novelraw Chapter 202 : Forest Pursuit
Chapter 202 : Forest Pursuit
The young man's voice trembled slightly with tension.
But his words tore open a brand new breakthrough in the current stalemate.
Shen Han reacted most swiftly.
She walked over to Sun Yu in a few steps and asked, "How many people know about that medicine trail? Are there any border guards stationed there?"
Sun Yu glanced at his mother, and seeing no reaction from her, he began to answer, "Border soldiers occasionally patrol there, but they don't have a permanent post."
"The mountain folk living nearby know about the medicine trail, and I know about it because I went there with my mom when I was little."
Come to think of it, the Tengyun Mountains were where Yan Lin first met Tang Yucai.
She hadn't immediately thought of that hidden medicine trail, but unexpectedly, her son remembered it so clearly.
Thinking of this, a trace of guilt welled up in her heart.
Her constant thoughts of Tang Yucai over these years had, in fact, greatly affected those around her without her realizing it.
It was indeed somewhat selfish.
"Junwan! I request permission to lead a team to depart immediately for the Tengyun Mountains!"
Shen Han's urgent voice rang out in the current room, then drilled into the ears of all operatives through the communication line.
Her impulsive utterance of "Junwan" surprised everyone except Yan Lin and her son.
Yan Lin knew about their relationship, so she didn't find anything wrong with it.
Her son, knowing too little information, couldn't grasp the significance.
But it was different for the Free Federation officials and soldiers participating in the call.
For those in the know like Xu Zhao and Ning Xi, it was slightly better.
They were surprised that Shen Han had called out Empress's nickname in her urgency.
Others felt as if they'd been hit on the head by a sledgehammer falling from the sky.
If the current situation weren't so inappropriate, they would definitely have gossiped about this tidbit until there was nothing left to discuss.
Gu Junwan had already planned to make their relationship public soon, so she paid no attention to the matter of address after hearing the other's words.
"Request granted."
"You'll depart as the first echelon, and I'll immediately mobilize reinforcements."
"Just one point, act within your capabilities. The items can go unfound, but people must return safe and sound!"
The Empress's voice was as clear and steady as ever.
But the emotions contained in her words were particularly obvious.
After receiving the order, Shen Han immediately asked Yan Lin to help arrange three motorcycles as quickly as possible.
They had six combat personnel here, two per bike, to set out as soon as possible.
Watching the Alphas before him preparing eagerly for battle, Sun Yu immediately became anxious.
He grabbed Shen Han's arm and frowned, saying, "How could you leave me out? I told you the medicine trail is hidden, you definitely won't find it without me!"
While instructing Fang Yue to connect with the route map, Shen Han said solemnly to the young man beside her, "The upcoming operation is very dangerous. I can't take you."
"If you really want to help, when we send back video later, just identify the location of the medicine trail as quickly as possible."
After speaking, she gently but firmly removed his hand from her arm and pushed him in front of Yan Lin.
Although Yan Lin was willing to help as much as possible, she would absolutely not allow her son to participate in dangerous pursuit operations.
She had heard during the real-time communication earlier that, barring any surprises, the group that stole the auction items was the Yin Country spy team.
If Shen Han encountered them, it was highly likely to be a fight to the death!
"Little Yu! Don't cause trouble. Even if you convinced Shen Han to take you, I wouldn't agree!"
Hearing his mother's stern words, Sun Yu's face immediately turned red, like two burning clouds.
His chest heaved violently from frustration, and his expression also turned indignant: "How am I causing trouble? I was the first to think of that medicine trail in that area that leads across the border!"
He then raised his eyes to stare at Shen Han: "If it weren't for me, could you have found the Yin Country spies' residence? If it weren't for me, could you have decided so quickly to chase them to the Tengyun Mountains? This is simply kicking away the ladder after crossing the river!"
After this outburst, Sun Yu turned and left the living room where everyone was gathered.
Watching her son's back disappear in the blink of an eye, Yan Lin sighed lightly and said to Shen Han, "That child doesn't yet understand how to speak with tact. Don't mind him."
"I've already asked Du Hao to prepare the motorcycles. They should be here in about 5 minutes."
Shen Han naturally wouldn't hold it against Sun Yu. After thanking Yan Lin, she quickly inquired about information regarding that medicine trail.
The Dragon Horn Ginseng was one of the stolen auction items, according to information actively disclosed by the auction company under pressure from various parties.
Shen Han's mission this time was for that medicinal herb.
Therefore, as long as there was even a glimmer of hope, she would overcome all obstacles to retrieve that ginseng.
As for settling scores with Takeda Tatsuya, they could only take it one step at a time.
Based on the available intelligence, it wasn't enough for them to confirm the enemy's location.
That cunning enemy might enter the Tengyun Mountains, or he might have moved elsewhere after stealing the auction items.
He was like a cold and cautious venomous snake, hiding in a place not easily noticed by others, then suddenly emerging to tear at the prey's flesh!
