A chilling roar echoed from the forest across from us. The sound was eerie and terrifying, even more piercing than Liu Shiyi's sharp voice. It would definitely scare someone stiff if they heard it at night, thinking it was a ghost.
It was clear they were here to take revenge on Liu Shiyi, mistaking me for him and aiming their bullets at me.
"Rat-a-tat-tat!"
Bullets flew so thickly that I dared not move from the ground. The wrench, who had just dragged me out of the car, had vanished. Abu and the bodyguard were not far off, engaged in a fierce gunfight, the kicked-up dirt and gravel showering down on me.
They were in the dark, while we were exposed in the light—how could we win this fight? They were prepared, with more men and guns than we had. Once our bullets were exhausted, we'd be at their mercy.
No, I couldn't stay here waiting to be killed. I had to find a safe place to hide and wait for rescue.
"Retreat! Head into the forest!" the wrench yelled from somewhere. Abu and the bodyguard started shooting while backing away.
Taking advantage of the distraction, I carefully began to crawl towards the forest.
"Bang!"
Just as I moved, a bullet hit the bushes where I had been hiding.
"Damn, good thing I moved quickly..." I patted my chest and continued crawling towards the forest.
At that moment, Chen Wei-Qiang, carrying a travel bag, ran into the forest with Liu Shiyi, followed by Da Hei and the driver.
"Rat-a-tat-tat!"
The gunfire was getting closer; they wouldn't last much longer.
"You go first, follow the path for 2 kilometers to reach KK Park. You'll be safe there," the wrench said, grabbing my foot and dragging me down a slope.
"What about you?" I asked nervously, glancing at Liu Shiyi. Was it the casino people trying to kill him?
"I'll cover you. Go!" the wrench said, pushing me away and firing another shot from the slope.
Abu and the bodyguard joined him, their faces showing the intensity of the enemy fire.
"I'll stay with you. Chen Cheng and the supervisor should go first!" I said, eyeing the AK Liu Shiyi was holding. Maybe this was my chance to get a gun.
"No time for heroics. You don't even know how to use a gun!" Chen Wei-Qiang snapped, clearly worried about me.
"You want to be a sitting duck? Get lost!" the wrench shouted, shoving me away. He quickly returned to the slope and resumed firing.
Liu Shiyi paused for a second, then tossed the AK to me, saying seriously, "If I get back to the park safely, I'll reward you! Now go!"
He grabbed the fuming Chen Wei-Qiang and ran. Despite his frail, sickly appearance, Liu Shiyi ran like the wind. Chen Wei-Qiang, influenced by me growing up, was also quick on his feet, despite not knowing kung fu.
In a blink, they vanished into the forest.
I clutched the AK, crouched, and crawled up the slope, moving beside the wrench. "Teach me to snipe, brother."
"Get lost!" the wrench growled, clearly irritated. In different circumstances, he would have slapped me.
"Where can I go? Once the bullets are gone, it'll be hand-to-hand combat. I won't hold you back!" I mimicked his stance, setting the gun on the ground and aiming at the forest, but couldn't spot any targets. The bullets seemed to come from nowhere.
"Get down! Bullets don't have eyes," he said, trying to kick me down, but I dodged.
"Bang!"
A bullet suddenly struck Abu's arm.
"Ah! Nine o'clock, sniper spotted!" Abu yelled in pain, rolling to the side.
"Bang!"
The wrench immediately took out the sniper with a single shot. I stared in awe, giving him a thumbs up after a stunned three seconds, "Awesome!"
"Retreat!" the wrench ordered, dragging me down the slope. Abu and the bodyguard followed, sliding down to join us.
We bolted towards the park.
"Bang, bang!"
Gunfire continued sporadically. The wrench's shot had bought us a few precious minutes to escape and had dampened the enemy's morale.
It seemed like Da Hei and the other driver had been separated in the chaos. Their fate was uncertain, but our immediate goal was survival.
Forest combat was terrifying because of ghost-like snipers. Taking out their machine gunners and snipers would severely weaken their firepower.
"They don't seem to have many people; otherwise, they'd be on us already," the wrench analyzed as we ran.
"It could be the casino people, trying to rob the supervisor after his winnings. If we reach the park, they won't follow," Abu said, his hand still bleeding heavily.
"I think I saw an old acquaintance at the casino, but wasn't sure, so I didn't mention it. Turns out we got ambushed," Arno, the bodyguard, said, grimacing. "I suspect it's his doing, and he didn't have time to gather many men, so they set up an ambush here."
"Bang!"
Another shot rang out, hitting a tree next to me and breaking off a branch.
"Get down!" the wrench yelled, pulling me to the ground.
"Whoosh!"
Another bullet whizzed over my head.
"They... they can't have this many people chasing us," the wrench muttered, glancing at Abu and Arno not far away.
"Did we miscalculate?"
Abu, pale and sweating, gritted his teeth against the pain. If the enemy was relentless, we'd be in serious trouble. The wrench and the others were running low on ammo. Prolonged fighting meant certain death, especially since I wasn't skilled with a gun. I'd be a sitting duck.
That's when I noticed Arno's leg was bleeding profusely.
"Brother, don't they recognize Liu Shiyi? Why are they shooting at me?" I asked, burying my head in the dirt and shouting in frustration.
It was absurd. Liu Shiyi and I looked nothing alike. Were they blind? Or had I offended someone at the casino who now wanted me dead?
My shout seemed to snap them out of it. The wrench quickly realized something was off. The shooter targeting me wasn't just an enemy gunman; it was...