Chapter 3

Chapter 3

“That’s strange. Where did everyone go?”

I swept my flashlight around in a circle, but I couldn’t find Uncle Da and the others. The woman’s screams grew even more shrill, sounding as if she were right next to us.

Jiang Haoyan and I couldn’t worry about anything else; we had to rush toward the source of the sound.

After running for about ten minutes, we soon arrived at the base of a massive earthen mound.

A tent had been pitched beneath the mound, and a campfire was burning. A group of young people sat around the fire, holding beers and laughing as they enjoyed themselves.

One of the girls, her hair in twin ponytails, was running around the campfire while screaming.

“Help! A Man-eating Snake!”

A boy with dyed yellow hair was chasing after her.

“You can scream until your throat is raw, but no one is coming to save you! Hahaha!”

The others were doubled over with laughter, pointing their phones at the pair to record the scene.

I instantly flared up with anger.

“Are you kidding me? Who screams like that in a place like this in the middle of the night!”

Everyone stopped and looked at Jiang Haoyan and me in surprise. The girl squinted at me for a long time before it clicked.

“Oh, it’s you guys! Aren’t you from that science program team?”

“Are you guys camped out near here too? I’m Xiaoya. Come over and have a drink with us!”

“No thanks. There are plenty of expedition teams out here, not just yours. If you keep screaming like that and people come looking for you, what happens if they have an accident on the way?”

Jiang Haoyan gave them a piece of his mind. Realizing they were in the wrong, the young people quieted down. Only Xiaoya didn’t take it seriously; she giggled and walked over to grab Jiang Haoyan’s arm.

“Big brother is so mean. I know I was wrong, okay? Do you want to have a drink with us?”

Jiang Haoyan immediately pulled his arm away and rolled his eyes in disgust.

“Lady, don’t call me that, okay? I’m a college freshman who just turned eighteen. You’re calling me ‘big brother’-what are you, a high schooler?”

The others burst into laughter, and Xiaoya laughed even harder. She tilted her head and shook the beer in her hand.

“Hehe, little brother is so cute. Since you’re so cute, why don’t you stay the night?”

“You’re crazy!”

Jiang Haoyan glared at her and pulled me away to leave. But the others began to surround us, and a few more people emerged from the tent. They were wearing camouflage, and they looked somewhat familiar.

I stared at one of the young men. He made a face at me and turned to shout toward the tent, “Boss-it’s Qiao Moyu!”

A moment later, Tong Wei lifted the tent flap and stepped out.

“Qiao Moyu, you really do turn up everywhere!”

Jiang Haoyan and I stared at each other in shock.

Tong Wei was one of Tong Fusheng’s subordinates. He was the one who had led a group to find treasure back at Ailao Mountain, Yunnan. I hadn’t expected this guy to have survived; he really was lucky to be alive.

“Look! A meteorite!”

I pointed toward the sky and shouted at the top of my lungs.

Everyone looked up. In the next second, Jiang Haoyan and I bolted in opposite directions.

I was panting heavily, sprinting as fast as my legs could carry me. The freezing wind, mixed with fine grains of sand, whipped against my face like a blade, making my skin sting.

The wind whistled in my ears, followed by the sharp *bang* of a gunshot. My entire body went numb.

Damn it, they have guns.

I had no choice but to veer off and run right back toward Tong Wei.

Jiang Haoyan and I completed a half-circle and ended up back in front of Tong Wei. I leaned over, hands on my knees, gasping for air.

Tong Wei blew on the muzzle of his gun.

“Running pretty fast there. Why’d you stop?”

I rolled my eyes.

“The wind is strong tonight. I was just getting some exercise to warm up.”

Tong Wei gave a smug chuckle, put away his gun, and waved his hand.

“Men, tie them both up.”