409: Chapter 409: Exposed 409: Chapter 409: Exposed Throughout his journey, Tangyu noticed that the guards here were extremely rigorous; it was practically “three steps one post, five steps one station”.
Moreover, the terrain was relatively flat, making it difficult to hide.
The area was like a captive kingdom, with apparent forced laborers in the field.
This could be discerned from their expressions.
Strikingly, most of the guards were armed, hinting at a militaristic management style.
This was undoubtedly a stringent organization.
Hiding deep in the mountains and forests suggested no good deeds were taking place.
Tangyu grew even more suspicious that this was the doing of Yin Medical Sect, which explained the situation perfectly.
Known for ruling with poison, no other force could likely manage such an amount of toxic substances.
Tangyu proceeded cautiously, dodging both visible and hidden guards, and knocking out those he couldn’t bypass silently.
The area was teeming with people; Tangyu dared not expose himself, as escaping would then be impossible, even with wings.
It took nearly half an hour for Tangyu to reach the valley’s base, an area bustling with people in its buildings.
The thick medicinal scent in the air told him that drug refining was taking place.
Tangyu wanted to investigate further, but there was a more pressing mission today, so this curiosity had to be momentarily suppressed until a future opportunity arose for a thorough investigation.
Guided by the Mind Stone, Tangyu quickly located a small cabin.
Two men were at the cabin’s door, smoking and chatting, while Zhao Yaya was confined inside.
Tangyu surveyed the surroundings—it was clear enough.
Dealing with the two guards would free Zhao Yaya.
The visibility here was too broad; approaching silently was challenging as the men’s vigilant glances scanned their surroundings.
Any slight noise seemed likely to attract nearby personnel.
If alarmed, being trapped here would make escaping difficult, since reaching the exit swiftly would still take ten to twenty minutes—a distance allowing ample time for everyone here to mobilize.
Tangyu had already seen no fewer than a hundred armed guards on his way in, far too many for him to handle alone.
To rescue Zhao Yaya, stealth was essential, absolutely no alarming the guards.
“Hey, mate, got a light?” Tangyu casually approached the two guards.
The guards glanced at him and one man reached for his lighter, not immediately realizing the situation.
However, it didn’t take long for them to be startled, giving Tangyu a second look.
This man was unfamiliar, not one of their own.
By the time they realized, it was too late.
Tangyu was already upon them, swiftly blocking their key acupoints.
They were paralyzed and speechless.
Before they could react, Tangyu struck the backs of their heads, knocking them unconscious.
The whole encounter took less than three seconds.
After dealing with them, Tangyu quickly hid them in a secluded spot nearby.
Having secured the area, Tangyu then opened the cabin door, sweeping his gaze inside to discover Zhao Yaya tied to a chair, gagged.
He silently closed the door and gestured for silence.
Upon seeing Tangyu, Zhao Yaya’s eyes brightened like flares, her face alight with excitement and relief.
She mumbled through her gag, tears of joy apparent.
It was her first time being kidnapped.
Although unharmed, the ordeal had shaken her deeply.
Fortunately, Tangyu had arrived swiftly to rescue her.
Tangyu quickly untied Zhao Yaya, saying, “It’s dangerous here; we mustn’t stay long.
Let’s get out now; stick close to me.”
“Okay,” Zhao Yaya nodded earnestly.
“Let’s go!”
Tangyu firmly grasped Zhao Yaya’s hand, ensuring no one was outside before leaving with her.
Traversing the original path and avoiding the guards again, it took nearly half an hour to reach the exit.
Seeing it, Tangyu breathed a sigh of relief.
Once out in the mountains, he wouldn’t fear even if all the forces here pursued them.
If nothing else, he was confident in his speed.
Zhao Yaya also seemed exceptionally thrilled, feeling as though she had regained her freedom.
Her courage had been sorely tested.
Just as they were about to slip through the crevice, a cold shout suddenly sounded, “Who are you?
Trying to escape!” A man with a gun charged out, aiming at Tangyu and Zhao Yaya.
His gaze swept over them, his expression turning sinister and fierce, “You aren’t from here; you must be the intruders.
Hmm, thinking you could escape after breaking in, I hadn’t expected you to come this far.”
Tangyu’s eyes narrowed, his expression chilling.
He hadn’t expected to be discovered at this final juncture.
Luckily, the man was alone, not an impossible situation to break through.
It was a pity that Flame Demon Scorpion King could only be used once a week since it was still young, limiting its activity and the toxin it produced, necessitating sleep after use.
Thus, he couldn’t rely on the Flame Demon Scorpion King for now; otherwise, handling this man would be feasible by simply incapacitating him.
Tangyu’s face was grim, waiting for a moment to strike and incapacitate the man.
