The Red Era: Living in Seclusion in a Siheyuan as a Boss

Chapter 686, Scene Three—Exile!
As dusk fell and the sun began to set, the stubborn rays of the setting sun pierced through the dense trees, filtering out a few beams of golden-red light.

The trees appeared even darker and larger, as if their shoulders and backs were being slowly crushed by the twilight, leaving them to stand even more silently.

Under the big tree, Zhang Jin and his group, who had been fleeing for most of the day, were exhausted and hungry.

Because helicopters were circling overhead, they could only stay there, afraid to move.

Zhuang Yan observed the sky for a while, then said to Zhang Jin, "Captain, this helicopter is clearly coming for us. What should we do?"

“Yeah, Captain, we can’t just stay here all the time. What if the pursuers catch up with us?” Lei Jun was also extremely anxious.

Michael looked at Zhang Jincheng with a tense expression.

Zhang Jin remained silent, glanced up, and estimated that it would be completely dark in another half hour. He said softly, "Don't worry, it will be dark soon. It's easy to get lost in the woods at night."

In addition, the pursuers were caught off guard and certainly didn't have night vision equipment, so they wouldn't risk chasing us at night.

Besides, we're all exhausted; let's rest and recover our strength first.

Seeing Zhang Jincheng's confident expression, the group felt relieved for the time being and found a place to rest.

Zhuang Yan and Lei Jun exchanged a glance, then quietly sat down on the outermost edge, back to back.

Another prisoner, who was also a special forces soldier in disguise, silently went in another direction and soon leaned against a big tree and began to snore.

If Michael were paying attention, he would have noticed that the three men and Zhang Jincheng were positioned in an inverted triangle, with him right in the center of the triangle.

However, Michael had completely trusted Zhang Jincheng by this point, but unfortunately he didn't realize it.

Michael wasn't as physically fit as Zhang Jincheng and the others; right now, he was exhausted, thirsty, and hungry.

After running for so long, all the water in his body had evaporated. He now felt dry mouth and throat, as if it were on fire. He wondered why Zhang Jincheng and the others seemed to be fine.
……

As night deepened and all was quiet, the howls of unknown wild beasts echoed from the depths of the forest.

The sound sent chills down one's spine. A mountain breeze blew by, and the surrounding leaves and weeds rustled, like the sound of people walking.

Michael's eyes widened as he looked around in terror, feeling as if pursuers were closing in. He now truly understood what it meant to be a frightened bird.

The others, however, slept soundly, with some snoring occasionally.

Michael had barely managed to stay awake until dawn when he suddenly heard a noise and immediately woke up.

It turned out that Shi Leijun and Zhuang Yan were adding dew to the leaves.

These unidentified, broad leaves can collect the fog at night, forming many water droplets on their surface.

Zhuang Yan used his hands to gather the leaves together, then gently shook them to collect the water droplets, letting them flow into his mouth.

Michael licked his lips. He hadn't expected these two to quench their thirst in this way. They were indeed special forces soldiers; their survival skills were incredible.

Looking at the people in front of him, Michael's confidence soared.

After drinking water, Zhuang Yan and Lei Jun chatted and laughed, seemingly unconcerned about their dangerous situation.

At this moment, Zhang Jincheng and another prisoner also got up.

Zhang Jincheng looked at them and said, "Take out the maps you prepared."

"Hey, Captain, you're amazing! How did you know we had a map?" Lei Jun asked, feigning surprise.

"Even a fool could figure this out. If you thought of saving me, why didn't you think of running away? What's so strange about that?" Zhang Jincheng rolled his eyes at him.

Zhuang Yan scratched his head, took out a map from his pocket and handed it to Zhang Jincheng, "Captain, here, I prepared it a long time ago."

Zhang Jin took the map, his face darkening. "From now on, just call me Big Brother. Calling me Captain sounds awkward!"

"Yes, Big Brother!" Lei Jun and Zhuang Yan said in unison.

Zhang Jincheng waved to Michael, who was watching from the sidelines, and said, "Michael, come here for a second."

After they reached an agreement yesterday, they introduced themselves but did not go into details.

Therefore, Zhang Jin claimed to know his name was Michael.

Michael got up from the ground, brushed the dust off his clothes, and asked first, "Are you asking me where I crossed the border?"

"Yes, where do you want to take us?"