Just as Shen Han was contemplating the pursuit plan, the sound of motorcycle engines came from outside.
Shen Han opened the pre-planned navigation route on her phone and led Fang Yue and the others directly out of the courtyard.
Seeing six Alphas come out of the mansion, Du Hao's eyes immediately lit up.
Though he didn't know exactly who they were, he could guess that what they were doing must be no small matter!
"Teacher Shen, all three bikes are fully fueled. You can ride without worry!"
The motorcycle keys hadn't been removed. Shen Han and her team members directly straddled the bikes.
She turned her head towards Du Hao, who was eagerly watching her, and said a word of thanks before leading the way out of the area.
Du Hao and his two companions watched the motorcade disappear from sight before rubbing their hands and asking Yan Lin with a grin: "Aunt Lin, what are Teacher Shen and the others going to do? Is there anything else we can help with?"
Ever since the demolition team incident, Du Hao and the others had completely changed their attitude towards Shen Han.
They called her "Teacher Shen" with great enthusiasm, wishing they could revolve around her all day.
Yan Lin naturally wouldn't tell everyone the real situation, only saying, "There shouldn't be anything else that needs help, but if there is, I'll trouble you again."
"Saying 'trouble' is too formal!" Du Hao pretended to be angry and pouted, then asked, "Where's Yu Yu? Did he go to tutoring?"
Yan Lin shook her head: "He's in a bad mood today and didn't go to tutoring. If you see him later, please cheer him up for me."
...
The ancient kingdom of Solan isn't large, with mostly mountainous terrain and complex road networks.
In this place, motorcycles are the best means of transportation for zipping around.
Many areas where cars need to detour, motorcycles can pass through smoothly and unobstructed.
With the same starting and ending points, the latter can save quite a bit of time compared to the former.
Shen Han led her team speeding along without a moment's rest, finally arriving at their destination close to 2 PM.
Their current location was where the enemy's signal had disappeared, according to the Federation's information officer's monitoring.
Before them was a large expanse of emerald lake, surrounded by shallow grasslands and woodlands, looking somewhat like an ecological wetland.
Shen Han got off her motorcycle and followed the obvious tire tracks to the lakeside.
"They sank their vehicle in the lake and then entered the dense forest on foot."
"Fang Yue, take some people to quickly survey the scene, determine the number of enemies and the direction they're heading."
"Hu Zhen, contact Yan Lin immediately and have her look at where this place is and how to reach that hidden medicine trail."
Upon receiving their captain's orders, the team members immediately began their respective tasks.
Preparation is key to success.
No matter how anxious Shen Han felt, she wouldn't lead people to directly pursue the footprints without gathering information first.
However, at this moment, the sound of a motorcycle engine came from behind them.
Shen Han turned to look and saw Sun Yu park his bike and run towards her, wiping hot sweat from his brow.
The young man's originally clean white shirt had now turned gray with dust.
There were also scratches on his left shoulder and waist, probably from falling while rushing here.
"Why are you only arriving now? I've been waiting for half a day!"
"Also, the border police will be patrolling this area soon. We need to leave quickly, or we'll definitely be stopped and questioned."
In fact, Sun Yu had only arrived not long ago. By the time he reached this area, Takeda Tatsuya's group had already been gone for quite a while.
He now appeared righteous, but in reality, his heart was filled with uncertainty.
He was afraid Shen Han would scold him, and also afraid that his unauthorized arrival would hinder them.
He could understand his mother's worry and knew this operation might be very dangerous, but he couldn't control himself and still rushed over urgently.
Shen Han's face darkened as she walked towards the sweat-drenched young man not far away.
Sun Yu's heart skipped a beat, and his momentum immediately weakened.
He slightly shrank his neck and explained in a small voice: "You saw on your way here too, there are no mountain folk here. I can guide you and save you a lot of time."
Shen Han didn't immediately reply. She pulled him over and roughly checked him, confirming that he only had minor abrasions before her expression softened slightly.
At this time, Fang Yue came over to report: "Captain Shen, there are eight of them in total, and they're heading in a direction 30 degrees northwest."
As she spoke, she also raised her hand to point.
Sun Yu immediately picked up the thread: "The medicine trail is in that direction too! The entrance is very hard to find. Just let me come along. I promise I'll listen to everything you say and won't cause any trouble."
Shen Han still didn't speak.
She shifted her gaze from Sun Yu to the team member responsible for coordinating with Yan Lin.
Hu Zhen reported with a troubled expression: "Captain Shen! The signal here is too weak. We can't make calls, let alone send pictures or videos."
Shen Han took a deep breath, then ordered in a deep voice: "Assemble! Advance in tactical formation!"
After speaking, she pulled Sun Yu towards the dense forest to the northwest: "You stay by my side."
"And remember what you said earlier. From this moment on, you must obey every order I give, just like the other soldiers!"