Courtyard House: My Long and Hard Body Makes Me Play with All the Women in the Courtyard

Su Ting nodded slightly, his eyes filled with gratitude and worry. "Be careful." He knew that at this critical juncture, someone had to make a sacrifice to buy more time and opportunities.

Just then, the footsteps not far away stopped abruptly, followed by a deep voice. "Who's there?" The voice sounded very wary, clearly having also noticed the two people's presence.

Qin Hao quickly seized the opportunity, lightly kicked the ground, making a crisp sound, and then threw the smoke grenade in his hand with force, which landed accurately about five meters away from the enemy.

The smoke grenade detonated instantly, and thick white smoke quickly spread, making the already dim environment even more obscure.

Taking advantage of the brief moment of chaos, Qin Hao quickly rushed to a side passage and shouted, "Here! This way!" to attract the enemy's attention.

Without hesitation, Su Ting strode forward through the thick white smoke, trying to get as far away from Qin Hao's location as possible, hoping to continue deeper into the mine as planned.

Just as he was about to enter another tunnel, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine—it seemed as if something was approaching him.

He stopped and slowly turned around to look around. He heard a light but eerie footstep. Unlike the hurried or wary footsteps he had heard before, this one seemed to be deliberately lightened.

Suddenly, a figure emerged from behind the smoke. The person was wearing a mask, but their eyes revealed a ruthless intent. "As expected, there are still some who slipped through the net," the man said coldly.

Faced with the sudden situation, Su Ting was not frightened, but instead calmly analyzed the current situation.

At that moment, the emergency survival tips Alexander had taught them flashed through his mind, and he decided to risk trying them out.

He quickly took a small bottle of liquid from his backpack, opened the cap, and poured it in front of him before lighting it with a lighter.

This is a simple device they use to create a temporary fire barrier; while not enough to cause serious harm, it is enough to create panic and buy them time to escape.

Flames flickered and danced in the confined space, the heat from the fire making the air even more oppressive. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Su Ting rushed forward, trying to shake off the uninvited guest's pursuit.

However, the other party seemed quite experienced and did not lose his way due to the sudden fire. Instead, he quickened his pace to give chase, while shouting to his companions, "Don't let him get away!"

Realizing the situation was becoming increasingly critical, Su Ting knew he had to find a place to hide temporarily as soon as possible so he could rethink his next move.

Fortunately, a fork in the road appeared not far ahead. Without hesitation, he chose to turn into the narrowest road, which was covered in cobwebs and dust, hoping to escape his pursuers.

Just as it was about to disappear around another corner.

Su Ting suddenly felt a cold wind rushing towards him from behind, and then a strong arm suddenly wrapped around his neck and strangled his throat, forcing him to be unable to breathe properly or even cry for help.

"Hmph, you think you can escape by running into this godforsaken place?" A chilling chuckle echoed in his ears, followed by a gradual darkening of his vision...

Meanwhile, Qin Hao, who had successfully escaped using the smokescreen, did not stop. Instead, he was moving towards his destination according to the pre-arranged signal markers. However, not long after, he also encountered similar trouble.

As we rounded a bend, several fully armed figures silently appeared ahead, blocking our path.

The burly man at the head of the group raised his chin and looked at him defiantly, "You guys are really stubborn. You think you can just walk out of here unscathed? Dream on!"

Chapter 255 Hope in Adversity

"Looks like you're a tough opponent too." Qin Hao stared coldly at the man opposite him, without a trace of fear in his eyes. He quickly assessed his surroundings, looking for a possible opportunity to escape.

The burly man let out a deep laugh: "I am the captain of the guard here. You outsiders think you can easily break through my defenses? How laughable!"

Amidst the laughter of the other party, Qin Hao suddenly pulled a small hand grenade from his pocket and quickly pulled out the safety pin.

"In that case, let's see who has the last laugh!" With that, he threw the object with all his might, aiming it right at the feet of the group of people.

With a deafening explosion, the already cramped space was instantly filled with smoke and dust. Taking advantage of the chaos, Qin Hao quickly leaped over the collapsed rocks in front of him and ran towards the other side of the passage.

Although he had successfully escaped his current predicament, Qin Hao knew that this was only a temporary relief, and there was still a long way to go to complete the mission. Just then, faint but clear footsteps suddenly came from not far away.

His instinctive alertness made him immediately stop and hide behind a rock wall, waiting for the person to appear. A moment later, a thin man cautiously came into view.

Just as Qin Hao was about to subdue him, the man spoke first, saying, "Don't be nervous, I'm here to help you."

Surprised, Qin Hao slowly lowered his guard and asked, "How did you find this place? And why did you help me?"

"Time is running out, and simply put, I share the same goal as you."

The man quickly responded, "I know there are some very important secrets hidden in this mine, and now someone wants to use that to harm more innocent people."

After hearing this, Qin Hao nodded thoughtfully, a feeling of trust gradually rising in his heart.

He then continued, "In that case, may I ask your name? We can work together."

"Just call me Lao Yang. I've been around here for many years and I know the terrain very well. I should be able to provide you with a lot of help."

Old Yang said cheerfully, "But speaking of which, besides you, there seems to be another person on your side? How is he doing now?"

Thinking of the dangerous situation Su Ting might have just encountered, Qin Hao frowned slightly. "We haven't been able to contact each other since we split up. I'm worried something might have happened to him..."

Sensing the anxiety in Qin Hao's tone, Lao Yang patted him on the shoulder to comfort him, "Don't worry, as long as he's alive, we'll definitely find him! Let's proceed as planned and keep an eye out for any clues along the way."

On the other side, Su Ting, who was being held hostage, was in a semi-conscious state. With his last remaining consciousness, he tried his best to stay alert and listen for every subtle sound around him in order to find an opportunity to call for help.

