Condes Mountains
Dave's words were indeed a bit conceited.
But to some extent, the fact that the "Cheetahs" have only been in Condas for two years and have not only successfully established themselves here, but have also thrived like a duck in water, with none of their members ever being caught, really makes this statement worthy.
But since they have figured out everything about themselves and Dasong.
Before Ye Shan and the other person went up the mountain that day, they had a brief argument with them and Tuna at the entrance.
If there were people from "Cheetah" lurking nearby at that time, they must have known of their existence. Later, when Ye Shan went out to look for the poachers, she might have been under surveillance.
Ding Can wasn't sure whether the identity of their action team had been discovered. Perhaps the two sides met in the snowy mountains and had a fight, which was why no one came back last night.
I hope I'm wrong.
"Well, have you thought about it?"
Ding Can bit his lip and said, "I'm willing to help you, but I have one last question."
"What?" Dave tried to maintain his last bit of patience.
Ding Can pointed to the footprints next to him and asked, "Where is your accomplice now?"
Following the trail, she saw two footprints, one big and one small. The big one undoubtedly belonged to Dave, but she was not sure who the other footprint came from.
Dave stood up, holding the gun: "You should have heard of his name."
"Is it Aye?" Ding Can suddenly remembered what Mellen had emphasized, the poacher who was used to running in the dark.
The group of minks was attacked last night. It seems that Aye took action again.
"That's right. He's gone back to his hometown with the mink fur. Leave matters like these that require dealing with outsiders to me."
When Dave spoke, there was unconsciously a hint of respect in his words. It seemed that the person in charge of the "Cheetah" should be the elusive Aye.
Ding Can had already made up his mind. At this point, the poachers had grasped their weakness, and this deal had to go on no matter how reluctant they were.
In this case, it would be better to agree directly and take this opportunity to obtain more information about "Cheetah".
After all, what we lack most now is the understanding of this poaching organization. If we have the opportunity to go to their lair and get more information about them, we will have a breakthrough.
"I'm still worried and want to see the standing-eared martens alive. So, take me to your camp. Once I see them alive, I'll signal Dasong. Only after he confirms they're there will he help you transport them."
Dave thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay."
"No, this is too risky." Dasong supported himself on the ground with his arms and tried to get up.
Before I came out, I swore to protect Ding Can. How could I let her take risks now?
Ding Can quickly grasped Dasong's shoulders and said, "You're also worried, right? This is the best solution right now. Myron doesn't like me to begin with. If I were to take care of him, it would be easy for him to reveal his true colors if we were to spend every day together."
Dasong still disagreed: "But if you don't go back to the cabin, how can I explain it to Myron?"
Ding Can pointed to the wound on his head and said, "Just tell me the truth. We had a fight when we encountered poachers. I was injured, so you took me to the clinic in town for treatment. I have to stay there for a few days. This way, you have a reason to go up and down the mountain more often."
"As for Myron... 'Cheetah' is very active, so he definitely doesn't have time to come down the mountain. As long as we carefully conceal it, nothing will go wrong in the short term."
The upright-eared marten in Dasong's arms finally regained consciousness and gradually woke up.
The first person I saw when I opened my eyes was Dave.
Its fur stood on end, and it struggled in Dasong's hands, starting to bite people randomly, and its sharp teeth pierced directly into Dasong's gloves.
Dasong felt pain and could not control the body of the upright-eared marten. He watched it jump out, then run away quickly in the snow with its tail drooping, and disappear without a trace.
This is good, at least I am out of the clutches of the devil.
"Are you okay?" Ding Can took off his gloves and saw two obvious teeth marks on his index finger, with blood oozing out.
Dasong shook his hands: "It's okay."
"Then Mr. Dave, let's make it this way. Dasong will stay here. We'll agree in advance that I'll give you an item as a signal when we see the upright-eared marten. You can then show it to him as confirmation."
Ding Can stood up and walked over to Dave.
Seeing the concern in Dasong's eyes, she remained calm: "The mountain god will protect me."
"Haha," Dave sneered twice, then seemed to feel that it didn't fit the current atmosphere, and slowly said seriously: "Sorry, I couldn't help it. Let's go."
He pointed to the cloth bag containing the mink scattered on the ground and motioned Ding Can to put it on his head.
But in his heart he couldn't help but mock. It turned out that once humans became small and fragile, they would place their hopes on gods.
The future is uncertain, but she actually hopes that the elusive mountain god can protect her safety.
Ding Can swiftly picked up the bag and put it on his head. The bag was made of thick fabric, which immediately blocked out a lot of light, and he couldn't see the scene outside clearly through the fabric.
She stretched out her hand: "Let's go."
Dave placed his arm under Ding Can's palm so that she could support him and walk.
Before leaving, he reminded Dasong: "Stay here and don't wander around. We have eyes everywhere."
Dave didn't give Ding Can any extra care just because she was a girl, and his walking speed was not slow.
She couldn't see the road and almost slipped several times. Although she was holding Dave's hand, it felt like he was dragging her.
