Extreme germ phobia

Chapter 191 Cat and Mouse Game
The accident happened so suddenly that Zhu Yiming and Jiang Yuwei were completely unprepared, but they were both very alert and realized that something was wrong.

Jiang Yuwei grabbed her backpack and ran out, taking only her personal weapons and essential items.

Zhu Yiming didn't bring a backpack at all; his first thought was to carry a radio.

Ou Yang grabbed Zhu Yiming and shoved the backpack into his arms: "No need, let's go, let's go to the snow hut!"

The radio is important, but the backpack is even more important!
Zhu Yiming still refused to give up and insisted on bringing the radio with him. Ou Yang had no choice but to let him have his way.

The enemy is heading in this direction, but the camp is some distance from the town, giving the three men enough time to evacuate.

The problem is that there are enemy drones overhead. Once we leave this pine forest, we will be immediately exposed to the enemy's sight. Apart from the camp, the igloo is the only place to hide!
Leaving the RV and exiting the campsite, Jiang Yuwei and Zhu Yiming climbed up the mountain along the path beside the boulder.

In the icy and snowy landscape, leaving from any other direction will inevitably leave footprints.

However, the boulder behind the camp forms a sheltered angle, where the snow is three feet thick on flat ground, but only a thin layer here.

Ouyang deliberately laid a layer of dead branches under the rock, so that only by walking along this path around Camp One would no longer leave any traces.

Jiang Yuwei and Zhu Yiming quickly left from bottom to top.

Ouyang stayed behind last, placing the two broadswords in a hidden spot, and before leaving, he hung a "Beware of Landmines" sign at the entrance.

After finishing everything, he rushed after them, squeezed through the snow cave into the snow house on the boulder, and pulled back, burying the entrance with collapsed snow.

Inside the snow hut, all three of them were breathing rapidly. Ouyang took a few deep breaths to calm himself down and then carefully lifted the pineapple.

Zhu Yiming and Jiang Yuwei gradually calmed down.

Due to the height and angle, the enemy could not see what was happening on the boulder, but the two men were still unable to calm down.

"Everything was fine until today, how could this accident suddenly happen?" Zhu Yiming asked in a low voice.

Ou Yang shook his head, signaling to stop talking.

He felt helpless. The three of them had stayed at Camp One for too long, leaving too many traces of their lives around the area, including but not limited to wooden stakes, wolf carcasses, footprints, and so on.

Given the recent repeated deployments of drones, it's not surprising that they were discovered.

As the enemy drew closer, Ou Yang spread his fingers, hearing the sound of footsteps on the snow beneath the boulder. He then clenched his fist, abandoning his plan to load the machine gun.

He gestured to indicate that the enemy was approaching, and all three men tensed up and instinctively held their breath.

Below the rock, a group of old rice farmers surrounded the camp.

Mason, with an unlit cigar between his teeth and his rifle in hand, stopped in his tracks: "Is this the place?"

“Yes!” Another old man named Yann pointed to the snowdrift, “That’s it.”

Mason looked left and right, but it was just a small hill, not a campsite: "Let's go take a look!"

Yann agreed, pointed to the snowdrift, and waved. Several expressionless Americans immediately waded through the snow and walked over. Soon after, a loud shout came from behind the snowdrift: "Sir, the entrance is here!"

Mason smiled with satisfaction: "Very good, Yann!"

"Roger that!" Yann cleared his throat and shouted, "Listen up, you people inside! You're surrounded. We mean you no harm. Come out!"

On the boulder, the three men all wore expressions of disdain.

No malicious intent? Even an idiot wouldn't believe that!

Yann called out twice more, his throat was hoarse, but there was still no response from the camp.

He shrugged and said, "I guess they must have been terrified."

Mason sighed. "Go in and take a look. Be careful not to hurt anyone."

The order was immediately relayed, and an old American, seemingly oblivious to the landmine warning, rushed into the camp without a word.

boom--

With a muffled thud, steel balls flew everywhere. Old Mi, who had stormed into the camp, was riddled with countless steel balls and collapsed on the ground covered in blood.

The scattered steel balls struck the boulder, creating a series of clanging and banging sounds, and a flurry of snowflakes flew everywhere.

Two other Americans were also caught in the blast wave and fell to the ground with a muffled groan.

Mason and Yann were startled. They exchanged a glance, both relieved that they hadn't moved forward.

"It's alright." Merlin didn't know if she was saying it to herself or to comfort Yaen. "Continue!"

Another American entered the camp, and a moment later there was another muffled bang. The poor American was blown to pieces and died on the spot.

But this time they've all learned their lesson, and he's the only one who's unlucky.

The three people inside the snow hut looked at each other in bewilderment. They had already learned their lesson once, so why were they still so determined to barge in?

