Chapter 932: Chapter 932
Ou Keren was tied to the pillar with iron chains by these mercenaries, and the blood on her shoulder had already scabbed over. Fortunately, the injury hadn't reached any critical area. However, due to excessive blood loss, her face was deathly pale at this moment.
She had been unconscious earlier but was startled awake by the sound of gunfire. Seeing Ye Qing running toward her amidst the hail of bullets, she felt both joy and worry. Watching Ye Qing coming closer, she repeatedly shook her head at him, signaling for him to retreat. But Ye Qing had no intention of backing away and ran straight to Wang Yue Pavilion.
Ou Keren's mouth was taped shut, preventing her from speaking. She could only shake her head at Ye Qing with tears in her eyes. Yet Ye Qing seemed to ignore her reaction and rushed straight into the pavilion.
At that moment, as Ou Keren looked at Ye Qing, her heart was filled with no trace of fear. Despite the surrounding gunfire, her heart felt warm and moved. This man, willing to risk his life amidst a barrage of bullets for her—how could any woman not be touched?
As soon as Ye Qing reached Wang Yue Pavilion, the mercenaries emerged from their hiding spots, confident that Ye Qing was as good as dead.
Ye Qing frowned deeply. Seeing the mercenaries exposing themselves, he suddenly let out a sharp whistle. At the same time, he drew his dual pistols from his waist and fired two shots swiftly, instantly taking down two mercenaries.
The mercenary captain had not expected Ye Qing's marksmanship to be so precise and was momentarily stunned. During this brief lapse, two more gunshots rang out from behind him, taking down another two mercenaries.
The captain turned to look and saw, behind a large boulder, a man built like an iron tower. This man, holding two guns, was walking forward while firing at the same time.
At that moment, a deafening explosion erupted from a nearby spot, followed by a pained scream: "It's King of Explosives!"
The captain turned again and saw a man standing on a distant mountain. The spot where their sniper had been stationed was now flattened by the explosion. Clearly, their sniper had been obliterated!
Seeing this, the captain almost fainted in anger. He hadn't expected Ye Qing to have such deadly allies as Black Bear, a master marksman. Thinking Ye Qing was doomed, they had exposed themselves, only to be turned into easy targets and lose five men. This was a significant setback.
"Take cover! Everyone, take cover!" the captain shouted frantically, diving behind the large boulder to shield himself from Black Bear and Ye Qing's bullets.
The situation had severely turned against the mercenaries. With Ye Qing in Wang Yue Pavilion and King of Explosives and Black Bear at the rear, they were caught in a pincer attack. Under these circumstances, they didn't dare to peek out and shoot at Ye Qing because once exposed, Black Bear would surely shoot them first.
Hidden behind the boulder, the captain gritted his teeth and said, "Prepare the explosives!"
Back at Wang Yue Pavilion, Ye Qing was growing increasingly frustrated. If Captain Feng and his Special Forces had arrived at the position Ye Qing had described earlier, he wouldn't have needed to risk himself so much. Most crucially, when the mercenaries exposed themselves, Captain Feng's team could have joined forces with Black Bear and King of Explosives to take them out completely. However, Captain Feng's arrogance led him to disregard Ye Qing's plan and act on his own judgment. As a result, Ye Qing's plan was only partially successful, leaving him in a dangerous predicament.
Ye Qing dared not waste a moment. He quickly ran to Ou Keren and, reaching out, strained to pull at the iron chains. But the chains were thick and secured with a large lock. Despite his strength, it was impossible to break them apart.
Decisive by nature, Ye Qing immediately stood up, his voice deep and commanding: "Miss Ou, close your eyes!"
Ou Keren hurriedly shut her eyes, and moments later, she heard the sharp sounds of gunfire. The iron chain seemed to rattle under the impact, making her hands tremble. It turned out Ye Qing was shooting at the chain.
Amazingly, it worked. After several shots, Ye Qing managed to break the chain. He quickly removed it and helped Ou Keren up, turning to run back. Just then, he noticed the mercenaries hidden behind the boulder suddenly all jumping out.
"Not good!" Ye Qing swiftly retreated, holding Ou Keren before rolling to the ground. Several bullets struck the spot where they had just been standing. If Ye Qing hadn't reacted quickly, both would have been hit.
Fortunately, Ye Qing successfully avoided the bullets with Ou Keren. However, the two found themselves pushed to the edge of the cliff.
