Courtyard House: First, kill the hypocrites, leave none alive.

The damp, cold, salty air, mixed with the pungent smell of silt and decaying seaweed, surged into my lungs as my feet finally touched the solid (yet muddy) ground.

The shore is not a soft sandy beach, but a rocky beach that has been washed by the waves for many years and is piled with jagged rocks and slippery pebbles.

The massive reefs loomed like crouching monsters in the darkness, the waves crashing beneath their feet, producing a hollow, continuous roar that drowned out most other sounds.

The sampan tossed them ashore like cargo and then barely paused.

The two men in black didn't even glance at them before turning the boat around. The small sampan, like a startled black fish, quickly slid into the churning, dark sea, disappearing in a few undulations, leaving only a trail of gradually calming white foam.

They were completely abandoned on this unfamiliar and perilous coastline.

As soon as the couple got ashore, they looked around in terror, like headless flies.

In the distance, the dazzling lights of Hong Kong Island illuminated half the sky, outlining the rugged and menacing coastline nearby and the silhouette of a higher, darker area ahead, which appeared to be a cliff or breakwater.

The man was still clutching the bundle containing tattered clothes that he had snatched from the dead man's bundle, as if it were his only lifeline.

The woman clung tightly to his arm, her teeth chattering from the cold and fear.

"Which way...which way?" The man's voice trembled, trembling with sobs.

The woman just shook her head, looking lost and helpless.

On the other side, the middle-aged man who had been silent all along did not panic like the others after getting ashore.

He quickly crouched down, seemingly adjusting to the slippery ground beneath his feet, while his sharp eyes scanned the surrounding terrain.

He first looked up at the brightly lit skyline in the distance, as if trying to find his way, then looked down and carefully examined the texture of the stones under his feet and the direction of the moss. He even reached out and touched the wet, salty water stains on a rock.

He seemed to have made a judgment just seconds later.

He straightened up, ignoring the panicked couple and Chen Feng and Xiao Yu, and instead strode towards the right front, towards a relatively flat area with fewer rocks and what appeared to be trampling marks.

His movements were slow but steady, with a clear and decisive purpose, as if he were not entirely unfamiliar with the terrain.

Chen Feng did not act immediately.

He held Xiaoyu tightly with one hand, protecting her by his side, while his other hand quietly rested on the handle of the gun at his waist.

His gaze, like the most precise instrument, swept quickly and calmly over everything around him.

Terrain: A rocky, complex terrain, good for concealment but also easy to be surrounded and isolated. Ahead lies a towering, dark silhouette, possibly a cliff or an abandoned dam, blocking the direct path to the starry sky. An opening or path must be found.

Sounds: Besides the sound of waves, there seemed to be faint, indistinct urban noises in the distance—the sound of cars passing by, and indistinct music.

But on this desolate beach, these sounds are amplified and distorted, making them difficult to pinpoint accurately.

Light: The lights on the distant horizon are the main light source, but the light projected here is very weak and diffused, barely outlining the contours of nearby objects, while the distant areas are shrouded in deep darkness. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage for concealment and observation.

Most importantly, where does the danger come from?

The snakehead (or rather, the person who brought them ashore) had left, but the middle-aged man's earlier warning still echoed in their ears—"snake thief."

Local gangsters who specialize in waiting at the landing points where illegal immigrants might land, arresting and extorting them.

Will they be here? When will they appear? How will they appear?

Chen Feng's gaze involuntarily followed the back of the middle-aged man who had begun to climb upwards.

Why is he so certain about his direction?

Is he really just someone who "ran a few times"? Or... is he an informant for the "snake hunters," or even one of them?

This thought made Chen Feng's eyes grow even colder.

But he didn't make any rash moves; he simply pulled Xiaoyu a little further behind him.

Just then—

"ah!!!"

The woman in the couple suddenly let out a short and shrill scream, but the man immediately covered her mouth tightly!

Like startled rabbits, the two of them shrank behind a huge rock, their bodies trembling like leaves.

Almost simultaneously, Chen Feng's ears picked up a strange sound!

It wasn't the sound of waves!

It came from above the higher, darker outline (cliff or embankment) to their left front!

It was the sound of dense, chaotic footsteps! And... the beam of a flashlight!

Not just one or two, but more than a dozen! At least a dozen!

The bright beam of the flashlight, like a sharp sword, pierced down from the edge of the darkness above, sweeping and crisscrossing wildly across the rocky beach!

The beam of light slashed across the damp stones, casting a ghastly white reflection; it swept across the terrified, hiding figures, leaving distorted and warped shadows; it swept across the dark sea, illuminating the surging white waves.

Accompanying the beam of light were a cacophony of shouts, laughter, and curses filled with hostility and excitement!

They were speaking a fast-paced and crude Cantonese dialect; Chen Feng could only understand a few words—"Hurry up!" "Over there!" "Check if there's any 'new stock'!" "Don't let them get away!"

Snake-hunting team!

It's really coming!

Moreover, there were quite a few people; judging from the sounds and the beams of light, there were at least a dozen!

They were clearly not just passing by; they had planned this all along, waiting for illegal immigrants to walk right into their trap!

The middle-aged man suddenly stopped in his tracks!

He had just climbed a relatively gentle slope, less than ten meters from the edge of what appeared to be a deserted path, barely visible above. The flashlight beam instantly caught his silhouette!

"There! There's one over there!"

"Grab him!"

"Don't let him get away!"

Several excited shouts rang out, and several beams of flashlight immediately locked onto him!

More hurried footsteps came from above, closing in on his location!

For the first time, obvious panic appeared on the middle-aged man's face!

He turned around abruptly and glanced at the others on the rocky beach below, who were like lambs to the slaughter, especially the couple who were paralyzed with fear on the ground. His eyes were filled with complex emotions.

But he didn't stop, nor did he intend to come down and "help." Instead, he gritted his teeth and unleashed an agility beyond his years, charging towards a darker area with denser rocks on the side of the slope, using both hands and feet to try and use the terrain to escape his pursuit!

"Trying to run? Chase after me!"

"Damn, it can run pretty fast!"

An angry shout and even more urgent chasing sounds came from above.

Some of the flashlight beams followed the middle-aged man's direction, but most of the beams, like searchlights, swept back and forth across the relatively open rocky beach below!

The rock where the couple was hiding wasn't particularly well concealed, and they were quickly spotted by several intersecting beams of light!

"Here! There's more!"

"A man and a woman! Hiding behind a rock!"

"Haha, scared out of your wits, huh!"

"Go! Catch them!"