It was a rare day off, and the weather in the late summer and early autumn was particularly pleasant. The street outside was bustling with people, vibrant and lively.
When Luo Yuan had left in the morning, he hadn't returned yet. Yang Ruoning checked her watch, estimating he should be back soon, and it was also time for her to leave.
As soon as she stepped out of the mansion gate, a stranger approached her. The man fumbled in his pocket and handed something to Yang Ruoning.
Yang Ruoning gasped when she took it. It was a Nikon lens cap. She hurriedly asked how he had obtained it.
The man said, "In the bamboo forest five li west of the city, someone wishes to see you."
"Then please wait a moment, I will go in and get some things, and then I will be there." Although she was excited, Yang Ruoning still vaguely felt that despite this long-awaited news, the agreed-upon location was unfamiliar, and it would be wise to be cautious.
Uncle Zhong was not in the mansion. So, she thought about leaving a note for Luo Yuan, informing him of her whereabouts. Since she couldn't write, she asked the man to write for her, telling Luo Yuan that she had gone to the bamboo forest west of the city.
Afterward, she slung her backpack over her shoulders and followed the man.
After months of long waiting, a lead suddenly appeared. Yang Ruoning was both excited and apprehensive. She was excited because this was the most promising clue she had received in over half a year; she was apprehensive because she was unsure of the other party's intentions. However, she looked up at the sky and silently murmured in her heart, Jason, can you see? I am about to help you find your person.
By the time she stood before a dilapidated, abandoned thatched hut deep in the bamboo forest, the sky was already almost completely dark. The man who had guided her left after pointing the way.
Yang Ruoning took out her flashlight and scanned the surroundings. All she could see was an endless expanse of lush green bamboo, with no sign of anyone.
The weather was humid and stuffy. Distant thunder rumbled, indicating an approaching rain. A gust of wind swept through, and the bamboo leaves rustled in the silent forest. An ominous premonition gradually arose in her heart.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" Yang Ruoning shouted loudly. The only response was the rustling of bamboo leaves. Yang Ruoning sighed in disappointment. She was unwilling to give up. What if she had just come to the wrong place? What if that person was waiting for her nearby?
Suddenly, there was a rustling sound in the forest. She raised her flashlight in the direction of the sound.
There was nothing.
Suddenly, Yang Ruoning realized that all surrounding sounds had disappeared, and the forest was eerily quiet. Yang Ruoning felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Animal instinct told her there was danger.
The hand holding the flashlight trembled involuntarily.
Her mind raced.
The gun was tucked in the small of her back, fully loaded, but it was her only five bullets. It might be enough to deal with one person, as long as she could aim. But she didn't know where the opponent was hidden, or how many there were. It would be better to escape first. There was nowhere to hide here, and the visitors were hostile. She should escape.
Quietly, Yang Ruoning turned off the flashlight. She unstrapped her backpack and carefully placed it on the ground. Then she crouched down, tightening her shoelaces to prepare for escape, while cautiously observing her surroundings.
It was at the six o'clock position behind her. After determining her escape route, Yang Ruoning leaped up from the ground and ran forward like a madwoman. She could hear the snapping sound of bamboo being brushed by objects behind her. From that sound, she could judge that there was definitely more than one person!
Suddenly, a flash of lightning illuminated the entire forest. She saw two masked figures in black above her, stepping on bamboo tips, and they had already caught up to her. Their long swords glinted blindingly under the lightning.
Damn it, it's like in the TV shows, they can actually fly!
After the lightning, a torrential rain poured down. The bamboo forest was plunged into darkness, and Yang Ruoning could no longer discern her direction. In the dark, heavy rain, she could only stumble forward.
Perhaps the heavy rain masked the sounds. When Yang Ruoning's stamina reached its limit and she had to stop and lean against a large tree to catch her breath, she realized the masked men were not pursuing her.
Yang Ruoning wiped the rain from her face and felt her pocket, intending to take out a compass to orient herself.
