Chapter 516: Crisis Lifted – 2
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
It was not that the Phantom Lord was conceited and did not want to send anyone to look over the back of the mountain. It was just that even the most authoritative bomb disposal experts could hardly guarantee a safe pa.s.sage through a large minefield.
Liu Mi looked at Li Nanli, the only expert in their team.
Fu Zhi took a flashlight and a dagger out of her first-aid kit. She took a look at her watch, and there were only 20 minutes left before the Phantom Lord would unleash an all-out attack on them.
She did not have much time left, so she ordered, “Everyone, move to the back of the mountain. We’re going to leave through the minefield.”
Leave through the minefield?
Everyone was stunned, as they could not believe what they had just heard.
Xiang Qian took a deep breath and said, “We’re not leaving! If you want to leave, you can just go ahead. Let me tell you something. Once a landmine in the minefield goes off, not only will the Phantom Lord learn what we’re doing, but there is no way I’ll let my brethren die in such a cowardly way. We…”
Swoosh!
Before he could finish speaking, Fu Zhi had pointed her dagger straight at Xiang Qian. Her face was grim, and her voice was bereft of any emotion. “The only reason I’ve been putting up with you this whole time is that we’re in the middle of a war right now. However, if I hear another word come out of your mouth, I won’t mind helping Li Nanli get rid of a member of the Shadow Corp who doesn’t even know how to follow orders.”
Xiang Qian was so intimidated that he swallowed a big gulp of saliva and took a step back.
Fu Zhi scanned the house and said, “Now, everyone is going to evacuate in an orderly fashion and leave through the minefield. Does anyone else have a problem with that?”
Well, they did have a big problem with that, but none of them dared step up, as they did not know what she would do with the dagger in her hand.
They all then turned to Gu Yanqi and said, “Say something, Young Master Gu! None of us know how to remove a landmine! Besides, it would make us look really bad if we got blown up by the landmines!”
“Let’s just stay here, Young Master Gu. Even if they attack, it won’t be easy for them considering our geographical location.”
“That’s right, Young Master Gu. Let’s just hold on for a little longer. I’m sure the reinforcements are on their way. Even the people of the Phantom Lord don’t have the guts to go to the back of the mountain, so why must we go there?”
None of them agreed to Fu Zhi’s suggestion. After all, they did not think a young girl like Fu Zhi knew how dangerous it would be to go through a minefield.
The vice-captain of the Shadow Corp looked at Fu Zhi. Compared to Xiang Qian, his att.i.tude toward her was milder as he said, “Ms. Fu, we’ve already sent out a distress signal. I’m sure that someone is coming to save us, so why don’t we hold on for a little longer?”
Fu Zhi smirked when she heard what he had said. She took her jacket, shook her head, and replied, “How sure are you that someone has received your signal? Even if someone received it, when will they be arriving?
“How long do you guys think you can hold out against a team of professional mercenaries? Or do you still hope that someone will come to your rescue?”
She pulled the back door open and reminded them, “Don’t forget that you are in a foreign land. This is the back mountainside of the Lucky Cloud Pavilion. It’s not China, nor is it the realm the Li Family has a hand in.”
The face of the vice-captain changed. He hemmed and hawed for a long while and did not know what to say.
Fu Zhi was right.
It had been more than three hours, yet they had not received any support from anyone except for the woman in front of them, and this alone was enough to prove that their distress signal had been intercepted long ago.
“Other than normal landmines, there are also b.o.o.by traps in the minefield. Do you have a way to get out of the minefield safely?”
“Yes,” Fu Zhi replied flatly. “We just need to clear out the mines.”
Clear out the mines?
Who was going to do this job and how?
By throwing a chicken and letting it walk ahead? There would be a lot of noise when the landmines went off, and once one went off, the people of the Phantom Lord would learn what they were doing.
Could they let someone walk ahead?
But who was going to do the job? And who could guarantee they would not step on landmines and would choose a safe route for everyone?
Liu Mi stepped forward and said, “Let me do it!”
Then, he turned to Fu Zhi, grabbed her hand, and said, “Ms. Fu, I would be lucky if I survived this, but I would accept my fate if I died. I just hope that you can help me take care of President Li after you two get out of here. He has a stomach problem and he… You know what? Let’s move on to my mother since we don’t have much time left. My mother is 80 years old and she…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Fu Zhi flung his hand away.
She walked into the darkness and said, “Follow me.”
‘What? Follow you?’
Liu Mi was stunned. “Please come back, Ms. Fu. We can’t let you do this! It’s too dangerous!”
However, he suddenly thought of something. Fu Zhi was a money-grubber, and he knew that she was not someone who would do something she was not confident about. He thought for a moment and said, “Ms. Fu, do you know how to remove landmines?”
“Yeah,” Fu Zhi replied, her voice flat.
Liu Mi’s eyes lit up. He turned around and told Gu Yanqi, “Hurry up, Young Master Gu! Gather everyone up and follow Ms. Fu!”