Michael did not answer Zhang Jincheng's question directly. He frowned, looked around cautiously, and said, "Let's talk over here." With that, he turned and walked to the side.

Zhang Jincheng had no choice but to follow behind him. The two walked into a thicket of bushes, where Michael stopped and turned around. He said to Zhang Jincheng, “I used to be the deputy commander of the National League Army in the Kim-San region. I was framed and arrested here a few months ago… I am grateful for your help this time. I am a grateful person and I will definitely deal with you properly when we get to the Kim-San region.”

"Oh, I see. Then let me introduce myself."

I used to be a company commander in a special forces unit. Because of an accidental shot... Zhuang Yan and Lei Jun were my comrades-in-arms..."

“That’s great, we have talents like your brothers over there.”

Once you get to the Kim Jong-un region, you'll definitely be able to show your skills.

"Making money couldn't be easier! Isn't it much better than being a common soldier like you?" Michael said excitedly.

"So which way should we go?" Zhang Jin pretended not to be interested in what Michael was saying.

Michael suddenly revealed a fierce look. He lowered his voice and said, "As long as we evade the pursuers, I have a way to take you away. However, more people will make us a bigger target. The other person is useless, so we must..." He gestured with his hand across his neck.

Zhang Jin said he hadn't expected Michael to be so ruthless. He pretended to be in a difficult position, but finally hardened his heart and said, "This is easy, leave it to me!"

Michael smiled sinisterly upon seeing this.

Zhang Jincheng knew this guy was cunning and had ulterior motives; even now, he was testing Zhang Jincheng's sincerity.

It seems I need to be very careful when dealing with this guy from now on.

“Do you know the town called Mengwu up ahead?” Michael asked.

“I know, there’s a highway leading to the outside world that passes through there,” Zhang Jin said.

"Let's get there first, and I'll have a plan once we get there."

The two exchanged a few words, then quietly walked back.

Zhang Jin said that the town Zhao Dao Mi Gao mentioned on the map was about several tens of kilometers away from their location, not too far.

He put the map away and hid it close to his body.

Then, Zhang Jin called Zhuang Yan over and whispered a few words in his ear, to which Zhuang Yan nodded.

Zhang Jin said, "Let's set off now, Steel Nail, you lead the way."

Lei Jun nodded and said, "Understood!"

Then, he pulled out a "Big Black Star" pistol from his waist and cocked it with a "click".

Then, Lei Jun took the lead and headed southwest.

Zhang Jin then said to Zhuang Yan and the fake prisoner, "You two walk at the back, watch out for the pursuers behind you, and keep a good distance from us."

After saying that, he waved to Michael, "Let's go!"

The two chased after the direction in which Lei Jun had disappeared.

This is all secondary forest, so walking around isn't difficult, unlike the primeval forest with its countless intertwined vines and vegetation.

Zhang Jin and Mi Gao walked for a while when they suddenly heard a heart-wrenching scream behind them, which was extremely chilling.

Michael asked in alarm, "What happened?"

Zhang Jin said he knew which actor Zhuang Yan was acting with, so he suggested going back to check it out.

The two walked back a short distance and ran into Zhuang Yan, who was coming alone. He glanced at Michael and said to Zhang Jin, "I've taken care of that guy!"

Michael is a cunning man who doesn't trust people, but he still wanted to go and check on things.

Sure enough, they found a person lying on the ground. Upon closer inspection, they saw that his head was covered in blood and he was pinned down by a stone...

"Damn, this kid's pretty tough. It took me four or five hits to take him down..." Zhuang Yan was afraid that Michael would notice his weakness, so he deliberately shouted loudly to attract Michael's attention.

Sure enough, Michael stopped looking closely after hearing this and walked back with a smile.

"Alright, let's hurry up and go!" Zhang Jin urged the two to set off.

Zhang Jincheng undoubtedly glared at Mi Gao and added another label to him: suspicious.

We must be careful when dealing with this guy from now on.

At this moment, Lei Jun, who was leading the way, also turned back. He had obviously heard the screams as well.

Upon seeing Zhang Jincheng, Lei Jun hurriedly asked, "Brother, what happened?"

“There’s more trouble with a lot of people, so I had the monkey take care of the guy who was following us.”

As Zhang Jin spoke, he pulled out a map: "We're changing our direction of travel; we're currently in Mengwu Town."