Starting from the cliff edge, they have walked for quite a distance and have turned several times, which was obviously intentional to prevent her from remembering the route.
In fact, Ding Can had indeed been dizzy for a long time, but the way she remembered the way was not by relying on her brain.
Just now, when she was thinking about how to deal with the situation, she had already taken advantage of the time while speaking to exchange an auxiliary prop in the system: Lotus Blooms at Every Step.
According to the legend, when the Buddha was born, every time he took a step, a lotus flower would bloom on the ground.
But leaving lotus-shaped footprints in the snow was a bit too eye-catching.
When applied to the soles of shoes, the real effect is that every step you take will leave a faint lotus fragrance through your footprints and penetrate into the ground.
At that time, with the tracking function of the prop itself, even if you come out of the "cheetah's" lair, you can follow the smell left along the way to find their hiding place.
"Hold on tight." Dave suddenly spoke, but he turned his wrist and put his hand on her shoulder.
Ding Can subconsciously struggled a few times: "What are you doing?"
Before Dave could speak, she felt a sudden loss of weight and her body fell down.
Before she could react, she fell onto the soft snow, which took her to a lower altitude like a slide.
Until she finally touched the bottom and stabilized her body, her butt was still a little numb when she sat on the ground.
"What is this place?" Ding Can's breathing became heavier. No matter how soft and breathable the cloth bag was, it would be difficult to breathe if he kept covering his head with it like this.
She had subconsciously held her breath when she fell, and now it was even harder to recover. She raised her hand to grab the drawstring at her neck, "Can I take this off?"
"Wait a little longer, it will take a while." Dave pulled her up again and they continued forward.
After walking a few steps, Ding Can found that the environment here was a little different.
The sound of the wind flowing by my ears disappeared, and the feeling under my feet was also a little different. It didn't feel like I was stepping on snow, but rather some rough stones that hurt my feet.
The temperature rose noticeably, and the footsteps were very clear with every step, indicating that they were in a confined space.
She wasn't sure where she was.
After being led by Dave for a while, he finally showed mercy and pulled the bag off.
"Rest for two minutes and continue walking later."
Worried that the bright light outside would irritate his eyes, Ding Can subconsciously squinted and looked around, but it was different from what he had imagined.
The dim light around her did not affect her eyesight at all.
He was in the middle of a cave, with dark stone walls on both sides. Dave held a flashlight in his hand, illuminating the stone road in front of him.
No wonder after so many investigations, no trace of "cheetah" has been found in the snow-capped mountains, not even the slightest sign of life.
It turned out that they were not on the ground, but were hiding in the deep underground where there was no sunlight.
Ding Can didn't care. He just sat down on the ground, picked up the water bag he was carrying and took a sip of water. Only then did he feel better.
Now, there was only a long and narrow cave in front and behind where she was. The direction seemed to be curved, so the exit could not be seen at a glance, and there was nothing special about it.
Dave chose to stop here, also to prevent her from memorizing the special terrain along the way.
"How long will it take to arrive?"
"Less than ten minutes."
"Then let's continue." Ding Can put the bag back on very consciously.
As I continued walking, I could hear the sound of the river flowing quietly. The flow rate was much slower than the small river I saw on the snow-capped mountains.
It is an underground river that was formed many years ago. The terrain here must be more open.
Going further in, the sound of water gradually disappeared, and soon, Ding Can heard the sound of other people talking.
"Why did you bring him back to your hometown?" It was a low female voice, and the tone sounded unfriendly.
Dave pushed Ding Can on the back and said, "They want to make sure there's a living mink before they're willing to help. I think it's good to have a hostage in our hands."
Ding Can staggered to his feet and heard the sound of leather boots stepping on stone slabs coming closer and closer.
"If you bring people down here, we'll be at greater risk of being exposed. Have you forgotten that one of our brothers was being pursued by those two from the action team after just one night?"
"Boss, she came down with her head covered. She won't remember the route to her hometown. I also want to sell these mink furs as soon as possible."
Dave was ferocious and unyielding towards others, but he was respectful to the so-called boss, and there was a hint of negotiation in his words.
Could it be that she is the famous A Ye, whose true face no one has ever seen?
The one who leads the entire "Cheetah" is actually a woman.
"Okay, we're all down."
Dave then said, "Take it off."
Ding Can regained his sight, straightened his hair, and looked around.
Compared to the cave we just saw, this one is much more spacious. There is an extremely high dome above the head, which naturally forms a hemispherical space.
The area in the middle had obviously been cleared, with stones piled up on the edges, making it look like a meeting hall where everyone gathers on weekdays.
There are also several simply decorated caves around here, which look like places for people to rest and live at night.
As for these members of "Cheetah"...
Ding Can looked at them one by one. There were seven people here, some sitting and some standing, all wearing masks. They must have put them on to hide their faces after seeing him as an outsider.
The person closest to her was the woman who had just spoken. She guessed that it was Aye's.
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