The boulder rolled down with a loud bang, raising a cloud of dust all over the sky, like a huge mushroom cloud. Dai Shiya slammed on the brakes, and the tires rubbed against the ground violently, making a piercing scream, as if she was shouting in pain. They barely escaped this sudden disaster, and the boulder fell just a few meters in front of the car, like an insurmountable hill, blocking the way forward. "That was close!" Wei Qing was still in shock, her chest heaving violently, like surging waves. "This... looks like it was man-made."
Dai Shiya's face was solemn, like a heavy lead stone, and she did not respond immediately. She quickly got out of the car and walked slowly around the boulder like a vigilant cheetah, carefully observing the surrounding terrain. On the hillside, some newly turned soil and scattered gravel caught her attention. Those traces were like silent evidence. "Look," Dai Shiya pointed at the traces, her eyes as sharp as an eagle, "this boulder was originally fixed by tools, and someone deliberately pushed it down."
Wei Qing also got out of the car and looked in the direction Dai Shiya pointed. Her face also became serious, as if covered by a layer of frost. "It seems that we are being watched."
Instead of returning by the same route, they resolutely abandoned their car and walked, like two brave lone wolves, choosing a more hidden path. The mountain road was rugged and full of thorns, and every step was extremely difficult, as if they were crossing a chasm. The air was filled with a tense atmosphere, like an invisible net, tightly enveloping them. The shadows of the trees around them seemed to hide countless pairs of eyes, secretly spying on their every move, like ghosts hidden in the darkness.
After walking for about two hours, they came to a valley. At the bottom of the valley was an ancient building complex, hidden in the dense woods, looking mysterious and quiet, as if it was a corner forgotten by time. "Could it be there?" Wei Qing pointed at the building complex at the bottom of the valley and asked in a low voice, as light as a feather falling.
Dai Shiya nodded, her eyes revealing a hint of anticipation and vigilance, "It's very likely. But we must be careful, there must be an ambush here, like a maze with countless traps hidden."
They approached the valley carefully, trying not to make any noise, and their footsteps were as light as a cat. However, just as they were about to reach the bottom of the valley, a sharp whistle broke the silence of the valley, and the sound pierced the air like a sharp arrow. Then, a group of men in black rushed out of the woods, like a group of black ghosts, and surrounded them.
"Who are you?" Dai Shiya asked in a deep voice, her eyes vigilantly scanning the black-clad men around her, her eyes like two sharp swords.
The man in black didn't answer, but just waved his weapon and attacked them fiercely, with the momentum like a surging tide. Dai Shiya and Wei Qing were not ordinary people either. They reacted quickly, like two agile cheetahs, and started a fierce fight with the man in black. Dai Shiya was agile and her moves were sharp. Every move seemed to be accompanied by the sound of whistling wind, while Wei Qing was calm and composed, like a witty military strategist, using the terrain and environment to cleverly avoid the attacks of the man in black, while looking for opportunities to counterattack.
Although they fought hard, the black-clad men were numerous and well-trained, and they gradually fell into a disadvantage, like two trapped beasts. At this moment, a noisy sound came from the other side of the valley, which broke the original tension. The black-clad men seemed to have heard the noise, and they exchanged glances with each other, then quickly evacuated and disappeared into the dense woods, like a shadow blending into the darkness.
Dai Shiya and Wei Qing both breathed a sigh of relief, and that breath was like a breeze blowing past. They didn't dare to stop, and immediately ran to the other side of the valley, their steps as rapid as drumbeats. They passed through the woods and came to the edge of a cliff. Below the cliff was a turbulent river, the river roaring and rushing like an angry beast.
"It seems that we have reached a dead end again." Wei Qing looked at the cliff in front of her, with a hint of helplessness in her tone. The helplessness was like a dark cloud hanging over her heart.
Dai Shiya didn't say anything. Her eyes were fixed on the mountain opposite the cliff. There seemed to be a hidden path there... Suddenly, she felt the phone in her pocket vibrate. She hurriedly took out her phone and took a look. Her face turned pale in an instant, like a blank sheet of paper. "Something happened to the family..."
Dai Shiya held the phone tightly, her fingertips turning white from the force. The screen flashed with news about the family business being in danger. Those news were like sharp blades, piercing her heart. Malicious competitors were like sharks smelling blood, frantically eroding the market share of the family business, and their greed seemed to be never satisfied. The worries and doubts of family members were like invisible ropes, tightly strangling her heart, making her almost breathless, as if she was trapped in a quagmire that she could not escape.
"What's wrong? Did something happen in the family?" Wei Qing keenly caught the change in Dai Shiya's expression and asked worriedly, her eyes full of concern.
Dai Shiya took a deep breath and tried to calm her inner anxiety, which was like a burning flame. "Well, they have stepped up their attacks on the family business, and the situation is not optimistic now."
Wei Qing held Dai Shiya's hand, her eyes as firm as a rock, "Don't worry, we will find the truth and expose their conspiracy!"
Dai Shiya nodded, and her eyes fell on the mountain on the other side of the cliff again. That was their only hope, like a bright light in the darkness.
With amazing perseverance, they climbed the steep cliff, which was like a vertical wall, and every step was full of danger. Finally, they reached the opposite peak. A hidden path twisted and turned, leading to the depths of the mountain, like a mysterious passage.
In the belly of the mountain, they found an ancient cave. The inner wall of the cave was engraved with strange symbols and patterns, exuding an ancient and mysterious atmosphere, as if it was a treasure house hiding countless secrets.
"These symbols... may be the key to finding the location of the hidden force's headquarters!" Dai Shiya said excitedly, with a glimmer of hope in her eyes, as if she saw the dawn of victory.
