novelraw Chapter 209 : Backup Camp
Chapter 209 : Backup Camp
The group walked silently along the riverbank.
Everyone except Shen Han wore night vision goggles.
Takeda Tatsuya walked at the front, supported by his disciple.
His face maintained its usual composure, but inevitably, a hint of restlessness arose in his heart.
Having lost the auction items, his mission to the ancient kingdom of Solan had failed.
He had finally captured a significant prisoner, but she was proving exceptionally difficult to crack.
Under different circumstances, conquering her wouldn't need to be rushed.
But the current situation was special; Takeda Tatsuya couldn't keep roaming the deep mountains with this small squad indefinitely.
And if Shen Han were to be taken over by others at the camp, what role would be left for him?
Therefore, before the prisoner changed hands, Takeda Tatsuya had to seize the time to exert mental control over her.
He needed to keep an ace up his sleeve to have a chance to stay at the table in the future.
The previous fake rescue was designed based on the resources at hand.
He knew Shen Han was now relying solely on willpower to keep going.
Hard stones are not easily broken from the outside, but if cracks appear within, eroding these fissures would make it much easier to disintegrate the target.
He wanted Shen Han to mistakenly believe she had been rescued and was about to return safely to the Federation Empress's side.
Just as she eagerly anticipated the arrival of dawn, he would drag her back into the night.
Takeda Tatsuya bided his time, seeking the optimal moment to strike.
Unexpectedly, Shen Han saw through this ploy so quickly and even managed to swindle away a bag of compressed biscuits.
While Takeda Tatsuya pondered his next move, Shen Han was also rapidly turning over ideas in her mind, searching for a way to escape her predicament.
She couldn't continue being passive like this!
The enemy's tactics were endless, and she would lose everything if she fell for even one trap.
When the man who called himself Wang Senyuan first addressed her as "Captain Shen," Shen Han's emotions had actually been successfully stirred.
If she hadn't keenly noticed numerous suspicious points, she might have truly fallen into the trap.
Removing the handcuffs' restraint wasn't difficult.
Earlier, when running out of the tent, Shen Han had seized an unguarded moment to pick up a small piece of wire from the ground and hide it in the lining of her clothes.
The biggest problem facing her now was how to shake off the Yin Country people's pursuit in one fell swoop.
Conventional routes definitely wouldn't work; the best method would be to utilize special terrain and environment!
After leaving the riverbank and heading uphill, the team reached the top of a ridge near noon on the second day.
"Check the current situation at the camp."
Following Takeda Tatsuya's order, a soldier immediately took out binoculars to observe the valley ahead.
Shen Han turned her head to look, but her view was limited by her eyesight and the floating clouds and mist.
Taking advantage of everyone's rest, she quickly bent down to pick a handful of plantain stems and leaves, wiped them briefly, and stuffed them into her mouth.
The soldier responsible for guarding her thought she wanted to crouch down to rest and was about to come forward with his rifle butt to strike her, but saw that she had already stood up.
The soldier glanced at the surrounding grassland still growing many similar plants, stepped on and crushed a small area.
Then he raised his head towards Shen Han and said, "Go stand over there. If you want to eat, pick it up from the ground."
Shen Han didn't respond to his provocation.
She walked to the muddy ground trampled by the soldier and silently chewed what was in her mouth.
The juice of the plantain was bitter and astringent, like an unpalatable Chinese medicine decoction.
But Shen Han chewed slowly and carefully, without any intention of swallowing hastily.
She needed that bitterness to stimulate her taste buds and nerves.
Only in this way could she maintain her lucidity.
"Report, sir. Everything at the camp is normal, the situation is harmonious!" The soldier put away his binoculars and reported.
"Then let's go, head to the camp." Takeda Tatsuya stood up, leaning on Stone Elephant's arm, and nodded as he gave the order.
But he hadn't taken two steps before he suddenly halted.
"Teacher, what's wrong?"
Takeda Tatsuya didn't answer his disciple's inquiry, but instead reached out to the soldier who had been observing earlier: "Give me the binoculars."
This pause lasted a full hour.
Takeda Tatsuya sat in place, hesitating for quite a while before speaking in a low voice: "Return to the riverbank, lash together two rafts, and float downstream."
At these words, except for Shen Han and Stone Elephant, the other soldiers couldn't help but let out low murmurs of surprise.
They had already been delayed for several days, and now with the camp right before their eyes, the commanding officer wanted to lead the team away. It was truly perplexing.
As soldiers, they couldn't directly refuse to execute their superior's orders.
So Takahashi, who held the rank of sergeant, gently reminded, "Sir, if we don't enter the camp, we won't be able to report our information. Also, our supplies are running low."
Takeda Tatsuya waved his hand, ordering everyone to get moving: "We will definitely go to the camp, but not this one. We're heading to another backup camp."
Considering the soldiers' moods, he rarely offered an explanation.
