When I first saw the lights, I thought the monkeys had escaped.

Unfortunately, before the smile on his face could fully spread, more lights came on in the woods.

Seeing the flashing lights, I grabbed Jiang Man's hand without saying a word, picked up the backpack next to me, and ran downstream along the riverbank.

Jiang Man was confused by my actions and asked, bewildered, "Duan Tao, why are you running away? Aren't we here waiting for your friend?"

“I don’t have that many friends, and these aren’t my people!” I pulled Jiang Man into the woods, then turned back and asked, “Could they be here to see you?”

Jiang Man shook her head without hesitation: "We have no backup either. Only Uncle Tian's men stayed in the rangers' settlement. Given their personalities, they would never go into the mountains, let alone find us so quickly!"

Upon hearing Jiang Man's explanation, I instantly understood that the flashlights in the distance must have been used by the security personnel who had searched this area and were attracted by our firelight.

After I led Jiang Man into the woods, I was about to run away, but after a few steps I stopped and asked her, "Since you are fluent in so many languages, do you also speak Russian?"

Jiang Man didn't understand, but she still nodded: "Mm."

I stopped and hid behind a rock: "Let's stay here and lie in ambush. When they come over, I'll try to catch someone who's alone. You'll translate, and I'll interrogate him."

"Are you crazy?"

When Jiang Man heard about my bold decision, she looked at me in disbelief: "Your body is so weak, a gust of wind could blow you over. Do you really have a chance of winning if you go to fight someone?"

I knew the chances of winning were slim, but I still chose to stay.

My current physical condition no longer allows me to continue running away. Rather than waiting until I'm exhausted and caught by them, I might as well take a gamble with my last bit of strength. If I succeed, I can find out where they've taken the monkey, and then find a way to find Lin Que and Man Jing to rescue the person.

The flashlight beams quickly reached the campfire we had lit, and several figures began to examine the area around the fire. Then, following the footprints on the ground, they began searching our direction.

Jiang Man saw those people in the distance and nervously tugged at my sleeve: "Duan Tao, those people are all carrying weapons. Won't you get hurt if you fight them?"

I knew my decision was reckless. After thinking for a moment, I pointed to the bushes further away and said, "Hide further away, in that wood over there. If something really happens to me, don't make a sound. Just hide here. Once they're sure I'm dead, they'll probably leave. Then, find a way to get to the mountaintop and find two Chinese men, one fat and one thin, named Lin Que and Man Jing. Tell them you're my friends and that you've died. They'll take you away. If they don't believe you, just say we met in Luoyang Cultural Expo City, and they'll understand."

When Jiang Man heard me say that, her tone suddenly became somewhat sad: "You know it's hard for you to succeed, right?"

There is never anything absolute in this world.

As the figure drew closer, I quickened my pace and said, "Since you're a private investigator, you must have your own channels. If something happens to me this time, go to Shenyang Wangyunzhai. There's a hidden compartment under the wooden floorboard on the lower right leg of the single bed on the second floor. Inside are four gold bars and three bank cards. The PINs are the last six digits of the card numbers. I haven't calculated the amount of money inside, but it should be over three million. Take this money and do me a favor."

Jiang Man gently grasped my hand, becoming a little nervous: "Why does it sound to me like you're giving your last words?"

I guess so.

I quickly explained, "After you get this money, you can decide how much reward you want. As for the rest, half of it should be given to Zhao Qinghou's family at the flower and bird market, and the other half should be used to organize a search and rescue team. We must get back here and find my friend's body in the Ze Wang Tomb. If the money is not enough, go to Luoyang and find a man named Su Jialiang to pay the remaining balance. His contact information is in the phone book in that secret compartment."

"Duan Tao, maybe you shouldn't take the risk." Jiang Man looked at the approaching crowd and shook her head slightly. "I don't think you have any chance of winning this. We can think of other ways."

"My physical condition makes it difficult to continue for much longer; this matter cannot be delayed any longer."

I shook off Jiang Man's hand and shoved her: "Let's go!"

Jiang Man's lips moved, but in the end she said nothing and slowly disappeared from my side.

A dozen seconds later, a beam of flashlight swept into the woods. I quickly ducked and drew my pistol.

The beam of a flashlight swayed around them, accompanied by the sound of Russian conversation, and footsteps grew closer.

I glanced to the side and saw someone searching in the distance, so I immediately dropped to the ground and crawled into the bushes.

Looking through the gaps in the bushes, the pursuers were indeed security guards in uniform. After entering the jungle, they became cautious and dispersed in different directions.

I saw someone approach me, loosen their joints, and brace themselves on the ground with their toes, preparing to take a running start.

The security guard found my surroundings, stood still and shone his flashlight into the bushes next to me. He quickly locked his gaze on the bushes where I was hiding. Just as he was about to search for me, the satellite phone on his waist rang.

Upon hearing the bell, the man stopped what he was doing and answered it. While talking, he turned around, unbuckled his belt, and urinated on the stone behind him.

Looking at the security guard with his back to me, I knew this was a golden opportunity, but he was still holding the phone. To avoid alerting him, I could only remain patient and wait for him to hang up.

About thirty seconds later, the man said "Darswidania" into the satellite phone, then tucked the phone into his belt and began to fasten it with both hands.

I seized the opportunity, burst out of the bushes, grabbed the man by the neck with my arm, and raised my other hand high, smashing the butt of my gun into his temple.

Russians are naturally tall and large, and this man was a well-trained security guard. I grabbed his neck, and before I could even make a move with my other hand, he grabbed my arm and threw me over his shoulder.

"Bang!"

I felt my vision spinning, followed by an unbearable pain in my back.

In this life-or-death situation, I didn't have time to think and immediately raised my gun to threaten him.

Before I could even raise my gun, the man grabbed my wrist and twisted it forcefully. I felt a tingling numbness in my arm, and the pistol was snatched away.