Chapter 125: Reuniting Once More

After a long and arduous journey, Karissa was clearly exhausted. Supported by Uji, she leaned against a rock protruding from the grass, breathing quietly. Her lower body remained exposed to the air, while her upper body was wrapped in the camouflage jacket Chen Cao had given her. Her eyes, though battered and weary, still held a trace of allure as they remained half-closed, fixed upon him.

Chen Cao pretended to be indifferent. He holstered his pistol and flexed his arms, loosening his deltoids. Hua Fo was right; at this point, he could only wish Stanny and the others the best of luck. The sky was slowly brightening, and faint light began to filter through the gaps in the dense, impenetrable canopy. Aside from the outsiders like Chen Cao, everything seemed to have returned to a state of stillness.

Chen Cao walked slowly through the jungle, maintaining a high state of vigilance. After all, compared to the natives, they were outsiders who could never truly escape the pursuit of those who called this land home. After carefully patrolling the perimeter and finding nothing amiss, his long-standing exhaustion caused him to gradually ease his guard. He leaned against a spot not far from the others, pistol in hand, and began to rest with half-closed eyes.

For a while, the only sounds were the soft rhythm of breathing and the chirping of insects and birds, as time in the jungle seemed to settle into a deep calm.

Gradually, Chen Cao felt his eyelids growing heavy. At first, he could still perceive his own steady breathing, but slowly, it grew light and airy, his eyelids grew heavier, and images began to drift through his mind.

There was the final request from Chen Diwen to take that man down; the hunched yet towering figure of his father, Chen Fusheng; the sharp, capable gaze of Chen Xinyou, which always betrayed her concern for him; the gravity in Duan Tianya’s tone as he assigned the mission; and the bruised, desperate face of Mei Mei after her ordeal—all flashed continuously through his consciousness. Suddenly, his mind began to race once more.

Why did the Mainz officers know about this shipment of gems? It seemed linked to the strange men who had harmed Mei Mei and the brother of the white man he had killed. They were here, too, seeking the stones. Were they the true owners, or were they merely rivals? Who really owned this treasure, and had they already penetrated deep into the jungle? And then there was the primary mission: the mysterious man from the Academy. According to Duan Tianya, he had vanished during a secret operation. Later, when the Academy’s security division searched for his team, they found the bodies of every member except his. Over the decades that followed, his signature killing style had appeared on battlefields across the globe. Why had he betrayed the Academy and his homeland? No one knew. He was the only student in the history of the 0611 Academy to defect, and the first to have undergone such specialized training. Could he, with the meager clues provided by the Academy, actually track him down? How powerful had he become? Everything had turned into a riddle.

The deeper he thought, the dizzier and heavier his head became. Just as Chen Cao was drifting into sleep, a tremor in the grass struck his ears. He sprang to his feet, his pistol scanning the area.

Just as Chen Cao readied himself for combat, a breeze flickered before him. Hua Fo had reacted even faster; he racked his bolt, dropped into a prone position, and aimed toward nine o'clock, saying coldly, "Chen, you’re too careless. We’ll both lose our lives this way!" Despite his words, his iron sights were locked precisely on the swaying grass.

"Don't shoot, Boss, it's me!" At the sound, two hands emerged from the distance, followed by a head that popped out like a rabbit's. The figure stood still, clearly having spotted Chen Cao from the start.

"Stanny!" Although Chen Cao didn't move, his heart eased slightly. Truth be told, while the man was greedy, his stubborn resilience and determination to save his fiancée were admirable. Moreover, after spending time together, he realized that while Stanny was petty and cowardly, his combat instincts in critical moments were not to be underestimated. After all, surviving a decade of guerrilla warfare with the Odelu Jihadist forces wasn't entirely due to cowardice; if one could be that cowardly and still survive, that in itself was a skill.

This caused a slight shift in Chen Cao’s feelings toward him. He had originally planned to eliminate the man once the mission was over, as he knew too many secrets. At the very least, he wouldn't kill him as long as he didn't prove unreliable.

Chen Cao lowered his muzzle slightly. Two other figures emerged from the grass. Looking closely, one was indeed the yellow-skinned Lu Tianming, but the other... wasn't that the blonde woman? Had these two been in the jungle so long without female company that they had just grabbed her?

