Only when he could no longer hear any sounds behind him did Lin Shi lean against a large tree, gasping for breath. After the underwater battle and swimming several kilometers to the island with Shen Jinbin, his strength was nearly depleted. His hands and feet trembled involuntarily, a sign of exhaustion. If it weren't for the three months of rigorous training, he wouldn't have had the strength to escape. But it was all worth it; he had uncovered the truth about his father's death and avenged him by killing the man responsible. With a fatal wound, a punctured abdomen, decompression sickness, and an infected wound, there was no way Shen Jinbin could survive. However, he hadn't expected the Shen family's bodyguards to be equipped with such heavy firepower.
Lin Shi had always believed he hadn't underestimated the Shen family's power, but it seemed he still had. In a peaceful society, to equip bodyguards with such weapons was unprecedented. These bodyguards were not ordinary veterans. No wonder the Shen family could control Hai City during the harsh apocalypse!
Confirming that no one was chasing him for the moment, Lin Shi found a secluded ravine. He took out bandages, disinfectant, a hemostatic spray, and a knife from his spatial pocket. After disinfecting the knife, he gritted his teeth and dug the bullet out of his left arm, sprayed the wound with the hemostatic spray, and bandaged it. By the time he finished, he was drenched in sweat. In his previous life, he had endured worse injuries without any medication, so this was nothing.
He swallowed two anti-inflammatory pills and treated the minor cuts from the branches. Changing into clean clothes from his spatial pocket, he took out water and a can of luncheon meat to replenish his energy. After a long while, no one came. Either the bodyguards had taken Shen Jinbin's body and left, or they were waiting somewhere to ambush him.
After resting, Lin Shi continued deeper into the forest. Half an hour later, standing at the highest point on the island, he surveyed the entire area. Shen Jinbin's yacht was gone, and so was his body on the beach. But on the other side of the island, a bright orange lifeboat was pulled into the trees. Even partially hidden by the shadows, it was still very conspicuous. Of course, if he hadn't been at this vantage point, Lin Shi wouldn't have noticed it. The presence of the lifeboat indicated that someone from the yacht had stayed behind. It seemed they were indeed preparing to ambush him.
Originally, Lin Shi was pondering how to return to Shashi. The uninhabited island wasn't far from Shashi, but swimming back was impossible. Now, this situation suited him just fine. As the sun set, the countdown in the corner of his treasure basin showed only 17 hours remaining. Lin Shi didn't waste any more time. He took out his combat suit and put it on swiftly. This was the military cold-weather gear he had ordered from Xie Jinxin at a high cost. The full name was the Cold Climate Special Forces Combat Suit, consisting of sixteen pieces, highly insulated and waterproof, designed to keep the wearer warm without hindering combat. Given the weather, Lin Shi didn't wear all the layers. He removed some of the inner thermal clothing, put on the bulletproof vest under his outerwear, and donned a tactical helmet and thermal night vision goggles. Fully armed, he waited for nightfall. Night was the best time to strike!
...
The forest at night was pitch black, filled with mosquitoes. Five figures in black crouched behind bushes, ready to pounce. Their exposed necks and hands were covered in mosquito bites, but they endured, frowning. They had come with Shen Jinbin for a leisure trip, and bringing guns was already the limit; they hadn't prepared any other equipment. The only sniper rifle was hidden in the yacht for emergencies. After all, this was the safest country in the world, not a war-torn nation where guns were rampant. They never imagined that a simple diving trip would lead to such a catastrophic failure!
A light sound made two bodyguards tense up. "Drip, drip, drip..." One of them looked up as raindrops began to fall, turning the initial drips into a steady patter on the leaves.
"2, it's raining. Should we wait?" a bodyguard whispered into the radio.
"Wait! The island is large, and with just five of us, it's impossible to find him quickly. If we split up and enter the forest, we'll be easy targets. Wait. He will try to leave, and then we'll see who has more patience. If we don't catch this person, we won't have a good outcome," 2 replied.
The bodyguards had seen Shen Jinbin's injuries and deduced that Lin Shi was a well-prepared assassin. Perfect disguise, ruthless attack—how could an ordinary person do that? And to know their destination in advance and hide weapons underwater, this was the work of a professional assassin or agent. They couldn't imagine that Lin Shi, who appeared to be an ordinary person, was actually a survivor from the apocalypse, experienced in countless crises. There was no hidden weapon underwater; he had a spatial pocket!
However, one of the bodyguards felt something was off: "I don't think that guy is an assassin. And didn't Young Master Shen say he was his stepmother's son?"
2 paused before responding, "Young Master investigated Lin Shi before. He was just an ordinary college student. Do you think Old Master Shen would believe that an ordinary college student somehow got a crossbow and almost killed Young Master? Could eight of us, who have been through countless battles, not stop a college student?"
It was more logical to assume an assassin had disguised himself as Lin Shi. It also provided a better excuse for their failure. 2 continued, "We gave Young Master all the gene repair drugs to keep him alive. Whether he survives is uncertain. If he dies, think about the consequences."
The bodyguards fell silent.
...
Lin Shi didn't know that Shen Jinbin, whom he thought was dead, was still alive. He had carefully made his way down to the dense forest. The sudden rain surprised him, but then he felt a surge of joy. Even the heavens were on his side. The sound of the rain would mask his footsteps. The bulky men were clearly visible through his night vision goggles. Lin Shi hid 300 meters away and took out a crossbow. The interception crossbow was powerful but not quiet. The crossbow in his hand, a recurve crossbow, was much quieter and suitable for close combat, acquired during his last pickup.
Carefully placing a few arrows in the quiver, Lin Shi approached the five men's hiding spots. The sound of rain hitting the leaves filled his ears, and he tried to step on exposed rocks and soil to avoid making any unusual noises. When he was within 200 meters, he stopped, fully alert. At this distance, if they had infrared sensors, they would detect him. Lin Shi waited, but there was no reaction. This was within the range of the recurve crossbow. He aimed at a figure not obscured by trees and fired!