Tan Changqing, Chao Yan, and Lin Zhirou strictly followed the plan they had made yesterday. They steadily advanced along the main road and successfully reached the halfway point of the mountain. As expected, there, they found some guards conducting patrols.

Faced with this situation, they wisely chose not to confront the defenders head-on. Tan Changqing said solemnly, "Today, we need to circumvent them and move forward quickly. We don't yet fully understand the specifics of this road, so everyone must be careful."

"Okay, don't worry!" Chao Yan and Lin Zhirou responded in unison, their voices full of determination.

They were extremely alert and carefully avoided the sight of the guards, and instead chose other paths to continue up the mountain.

Tan Changqing, Chao Yan, and Lin Zhirou climbed steadily up the mountain along the winding path. The trees in the mountain forest were lush and green, and the branches and leaves swayed gently in the breeze. The sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled shadows.

Lin Zhirou walked with full concentration, her eyes focused on the path ahead, but the mountain road was rugged and a protruding stone was hidden in the grass. She accidentally tripped over the stone with her right foot, lost her balance, and fell forward.

"Ah!" Lin Zhirou screamed, her arm brushed against the ground, and a sharp pain came.

When Tan Changqing and Chao Yan heard the scream, they immediately turned around and saw Lin Zhirou fall to the ground, so they hurried over.

"Zhi Rou, how are you?" Tan Changqing asked with concern, his face full of anxiety.

Chao Yan also squatted down and checked Lin Zhirou's wound, "Oh, my arm was scratched and it bled a little."

Lin Zhirou gritted her teeth, enduring the pain, "I'm fine, just a little scrape, it's nothing serious."

Tan Changqing frowned and said, "How can it be okay? This mountain road is so dangerous, you have to be careful."

Chao Yan took out a tissue from her backpack and gently wiped the blood off Lin Zhirou's arm. "Clean it up first, otherwise it will easily get infected."

Lin Zhirou looked at their worried expressions and felt warm in her heart, "It's really okay, let's hurry up and not waste time."

Tan Changqing insisted, "No, how can you continue walking like this? Take a rest first."

Chao Yan also agreed: "Chang Qing is right, let's take a rest first. Are you injured anywhere else besides here?"

Lin Zhirou smiled helplessly, "No, thank you, I'm fine, just a few scratches, just a Band-Aid will be fine, luckily Qingdai gave me some before leaving."

"Are you really okay? Don't you need to rest?" Tan Changqing asked worriedly.

"It's okay, let's continue climbing the mountain, otherwise we will run out of time." Lin Zhirou comforted them with a smile.

"Alright." Tan Changqing took out a functional drink to replenish his energy from his backpack and handed it to Lin Zhirou. "Drink some water to replenish your water."

Lin Zhirou took the drink and took a sip. "Thank you, we can continue walking."

Tan Changqing was still worried, "Is it really okay?"

Lin Zhirou said firmly: "Really, there is no need. We can't delay too long, otherwise the mission will not be completed."

Chao Yan also said: "Well, let's be careful."

So the three of them set out on their journey again. Along the way, they took care of each other and supported each other, and finally reached the top of the mountain smoothly.

The three of them carefully hid in a bush and observed the surrounding situation.

"It took us more than fifty minutes to get from the bottom of the mountain to the top. We still have an hour to get food. It's much faster than yesterday. We really need to bypass the guards on the mountainside." Tan Changqing said in a low voice.

"It's indeed much faster, but what should we do with these eight guards?" Chao Yan said nervously.

"Act according to the plan. Hush, be quiet, they are looking over here." Tan Changqing lowered his body and his voice gradually faded away.

Chaoyan and Lin Zhirou also held their breath nervously, not daring to make a sound.

"These guards seem very vigilant." Chao Yan said softly.

Lin Zhirou nodded, "Yes, we have to be careful not to be discovered by them."

Tan Changqing frowned, thinking about countermeasures, "We need to observe the route they are patrolling and the situation, and then formulate a strategy."

"That's right, then let's observe their patrol routes first to see if there are any loopholes." Chao Yan suggested.

"Good idea." Tan Changqing agreed.

So, the three of them quietly observed the guards' every move and remembered it firmly in their minds. After a while, they found that the eight guards always had two or three seconds when they turned around and were not facing the cave entrance. This was a good opportunity to rush into the cave.

Tan Changqing, Chao Yan, and Lin Zhirou exchanged glances, a flicker of determination in their eyes. They knew this was a rare opportunity that they had to seize.

"Are you ready?" Tan Changqing asked in a low voice.

Chao Yan and Lin Zhirou nodded and held their weapons tightly.

"Charge!" Tan Changqing gave an order, and the three of them rushed out from the bushes like arrows and ran towards the cave.

The guards were obviously not expecting their sudden appearance and were momentarily panicked. But they soon reacted and turned around to chase after the three men.

"Don't let them get away!" a guard shouted.

"Catch them!" another guard shouted.

Tan Changqing and his men ran desperately in front, while the defenders were chasing them closely. The distance between them was getting closer and closer, and a tense atmosphere filled the air.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!