Chapter 171: Found

At dusk, Lin Jian arrived at the cliff top of Old Ox Ridge, panting heavily, to regroup with Sha Shun. He had spent the entire afternoon searching this side of Old Ox Ridge. He had practically scoured the entire place, checking every bush, cave, and tree hollow.

But... no one was there!

Similarly, Sha Shun hadn’t found anyone either, but he had wiped out a five-man squad during his search. They were local armed militants who were also looking for someone. After running into them, he killed all five. Lin Jian, on the other hand, hadn’t encountered anyone else.

"The enemy is also searching, which means Weihong hasn’t been captured by them, and they haven’t found a body either," Lin Jian reasoned. "So, if they can’t even find a body, it means there’s a very high chance Weihong is still alive. He must have found a safer place to hide!"

Sha Shun thought for a moment. "But this mountain is so big. If he’s hiding, how are we supposed to find him?"

"No, this mountain isn’t that big. He’s not on this mountain!" Lin Jian shook his head.

"How do you know?" Sha Shun asked, puzzled.

Lin Jian glanced at him but didn’t explain. He didn’t tell Sha Shun that he possessed Thought. Not getting an answer, Sha Shun wasn’t annoyed. Instead, he followed Lin Jian’s gaze and looked down the cliff.

The spot where the two stood was likely where Wei Hong had jumped off the cliff. If someone jumped from here, nine times out of ten, they would first get caught in the treetops before falling to the ground...

Lin Jian continued to look ahead. Opposite them was another mountain, as this area was filled with endless, undulating mountain ranges.

"So, is it possible that Weihong ran to the mountain opposite us? Or maybe he followed the stream at the foot of the mountain downstream?" Lin Jian murmured.

"Then let’s go find him." Anxious about Weihong’s life or death, Sha Shun took a single step right off the cliff.

This guy actually jumped down from here, copying Weihong! However, despite Sha Shun’s large frame, his lightness skill was absolutely top-notch. Mid-fall, he actually used the elasticity of the treetops, bouncing a few times before landing safely on the ground.

Lin Jian thought for a moment and followed him down.

By the time the two reached the bottom of the mountain, the sky had turned dark, and the entire area seemed unusually quiet. Sha Shun wanted to continue up the opposite mountain to search, but Lin Jian stopped him. "Let’s wait and see first."

Sha Shun paused, then wordlessly sat down in the woods, continuing to eat. Lin Jian sat down beside him and took out some food as well. But as he ate, a possibility suddenly occurred to him, and he hurriedly said, "Go find a gun."

Sha Shun didn’t ask why. He got up and climbed the mountain. He had killed five people earlier, so there were guns up there. About ten minutes later, Sha Shun returned, carrying five AKs, and threw them in front of Lin Jian.

Lin Jian took a deep breath, picked up a gun, and walked toward the stream a kilometer away. Sha Shun quickly followed.

A kilometer away, they were still surrounded by mountains. It was still dark, but here, there was the loud RUSHING sound of flowing water!

Lin Jian flipped off the gun’s safety and said, "I’m going to fire a shot now, and then you shout that you are Dongfang Shun, and yell Weihong’s name!"

Sha Shun’s eyes lit up. He nodded repeatedly, gathering his Qi and taking a deep breath!

Lin Jian raised the gun and fired a shot into the sky! The gunshot was exceptionally loud, and because the area echoed well, the sound could probably travel for miles!

After the gunshot faded, Sha Shun suddenly roared, "Weihong! Zhang Weihong! I am Dongfang Shun! Where are you?!"

"Where are you..." The echo seemed to carry very, very far!

Lin Jian waited for about two minutes before firing another shot into the sky. He told Sha Shun, "Tell Weihong that if he can hear you, he should fire three shots!"

Sha Shun quickly roared, "Weihong, if you can hear me, fire three shots! I’m here to save you..."

Just as the echoes reverberated again and again, three gunshots suddenly rang out from far upstream!

"Weihong!"

SWOOSH!

The two sprinted upstream, their feet seemingly barely touching the ground! At the same time, Lin Jian was beyond excited. This method had worked.

And judging by the direction of the gunshots, the location was probably two or three kilometers away from Old Ox Ridge—and that was a straight-line distance of two or three kilometers! Clearly, Zhang Weihong knew the enemy would search the mountain, so he had fled further away!

After running for about two kilometers, Lin Jian jumped directly onto the treetops. His Thought covered a distance of two hundred and seventy meters, but he still couldn’t find Zhang Weihong!

Lin Jian fired another shot into the sky. "Tell him to fire three more shots!"

"Fire three more shots..." Sha Shun roared.

Honestly, only Sha Shun could do this; if it were Lin Jian himself, he wouldn’t necessarily be able to shout that loudly. Sha Shun was using Qi to roar, using Inner Strength to transmit his voice, so the sound waves traveled exceptionally far. If it had been Lin Jian shouting, he wouldn’t have been able to make much noise even if he tore his throat out.

TAT-TAT-TAT!

Three more gunshots rang out, and they were very close this time—halfway up the mountain!

Lin Jian and Sha Shun immediately charged toward the mountaintop!

After climbing about a hundred meters, Lin Jian’s Thought spotted a stone cave. It was a very small stone cave, and a person covered in dark blood was leaning against the entrance, holding a smoking gun!

Zhang Weihong!

He was injured. His leg had been shot, his ribs were broken, his face was covered in bloody gashes, and his lips were cracked. He was incredibly weak!

Seeing him, Lin Jian was overwhelmed with excitement. He finally unleashed his top Speed, leaving Sha Shun in the dust in a flash, practically with a single step! After all, he could cover ninety meters in one step—how incredibly fast was that?

Fortunately, Sha Shun caught up!

The two saw Zhang Weihong at the cave entrance. When Zhang Weihong saw two silhouettes rushing over, he also tightened his grip on a grenade; if they were enemies, he would take them down with him. Actually, just a moment ago, he had already given up hope of survival, and he had even thought of killing himself several times before!

However, in his daze, he had heard a gunshot, which instantly jolted him awake. Then, he vaguely heard Dongfang Shun’s name and voice. After that, he heard it even more clearly!

Dongfang Shun had actually come.

With that, his will to live returned.

"Weihong! It’s me, Lin Jian!"

"Weihong..."

The two sprinted to the cave entrance, one after the other!

"Lin Jian, you... why are you here too?" Zhang Weihong was deeply shocked. It made sense for Dongfang Shun to come; he was his wife’s older brother, always listened to Dongfang Wan, and possessed terrifying strength. But Lin Jian being here completely took him by surprise!

"Weihong, you’re safe now! You’re safe!" Lin Jian crouched beside Zhang Weihong. Zhang Weihong had six broken ribs, the bone of one leg was exposed, and the wounds showed signs of infection!

Lin Jian touched his forehead and found that he was burning up with a severe fever. Taking a deep breath, he immediately said, "Shunzi, get a wooden board. We have to carry Weihong down on it. We can’t carry him on our backs or in our arms."

Sha Shun didn’t say a word and went straight to chop some wood. He had also collected some spoils of war; although he didn’t know how to use guns, he had gathered a few small knives.

At this time, Lin Jian took out the anti-inflammatory and fever-reducing medicine he had bought in town and fed it to Zhang Weihong. After taking the medicine, Zhang Weihong drifted into a dazed sleep.

However, right at that moment, several vehicles drove up from the foot of the mountain one after another. The people inside began firing blindly into the mountain forests on both sides.

Lin Jian immediately pushed Zhang Weihong further into the cave and turned around, leaping down the mountain.