Lei Jun measured the distance on the map with his hand, "It's a few dozen kilometers away from us. If there are no problems, we will definitely arrive tomorrow."

"Brother, Mengwu Town is located on a major transportation route. The police will definitely set up a checkpoint here. Aren't we just walking into a trap if we go here?" Zhuang Yan said worriedly, frowning.

“This is Chief Mi’s intention,” Zhang Jincheng added, “I haven’t introduced you yet. Mi Gao is the deputy leader of Kim Jong-un’s Democratic League. Once we arrive in Mengwu Town, he will have a way to get us out of the country.”

Michael nodded confidently and said, "Boss Zhang is right. As long as we get to Mengwu, I'll find a way to take you far away, hahaha..."

"Okay, let's hurry up and leave. I don't think it's safe here," Lei Jun urged.

Lei Jun continued to lead the way, with Zhang Jin and the other two following behind him.

After Zhang Jincheng and his group had walked for about ten minutes, the fake prisoner who had been "killed" by Zhuang Yan suddenly started moving on the spot.

He reached out and pushed away the stone pressing on his head, then sat up and wiped the blood from his head with his clothes.

He stood up while wiping himself, spitting on the ground and muttering to himself, "Damn it, thank goodness I was prepared." He then pulled out a blood bag, threw it on the ground, and turned to walk down the mountain.

A few hours later, the special forces soldier, who was disguised as a prisoner, came to Liu Xiaotao's command vehicle to report the situation.

Liu Wu received a radio report from Liu Xiaotao in the command post: "Report, 001, another soldier disguised as a prisoner has returned. The enemy was afraid that too many people would expose their position, so they eliminated him."

"Where is their next target?"

"According to the soldiers who returned, their destination was Mengwu Town, but the specifics are unclear."

Liu Wufen spotted Mengwu Town on the electronic sand table, thought for a moment, and said into the microphone, "Let them enter Mengwu. Make it look natural and don't give anything away."

In addition, you should arrange for someone to enter Mengwu ahead of time to monitor their movements.

"understand!"

"In addition, the search team cannot be withdrawn. We must make a big show of it and prevent them from reaching Mengwu smoothly."

"Yes, I'll arrange it right away."

……

The four continued their journey through the deep mountains and forests. This jungle march was not difficult for Zhang Jincheng and his two special forces soldiers, but Mi Gao was clearly struggling.

Although he also lived in the mountains year-round, he lacked high-intensity training and was much older than Zhang Jincheng and the other two, so he found it very difficult.

Michael slowed down their march, forcing them to rest every so often.

But Zhang Jin kept urging him: "Chief Mi, we need to speed up, otherwise the pursuers will catch up."

"I...I'm truly impressed by you all. Even I, who have lived in the jungle all my life, can't catch up with you. What kind of people are you..." Michael said breathlessly.

“Okay, let’s rest for another ten minutes,” Zhang Jin said, sitting down on a rock and mimicking a few bird calls.

This is a code among special forces soldiers, meaning that the two people in front should also stop and rest.

A short while later, Lei Jun, who was in front, turned back, holding a bunch of wild mushrooms in his hands.

"Here, have some wild mushrooms to replenish your energy."

Michael immediately recognized it as an edible wild mushroom and asked curiously, "Brother, are you also from the mountains?"

“Hehe, what kind of mountain folk is he? He grew up on the plains of the north. He knows everything about wild mushrooms and edible things in the forest, not just wild mushrooms,” Zhang Jincheng said with a smile. He then took the wild mushrooms from Lei Jun and handed them to Mi Gao: “Have some too. We need to get going as soon as possible.”

"Aren't you going to eat?" Michael asked Zhang Jin.

"No need. We can eat whatever we can find on the road. We won't stop specifically to eat."

Michael gave him a thumbs-up with great admiration upon hearing this, "No wonder you guys always seem so energetic..."

Without any hesitation, he picked up a wild mushroom, ignoring the dirt on it, and began to wolf it down.

Zhang Jin suddenly noticed blood on Lei Jun's lips and asked him what happened.

Lei Jun said with a smile, "I found a spicy snack on the way here... I ate it while walking..."

Upon hearing this, Michael suddenly felt an urge to vomit.

"vomit!

Just then, the roar of a helicopter suddenly came from afar.