No, that wasn't it. The blonde woman was wearing a jacket—clearly Lu Tianming’s. Could it be...?

Filled with questions, Chen Cao signaled Hua Fo to hold fire, then waved at the pair, shouting, "Turn around and back up toward us! Keep your hands high!"

Seeing Chen Cao was like seeing a savior to Stanny. Already holding his hands high, he immediately turned and began backing up. The scrawny Lu Tianming hesitated for a moment before raising his hands and turning, too. Seeing the blonde woman still standing there with a vacant, goofy smile, Lu pulled her along and shook his head toward Chen Cao.

Chen Cao realized the woman’s mind had suffered severe trauma and she could no longer process information like a normal person. "Come over here!" he commanded, keeping his pistol leveled at the three as they cautiously approached.

Before long, Stanny and Lu Tianming, who was dragging the blonde woman, arrived, dripping with sweat. Seeing that Chen Cao wasn't firing, they let out long sighs of relief. Stanny spoke first: "My Allah, Boss, it’s so good to see you! When I was outside the door and saw most of the natives rushing back to the tribe, I panicked. I thought you’d been discovered, so I grabbed this yellow-skin—er, old Lu—and retreated, planning to regroup with weapons later. God be praised, I never expected to run into you here. Boss, meeting you again is truly a blessing from Allah!"

Lu Tianming puffed out his cheeks, wanting to speak, but after a glance from Stanny, he just turned bright red and remained silent.

Chen Cao felt a vein throb in his temple. *You coward,* he thought, *the moment things looked bad, you were the first to bolt.* Though he thought this, his face remained impassive as he looked at Lu Tianming and the woman. "What’s the story with this woman?"

"God bless!" At the mention of the blonde woman, Lu Tianming stroked her hair with affection. "Mr. Chen, I never expected to find my wife, Lucia, during our retreat." His voice choked up. "I never thought, after thousands of days and nights, that I would still be alive to see her again. All of this is thanks to you. I, Lu Tianming, will never forget your great kindness!"

The blonde woman seemed to enjoy Lu’s touch; she kept her vacant smile but curled into his arms.

"She... is your wife?" Chen Cao felt his face burn. He hadn't expected this blue-eyed, fair-skinned woman to be Lu Tianming’s wife; he had assumed Lu’s wife would be from the Great Chen Empire. He was astonished that she had survived the encirclement of the native soldiers—it was nothing short of a miracle. He felt a deep sense of self-reproach for his earlier inaction. Deep down, he was a soldier of the Great Chen, not a cold-blooded mercenary; he sympathized with the women who fell victim to the natives.

"Enough, let’s move out. It seems we’ve picked up three more burdens," Hua Fo said, putting away his submachine gun. His cold voice cut through their conversation.

Chen Cao looked at Hua Fo. Truthfully, this man who had suddenly appeared to save him—and who was so obsessed with money—wouldn't have done it just for a few gems. There had to be a secret. Otherwise, who would risk their life for a total stranger just for some stones? Even he himself would have needed companions, so why was Hua Fo alone? One had to realize this place was filled not just with native soldiers, but with mercenaries. The idea that someone could move freely through this area alone for so long was entirely unrealistic. As this thought occurred to him, Chen Cao’s suspicions deepened. He looked at Hua Fo, who was already prepared to move, and asked, "Where are we retreating to?"

"East!" Facing Chen Cao’s question, Hua Fo, who had already shouldered his weapon, paused for a few seconds, sensing that the question might be a trap, before turning to face him.

Chen Cao held his pistol, looking at Hua Fo with a faint, inscrutable smile. "Why must we go east?"

A cold glint flashed in Hua Fo’s eyes, but he immediately smiled. "To get the gems, Chen. At this point, you don't still suspect me, do you? Think about it—who would go through the fire with you to save this random woman who’s been violated by who knows how many natives? Who would risk their life to save you?"

Chen Cao said nothing, his gaze remaining cold. Uji had helped Karissa up from the rock. Despite her pale complexion, she grew even paler upon hearing Hua Fo’s words. Uji, unable to hold back any longer, stretched his neck, his face turning red. "Mr. Hua Fo, don't you think saying that is truly hurtful?"