I sat down beside Song Bing. He was examining his pistol and put it away when he saw me, then offered me a cigarette. "What's up?"
"Nothing, just came to chat with you." I took the cigarette and lit it, then asked, "Brother Song, do you think that A Yuan can take down the Wolf King?"
He pursed his lips, lit his cigarette, and took a slow drag. "It's hard to say. He looks like he used to work for Blackwater Company."
"Blackwater Company?" I asked, puzzled.
"Blackwater Company is a famous foreign private military contractor, essentially a well-known mercenary organization abroad."
"How do you know?"
Song Bing chuckled. "The name tag he wears around his neck. I've seen it before..."
"Are these Blackwater Company mercenaries very powerful?"
"More than powerful. Most people who get to work for Blackwater Company are retired special forces personnel. Almost every one of them is an elite among elites." 138 Reading Network
Hearing Song Bing say that, I couldn't help but think of Fu Kui.
That old man might not have come this time, but the fact that someone like A Yuan was willing to risk his life for him clearly indicated he wasn't an ordinary person.
It seemed Fu Kui and his group's background was far more complicated than what was in the files.
"By the way, Brother Xiang. There's something I need to tell you." Song Bing looked around and lowered his voice.
"What is it?" I asked.
He leaned closer and said, "Jin Qiaoyue has a satellite phone, but it seems she doesn't want anyone to know about it... I found out by chance today."
I nodded, feigning nonchalance.
When the satellite phones were brought, only Li Chuang had one, and it was turned off.
It was a life-saving item for critical moments.
After all, there were no charging facilities in the highlands. If it were kept on, the battery might run out at any time.
Jin Qiaoyue also had a satellite phone, which was somewhat surprising to me.
Song Bing told me that while I was asleep, Jin Qiaoyue had gone out alone, seemingly to make a call.
I guessed she was probably reporting the situation to Fu Kui and didn't think much of it.
After chatting with Song Bing for a while longer, I told him to get some good rest and conserve his energy.
Jiang Ye had started to tell me something about Jin Qiaoyue earlier, but he hadn't finished before the wolf pack appeared.
Now that we were temporarily safe, I planned to find him and ask for clarification.
But to my surprise, when I went to look for him, I found him and Jin Qiaoyue talking.
Judging by their expressions, it seemed they had put the day's conflict behind them.
Seeing me approach, Jin Qiaoyue said, "Mr. Xiang, you've worked hard this trip."
I replied with feigned ease, "I'm paid to do this, it's my job."
Apart from Guan Zhenwan, no one else knew the true purpose of my trip.
In reality, like them, I was here for the Suo Hou Zhu.
They thought I was merely a leader who took their money, and I didn't feel the need to explain much.
"Mr. Xiang, how much longer do we need to rest before we continue?" Jin Qiaoyue asked.
I was surprised by her urgency and said, "A Yuan..."
Before I could finish, she interrupted, "Don't worry about A Yuan. We just need to take care of ourselves. I've discussed it with Brother Jiang, and both he and his wife can continue traveling."
As she spoke, she glanced at Jiang Ye, who nodded and said, "Yes... my wife is feeling much better now."
Feeling much better?
Just a moment ago, I saw Zhao Xuezhen throwing up and looking dejected. Now she was much better?
Clearly, Jiang Ye's words were not true.
I hesitated for a moment and said, "How about this, I'll go ask the others and see how everyone else is doing before we make a decision."
Jin Qiaoyue's expression showed a hint of hesitation, but she didn't say much more.
"Mr. Jiang, why don't you come with me? I can check on Miss Zhao's condition at the same time," I said to Jiang Ye.
He didn't agree immediately but glanced at Jin Qiaoyue beside him. I noticed Jin Qiaoyue give a subtle nod.
Jiang Ye and I left Jin Qiaoyue's side and walked directly towards the outside of the perimeter wall.
He asked where I was going, and I said Re Xiti and Li Chuang were on watch outside, and we were going to check on them.
Walking around the wall, I didn't lead Jiang Ye towards Re Xiti and the others. Instead, I walked to a pillar on the other side.
"You told me earlier to be careful of Jin Qiaoyue. What did you mean?" I asked in a low voice.
Jiang Ye's expression clearly faltered, and then he looked at me with a puzzled expression. "Oh... I forgot."
I frowned. "Mr. Jiang, there's no one else here."
He looked hesitant, as if he had something to say but couldn't decide.
After a long silence, I sighed and said, "If you don't want to say, I won't force you..."
As I turned to leave, Jiang Ye grabbed my hand and whispered, "She made a call during the day... I heard her on the phone saying, 'When we reach the destination...'"
"Mr. Xiang! Mr. Jiang! What are you doing here?"
A familiar voice called out from not far away. Jin Qiaoyue stood about ten meters away, shining a flashlight towards us.
"We're finding a place to go to the restroom," I said, raising my hand to block the glare of the flashlight.
"Is that so? Then make it quick," Jin Qiaoyue said. After that, she turned and went to another side with her flashlight.
At this moment, Jiang Ye's face was extremely grim.
Just as I was waiting for him to continue, he suddenly turned and walked away.
I stood there alone, his words replaying in my mind.
Jin Qiaoyue had made a call during the day, and Jiang Ye had overheard the conversation.
What did she intend to do upon reaching their destination?
Was the person on the other end Fu Kui?
My mind was filled with questions. It was clear that Jin Qiaoyue had threatened Jiang Ye, otherwise, he wouldn't have behaved like this.
When I returned to the resting area, everyone had already been gathered by Jin Qiaoyue.
It seemed she had already informed everyone about continuing the journey.
Re Xiti looked distressed and spoke in accented Mandarin. "It's not that I don't want to go... It's just that I can't walk anymore... I haven't had much rest along the way. You can't do this to me, I'm a person too..."
I subtly glanced at Jin Qiaoyue and chimed in, "Re Xiti, you took our money. How can you take the money and not do the job?"
"Mr. Xiang, it's not that I'm not doing the job after taking the money... I'm genuinely unable to walk anymore... Besides, who would have thought we'd encounter a wolf pack back then?" Re Xiti said helplessly. "I'm not going anyway. If we have to go, it should be after dawn."