Chapter 181 Survival in Qinling Mountains
181
It was midsummer, and the Qinling Mountains were sweltering and humid. Tang Shengkai, Xu Hongchang, and seven others trudged through the dense jungle, their clothes drenched in sweat. After days of trudging through the jungle, their clothes were ripped and torn, and their heavy breathing indicated they were in poor condition.
In order to avoid the enemy's pursuit, they had to choose the most secluded and difficult place. The Qinling Mountains are the largest east-west mountain range in central China. The mountain range stretches and undulates, with many peaks, valleys, and cliffs.
It was the complex terrain here that allowed Tang Shengkai and others to escape the enemy's pursuit.
At this time, Tang Shengkai was leaning against a thick tree. With a light stroke of the dagger, the ordinary green snake in his hand was skinned. Tang Shengkai had instructed him to dig a deep pit on the ground and make a passage. At this time, there were sporadic sparks flashing in it.
"Hey, Old Tang, hurry up! If I don't have a couple of bites of food, my legs will be so weak that I'll fall to the ground in no time."
"Chen Erniu, I think you're craving snake meat, right? You ran faster than anyone else just now."
"Tsk, no way! I'm really dying. Ouch, Old Tang, help me. I can't make it this far without a bite of snake meat. Ouch, Bu Mancang, how did you start this fire? Look, it hasn't even started yet."
Bu Mancang sat down to rest against a big rock and glanced at Chen Erniu lazily. It seems that you haven't learned the lesson from yesterday evening.
Chen Erniu immediately straightened his face and became a little annoyed.
They knew this mission was very dangerous, so they each brought some dry food with them. However, they did not expect that when they were ambushed, they would be driven into the Qinling Mountains by the enemy.
This was a vast, rarely visited area, rife with dangers. They had no knowledge of the area and no time to explore the terrain. Food and water were also a major problem, and they could only rely on their wilderness survival experience to find food and nearby streams.
But last night they finally found a stream, and when they were fetching water from the stream, Chen Erniu couldn't help but smell the sweat on his body. After drinking the water, he took off his coat and washed it in the stream. This little thing almost got discovered by the enemy who followed them quietly.
To this day, several people still don't know where this action hit the enemy. Fortunately, Tang Shengkai noticed the abnormality in time and led everyone to quickly leave. However, this wave of enemies was not easy to deal with. They fought for most of the night and couldn't shake them off until this morning.
While the others were talking, Tang Shengkai had already skinned five snakes he had caught on the road and thrown them into the pit. While doing this, he was carefully sensing the movements around him.
He broke through the first level of Qi training on the second night after being forced into the Qinling Mountains. In the first two days after entering, they encountered the enemy every day. Xu Hongchang was injured in the leg by the enemy outside. Several people took turns carrying Xu Hongchang, which slowed down their progress.
It was also at that time that Tang Shengkai broke through his physical limits and broke through the first level of Qi training. The Qinling Mountains were sparsely populated, and the spiritual energy was more abundant than anywhere else Tang Shengkai had ever been. Tang Shengkai never forgot to circulate his spiritual energy, no matter what he did.
Xu Hongchang sat on the ground, his face as pale as paper, his lips chapped and peeling, but his eyes still sparkled. "Alright, Erniu didn't mean it, but everyone needs to be more vigilant from now on. The enemy is more dangerous than we thought. We must always be prepared."
"yes!"
"yes!"
......
Tang Shengkai looked at the surrounding terrain. Behind them was a towering cliff. They were on a slope surrounded by dense jungle. It could be said that this place was easy to defend but difficult to attack. After running in the Qinling Mountains for seven consecutive days, they had no idea where they were.
"Captain, I think we can't go any further. There's a water source nearby, and there are plenty of small creatures. We won't starve. This location is also good..."
Xu Hongchang understood Tang Shengkai's meaning. They didn't know where they were in the Qinling Mountains. He had heard of this mountain range before. Once they entered, they didn't know when they would reach the end. This was not a solution.
Xu Hongchang, with his extensive combat experience, developed a series of countermeasures. They set up simple traps around the area to prevent sudden enemy attacks. At the same time, they were also looking for opportunities to contact the outside world and seek support.