However, interpreting these symbols was much more difficult than they had imagined. As time passed, their food and water gradually ran out, and the speed of consumption was like the sand in an hourglass, unstoppable, but there was no progress in interpreting the symbols, as if they were stuck in an unsolvable deadlock.
"We have to hurry," Wei Qing's voice was a little weak. Long-term hunger and fatigue made her a little exhausted, like a flower about to wither. "We are running out of food and water."
Dai Shiya nodded, with a look of determination in her eyes, that determination was like a sharp knife, "I have a feeling that we are very close to the truth."
At this moment, a subtle sound came from deep in the cave, as if someone was deliberately lowering the footsteps and slowly approaching... The sound was like a ghost approaching quietly in the darkness, which was creepy.
Dai Shiya and Wei Qing looked at each other, and saw a trace of vigilance in each other's eyes, which was like two burning flames. They both tightened their weapons, held their breath, and quietly waited for the approach of the person, like two cheetahs preparing to ambush their prey.
The light at the cave entrance was gradually blocked by a tall figure, and a deep voice echoed in the cave: "I found you..."
The figure completely covered the cave entrance. In the dim light, the man's face was blurred. All that could be seen was his tall figure, emitting a dangerous aura, like a demon walking out of the darkness. He was not alone. Behind him, several other equally well-equipped figures appeared one after another, blocking the cave exit tightly, like a solid wall.
"Who are you?" Dai Shiya asked sternly, with a barely perceptible tremor in her tone. Long periods of hunger and fatigue had greatly reduced their fighting power, like a sword that had lost its edge.
The man did not answer, but sneered. The laughter was like a cold north wind, chilling people's hearts. He waved his hand, and the next second, Dai Shiya and Wei Qing were surrounded. The opponent was well-trained and fierce, and each move seemed to carry fatal lethality. Dai Shiya and Wei Qing fought hard, but gradually fell into disadvantage, like two small boats struggling in a storm.
In order to protect Dai Shiya, Wei Qing blocked a heavy blow for her. She groaned and a trace of blood flowed from the corner of her mouth. The blood was like a bright red rose, blooming at the corner of her mouth.
"Wei Qing!" Dai Shiya exclaimed, watching Wei Qing fall, her heart was burning with anger, that anger was like a blazing fire. She knew that if this continued, both of them would die here, like two withered leaves.
Anger stimulated Dai Shiya's potential. She endured the fatigue of her body and carefully observed the enemy's attack methods and positions with her eyes like two sharp scalpels. She found that although these people were well-trained and coordinated, they seemed to rely too much on the weapons in their hands, and their close combat skills were slightly insufficient, like a giant with a strong appearance but weaknesses.
Dai Shiya made a prompt decision and changed her combat strategy. She no longer fought the enemy head-on, but took advantage of the complex terrain in the cave, like a flexible monkey, maneuvering with the enemy and looking for opportunities to attack at close range. She was agile, moving between the enemy's attacks, and attacking the enemy's weaknesses unexpectedly from time to time, like a flash of lightning, making the enemy unable to defend.
In a moment of carelessness, an enemy was tripped by Dai Shiya, and the weapon in his hand fell out of his hand. Dai Shiya was quick-witted and snatched the weapon, and knocked down another enemy with a backhand. The action was clean and neat, like a martial arts master.
Seeing Dai Shiya's tenacity, the enemy also panicked, like a group of ants whose positions were disrupted. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Dai Shiya helped Wei Qing up, fighting and retreating, and finally successfully repelled the enemy and escaped from the cave, like two birds escaping from hunters.
Dai Shiya and Wei Qing, who escaped, did not dare to stay for a moment and hid immediately, like two frightened rabbits. Wei Qing's injuries were serious, and Dai Shiya simply treated her wounds, her heart full of worry and self-blame, like a heavy dark cloud pressing on her heart.
"It's all my fault. If I had found them earlier, you wouldn't have been hurt." Dai Shiya's voice was choked, like a gurgling stream, with a hint of sadness.
Wei Qing smiled weakly, like a small flower swaying gently in the breeze, "Don't say that, haven't we escaped now? Moreover, we have obtained important information."
Dai Shiya then remembered the symbols in the cave. She quickly took out the symbols she had copied down, but found that part of the copy had been damaged in the fight just now, becoming blurred, like a stained scroll.
This was undoubtedly a huge blow. The lack of clues undoubtedly increased the difficulty of finding the location of the hidden headquarters, like a higher mountain, standing in front of them.
"Don't lose heart," Wei Qing saw the frustration of Dai Shi and Ya, and comforted her like a caring sister, "We have come this far, and we must not give up easily. We still have other clues, don't we?"
Wei Qing's words awakened Dai Shiya. She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down, like a captain steering a ship in a storm. She re-sorted out the remaining clues, combined with her previous investigation experience and analysis of the enemy's equipment and actions, and finally determined the approximate location of the hidden force's headquarters - an abandoned factory on the edge of the city.
However, this is just the beginning. According to intelligence, the abandoned factory is surrounded by various high-tech defense systems, including infrared sensors, laser fences, surveillance cameras... It is almost impeccable, like an impregnable fortress. This will be the last hurdle for them to uncover the huge secret, like the last solid city gate.
Dai Shiya looked at the vague outline of the factory in the distance, her eyes full of determination, like an unshakable mountain. No matter how many difficulties and obstacles there are ahead, she will not give up. She must find the truth, protect her family, and bring the black hand hidden behind the scenes to justice. Like a brave soldier, she shoulders an important mission.