After resting for a while, Su Lin quickly picked up her backpack containing a small tent set, some food, and water. She also grabbed her support sticks, in case her legs cramped.
Maybe because she was able to absorb a bit of spiritual energy, Su Lin felt a lot more energetic this time around and covered a good distance right off the bat.
In no time, she reached the second layer of the humongous mountain range. As she walked across the second layer, she was almost at a height of 5000m above sea level.
Many experienced climbers have walked across this trail and it was not that dangerous. The only issue was the sheer amount of horizontal and vertical distance one had to cover.
But, the place Su Lin had in mind was much further up, inside the third layer of the mountain ranges.
From here on out, she would be largely treading in unexplored regions, not suitable for tourists, or even seasoned hikers, so Su Lin decided to wait till next daybreak before starting the last leg of her hike.
She opened her backpack and took out the items to set up a camp for the night. Since she had drunk a good amount of water to help with her legs cramping, she had to pee.
Su Lin walked a good amount of distance and squatted on the ground to relieve herself.
Rustle... Rustle...
Su Lin's ears perked up and she felt something move around in the bushes.
She cautiously looked ahead to see what was moving, when her feet touched something and she almost stumbled forward.
Eeeek. Su Lin jumped back in surprise. There was a corpse lying on the ground in front of her!!!
As she squatted down and examined the corpse, she couldn't help but feel touched. The man lying in front of her was a specimen of rare beauty.
His long black hair was sprawled messily over his captivating handsome face.
His sculpted chest lay bare on the ground, continuously being assaulted by the cruel winds. His hands looked rough, full of callouses.
His entire visage exuded a wild handsomeness, which was only enhanced by the dozen scars showcased by his body like trophies.
His toned and ripped abdomen was gently moving up and down, taking deep breaths in and out.
Wait... what? Oops, not a corpse.
Su Lin slowly backed away, not wanting to disturb the strange handsome man lying without a care in the middle of a forest.
She could clearly sense his dangerous devilish aura. Also, she might have peed on him a bit.
So Su Lin silently sneaked away and rushed back to the camping area, as if nothing had happened.
But a few seconds after Su Lin left...
A burly man came out from another bush and giggled uncontrollably. "Boss you have grown so soft!"
The silent pair of eyes that had remained closed suddenly flashed open. "Shut up monkey."
The devilishly handsome man angrily retorted as his elegant silhouette walked deeper and deeper into the forest.
"She was a cutie though." Monkey grinned, recollecting the woman who had just casually peed on his boss.
"Hmm... It looks like you have too much time on your hands, Monkey. Been a while since you took an assignment, isn't it?" The devilishly handsome man stopped in his tracks and turned around to disciple his talkative subordinate.
But the man addressed as Monkey had long since disappeared and nowhere to be seen.
Clearly amused at the guy's quick reflexes, the handsome boss went deeper into the forest, with casual ease and large strides, as if he had been living here his entire life.
.......
.......
.......
Su Lin woke up early the next morning to a melodious chirping of birds. Bright sunlight warmed her face and a gentle breeze tousled her hair.
She washed her face with a little water and drank a few gulps before starting her climb for the day.
She didn't have much distance to cover today but the elevation was higher and it was going to be a slippery and painful climb.
Not even experienced hikers and mountain climbers dared to venture too far into the third layer.
But Su Lin's face was full of smiles, as she slowly continued on the slippery slope and cautiously walked forward.
Because of the slippery nature of the rocks, and the absence of a walkable path, she had to crawl like an animal for most of the time.
As every minute passed by, the number of cuts and bruises in her hands visibly increased.
There were even a couple of cuts on her cheeks, that was slightly bleeding. But she was almost there, so Su Lin kept going.
Just a few more miles and everything would be different! Su Lin grit her teeth and dragged her body forward with every ounce of her determination.
Further ahead, deeper into the forests, the man named Monkey excitedly ran over to the devilishly handsome man.
"Boss! Big news!! That cutie from yesterday is still climbing up!!"
Luther raised his eyebrows in surprise, but he continued with his pull-ups. "Hmm... Are you sure? Generally, tourists don't tend to come here?" He murmured.
"Yes, yes, I just spotted her from our perimeter spying station."
Luther sucked in a breath of air, as he pulled his body up for the 111th time.
"Fine. Just let her be. The minute we start bothering civilians, our mercenary organization will be exposed." His gruff voice echoed in the not so empty cave.
The entire primitive-looking cave was furnished adequately and looked out of place in comparison to the natural paradise outside.
Luther got off the bars and fell into the couch swinging. "Did you send the men to Italy already? How is the mission going?"
Monkey casually replied, while munching on his food. "Yes, Panther is heading that mission. We should hear back from them tomorrow."
Watching his busily engaged right-hand man, Luther chuckled and flipped to the next document on his iPad. "What about the one in California?"
Mumbling through the food in his mouth monkey replied, "That's a success. They should be back here in a week."
"He He. Fine. You guys are so spoilt these days."
Luther grabbed his plate and started eating as well, with news flashing in the satellite tv in front of them, about the recent case of two missing young teenagers in the Beijing area.