Although the rest of the members of the Shadow Corp were not happy with Fu Zhi’s decision, there was nothing they could do now that Gu Yanqi was their leader.
Yu Sheng and Jiang Zheng were tasked to carry Li Nanli.
Everyone else was following them.
The minefield that spread over a small half of the mountain’s back area was intimidating to look at.
While walking beside Fu Zhi, Gu Yanqi pitched his voice low and asked, “Who taught you how to remove a landmine? Was it systematic training? Are you sure you can remove all of them?”
“Yeah,” Fu Zhi said. “I’ve read books on how to remove landmines, so I think it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Gu Yanqi was stunned.
‘What did she just say? She’s read books?’
“Wait, hold on a second. That means you don’t have any hands-on experience?”
He really wanted to crack open Fu Zhi’s head and see what the h.e.l.l she was thinking, but he was worried that he would affect the morale of the Shadow Corp behind him.
“Well, that’s not entirely true.” Fu Zhi rea.s.sured him. “Can’t you see that there’s a lot of hands-on experience in front of us right now?”
Gu Yanqi turned to Liu Mi and said, “Liu Mi, say something!”
Liu Mi then said, “Ms. Fu, you can mess with us, but you can’t mess with landmines.”
Apparently, Fu Zhi did not take their words to heart.
She squatted down, turned on her flashlight, and dashed forward.
Gu Yanqi wanted to grab her, but he obviously had overestimated Fu Zhi’s height. The moment he stretched his arm forward, his hand missed Fu Zhi by a hair’s width and he grabbed nothing but air.
Gu Yanqi was speechless.
‘Does heaven really want to end us all today?’
That said, there was nothing he could do right now. Gu Yanqi snapped back to reality and followed Fu Zhi.
“Don’t get so close to me. If a mine blows up…” he told Liu Mi. “At least you won’t get caught in the explosion.”
“I don’t think so, Young Master Gu. Can’t you see that the landmines are all connected?” Liu Mi said.
Gu Yanqi did not know what he should say. In the end, he said, “Let’s all die together then.”
—
The procession traveled at a slow pace, and time pa.s.sed minute by minute.
Xiang Qian’s patience was running thin. He moved closer to Yu Sheng, who was walking in front of him, and asked, “How long do we have to walk? Why does Gu Shao have to believe in a young girl who thinks she can save the world after watching a few movies? How the h.e.l.l is there any possibility that she knows anything about minefields and demining?!”
“Just keep quiet, Xiang Qian.”
“Why do I have to keep quiet? Don’t tell me that you trust her as well? Have you forgotten the things Young Master Jiang said about her? Besides, we still don’t know if she’s a spy from the Phantom Lord yet, and she might get all of us killed!”
“But she’s the one who saved President Li. I think that’s more than enough to prove her innocence. Besides, not every girl is willing to put herself in a dangerous situation just to save her boyfriend.” Yu Sheng objected.
As he was holding his bag with red eyes, Xiang Qian added, “If she wants to be his girlfriend, that’s the least she can do. Also, how do you know that no one could do better than her? Does she not know how dangerous it is to walk on a landmine? What if something happens…”
“Shush, Xiang Qian! Do you have any idea what you’re talking about?!”
Jiang Zheng interrupted. “If you can’t say anything nice, just keep your mouth shut! We’re all in the same boat now. If you want her to die, it means you want all of us to die as well!”
“That’s not what…”
“Let’s go, Yu Sheng!”
…
“I’ve gone through the minefield once. This is the safest route, and I’ve marked every landmine and b.o.o.by trap along the track. Of course, I don’t deny the fact that I might miss some. Therefore, tell everyone to watch their step and not walk in areas with shallow or loose soil,” Fu Zhi said as she patted the dirt off her hand.
“It seems like we need another ten minutes or so to get out of this area,” Gu Yanqi chimed in.
As soon as they got away from this mountain, Gu Yanqi would be able to contact the Huo Family, the Li Family, or even the Gu Family. They could send more reinforcements for them, with more weapons and manpower, and he was certain that they could destroy the Phantom Lord.
They did not come across any landmines even after walking for 10 minutes straight. The members of the Shadow Corp that were not happy with Fu Zhi kept their mouths shut as mixed feelings welled from the bottom of their hearts.
At the end of the minefield was a mountain pa.s.s. They all picked up their pace toward the end of the trail. Just as they thought nothing was going to happen, someone behind them shouted, his voice filled with fear, “Xiang Qian!”
Gu Yanqi paused and turned his head around. Then, he saw Xiang Qian, who was a few meters away from him, standing frozen stiff on the spot. There was sweat on his forehead, and his face was pale.
Gu Yanqi’s heart sank. “What happened?”
“Young Master Gu, Xiang Qian… He stepped on a landmine…”
Yu Sheng’s eyes were red, and his voice was filled with sobs. “What should we do? What should we do? Young Master Gu, please do something to save him! He’s just a kid!”