Before long, it flew over the heads of Zhang Jincheng and the others.

The group quickly hid and looked up to observe the situation of the plane.

The helicopter kept circling overhead. Zhang Jin said, "It must be looking for us. It must have discovered our whereabouts."

Just then, the barking of police dogs came from afar in the mountains. Judging from the sound, there was more than one dog, so the pursuers had obviously arrived.

"Oh no, they're tracking us with police dogs!" Michael panicked.

"Don't be afraid, they won't catch up with us that quickly!" Zhang Jin said calmly. He then took out a map, quickly opened it, and looked for an escape route.

Zhang Jin pointed to a river on the map and said, "I've got a plan. We'll use this river to escape." He immediately turned to Zhuang Yan and said, "You immediately notify 'Steel Nail' to move to the right at one o'clock."

"Understood!" Zhuang Yan nodded and quickly left.

Zhang Jin put the map away. "We're still six or seven kilometers from that river. We have to get there before the police dogs arrive."

More than an hour later, the four of them arrived at the riverbank. Michael was dumbfounded when he saw the river.

Although the river wasn't turbulent, there was a drop of twenty or thirty meters between where they were standing on the riverbank.

Looking at both sides, there were sheer cliffs, making it impossible to go down.

Michael swallowed hard. "Damn it, how can someone survive jumping from that height?"

The murky river water obscured the view of what lay beneath, and whirlpools frequently emerged, giving the impression that danger lurked beneath the surface.

Meanwhile, the pursuers were getting closer and closer to them.

Zhang Jin said he had no other choice, so he decisively ordered, "Steel Nail, you jump down first to check the situation."

Without saying a word, Lei Jun jumped into the deep water without hesitation.

With a soft "thump," Lei Jun disappeared from the river.

The three people on the cliff stared intently at the river. After about ten seconds, Lei Jun finally emerged from a distance of about ten meters downstream and waved to them.

Those few seconds felt longer than a lifetime to them.

Seeing that Lei Jun was safe, Zhang Jincheng was relieved. He gave Zhuang Yan a wink, and the two of them, one on each side, raised their arms, which were a meter high, and shouted, "Jump!"

The two men, supporting Mi Gao, jumped down.

"Ah..." Michael screamed in terror.

Before Michael could even shut his mouth, the three of them jumped into the water. The murky river water immediately poured into Michael's nose and mouth, choking him and knocking him unconscious.

Zhang Jin and Zhuang Yan each grabbed Mi Gao's arm and dragged him out of the water.

Michael's body was limp, his head drooping, and his eyes were tightly closed.

Seeing Michael's disheveled state, Zhuang Yan asked worriedly, "Brother, is he alright?"

Zhuang Yan wasn't concerned about the "flour dealer" boss; he was worried about failing to complete the mission.

Zhang Jin knew what he was worried about, so he reassured him: "You can let him go, he won't die!"

Without saying a word, the two pulled Michael downstream...

Shortly afterward, Michael regained consciousness, and the four of them landed on a shallow beach.

It was already noon.

The sun was shining brightly, making the stones on the shore scorching hot.

The four of them dried their wet clothes on the spot, and they were dry in no time.

After resting for a while, we continued our journey and arrived in Mengwu Town smoothly the next day.

Mengwu Town is located on the border, between two mountains, and a provincial highway runs through it. Because of its location on a major road, it appears to be quite prosperous.

This small town is mainly inhabited by ethnic minorities, with most of them engaged in transportation.

Therefore, every household has a large truck for transporting goods both domestically and internationally.

Its unique geographical location and the professions associated with it have made it a transit point for smuggling...

For a period of time, the flour and hazardous materials entering the "home" all originated from here, and were then distributed to various locations...

Zhang Jin said that the group arrived at the town in the evening, before the sun had set, which gave them a good view of the town.

After observing from the mountain for a while, the group discovered that there was indeed a checkpoint at the entrance to the town.

Seeing that the checkpoint was very strict, Zhang Jin decided to sneak in at night.

He observed the town from the woods in the mountains and found many beautiful villas that stood out in this remote and impoverished place, making them stand out from the crowd.

Despite his doubts, Zhang Jin did not ask any further questions.

It wasn't until nightfall, when all was dark, that the four of them sneaked into the town.

(End of this chapter)