Black Bear and King of Explosives also intervened to help, but the mercenaries no longer seemed interested in staying hidden. They emerged fully, charging toward the cliff. Ye Qing, holding Ou Keren, desperately dodged, leaving him no time to counterattack. Although Black Bear's marksmanship was commendable, he struggled to aim at mercenaries who were running at full speed.
"Ye brothers, watch out!" Suddenly, King of Explosives shouted from behind, "They really want to blow up that boulder!"
Ye Qing had warned about this possibility before coming here. If the mercenaries were indeed planning to detonate the boulder, it would certainly tumble down the cliff, creating a truly fatal crisis.
Hearing King of Explosives shout, Ye Qing's heart tightened. No wonder the mercenaries were charging in this direction—they weren't planning to shoot him but rather force him toward the edge of the cliff.
By now, Ou Keren had torn off the tape from her mouth. Struggling to her feet, she turned to Ye Qing, her voice urgent: "Ye, let's hurry across!"
"It's too late!" Ye Qing saw it clearly—the mercenaries had already reached Wang Yue Pavilion. Despite being close, none of them attempted to shoot him. They all appeared to be fleeing desperately. Clearly, the fuse wasn't long, and there was no way Ye Qing could run back in time.
"What should we do?" Ou Keren was frantic, clutching Ye Qing's hand tightly. She was completely at a loss.
By now, the mercenaries had reached the edge of the cliff. From their backs, they retrieved long crossbow bolts, ignoring Ye Qing entirely as they turned and aimed at the distant mountain. They pulled the triggers, and long arrows tethered to ropes shot out, embedding themselves in the trees on the mountain.
The captain sneered at Ye Qing, mocking, "Ye, farewell forever!"
Ye Qing ignored him, taking out two masks, handing one to Ou Keren and putting one on himself. He spoke softly to her, "Put this on and hold tight to me!"
Ou Keren didn't question him and quickly put on the mask, tightly embracing Ye Qing.
Ye Qing pulled out a silver cord from his bag. It looked thin and ordinary, resembling common thread. On one end of the cord was a steel claw. Ye Qing swung the cord and claw, hurling it with force.
The captain, watching Ye Qing's actions, was bewildered and sneered, "Ye, you realize the distance to the closest point is over one hundred meters. You think you can throw this thing one hundred meters? Ridiculous…"
Before he could finish his sentence, his expression drastically changed. Ye Qing's steel claw wasn't aimed at the distant rocks but at a nearby rope instead.
A distance of one hundred meters was impossible, but these ropes were much closer to Ye Qing. The steel claw hooked onto one of the ropes with ease. Ye Qing gave it a tug, confirming the strength of the claw's grip would support both his and Ou Keren's weight.
The captain now understood Ye Qing's intentions, his face darkening as he roared furiously, "Shoot him! Kill him!"
Believing Ye Qing was doomed, the mercenaries had holstered their guns. Hearing the captain's orders, they reached for their weapons. Just then, the fuse burned to its end, causing a deafening explosion at the base of the boulder, where the buried dynamite detonated.
The sheer force of the blast sent shockwaves through the area. Before the team could regain their footing, the boulder began to tilt, separating from the mountain before crashing down the thirty-plus meters to the ground below.
Luckily, the mercenaries had secured their ropes to distant trees. As the boulder fell, they clung tightly to their ropes, preventing themselves from falling with it. Ye Qing's silver cord secured to one of the ropes also supported him and Ou Keren, safely keeping them suspended in midair.
As the boulder crashed onto the ground below, another thunderous boom erupted, and dust rose like a massive cloud, enveloping everyone hanging above. The surrounding visibility dropped to zero, obscuring the figures within the dust.
Gripping the silver cord, Ye Qing hung in midair with Ou Keren. Despite being engulfed by dust, the masks protected their breathing. In a twist of irony, the cloud of dust served as their shield, preventing the mercenaries from targeting them with gunfire. Moreover, indiscriminate shooting could harm their own comrades, creating a risk they couldn't afford.
At this moment, Black Bear and King of Explosives rushed to their aid from the opposite mountain. Seeing Ye Qing's silver cord gripping one of the ropes, they immediately grabbed that rope and began pulling upward. After lifting it for over ten meters, they finally spotted Ye Qing and Ou Keren. Though covered in dirt, the two safely reached the mountaintop, standing together with Black Bear and King of Explosives.