In the vast night, Lin Beichen led five agents through the forest, sprinting towards the rendezvous point.
"Shusha——"
The sound of their footsteps on the grass seemed exceptionally clear in the silent night.
But even clearer were the heavy breaths of the five agents.
The five agents had indeed received professional training, but their stamina was worlds apart compared to Lin Beichen. Furthermore, they had been confined in a small dark room for two days without food or water, having also endured beatings, leaving them in a state of weakness and exhaustion.
The fact that they could follow Lin Beichen all the way here was solely due to their strong and unwavering willpower.
At this moment, the five agents felt their vision growing increasingly blurry, their lungs felt like they were on fire, and their legs seemed filled with lead, making each step a monumental challenge.
Their stamina had reached its limit.
Lin Beichen turned around and asked, "Are you guys still okay? Should we rest for a bit?"
Listening to the increasingly heavy breathing behind him, he himself felt a bit out of breath.
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"No."
The five agents shook their heads in unison.
Every second longer in Snake Eye Province was an additional risk. As those being rescued, they didn’t want to impose any more risk on their rescuer.
Even if it meant running themselves to death, they wouldn’t stop.
"We can hold on."
Holding to this resolve, Lin Beichen had no reason to force them to rest.
They ran for another ten minutes or so.
Suddenly, the roar of engines came from the distance, the sound approaching from far away. The noise grew louder and louder.
Lin Beichen and the five agents looked toward the sound.
In the distance, several off-road vehicles were driving with their headlights on, casting bright white light that made it hard to see anything clearly.
Lin Beichen and the five agents watched the movements of these off-road vehicles. It was obvious they were heading in their direction.
They weren’t sure who the newcomers were, but considering they were not from Great Xia, an encounter was bound to be risky.
Minimize the risk!
Lin Beichen and the five agents prepared to hide for the time being, planning to start again after the vehicles passed. But as they moved, they realized they had already been spotted. These vehicles were heading straight for them.
When they moved east, the vehicles adjusted their route to move east.
When they moved west, the vehicles adjusted their route to move west.
In any case, the vehicles always followed their movements.
The off-road vehicles drew closer; there was no hiding now, and it was too late anyway.
At this point, one agent looked at Lin Beichen and asked, "What should we do now?"
The other agents also turned to look at Lin Beichen, showing their stance through their actions.
All awaited Lin Beichen’s orders!
Lin Beichen was their mainstay; whatever he said, they would do without hesitation, even if it meant risking their lives.
Lin Beichen thought for a moment and said, "Let’s wait and see."
There were too many unknown factors, and he couldn’t make a decision lightly. They would have to take it step by step.
A few seconds later, the off-road vehicles surrounded Lin Beichen and the others.
Then, three or four people got out of each vehicle, totaling around a dozen people.
From their skin color and appearance, it was clear they were locals of Snake Eye Province, each holding a gun.
Among them was a familiar face, the man who had reported to Yacai.
They were all from the Mirasabang faction. Following Yacai’s order, he had led a team to the base to investigate.
"Why did you run just now?!"
The leader sternly questioned.
Lin Beichen had already thought of an excuse and intentionally explained with a bit of panic, "We were kidnapped and smuggled here. We finally escaped and didn’t know if you were here to capture us..."
Given his age and his acting skills.
The Mirasabang men actually believed him.
The leader glanced towards the direction of the base and then back at Lin Beichen and the others, before saying, "We aren’t with the ones who brought you here, but now you must come with us."
He didn’t know what exactly the base was for, but Lin Beichen’s words naturally led him to a conclusion.
The base was actually full of people like Lin Beichen, tricked into doing illegal and criminal activities. After the explosion, many survivors, finding no one to guard them, immediately escaped.
If this conjecture was correct, they could learn what happened at the base from these few.
The leader didn’t have time to ascertain whether his conjecture was right or wrong, so he decided to take them back first. Better to be mistaken than to miss any valuable information.
He planned to continue heading to the base.
Taking both actions.
Hearing this, Lin Beichen knew he had only two choices: go with them obediently or strike first, ensuring the lowest risk by killing them all.
To him, this wasn’t even a real choice.
Choosing the former was impossible.
Lin Beichen signaled the agents, who were ready to fight to the death, to stay put. To him, their involvement would only complicate things.
He wasn’t a seer who could predict chaotic situations arising from their intervention.
Acting would limit his options.
There was no way he would resort to indiscriminate attack and risk killing his own team.
So, staying put and not moving was the greatest help they could offer.
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