Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

It did not take long for the strong one-eyed man from the Red Scorpion Mercenary Corps with the code name Eagle to arrive at the scene with ten other members in full combat gear. Seeing the heavily injured black man, the one-eyed man sprinted over to deliver emergency first-aid.

“Black Tail, what happened here? Where’s the target?” the strong one-eyed man asked urgently.

Gritting his teeth, the black man known as Black Tail answered, “The enemy was hiding an ace up their sleeve. Everyone else in our squad was killed in action.”

“Sh*t! How did this happen?” Eagle punched himself hard in the thigh in frustration before continuing, “Which way did they go?”

Black Tail pointed in the direction where Xiao Luo had gone. “East!”

Eagle waved to the rest of his men. “Two of you stay behind with Black Tail. The rest of you are with me!”

“Yes sir,” the group replied in unison.

“Black Tail, you get some good rest. I’ll make him regret ever being born,” the strong one-eyed man said, patting the black man’s shoulder.

“Be careful. He’s armed with a sniper rifle, and his aim is impeccable!” Black Tail warned solemnly.

“Got it.”

With a hand signal, the strong one-eyed man gave chase, leading his group of men eastward. At the same time, he took out his walkie, radioing a report to the Red Scorpion Mercenary Corps’ leader: “Boss, Black Tail was taken down in an ambush. The target is on the move fleeing east.”

As if gathering his thoughts, the radio stayed silent for a moment. Then, a raspy voice sounded from the speaker, “Hunt them down. No holds barred!”

It was a short phrase, but thick with determination and murderous intent.

“Sir, yes sir,” Eagle acknowledged the order with the hardened gaze of a trained killer. Then, the group of mercenaries fanned out in the dense forest like a pack of hungry wolves, following Xiao Luo and Chu Yue’s trail.

…

Chu Yue was a girl who’d born with a silver spoon in her mouth, and this was the first time in her life that she’d ever gone through such a traumatic experience. She did not even realize that she had been rescued by Xiao Luo until she noticed that she could no longer smell the black man’s body odor anymore. Looking up, she froze.

“Xiao—Pretentious d*ck?”

Her almond-shaped eyes widened, and her mouth opened, forming a small ‘O.’ She was shocked by this sudden turn of events and could have never imagined that Xiao Luo would rescue her. Didn’t he leave her behind and flee?

“Mistress Chu, if you don’t want to be sullied by a bunch of burly Westerners, you’d better be quiet. If you don’t cooperate, I’ll throw you to the wolves!” Xiao Luo advised coldly. If not for his promise to Chu Yunxiong, he would have gladly stayed out of this situation. He did not particularly care for Chu Yue as a girl and had no feelings of affection for her whatsoever.

“Pretentious d*ck, you—I’ll, I’ll bite you to death!”

Chu Yue was infuriated. She opened her little mouth and bit down hard on Xiao Luo’s shoulder. Two neat rows of silver-white teeth sunk deep into Xiao Luo’s flesh.

Xiao Luo gritted his teeth, shaking off her bite forcefully with a frigid expression on his face. “You don’t really believe that I would abandon you?”

“Don’t you do it!”

Chu Yue’s frail figure shuddered, and panic flashed in her eyes. Disregarding any cultural taboos between men and women, she clung tightly to Xiao Luo like an octopus. “I’ll do whatever you say, pretentious d*ck. Please don’t leave me behind!”

The memories of the black man and the grisly scenes had deeply traumatized her, and the shock made her feel like the world was ending. Her emotional state was currently close to that of a full meltdown. Xiao Luo’s appearance had been like a lifeline from heaven when she’d come close to drowning, so now she held onto him for dear life. She felt like this was the best surprise she had ever received in her life, and being in Xiao Luo’s arms brought her an inexplicable sense of security.

While sprinting through the forest at an incredible pace, Xiao Luo looked down and remarked, “You should really be grateful that you have such a good father!” If Chu Yunxiong had not recognized his worth, he would not have accepted this assignment.

Hearing this, Chu Yue was stunned speechless. Xiao Luo had been sent by her father, Chu Yunxiong, to watch over her?

So, it was no coincidence that the figure that she and Bai Ling had seen that night so closely resembled Xiao Luo? Was that why Xiao Luo acted so strangely in school? Was he always following her? Everything that had transpired thus far could be explained if Xiao Luo’s purpose here was to ensure her safety.

Just then, it all clicked.

A strange emotion welled up from deep within her—an indescribable mix of feelings.

A low shout brought her back to reality: “Hang on tight!”

Xiao Luo jumped up mid-sprint, leaping like a wild tiger, and bounded over a small stream that spanned three-yards.

Chu Yue experienced the jumping motion distinctly. It felt like playing on a swing, but far more thrilling and stimulating because she could see a 7-to-8-yard drop downstream. The meandering creek in these lofty mountains flowed into a waterfall deep in the forest.

“Aaah!”

She could not hold back her scream and tightened her grip on Xiao Luo, afraid she might fall.

“Can’t you women do anything other than scream?” Xiao Luo’s expression was unsympathetic as he criticized her.

Chu Yue was irked to the point of tears. She replied while looking up at him grudgingly, “I don’t want to, but I can’t help myself. It’s just too scary.”

“If you’re scared, then just close your eyes!” Xiao Luo barked haughtily.

Biting her lip, Chu Yue burrowed her face into Xiao Luo’s chest.

“Target acquired, roughly 500 yards straight ahead. Lock and load. Prepare to engage!” Eagle relayed his orders to the squad. He tightened his grip on his firearm and sped up his pursuit.

Xiao Luo was well aware of the men pursuing them. The mercenaries of the Blackwater company were tenacious. If he were by himself, shaking them off would be a piece of cake, but it was much more difficult with Chu Yue. Even if he ran at full speed, he could not get away from the lightly equipped members of the Red Scorpion Mercenary Corps.

He needed to think of a plan!

Xiao Luo looked at his surroundings with a furrowed brow as he brainstormed a way out of this. It would be great if he could deposit Chu Yue in a safe location. Alone, he was fully confident of his ability to kill the mercenaries chasing after him.

As he ran, he spotted another small river. The banks were muddy due to shrub growth, and anyone walking along it would be quickly covered in dark mud.

That’s it!

Xiao Luo had a flash of inspiration. He looked down at the beauty in his arms. He would let her suffer a little and get his revenge for that time when she’d humiliated him at the party.

…

“Do I really have to hide here? It’s so cold!”

Autumn had just passed, and the weather was cool. It was neither cold nor hot, but the water from the river that flowed down from deep in the mountains was icy. Following Xiao Luo’s instructions, Chu Yue was lying half-buried in the mud. She was shivering from the cold, as she pleaded piteously to Xiao Luo.

“Unless you want to get chewed up and spat out, you need to stay hidden right here.” Then, handing her a hollow reed tube, Xiao Luo reassured her sincerely, “Just give me forty, no, twenty minutes to deal with these mercenaries. Then you can come back out.”