What hatred or resentment?

Yann waved his hand again, and Old Mi, who had received the order, swallowed hard, hesitating greatly.

Yann's face darkened, and he immediately pointed the dark muzzle of his gun at his hesitant subordinate.

Old Mi looked conflicted but dared not disobey orders. He cautiously entered the camp, but nothing unexpected happened until he opened the car door.

He looked left and right, hesitated repeatedly under Yann's urging, and then stepped into the RV with his eyes closed.

The expected explosion did not occur. He opened his eyes in surprise and saw that there were still embers burning in the stove: "There's still fire in the stove, they're nearby!"

“Find it!” Mason said.

The remaining old Americans immediately sprang into action, turning Camp One inside and out completely.

On the boulder, Zhu Yiming hooked his finger on the bolt of his gun, ready to cock and fire at any moment.

Ou Yang quietly pressed down on the back of his hand and gently shook his head.

If Camp One is gone, we can stay at Camp Two, but once the fighting starts, we will have a direct conflict with the other side.

Outnumbered and outgunned, the consequences of a firefight are unpredictable; we must exercise restraint for now.

The enemy's footsteps kept approaching and receding, keeping the three men on edge.

Soon after, the enemy expanded their search area, and now their footsteps could be heard not only below the boulder but also on the hillside.

One of the voices kept getting closer and actually came from the side of the snow house. It sounded like there was only a snow wall between them. If the other person had just moved their hand a little too far and pressed it against the wall, they would have noticed that the snow on the boulder was not right.

Jiang Yuwei stared intently at the snow wall, as if her gaze could penetrate the snow layer. Her finger even subconsciously pulled the trigger, but fortunately there were no bullets in the chamber and the safety was not off.

A moment later, the footsteps faded into the distance, but soon reappeared above the snow house!

Behind the boulder is another rock that looks like a two-tiered staircase, with the slope leading to the ridge just above the staircase.

Ouyang's heart was in his throat. It must be the enemy standing on the second level, looking down at the surroundings. If there hadn't been another level, wouldn't they have been standing on the snow house?
The three men, each with a gun, simultaneously pointed it upwards and behind them, all calculating in their minds how likely it was that the other man might suddenly get a playful urge and jump down from above.

Fortunately, the person left unhurriedly after a short while.

As the footsteps faded into the distance, the three of them breathed a sigh of relief.

After waiting a while, an old man called out and started noisily moving this and that, and it took him quite a while to stop.

Ouyang's heart was bleeding. He had finally managed to get some supplies, and now they were all going to the Americans.

Zhu Yiming and Jiang Yuwei looked at Ou Yang together, their eyes asking if they could leave.

Ouyang shook his head without hesitation, signaling the two to wait patiently. It sounded like there was no one outside, but who knew if Old Mi was hiding in the shadows, waiting for them to jump out?
Since the other party knew about Camp One and there were no extra footprints around, they should have guessed that the three of them had been hiding nearby.

Even though no clues were found, would the enemy give up so easily?

Obviously it is impossible.

In situations like this, it's better to play it safe.

Jiang Yuwei cautiously shifted her body, moving closer to Ou Yang.

This small snow house was originally intended as a temporary shelter to deal with the old Mi who were entrenched in the town, and it was planned to be abandoned after the old Mi withdrew.

But Ouyang thought the place was good and it would be a pity to give it up, so he simply ran the snow house as a secret camp attached to Camp One.

Therefore, he rebuilt the igloo.

This thing looks easy, but it's actually not that simple.

First, the bricks must be made of compacted snow blocks, and the snow bricks cannot be too thin. The exit must be opened in the leeward direction, and the roof must have a skylight for ventilation.

These were all things that Ouyang had seen online before. The three of them built the igloo strictly according to the standards in their memory, but after it was built, it was not as good as they had imagined, and they did not know what went wrong.

Since I didn't plan to live in the igloo permanently anyway, some minor drawbacks are not a big deal.

Later, the three prepared some food and ammunition in the snow hut, and laid some branches and dry grass on the rocks. A few days ago, they even added two wolf skins!

If it's necessary to monitor Old Mi, and he has to stay in the igloo for a long time, wolf pelts or something can at least provide some warmth.

However, without a heat source, no matter how thorough the preparations, it is impossible to raise the temperature inside the igloo.

Ouyang was also terribly cold. He gestured to Zhu Jiang and the other man to prepare all the clothes and blankets they could wear. The three of them huddled together, using each other's body heat to ward off the cold.

At times like this, nobody thinks about nonsense like the strict separation of men and women; their only thought is how to stay warm.

But the chill kept creeping down from below, and Zhu Yiming couldn't take it anymore. He shivered and said, "If we wait any longer, we'll freeze to death!"