“Hmph, you even knocked out our men; you’re asking for death,” the man quickly noticed the unconscious guards, his countenance growing even more ferocious as he prepared to fire at Tangyu.
“We surrender, don’t shoot,” Tangyu raised his hands in feigned surrender, subtly closing the distance to the man.
The man had initially intended to shoot, but seeing Tangyu voluntarily surrender and show weakness, he relaxed his grip on the gun.
“If you don’t want to die, just behave and walk,” the man said, pointing his gun towards the bottom of the valley.
“Alright, we’ll go,” Tangyu nodded.
Just as the man’s attention faltered slightly, Tangyu suddenly made his move.
Like a fierce tiger pouncing on a lamb, he lunged forward violently.
In an instant, he was upon the man.
Seeing Tangyu dare to make a move, the man also became furious, sweeping his gun toward Tangyu without hesitation.
However, before he could pull the trigger, he felt his hand being firmly grasped, unable to muster any strength, and faced great resistance.
With a forceful twist, Tangyu twisted the man’s arm behind his back, then used his elbow to smash down on the back of the man’s head.
In fact, knocking someone unconscious requires technique.
It’s not as simple as hitting them on the back of the head.
Most people are hard to knock out and will only bleed.
There’s a pressure point on the back of the head, and only if hit precisely will it knock someone out.
Tangyu was an expert in pressure points, knowing each one on the human body clearly, so naturally, his strike was successful in knocking the man out without a doubt.
The man grunted, his body went limp, and he no longer had the strength to resist.
Tangyu threw the man to the ground, about to pull Zhao Yaya, but he noticed another man standing behind her, his gun pointed at her head; there was still another person.
“Hmm, quite the fighter, are you?
Show me more if you can,” the man sneered coldly.
Zhao Yaya, having seen Tangyu skillfully take down the armed man, was initially excited to praise him, but then a gun was pressed against her head, which scared her immensely.
“Good brother, please save me,” Zhao Yaya pleaded in a pitiful tone.
The man’s face was cold and sinister, looking at Tangyu and Zhao Yaya with a playful look.
“No one has trespassed here for a long time, and today you two foolishly broke in, so don’t think about getting out.
Perfect, I haven’t had a taste of a woman for a long time.
Although she’s a bit young, she’ll do.”
“Don’t, I’m still a child, not yet an adult; this is illegal,” Zhao Yaya said.
“Heh, I like little girls; I’ve never been with one before.
Trying it out wouldn’t be bad,” the man sneered coldly.
Tangyu’s gaze grew cold, and a killing intent flashed in his eyes as he stared intently at the man.
However, Tangyu didn’t dare make a reckless move, especially since Zhao Yaya was in the man’s grasp.
No matter how fast he was, he could not outspeed a bullet.
He was unable to use the Flame Demon Scorpion King, which had already caused Tangyu some trouble the first time.
If they delayed any longer, it might attract more people, making it truly impossible to leave.
Time waits for no one; they needed a quick resolution.
Tangyu clenched his teeth in determination, a resolute flash in his eyes.
“Don’t harm her; we just stumbled in here accidentally; we haven’t seen anything.
Let us go, and I can give you all the money I have,” Tangyu said, trying to appease him.
The man, looking amused and toying, took another look at Tangyu and said, “Stop pretending; I saw your performance just now clearly.
Do you think you can use the same trick again?
There’s no way I’m letting you go.
Seeing that you’re young and strong, you could be a good laborer to stay and tend to the plants.
You better behave, don’t get any funny ideas.
No matter how fast you are, I believe my bullets are faster.
If you don’t want the girl to get hurt, just behave, and maybe I won’t do much to you.
Now, shall we go?”
“Alright, you call the shots now,” Tangyu said.
Tangyu was waiting for an opportunity, waiting for a chance to take a risk.
Given what had just happened, the man was obviously very wary, and Tangyu couldn’t find a good moment to act.
Tangyu was also extremely anxious; he couldn’t delay any longer.
Otherwise, with more people, it would be even more troublesome.
As a man, when it’s time to act decisively, one must take the risk.
“Bang!”
Just as Tangyu was preparing for a desperate attempt, a gunshot sounded, causing Tangyu to startle and look at Zhao Yaya in shock.
The shooter wasn’t the man but Zhao Yaya herself.
She was holding a delicate pistol in her hand, and the man was lying on the ground, his abdomen blown open with a bloody hole, blood spattering everywhere, staining the ground red.
The man, in pain, still tried to struggle.
The shooter was Zhao Yaya; how did she have a gun?
However, Tangyu couldn’t dwell on this question for long, as the gunshot would surely attract many people soon.
He rushed forward, kicked the gun out of the man’s hand, and grabbed the stunned Zhao Yaya, charging toward the narrow crevice.