Chapter 120: Who Is the Prey?

"Well, actually, I was just speaking off the cuff. The truth isn’t what you heard it to be."

"Cut the nonsense. I ask, you answer."

"Alright, comrade, ask away. I’ll tell you everything. But this really is a misunderstanding—definitely not as dark as you think."

Ugh.

If only I hadn’t spoken so carelessly!

"Enough talk. Answer."

Jiang Huan declared, "As long as you tell the truth, I won’t pull the trigger."

Seeing that Jiang Huan’s murderous intent wasn’t so strong, the man hurried to explain, "If you have a flag, we confiscate it along with other items. If you seem to have nothing, we just capture you and toss you into harsher conditions."

Jiang Huan snorted coldly, pressing the gun closer to his temple, the barrel squeezing against his temple. "Sorry, I’m lucky—I not only have a firearm but also two bombs. If you don’t want your comrades to get into trouble, you’d better cooperate. Now, take me to your main base."

What!?! Bombs???

And why on earth did she want to go to their main base?!

This is a disaster—they planned a hunt but ended up being hunted themselves!

Jiang Huan’s backward steps resembled a ballroom dance; after retreating, she was ready to advance. Taking small steps, she pushed the “shield” closer to where the loudspeaker was.

Seeing her approach, the people inside the building grew inexplicably tense. The sniper rifle held by one of them was a formidable weapon; the others mostly carried cold weapons.

Once inside, Jiang Huan took a look around—five people in total.

Including the two outside with weapons, there were eight altogether.

Whether that was everyone, she didn’t know.

Jiang Huan didn’t leave her shield behind; using it as a bargaining chip, she asked these men to help her find the flags.

"Oh, by the way, I don’t smoke, but I brought cigarettes this time because I had nothing else to bring. I originally planned to give them to my comrades, but they disappeared after going down. I thought, if you can help me find flags, half a pack of cigarettes for each flag."

What?

Two flags for just one pack of cigarettes!

The men, all male, exchanged glances. "Can you give more? Even if we take the flags, it’s not like we can’t get anything else in exchange..."

Jiang Huan silently produced the bombs tucked inside her vest—actually stored in her space pocket.

"Deal!"

"Deal, deal, deal!"

"We’ll trade. Come on, comrade, don’t be so impulsive."

Jiang Huan took some tape and bound the shield’s hands, then pulled him to a corner to sit down. "Now, go find the flags."

The men looked at each other, shrugged, donned their hats, and braved the heat to head out.

Jiang Huan rested in the shadows for two hours. When they returned, they brought back three flags.

One flag per squad was enough to satisfy the requirement.

Jiang Huan accepted the flags and gave out two packs of cigarettes. "There’s half a pack left. Consider it a little psychological compensation for this fellow."

The man whose hands were bound to the shield almost wished this lady would bind his feet as well!

Jiang Huan hadn’t even begun her ordeal yet but was already on the verge of success. She could turn back now.

She told everyone to turn their backs, stepped back slowly, then slipped into an alley and left the area.

Wandering blindly, she unexpectedly ran into Sister Chen.

The two men flanking her kept close, showing no different treatment toward Sister Chen. Jiang Huan heard them say they had searched all morning without success, even mentioning once spotting a flag but losing it to someone who arrived first.

Jiang Huan’s eyes flickered, then she excitedly pointed to a corner among the ruins. "What’s that?"

Sister Chen was even more thrilled, genuinely surprised. "A small flag! How could it be in such an obvious spot? Why didn’t we check places like this just now?"

Holding the small flag, Jiang Huan actually planned to go back with Sister Chen and share it.

But the two men only cast envious glances at Jiang Huan, neither attempting to snatch it nor acting out of line.

Sister Chen voiced regret but didn’t reach out or demand it.

Jiang Huan extended her hand to pass it over. "Actually, I found one in a building’s restroom earlier. One flag per squad is enough. Here, take it."

Sister Chen and her group didn’t take it, but Jiang Huan showed them her own small flag. Since the three really couldn’t find any others, they reluctantly replied, "We’ll keep looking. If we find new ones, we’ll give them to you. These can be traded for supplies; we might need them in the next couple of days."

Jiang Huan nodded and saw them accept the flag. She suggested leaving this area to find Arlene and the others she knew—Uncle Kui and Xie Congzhou.

The three-man squad readily agreed. Even if Jiang Huan hadn’t brought it up, they would have.

They didn’t believe in leaving a woman alone in an unfamiliar place.

Jiang Huan followed the team to another area, leisurely searching for extra small flags and other teammates. Xing Yu and Dai Fu noticed Jiang Huan had truly been lost; both shrugged. "I told you, splitting off with a woman is asking for trouble."

"Forget it. Finding the flags means success. We’ll stay until the third day before returning. That’s fair to our teammates."

"Fine. Besides, it’s impossible for her to be alone and still find any flags."

After searching most of the day, Jiang Huan found a place where everyone sat together, eating and drinking a bit.

Drinking meant just sipping water; eating meant nibbling on a bit of compressed biscuit.

The only downside to following the team was having to sneak bites and choosing only odorless food.

That first night, the four took turns in pairs, resting on a high floor.

In the early hours of the next day, Jiang Huan, on toilet duty, passed by the balcony and spotted a small squad of about ten moving not far off.

Their clothing was familiar—our people!

Jiang Huan raised binoculars and saw Xie Congzhou and Uncle Kui among them. The others were faces she recognized vaguely.

Two men carried what looked like unconscious teammates. Jiang Huan didn’t ignore them and beckoned, "Over here."

The group was naturally cautious; even the slightest sound could attract attention. But this time, the motion was an invitation.

"It’s Jiang Huan. Let’s go over."

Xie Congzhou saw Jiang Huan and took off without hesitation.

That level of trust was almost unbearable to witness.

"I know she’s your girlfriend. Oh man, that trust makes me green with envy."

"It’s Jiang Huan. Let’s go."

Xie Congzhou ignored a comrade who had been standing by a shipping container and led everyone to the building where Jiang Huan was.

Jiang Huan waited at the stairwell on her floor.

She glanced at the two unconscious men: flushed faces, clearly unwell.

No bandages or blood, so most likely heatstroke or severe sun exposure?

Hmm?

They were familiar faces.

Her two good teammates.

Jiang Huan descended calmly—no need to rush when it didn’t concern others.

"What’s wrong with them?" Jiang Huan didn’t ask, but others did; Sister Chen’s teammates were already inquiring about Xing Yu and Dai Fu’s condition.

[To be continued in the next chapter.]