Ouyang knew that stubbornness was not the solution, so he gritted his teeth, took out a small iron box, placed it in the center of the snow house, cut a piece of C4 from a piece of C4, put it in the iron box, and lit it.

The metal box wasn't big, and there wasn't much C4 in it, but with this thing, the three of them immediately felt much warmer.

Ouyang stretched out his frozen hand, warmed it briefly, and quickly pulled it back to avoid poor circulation and localized itching: "We must leave before dark."

While starting a fire can raise the temperature, it also poses significant risks.

During the day it's not a big deal, but at night, when it's pitch black, the faint light can be seen from a great distance through the snow bricks.

Zhu Yiming nodded: "I'll listen to you."

Jiang Yuwei also agreed.

Didn't they know it was dangerous to leave the igloo?

Of course I know, and I know it very well.

Given the current conditions, if they don't leave the snow hut, they'll either be exposed or freeze to death; there's simply no third option.

Therefore, even if it's risky, we have to leave and move to Camp Two.

But before long, Zhu Yiming started to worry again: "Ouyang, has Camp Two been discovered as well?"

The temperature inside the snow house rose, and his voice stopped trembling.

"Probably not." Ou Yang wasn't sure, but he couldn't let his guard down. "They're well hidden over there, and they're small targets. Besides, we've been here the whole time, so the chances of us being exposed are very small."

"Oh!" Zhu Yiming replied.

He understood everything Ou Yang was saying, but he still wanted to hear Ou Yang say it himself.

Although a guarantee won't do any real good, it does offer some peace of mind.

Zhu Yiming thought for a moment and then said, "What if?"

Ouyang cut off a small piece of C4 and threw it into the metal box, watching the explosive slowly melt in the flames: "Then we have no choice but to surrender."

He also regretted it a little; if he had known this day would come, he would have set up the camp a little further away.

The location of Camp Two is not much farther than here. Even if we avoid the enemy for now, we probably won't be able to hold out for long.

Thinking about this, Ouyang couldn't help but consider moving away from the town. The question was, where could he move to?
A thought suddenly struck him: "Do you think we could move to that RV near the minefield?"

Zhu Yiming looked surprised: "You mean, that one by the roadside?"

Ouyang nodded: "Yes!"

"Come on, that car overturned."

"It's better to flip it than nothing, right?" Ou Yang raised his head, his gaze unwavering.

"Where are the footprints? How were they removed?"

Ou Yang said, "That's easy, we'll take the highway."

Recently, Xia Dengmi has been busy clearing mines, leaving countless footprints on the road and compacting the snow.

Zhu Yiming was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "I have another good place to go, but it's a bit risky."

“Where?” Ouyang asked.

Zhu Yiming gestured with his chin towards the town: "What do you think of those abandoned carriages outside the town?"

"Huh?" Ou Yang was surprised. "It seems... okay?"

Unlike in China, Americans still use diesel locomotives. Although the locomotives and carriages were damaged to some extent, no one paid any attention to them after the day they derailed.

In other words, the fuel in the car is still there, and the equipment might still be usable.

Moreover, the railway tracks are right next to the RV campground outside the town, where there are still quite a few RVs. Although some are damaged, the equipment on them can be repaired and they might still be usable!
As long as you bring enough supplies, you can hide in the front of a vehicle and take advantage of the chaos to your advantage.

Even if Old Mi finds the footprints of the three people, it doesn't matter. They can simply walk around the town and then go out and get back into the carriage. In this way, Old Mi can only know that the three of them entered the town, but it will be difficult to know where they are hiding!
There are advantages, but there are also significant disadvantages. Once the Americans set their sights on the carriages, it will be difficult for them to escape.

After much hesitation, Ouyang still couldn't make up his mind: "We'll decide where to go later. It's getting late, let's go back to Camp Two first!"

The three of them immediately set to work, keeping only the essentials with them and leaving the optional items in the snow hut.

Ouyang was the first to crawl out, carefully observing his surroundings before sending out a safety signal if he found nothing amiss.

The three lined up and planned to walk up the hillside. Once they crossed the ridge, they could use the mountain to block the enemy's view, and then change direction and head towards Camp Two.

The enemy left many footprints on the hillside, so it didn't matter which way you went. The key question was whether the enemy had retrieved their drones.

He then carefully observed the edge of the woods for a while to make sure there were no drones in the air before continuing forward.

However, just as they crossed the ridge, Ouyang suddenly noticed several particularly conspicuous snow mounds in the snow.

His pupils contracted, and he immediately realized something was wrong.

Before the alarm could even be raised, a group of Americans jumped out from under the snowdrift, pointing seven or eight guns at once: "Don't move!"

Ou Yang's vision went black: It's over!

(End of this chapter)