Chapter 14

The two of them hid in the bushes, looking out, and immediately saw a scene that would be unforgettable for the rest of their lives.

There were three people, no, to be precise, two people, walking in this direction. The other one, they were not sure if it was human, had its hands stretched out, its body stiff, and it hopped forward. Its eyes were wide open, unblinking, with a hollow look in them.

Xu Mo and Liu Qian exchanged glances, a thought flashing through their minds simultaneously: a zombie.

Yes, the scene of that 'person' looked exactly like the zombies in the legends. Usually, just hearing about them was fine, but seeing them with their own eyes, the two of them felt a deep chill.

The other two men followed behind it, one of them carrying someone on his shoulder.

The person on his shoulder was wearing a nightgown, lying on his shoulder, seemingly unconscious. The loose nightgown could not hide her slender figure, and it was a woman.

Liu Qian glanced at the woman and whispered angrily, "It's that girl, she's been captured."

Xu Mo also recognized her. The slender figure was indeed the daughter of Shen Bancheng he had seen during the day. But why would she be captured?

The man carrying the girl touched her buttocks lewdly and said regretfully, "This girl is so beautiful, but she has to become the lady's plaything, what a pity."

The other man held a whip, driving the zombie forward, and scolded coldly, "You're asking for death! How dare you say such things? If the lady hears, will you still want to live?"

The man's face seemed to change, and he smiled awkwardly, "Brother Zhao wouldn't betray me."

Xu Mo and Liu Qian exchanged a glance. This Brother Zhao was likely the one mentioned in Ma Wu's phone call.

The two of them had overheard Ma Wu's phone call, thinking that Brother Zhao was also one of the part-timers and wouldn't come at such a late hour. After taking the item buried by Ma Wu, they didn't leave in advance, and unexpectedly encountered them.

The other man said, "Walls have ears."

The man seemed frightened by his words, looking around nervously, "You're too cautious, who would be here?"

Brother Zhao said, "The lady's power is beyond your imagination." He then looked up cautiously.

From his expression, it seemed he was worried about being monitored from the sky. Only after seeing nothing did he relax.

He then glanced at the girl on the man's shoulder, "This girl is quite well-informed. She knew someone was going to harm her and fled back from abroad, hiding in this remote place, thinking no one could find her. But since the lady has taken a fancy to her, how could she escape? She was still captured by us."

As he spoke, his tone was chilling, and even he felt fear when mentioning the lady's power.

Xu Mo was shocked, "Who is this 'lady' that has such great power, making her subordinates so afraid?"

The other man, hearing this, dared not speak anymore. After a moment's thought, he changed the subject, "Is this the place Brother Zhao and that Ma agreed on?"

Brother Zhao's cold eyes swept over a few large rocks, "Yes, that Ma said he buried the item here. We'll take it and leave."

Xu Mo and Liu Qian became tense. Brother Zhao and the man walked forward, taking out a mini flashlight to shine on the ground. They immediately saw the hole Liu Qian had dug and the empty bamboo tube.

As Brother Zhao stopped, the zombie also stood still.

The man who spoke first put the girl down, picked up the bamboo tube, and shouted, "The item isn't here, that Ma dared to deceive us!"

Brother Zhao said coldly, "Call him and ask."

The man immediately took out his phone, dialed a number, and the call was quickly answered. Without waiting for the other party to speak, he sneered, "Very good, very good, Ma, you dared to deceive us?"

Ma Wu's voice came from the phone, "Brother Qian, what are you talking about, I don't understand."

Brother Qian said, "You don't understand, yet you dare to pretend, hm..."

Before he finished, Brother Zhao took the phone and said to Ma Wu, "Ma, where did you bury the item?"

Ma Wu said, "Right where we agreed."

Brother Zhao sneered, "Very good, then tell me, where is the item?"

"The item is gone?" Ma Wu was stunned, then said, "Impossible, I buried it under that large rock, look for it again."

Brother Zhao ignored him, saying coldly, "If you dare to deceive the lady, you know the consequences."

