"Keep moving forward, there's a hidden tunnel under the bushes 50 meters ahead. Crawl through it quickly, or it'll be too late!"
Chen Weiqiang didn't wait for my reaction; he pushed me forward with the gun.
He knew me well—if he loosened his grip, I would kill him.
At this point, I had nothing to fear.
"Really? You're really letting us go?"
Uncle Hei and Uncle Scar, seeing that he seemed sincere, hurriedly lifted the bewildered Sister Dragon.
They followed the goons, half-believing, half-doubting.
The girl in white had already wet herself in fear by the electric fence. Seeing that Chen Weiqiang wasn't killing us, her pale face relaxed a little.
"I cut off the power to the yard, but with two burdens, you can't climb the fence. Once you crawl out, run north into the woods. There's an unmanned path marked by smugglers, leading straight to the Yunnan border..."
Chen Weiqiang lowered his gun and pulled out a military knife and some packs of compressed biscuits from his pocket. The other two goons also lowered their guns and handed over water bottles. "Go quickly, if they find out, it's over."
He then used the gun to part the thorny bushes, revealing a hole the size of a barrel.
"There really is a tunnel! Assistant Chen didn't lie to us!" the girl in white exclaimed, her eyes full of admiration for Chen Weiqiang.
"Shut up! Crawl out first! Quickly, if you're not in the forest within three minutes, I'll shoot!"
Chen Weiqiang said coldly, without a hint of tenderness.
The girl hesitated, tears streaming down her face, and crawled into the tunnel.
Human potential really shows under pressure; within two and a half minutes, she appeared on the other side of the fence.
The tunnel wasn't long, just over 20 meters. Judging by the mud, it seemed recently dug.
"You three, crawl through together!"
Chen Weiqiang ordered Uncle Hei, Sister Dragon, and Uncle Scar to enter the tunnel one after another.
Sister Dragon, having lost some weight due to hunger, was pulled by Uncle Hei from the front and pushed by Uncle Scar from the back. Four minutes later, all three of them were on the other side of the fence.
"Little Bottle, hurry up and crawl out! We can really go home now!"
They waved at me excitedly from the forest.
I looked at Chen Weiqiang, who was acting out of character, and asked coldly, "What's your game? Let them go, and you can do whatever you want with me! Just give me a quick death!"
"Go! Whether you make it back safely depends on your luck!"
Chen Weiqiang handed me a bag of rations and an AK-47, saying somberly.
"..." I hesitated, taking the rations. "You're not coming?"
"I can't leave! Stop dawdling, there's no time!"
"Tell me, who's the real mastermind, you or Lulu? Where is she hiding?"
I had always wanted to know, and this might be my only chance to ask.
"Lulu is in…"
"Bang!"
A gunshot from a distance cut him off.
"Chen, the guards are coming."
His two close goons said nervously.
"Go! You can't mess with Lulu, don't ask! Remember, don't seek help in villages or report to the police, take the deserted paths!"
Chen Weiqiang pushed me, looking troubled. "I have my reasons. I don't expect your forgiveness, but I wish you peace."
"I will never forgive you!"
I grabbed the AK and the bag, crawling into the tunnel without looking back.
His expression darkened, then he bitterly placed a grenade at the tunnel entrance.
"Boom!"
As I emerged from the other side, I heard the tunnel collapse behind me.
He had cut off his own escape route.
Why did he do that when he could've escaped too?
"Little Bottle, run!"
Uncle Scar and the others, seeing me emerge, wept with joy.
More goons were appearing on the other side of the fence, along with a group of pursued prisoners.
"Chen, you better stay alive because I want you to die by my hand!"
I shouted at Chen Weiqiang, my eyes burning with rage.
My heart was torn between hatred and more hatred for him.
Chen Weiqiang just gave me a bitter, enduring smile.
Then he turned and pretended to chase after the scattered prisoners.
The five of us ran north, deep into the woods, not daring to stop, fearing the goons might catch up.
When the girl in white couldn't run anymore, Uncle Hei carried her.
Uncle Scar and I took turns helping Sister Dragon, who was heavy and quickly exhausted me, which wasn't helpful since I could fight and had a gun.
The jungles of northern Myanmar were filled with corpses, biting insects, and venomous snakes. A misstep could be fatal.
The remains we saw on the way were likely from escaping prisoners or smugglers.
We ran until our limbs were stiff, our throats dry, and the sun set before we finally stopped, panting.
"I can't run anymore, I really can't…"
Sister Dragon and the girl in white collapsed onto the rotting leaves, wiping sweat from their faces.
"Rest for a bit, we're really exhausted."
Uncle Scar lay on the ground and fell asleep instantly.
Uncle Hei, equally tired, leaned against a tree to rest.
"We've probably run far enough. Let's recharge and keep moving. We can't stay here overnight."
I looked around the dense forest, finding no water source or suitable place to rest.
I was tired and hungry too.
I opened the bag, took out a bottle of water and some biscuits, and shared them around.
We didn't eat much, to avoid feeling sleepy and losing our drive.
After a brief rest, we continued.
The forest was so dense it was hard to tell directions, so we followed tree markings and bones on the ground.
"Little Bottle, do you think Chen Cheng might have tricked you?" Sister Dragon suddenly asked, leaving me at a loss for words.
"Probably not. He seemed genuinely remorseful, not like he was lying." Uncle Scar thought for a moment.
Remorse?
Was he regretting deceiving me?
Or regretting his elopement with Lulu and the path they took?
What's Lulu's background that she's so untouchable?
"What's your history with them? It's like a love-hate relationship in a movie…"
Uncle Hei's question hit the mark.
I didn't respond because I didn't know what to say.
Being deceived by Lulu and Chen Weiqiang directly connected to my current plight.
Before, he heartlessly tricked my father into selling everything to raise 800,000 yuan for my bail. Now, he suddenly gave us guns and rations to help us escape.
What's his game?
It couldn't be to harm me, because letting me go meant facing death himself.
So, let's just say he was being merciful, rediscovering his conscience… or something!
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn't figure it out.
When I finally understood, it was during our reunion in the hellish landscape…