When a group of black men surrounded them like ghosts, Chen Hao and the others' hearts were gripped tightly by fear, as if they had fallen into an endless abyss of darkness.
All around was deathly silence, except for the icy gazes of the men in black, which, like cold glimmers, stabbed straight through the cracks of the window, making people shudder.
"What should we do? How on earth did they find us?" Lin Yun's voice trembled slightly, and fear, like a flood bursting through a dam, surged and spread in her heart.
Chen Hao took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down quickly. His mind was racing, trying his best to think of a countermeasure.
"Don't panic yet. Everyone, quickly look around to see if there are any other exits," he said in a low but firm voice, injecting a glimmer of calmness into the panicked crowd.
Everyone immediately sprang into action, scurrying around the room in a hurry, searching for an escape route. However, the cruel reality was like a cold high - wall, shattering all their hopes mercilessly.
The men in black had already tightly surrounded this temporary hiding place. All the exits were blocked solidly, and they seemed trapped in a huge cage.
Li Qiang's eyes were bloodshot. He tightly grasped the simple self-made weapon, his knuckles turning white from the force. His eyes revealed a determination to face death without fear. "Let's fight them! We might as well die!"
"No!" Chen Hao immediately stopped him, his voice urgent and resolute. "There are so many of them, and they are well-armed. Rushing out rashly like this is like a sheep running into the tiger's mouth. We'll only be courting death."
He knew very well that at this life-and-death moment, any blind and impulsive behaviour would only worsen the situation and push them deeper into the desperate situation.
Professor Wang's brows were tightly knitted, and the wrinkles on his forehead were as deep as ravines. His voice carried a bit of anxiety and calmness. "We mustn't just sit here and wait for death. We have to find a way to stall for time. Maybe there will be a turning point."
Just then, a series of neat and heavy footsteps came from outside the door. The men in black were about to launch their final attack.
Chen Hao took a deep breath, summoned his courage, and shouted, "Wait! What on earth do you want?"
The footsteps stopped abruptly. Then, a deep and icy voice came from outside the door.
"Chen Hao, you have no way to escape. Surrender obediently, and maybe we'll spare your lives."
Chen Hao's heart skipped a beat. He tried to find a flaw in the other party's words. He shouted, "Everything we've done is for the future of all mankind. You're helping the evildoers. Aren't you afraid of being condemned by your conscience?"
"Cut the crap! We're just following orders." The other party's voice was completely emotionless, as cold as a machine, ignoring Chen Hao's persuasion.
Chen Hao knew that it was impossible to persuade these people with words. He subtly winked at Li Qiang, signalling him to get ready for a fight. At the same time, he lowered his voice and quickly said to the others, "Look for a chance to break through later. Everyone runs in different directions to divert their attention."
Just as everyone was gripping their weapons, ready to fight to the death at this critical moment, suddenly, a series of intense and rapid gunshots came from the distance, breaking the extremely oppressive atmosphere.
The men in black seemed to be under fierce attack from other forces, and there was a slight loosening in their originally tight encirclement.
"Is it Zhang Wei and his people?" A glimmer of surprise and expectation flashed in Lin Yun's eyes, and her voice trembled a little.
Chen Hao shook his head uncertainly, his expression solemn yet resolute. "Whoever it is, this is our chance. Rush out!"
Everyone rushed out like caged beasts breaking free. Taking advantage of the chaos among the men in black, they suddenly burst open the door and dashed in different directions frantically.
Chen Hao tightly held Lin Yun's hand and fled desperately in the opposite direction of the gunshots. They dashed left and right in the thick forest, and the branches scratched their clothes and skin, oozing blood. But they ignored the pain. From time to time, the shouts of the men in black chasing them came from behind, like the roars of demons, closely following them.
"Chen Hao, where are we running?" Lin Yun gasped for breath, her voice filled with fatigue and confusion.
Chen Hao was running while quickly observing the surrounding terrain, his mind thinking at full speed. "Find a place to hide first and shake them off."
The two of them, like two frightened fawns in the forest, turned left and right. Relying on their strong desire for survival and tenacious will, they finally found an extremely hidden cave.
They carefully walked into the cave and hid in the darkest corner, not daring to make a sound. They could only hear each other's rapid breathing and violent heartbeats.
After a long time, the sounds of the pursuers gradually disappeared in the silent mountain forest. Chen Hao and Lin Yun finally let out a sigh of relief.
"I wonder how the others are doing." Lin Yun's voice was full of worry and concern.
Chen Hao gently held her hand and gave her a reassuring look. "They're all very smart and brave. They must be able to find a safe place to hide. Let's wait here for a while and observe the situation."
In the cave, the two fell into silence. In the darkness, they snuggled up to each other, feeling each other's warmth and strength. They knew escape was a temporary respite, and the road ahead was still full of thorns and unknown dangers and challenges.
"Chen Hao, do you think we can save humanity?" Lin Yun broke the silence. Her eyes revealed a hint of confusion and helplessness, flickering in the darkness.
Chen Hao stared intently into Lin Yun's eyes, his gaze firm and passionate. "We definitely can! We've gone through so many hardships and made it this far. We mustn't give up. Moreover, after verification, most of the materials provided by Zhang Wei are true. This means we have hope of finding a way to deal with this disaster, and humanity has hope too."
Lin Yun nodded. Chen Hao's firm words were like warm sunlight, dispelling the haze in her heart and giving her strength and courage. "Well, let's work together. No matter what difficulties we encounter, we won't give up."
After some more time, Chen Hao thought it should be temporarily safe outside, so he carefully walked out of the cave, observing every movement around. After making sure there was no danger, he called Lin Yun out.
"Let's go find the others and then contact Zhang Wei," Chen Hao said, his tone tinged with urgency and determination.
The two retraced their steps and carefully searched for the traces of their other companions in the thick forest. They found signs of a fight, broken branches, messy footprints, and pieces of clothing scattered on the ground, but they didn't see their companions.
"They should have all escaped safely," Chen Hao comforted himself and Lin Yun. "Let's go to the previously agreed contact point and see if we can get in touch with them."
When they arrived at the contact point, they were pleasantly surprised to find that Li Qiang and Professor Wang were already there. Seeing that everyone was safe and sound, they all felt a huge weight lifted off their hearts.
"That was close just now," Li Qiang said with lingering fear, the look of horror still not completely gone from his face. "If it weren't for the sudden gunshots, we would have been doomed today."
"Yeah, I wonder who on earth saved us," Professor Wang said with emotion, his eyes full of confusion and gratitude.
"Whoever it is, we have to contact Zhang Wei as soon as possible and cooperate with them," Chen Hao said, solemn and urgent. "Now time is pressing. The disaster could strike at any time, and we can't afford to waste a single second."
So, they got in touch with Zhang Wei through the previous contact method.
"Zhang Wei, this is Chen Hao. We just got attacked and almost didn't make it out," Chen Hao's voice carried fatigue and relief.
"I know. It was the people from our organization who saved you," Zhang Wei's voice came from the other end of the phone. "It seems that the government has noticed our cooperation and started to come down hard on you."
"Thank you for your help," Chen Hao said sincerely. "We've verified that most of the materials you provided are true. We're willing to cooperate with you further to jointly deal with this disaster that concerns the fate of all mankind."
"Good. I knew you would make the right choice," Zhang Wei said, a hint of relief in his tone. "We'll arrange a meeting right away to discuss the specific cooperation plan."
After hanging up the phone, Chen Hao and the others were filled with hope and worry. They understood that cooperating with Zhang Wei's organization, although it might be the only hope to save humanity, also meant that they would be facing even more powerful enemies and greater challenges.