Brother Qian suddenly noticed something and exclaimed, "There are cigarette butts on the ground, someone has been here." He bent down, picked up two cigarette butts, and said, "Someone must have discovered Ma's movements and taken the item before us."

Xu Mo and Liu Qian changed color; those cigarette butts were left by them.

Brother Zhao sneered, "Ma, if we can't find the item, you know the consequences. None of you will survive."

Without waiting for Ma Wu to respond, he hung up the phone, sniffing the air, "There's still a smell of smoke, they can't have gone far."

Brother Qian said, "Let's chase them!"

"No need!" Brother Zhao sneered, whistled, and a black shadow silently fell from the sky, circling low.

Xu Mo and Liu Qian looked up; it was a black eagle with a wingspan of nearly two meters.

"Heh heh!" Brother Qian said, "How could I forget? Brother Zhao, make it find them."

Xu Mo and Liu Qian knew it was bad. The black eagle, as if understanding, pounced on their hiding place, its wings flapping, creating a strong wind that blew the leaves away.

"There they are!" Brother Qian shouted.

Xu Mo and Liu Qian, seeing they were exposed, stood up from the bushes, picking up two sticks from the ground.

"Two people," Brother Qian looked at them, somewhat surprised.

Brother Zhao reached into his waist and pulled out a gun.

Xu Mo and Liu Qian, seeing the gun, were terrified. Liu Qian shouted, "Run!"

The two of them ran in different directions without hesitation.

Brother Zhao fired a few shots at their legs. The gun had a silencer, making almost no sound, but his aim was poor, and he missed.

Brother Zhao put away the gun and said coldly, "Chase them, catch them alive. If they're killed, we won't know where the item is. One of you chase one, I have the gun, the eagle will follow you."

He then chased after Liu Qian, pointing at the eagle and ordering, "You two, chase the other one."

Surprisingly, he was talking to the eagle, which understood and flew towards Xu Mo.

Brother Qian followed closely.

The zombie, being clumsy, was not useful for chasing, so Brother Zhao left it behind.

The eagle's speed was incredible. Xu Mo tried to dodge, but was still caught on his right shoulder. The sharp talons pierced through his coat and into his flesh, leaving bloody marks and causing intense pain.

Brother Qian said viciously, "You can't escape. Stop and give back the item, and I'll let you die quickly."

Xu Mo didn't speak, running forward as fast as he could, his mind in turmoil: Should I call for help from Shen Bancheng's people? If they find out I have the item stolen by Ma Wu, will they let me go? If I save Shen Bancheng's daughter, will they forgive me for this?

He had endured many hardships over the years, his heart as hard as stone, and he wouldn't easily trust others. In an instant, he made his decision and continued running without a word.

While running, he thought: If it were only Brother Qian, I wouldn't be afraid, but with the eagle, I'm no match. This is assuming Brother Qian doesn't have a gun.

"The eagle is like a satellite, following me wherever I go. To escape, I need to deal with it first."

The black eagle pounced again, extending its talons to gouge Xu Mo's eyes. Xu Mo, prepared, grabbed the eagle's talons, pulled it down, and kicked it in the chest, throwing it away.

He struck with hatred, and the eagle let out a painful cry, struggling and flapping its wings, trying to peck Xu Mo.

Xu Mo, worried about Brother Qian catching up, let go, and the eagle escaped.

The black eagle, having been hurt, hovered in the air, hesitant to come down.

In this moment, Brother Qian caught up, pulling out a dagger from somewhere and stabbing at Xu Mo's back.

Xu Mo rolled on the ground, narrowly avoiding the attack, and grabbed a stone, throwing it at Brother Qian's face.

Brother Qian dodged, and Xu Mo took the opportunity to run through the bushes, putting some distance between them.

A thought crossed his mind: If Brother Qian doesn't die, I will. How can I get rid of him?

Brother Qian, reminded by Xu Mo's actions, also picked up a stone and threw it at Xu Mo's back.

Xu Mo easily dodged, suddenly remembering the frozen river. An idea formed in his mind: I'll lead Brother Qian there and let the thing in the river deal with him.

Without hesitation, he changed direction and ran towards the river.