Just as despair was about to overwhelm his mind, a faint but familiar voice drifted through the darkness:

"Brother Su, are you alright? Hang in there, I'm coming to rescue you right away!"

Although the exact source of the sound was unclear, these words undoubtedly illuminated the way forward. Realizing that it might be Qin Hao or other allied forces coming to their rescue, the young man in his predicament was filled with boundless courage.

Meanwhile, Qin Hao, who was squatting in a dark corner, was discussing the specific rescue plan with his new ally, Lao Yang.

Based on the information provided by the other party, they quickly identified several locations where the enemy's temporary bases might exist and decided to split their forces into two groups to carry out the operation.

Just as they were about to part, Qin Hao looked earnestly at his newly acquainted yet utterly trusted friend beside him, "If you ever encounter a situation that's truly difficult to handle, please prioritize your own safety. You absolutely cannot lose another companion!"

Chapter 256 Specially Reinforced Room

Old Yang nodded, a determined glint in his eyes. "Don't worry, I'm no stranger to this world. Let's both take care."

After saying that, the two split up according to the plan. Qin Hao moved north along a more concealed route, while Lao Yang headed east to a more open but also more dangerous area.

Qin Hao carefully avoided places that seemed deserted but actually concealed traps and sentries, and finally found the place where Su Ting was imprisoned behind a pile of ruins.

A small room that looks ordinary but has actually been specially reinforced inside.

"Su Ting!" he called out softly a few times but received no response, which made him even more anxious.

Just as he was about to try to open the locked door, he suddenly heard light footsteps behind him.

Instinctively, he dodged to the side, and a sharp dagger grazed past him, leaving a deep mark on the rock.

"Who is it?! Show yourself!" Qin Hao shouted, quickly gripping another weapon in his hand in case of emergency.

After a moment of silence, a man emerged from the darkness—it was the guard captain who had mocked them earlier.

"Hmph, I didn't expect you to actually manage to find your way here. But do you really think the two of you can rescue this guy? That's a joke."

Faced with such a provocative tone, Qin Hao did not answer immediately, but instead narrowed his eyes and carefully examined the other party.

Clearly, this person was unaware that he had received new intelligence and support. So he feigned contempt and said, "You think you can stop us? It seems there aren't any decent experts here."

This provocation worked perfectly; the captain's face immediately contorted with rage. "Damn it, how dare they underestimate me! You'll see soon enough..."

Taking advantage of the enemy's distraction while he was talking, Qin Hao suddenly accelerated forward, his body as nimble as a cheetah as he bypassed the latter, instantly arriving at the door and successfully opening the lock with the specially prepared key.

The door slammed open, revealing a slightly tired yet resolute face in the dimly lit room: it was Su Ting!

"Brother Qin...is that you?" Although he was so weak that he could barely stand up, a glimmer of hope still flashed in Su Ting's eyes when he saw the familiar face.

"Brother, it's good that you're alright. Let's get out of here before they realize what's happening." Qin Hao quickly helped his swaying friend up, glancing around to make sure they were safe for the time being.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded in the distance, clearly indicating that other enemy troops had heard the commotion and were coming to investigate. "There's no time to walk slowly; we must shake off our pursuers as quickly as possible!"

Qin Hao immediately made a decision: he would carry Su Ting, who was still weak, forward, using the terrain as cover to avoid the search team while trying to find an exit.

And so, under the cover of night, the two carefully and raced against time through the maze-like passages, narrowly avoiding their opponents several times with their tacit cooperation.

Finally, after an unexpected discovery of a narrow vent leading to the outside world, it was as if they saw the glimmer of final victory.

"Hurry up! We're almost there!" Qin Hao whispered to the person on his back, his voice low but full of encouragement.

"Um... Keep it up, brothers." Even in his extreme fatigue, Su Ting managed a forced smile, making all the hardships and obstacles seem less heavy.

As the two finally managed to crawl out of the mine through a crack and breathe in the fresh air, a familiar voice suddenly rang out from not far away: "How was it? Did you escape successfully?"

Looking up, I saw it was Lao Yang, who had just arrived at the rendezvous point after completing his own mission.

Seeing that they had all returned safely, the three smiled at each other. No words were needed to convey their sense of accomplishment after working together and their boundless hope for the future.

"Although this operation was fraught with danger, we have at least achieved our initial objectives. However, there is still a long road ahead," Qin Hao said solemnly to his companions after catching his breath.

"No problem, with us here, there's no difficulty we can't overcome!" Old Yang replied with great enthusiasm.

"Yes, as long as we are united, nothing can defeat us. Let's move towards the light!" Su Ting added, bolstering his spirits.

After saying this, the three turned and looked towards the faintly visible target in the distance—where a new challenge awaited.

Chapter 257 A Brief Map

Just as the three were about to continue their journey, they suddenly heard a slight rustling sound coming from the bushes not far away.

Qin Hao immediately became alert and signaled Lao Yang and Su Ting to remain silent. He slowly drew his weapon, his eyes sharp as a hawk's as he stared ahead, and whispered, "Something's up. Everyone get ready."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a figure suddenly darted out of the bushes, moving with incredible speed, arriving in front of the three of them in the blink of an eye.

The person stopped and revealed a familiar face—it was Xiao Li, the intelligence agent who had been secretly helping them all along.

"Xiao Li!" Qin Hao breathed a sigh of relief. "What brings you here so late?"

Xiao Li smiled slightly, but seemed a little nervous.

"Brother Qin, there are some new developments in the intelligence. According to the information I just received, the other side has discovered our rescue operation and has strengthened the blockade of the surrounding area. We must change our original route, otherwise we may not be able to escape."