to keep up.

...

"Boss, do you think those police will catch up?"

In the rainforest, Scorpion asked while glancing around, addressing Poisonous Snake, who was drinking water behind him.

Although Poisonous Snake was the leader of these desperadoes, he had long been worn down by indulgences and was less fit than an average person.

Scorpion and the other men weren’t feeling any exhaustion, but Poisonous Snake was already sweating profusely, his face flushed red.

"They will!"

"Those police are like mad dogs. They’ll definitely catch up to us; it’s just a matter of time!"

Prompted by Scorpion’s question, Poisonous Snake threw aside his water bottle and called his men to quickly head to the border.

"Ahead... about a mile and a half is... the border. As long as we enter Myanmar before those police catch up, they can do nothing but stare if we even urinate at them!"

After only a couple of steps Poisonous Snake was panting, but as if trying to cheer himself up, he smiled and spoke to the men behind him.

"Then boss, we need to hurry. Those police are like dogs, they’re fast through the forest!"

Scorpion nodded, then looked at Poisonous Snake and said:

"Boss, why don’t I carry you?"

"My life isn’t worth much, I’ve developed a sturdy body for hard labor. I can carry you to speed us up, and spare you the hardship."

Poisonous Snake frowned slightly.

What offends a man most is being told he’s not up to the task. But Poisonous Snake knew Scorpion was speaking the truth, so he didn’t retort, just smiled and nodded, replying: "Thanks for the trouble then."

True to his word, Scorpion was incredibly strong, carrying Poisonous Snake without slowing down, in fact moving faster than some of the other men!

In less than five minutes, the forest that had gone untouched for years, if not decades, had two more visitors.

"Boss, look ahead!"

Yu Feng’s sharp eyes spotted the military-green water bottle at once while walking through the forest.

Lin Beichen hastily moved forward to examine it, discovering that the bottle’s opening was still dripping water down the slope.

Getting closer!

Excitement flashed in Lin Beichen’s eyes.

"We’ve chosen the right direction, speed up, they’re no more than eight hundred meters ahead!"

Lin Beichen motioned and charged forward quickly.

Movement in dense woods is heavily impeded and not as swift as on flat ground.

Even for a strong individual, climbing a mountain under a thousand meters wouldn’t be achievable in less than thirty minutes.

One reason is the sloping terrain, adding distance.

The second reason is the difficult path, complicated by surrounding vegetation, making rapid passage quite challenging.

"Boss, I see them!"

After only a couple of minutes, Yu Feng shouted excitedly, pointing into the distance.

Lin Beichen looked where he pointed, spotting a depression where a few small to medium-sized trees swayed, clearly something moving through them.

It’s normal for there to be wildlife in the forest; it might also just be animals.

"No, boss, I see black clothing, it looks like suits!"

Yu Feng responded with certainty.

"Crack—!"

Lin Beichen swiftly pulled out the 95-type scope from his gear and adeptly mounted it to the top of his firearm within three seconds.

Peering through the scope, he scanned the depression below, amidst the shrubs, occasionally spotting human footprints.

The footprints were fresh, and because water pooled in the depression, water flowed through the prints now and then.

"Spotted suspect at river depression near the border."

Lin Beichen reported calmly into his earpiece microphone.

Though calling it a report, he was simply providing the action team a precise location, knowing they might only arrive for cleanup by the time they get there.

If Lin Beichen truly engaged in a firefight, the squad may only assist with subsequent matters.

Lin Beichen was confident of withdrawing safely himself but worried about possible unforeseen events with Yu Feng. He certainly didn’t want to carry Yu Feng across several miles of dense jungle!

"Boss, we’re close to the border, we must leave them here permanently!"

"If word gets out that they got away, international outlaws might think we’re just freeloaders!"

Angry, Yu Feng nodded fervently while grabbing a scope from his tactical pocket for installation.

Lin Beichen ignored Yu Feng, instead holding his breath, eyes fixed on the ever-swaying underbrush.

In this scenario, missing a shot would be like alerting the serpent; if they crawl or leave someone behind for cover, Lin Beichen and Yu Feng’s mere two cannot possibly break through their defenses swiftly for a decisive strike on Poisonous Snake.

Finally, six individuals appeared in a more sparse vegetation area below.

Leading were two men in suits, followed by four gun-wielding henchmen.

"On my count, three-two-one, take down those two in front!"

Lin Beichen whispered, never taking his eyes off the scope.

To open fire, he needed to ensure both front men were killed instantaneously. If only one died, the other would dart into the rainforest in an instant, making capturing him much harder.

"Boss, something’s off."

Just as Lin Beichen was about to start counting down, Yu Feng raised a note of concern.

"What’s off?"

Hearing this, Lin Beichen furrowed his brows slightly.

The lens’ magnification wasn’t high enough, rendering the image slightly blurred, but the four gun-holders behind the leaders were clearly Poisonous Snake’s crew.

"The two leaders walk mechanically, evidently trained long-term by professionals. Their stride is similar to ours, with each step roughly 30 to 40 centimeters."

Yu Feng took a deep breath, eyes glued to the scope, not daring to tear away from the depression below for a second.