Her pocket was empty. She then remembered she had put all her belongings in her backpack.
She felt the direction of moss growth on the tree. Moss generally grows northward, a basic piece of survival knowledge. Regardless, as long as she determined the direction and headed east, she would see Bianliang City.
*Click*. A faint sound.
It was the sound of a twig breaking, and... the sound seemed to be nearby!
They were close!
Yang Ruoning held her breath instantly. She reached behind her back, pulled out the pistol tucked into her pants, released the safety, and raised the gun.
The rain stopped, and the forest returned to a deathly silence, so quiet that she could clearly hear her own frantic heartbeat and ragged breaths.
Just then, the dark clouds dispersed, and the moon in the sky seemed to have been washed clean, its moonlight exceptionally bright, casting down and illuminating the bamboo forest.
Yang Ruoning finally saw them. Less than ten meters in front of her were about ten masked figures wielding long swords.
She pointed her gun at them. "Don't come any closer! You don't know the power of this thing in my hand!" she shouted.
The leader of the masked men saw the gun in Yang Ruoning's hand, took a step back, turned his head, and said something to the person behind him.
They recognize the gun in my hand!
Yang Ruoning aimed at the leader. Before Yang Ruoning could react, the masked man leaped forward with his sword, and in the blink of an eye, he was in front of her.
In her panic, Yang Ruoning fired a shot at him.
*Bang*. The enormous gunshot was deafening in the silent bamboo forest. However, Yang Ruoning's shot missed.
The masked man was startled at first, then let out a cold laugh from his throat. Without hesitation, he rushed at Yang Ruoning again, and the group behind him followed suit.
In her confusion, her foot tripped on a protruding tree root, and she fell heavily to the ground. The group of masked men dodged the bullet and rushed forward, raising their swords to strike her.
She pulled the trigger again. But this time, she didn't feel the recoil of the bullet firing from the barrel. The bullet was stuck, f**k.
Was she going to die like this? She closed her eyes, awaiting the sharp pain of a sword piercing her heart.
Instead of the sharp pain of a weapon piercing her body, she felt warm, salty liquid splattering on her face. She opened her eyes and saw a long sword piercing the chest of the masked man. Before he could utter a sound, the masked man fell straight down. And behind him, Yang Ruoning saw a familiar tall figure.
Luo Yuan, while blocking the rain of swords coming from all directions, roared, "Yang Ruoning!"
He descended from the heavens like a Greek god, coming to the rescue of the human woman in distress.
The masked men were clearly no match for Luo Yuan. Luo Yuan pulled Yang Ruoning up and shielded her behind him, blocking the masked men's attacks with one hand holding his sword. In a short while, he had killed most of them. The remaining one or two, seeing that the situation was unfavorable, fled with their injuries.
Yang Ruoning had always believed she wasn't the delicate type of girl who would turn pale with fear at scenes of gore and brutality. She thought she had seen countless bloody scenes in movies and knew how cruel the battle between steel and flesh was in the age of cold weapons. But when it all happened before her eyes, when the sword pierced flesh, when blood filled the air, and when screams seemed to pierce her eardrums, she was still stunned.
She looked at the corpses and blood all over the ground, frozen in place as if by ice. She saw Luo Yuan grabbing her arm and shouting something at her, but her soul seemed to have left home, her body no longer controlled by her brain. She could hear nothing, do nothing.
The pain of Luo Yuan gripping her arm brought her back to her senses slightly. She stood there for a long time, and the feeling of dizziness gradually disappeared. Her wandering soul finally returned.
"I... I'm fine," she stammered back to him.
He actually roared, "Are you really that stupid! Why do you always act on your own!" He sounded as if he were scolding a disobedient child.
She looked at him, shouting, and felt a surge of warmth in her heart. She could no longer hold back, and rushed into his arms, hugging him tightly.
He froze, surprised by her sudden action, but then he tightly embraced her as well.
Yang Ruoning heard him sigh softly from above, "Alright, it's alright now, I'm here."