However, the radio that Li Weiguo was carrying was damaged during the battle and they couldn't repair it no matter how hard they tried. This is why they couldn't send any news.
In fact, Tang Shengkai could use his spiritual power to heal Xu Hongchang's leg injury at this time, but he couldn't explain how he did it. He had no choice but to use the method taught in the army.
"Captain, the area around here is safe now. Let's remove the bullet from your leg first."
Xu Hongchang had wanted to do it a long time ago, but he didn't dare to do it because he was afraid that the smell of blood would attract the enemy's attention.
"Are you sure there are no spies around?"
Tang Shengkai nodded. He had no way to describe his current situation, but he was sure that there were no enemies within a radius of 5 miles.
Xu Hongchang then lifted up his trouser leg. Seeing the wound on his leg, several people's eyes immediately turned red.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves onto the ground, dappled light and shadow highlighting the tragic plight of Tang Shengkai and his companions. Their gaze was fixed on Xu Hongchang's leg, where blood had already clotted. The wound was horrifying.
Xu Hongchang had a deep wound on his leg. The bullet was lodged in the flesh, making it impossible to see what was inside. The surrounding skin was swollen and turned outward. Pus was constantly flowing, and the center of the wound was all yellow pus.
At first glance, it was shocking. Tang Shengkai was also hurt by the condition of Xu Hongchang's legs at this moment, and he remembered his past self.
At the same time, I also admire Xu Hongchang. Even with such a wound, he followed them in the Qinling Mountains for seven days without saying a word.
"It would be great if I had tools." Tang Shengkai took a deep breath.
"Tools? Haha, we don't have any medical conditions." There was a hint of helplessness in Chen Erniu's voice.
"It doesn't matter. We can use the simplest method." Tang Shengkai gritted his teeth, a look of determination in his eyes. "No matter what, we must remove the bullet as soon as possible."
Everyone gathered around, their eyes filled with concern and tension. They all knew they couldn't continue, as this would endanger Captain Xu's life.
Xu Hongchang forced a smile, "It's okay, I can still hold on."
After saying that, he looked at Tang Shengkai and said, "If you want to take it out, be quick. It's no big deal. I heard that Old Tang was shot in the leg before. You have experience, so you can take it out."
Tang Shengkai didn't refuse. In fact, he knew the pain and hoped Xu Hongchang would faint, which would relieve some of the pain. But he knew Xu Hongchang would never agree.
Tang Shengkai rinsed the dagger with water from the kettle, then warmed it over the fire in the deep pit before stabbing it into Xu Hongchang's wound.
"How does it feel?" Tang Shengkai asked, staring at the wound without blinking.
Xu Hongchang frowned tightly, then relaxed his expression. He tried to remain calm, "Not bad, continue."
Tang Shengkai nodded. He used his dagger to carve a cross on the wound, then inserted the tip of the dagger into the wound to try to locate the bullet. He was very careful throughout, not wanting to cause Xu Hongchang any more harm.
However, none of the people around had any medical experience. What they knew was just oral experience learned from lectures at night. Now, seeing Tang Shengkai stabbing the dagger into the flesh, even the men who were not afraid of death grimaced slightly.
"I found it." There was joy in Tang Shengkai's voice. His fingers gently pressed on the edge of the wound, trying to pick out the bullet.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work the first time.
"Slow down, don't rush." There was a hint of nervousness in Bu Mancang's voice.
Not only Bu Mancang, but also Chen Erniu, Li Weiguo, Wang Junhui and Fei Shuwen were all very nervous.
Tang Shengkai took a deep breath and focused his attention. For a moment, he seemed to see through the wound and see the situation of the bullet inside. Tang Shengkai didn't have time to figure out what was going on. He slowly exerted force.
Just as he was about to pull out the bullet, Xu Hongchang's body trembled involuntarily, and pain surged like a tide. Fei Shuwen and Li Weiguo immediately held Xu Hongchang down.
"Bear with it, it will be fine soon." There was a hint of encouragement in Tang Shengkai's voice.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
