Chapter 1016 - 1001: Mountain Forest Operation (Part 3)

Chapter 1016: Chapter 1001: Mountain Forest Operation (Part 3)

"Sorry, Old Xu, I..."

"Let’s not talk about that for now. How are you? Did you hurt yourself falling?" interrupted Old Xu, his face filled with concern.

Honestly, Xu Renjie felt no less guilty at this moment than Luo Baochun.

After all, it was Xu who had Luo Baochun lead the way, and the mountain forest’s unique environment is quite challenging for ordinary people.

So, it’s not entirely Luo Baochun’s fault that an accident occurred.

But the more concerned Old Xu was, the stronger Luo Baochun’s sense of guilt became. He shyly shook his head and stammered back, "I, I’m fine."

"Good, it’s all right! Just be careful!" Hearing that Luo Baochun was okay, Old Xu reached out and pulled him up, then sheathed the Tiger’s Fang at his waist and picked up the battle knife he had hastily discarded on the ground.

"Let’s go!" With a low shout from Old Xu, the Survivor Squad set off again after their near scare.

Fortunately, this accident heightened the survivors’ awareness to stay alert.

The mountain forest had dim lighting, but thankfully, the Survivor Squad’s target wasn’t deep within the woods; otherwise, just trekking in would be quite a challenge for Tang Xiaoquan and the others.

Even so, it was already difficult enough for survivors without much wilderness experience.

Fortunately, everyone was wearing cut-resistant clothing, and the mountain forest wasn’t a true jungle, so apart from some inconvenience in movement, the survivors faced no other hurdles like scratches or blocked paths.

Thus, under Luo Baochun’s somewhat unskilled guidance, the survivors finally stopped in front of a low-lying area.

Seeing Luo Baochun stop, Old Xu naturally raised his fist to signal the squad to halt.

After taking a few steps forward, Luo Baochun theatrically leaned over, raising his arm forward, "Old Xu, look there, there’s a cave. Do you think those guys might be hiding inside?"

Old Xu wasn’t stupid. Upon hearing Luo Baochun’s words, he immediately understood the cave ahead was the target for today’s reconnaissance.

Old Xu quickly issued a standby directive and called over Lei Tong.

Without a doubt, the upcoming task was for him and Lei Tong to undertake.

When it came to infiltration and reconnaissance, nobody was more reliable than Lei Tong.

No one objected to Old Xu’s arrangements; the squad members named quickly assumed the defensive formation Old Xu had trained them in.

The forest was unusually quiet, but this silence imparted an invisible pressure.

Having grown accustomed to such environments, Old Xu calmly took the binoculars Wang Qiang handed him, examining the terrain and deciding to approach for a closer look.

"Old Xu, what are you doing?"

Sternly inquired Hu Xiaodong, who was wielding a bow and arrow and keenly observing in all directions, upon seeing Old Xu preparing to move.

Old Xu pointed forward, "I’m planning to sneak over there and inspect the situation."

"Going just like that? Isn’t it too dangerous?"

No matter how outstanding Hu Xiaodong’s archery skills were or how robust his physique seemed, he was ultimately a civilian and lacked many skills compared to a military veteran like Old Xu or Lei Tong.

Take the current reconnaissance as an example; it might seem quite challenging to Hu Xiaodong, but for Old Xu and Lei Tong, it was as commonplace as daily chores.

"It’s fine. I checked carefully near the cave, and there aren’t any guards. Going over now won’t be problematic."

Old Xu wasn’t reckless, and his decision to move closer was not impulsive.

From the previous observation, he deduced the lack of perimeter guards indicated two possibilities.

One, these bandits are severely lacking in vigilance.

In such a post-apocalyptic world context, no matter one’s equipment, being unguarded already implies a deficient team.

Of course, Old Xu didn’t think the bandits were foolish to such an extent, so another possibility was they weren’t inside the cave.

If so, approaching would indeed pose even less danger.

These two points led Old Xu to ultimately decide to approach.

Hu Xiaodong understood Old Xu’s temperament and knew his decisions were hard to alter.

Of course, Hu Xiaodong was also aware of Old Xu’s skills, confident that if he decided to proceed, he must have strong assurances.

Given that...

"Alright, just be careful. If anything happens, retreat immediately; we’ll hold here."

Nodded slightly, Old Xu leapt out of the low ground.

Once Old Xu moved, Lei Tong immediately followed.

But just as they were about to proceed, Tang Xiaoquan suddenly gave a low shout, "Old Xu, wait!!"

Suddenly turning his head back, Old Xu was somewhat startled by Tang Xiaoquan’s voice.

Understandably so, since at that moment, Old Xu was less than a hundred meters from the cave; even though Tang Xiaoquan shouted softly, it was still a risk of being noticed by others.

Instinctively lowering his posture, Old Xu raised the 95 automatic rifle strapped to his back, his eyes quickly scanning the surroundings with vigilance.

These tactical moves, Old Xu had done countless times in the past, making them purely muscle memory reactions.

After waiting for about ten seconds, ensuring there were no anomalies, Old Xu frowned and retreated.

Upon entering the low ground, Old Xu asked sternly, "What’s going on?"

Tang Xiaoquan discerned the trace of anger in Old Xu’s tone, feeling helpless and a bit regretful, but had no choice given the circumstances.

Without wasting words, Tang Xiaoquan slightly moved his raised right arm.

Following the direction of Tang Xiaoquan’s arm movement, everyone’s gaze shifted collectively.

Then, Luo Baochun voiced an astonished sound, "What’s this?"

Blood! A large pool of blood! Though its color had long dulled from years of exposure, the stains on the fallen leaves and roots remained glaringly clear.

Seeing the stagnant blood stains, the survivors exchanged looks.

Evidently, blood so close to the entrance of the cave explained a lot.

Considering the prior silence and the appearance of the corpse, Luo Baochun felt a chill down his spine.

"This blood is most likely from that fellow we saw earlier!" Hu Xiaodong casually speculated.

"Or maybe from someone inside," Tang Xiaoquan promptly added.

However, none of them could offer a precise answer regarding this point.

The only way to unravel the mystery was to investigate the cave.

After hesitating for a moment, Old Xu cleared his mind, and after instructing everyone to be vigilant, he leapt out of the low ground again and beckoned Lei Tong to swiftly approach the cave entrance.

The incidents encountered in the mountain forest clearly stirred Old Xu’s curiosity to explore; he was eager to understand what exactly transpired in the forest and whether the prisoners met a dire fate. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com) with recommendation votes or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)