"The camp in the valley is unnaturally quiet. I observed for an hour and didn't see a single fight or brawl. In a place full of all sorts of people, anything can happen except harmony."
"Everyone, bear with it for one more day. Once we reach the backup camp, I'll immediately contact Minister Kitahara and report all your efforts and merits truthfully."
Hearing Takeda Tatsuya say this, the soldiers naturally had no more objections.
Shen Han turned her head, looking once more towards the valley partially obscured by clouds and mist.
She had barely glimpsed its outline when she was rudely pushed down the mountain by a soldier.
While riding the rafts, Shen Han constantly looked for an opportunity to escape.
Using the water flow to flee was the best solution she could think of to break free.
Unfortunately, until the soldiers beached the rafts, she hadn't found a suitable moment.
Either the water areas they passed weren't appropriate, or she was being watched too closely.
After leaving the waterway, the team began crossing a canyon.
After several hours of trekking, everyone finally reached the backup camp the next morning.
This jungle detour journey left everyone utterly exhausted.
If it weren't for the support of two injections of medicine daily, someone of Takeda Tatsuya's age would have succumbed halfway through.
The soldiers selected from the camp to carry out the mission also had considerable complaints.
After all, if it weren't for Takeda Tatsuya's "suspiciousness," they could have already returned to the camp to enjoy a hot meal and get a good sleep.
Thinking of this, the soldiers couldn't help but feel some admiration for the Federation woman beside them.
After so many days of fatigue and hunger, she had endured it without a single plea for mercy.
The soldiers could sense her weakness; they had even secretly placed bets on which day she would faint again.
However, to their astonishment, Shen Han didn't allow herself to completely lose consciousness again.
The location of the backup camp was very special.
On one side was a roaring waterfall, on the other a steep, precipitous mountain face.
Even with aerial equipment surveying from high above, it would be difficult to discover the hidden world below.
Upon entering this camp, Shen Han immediately noticed something unusual.
The people gathered in this place, regardless of gender or age, all exuded an aura of ferocity and ruthlessness.
Though the Yin Country soldiers held guns at the front and flanks as guards, quite a few curious onlookers still gathered around to observe, completely unafraid of their vigilance.
After walking for a short while, the men and women who had gathered around reached about twenty people.
They spoke loudly in various languages, repeatedly obstructing the team's progress.
Shen Han could understand half of the languages, and to her surprise, she even heard two people conversing in the language of Ksenro.
"Who's that woman? How come she's mixed in with those annoying Yin Country fellows?"
"You've got it wrong. Look at her wrists; judging by the state of those scabs, she's been cuffed for at least four or five days."
"I knew those Yin Country guys never do anything decent, always bullying the weak. If they weren't somewhat respectful of the rules here, I bet the Wolf King would have led his people to raid them long ago."
Hearing his companion's words, the other person shook his head and said, "You can't just look at the surface. That handcuffed one is an Alpha, and she's no pushover."
As he said this, the middle-aged man with blue eyes raised his gaze meaningfully towards Shen Han.
Shen Han met his gaze and smiled slightly, raising the corner of her mouth.
She knew the people here were no saints, but she had no choice in the current situation.
Even if she couldn't find help from others, at least she shouldn't make new enemies for herself.
After walking a short distance, a woman with dreadlocks noticed Shen Han's cracked, blood-stained lips and tossed her a half-drunk bottle of mineral water.
Shen Han was about to reach out to catch it when a Yin Country soldier had already swung his fist, knocking the bottle to the ground.
The dreadlocked woman's eyes widened, and she immediately called on those around her to start pushing the soldier.
As the commotion grew, Shen Han's group was blocked halfway.
The Yin Country soldiers had to hold their guns horizontally in their hands to fend off the surging crowd.
The surrounding push and shove swept Shen Han along with it.
Her steps faltered, causing the loose strands of hair on her forehead to sway constantly, but behind those concealing bangs, a flash of light passed through her dark eyes.
The Yin Country team's extreme unpopularity here was a situation she was glad to see.
She hoped the chaos would grow as large as possible. If the opportunity was right, she might even have a chance to kill Takeda Tatsuya and then leap into the waterfall at the edge of the cliff to escape.
Just as Shen Han was secretly observing the environmental conditions, an armed squad of 7 people came running from the front.
This was the Yin Country team already stationed here waiting to receive them.
Their arrival quickly suppressed this inexplicable chaos.
Takeda Tatsuya's face was long as he walked towards the Yin Country territory under the escort of the soldiers.
He needed to quickly establish contact with Kitahara Tei and then decide how to proceed based on the situation.
Upon entering the Yin Country team's sphere of influence, Takeda Tatsuya stopped in his tracks.
The upcoming call was extremely important; he couldn't let Shen Han hear even a hint of it.
It was now approaching noon, with the sun directly overhead. The scorching sunlight poured down like blazing flames, burning people's faces.
Takeda Tatsuya pointed out two soldiers from the camp, gestured towards Shen Han, then spoke calmly: "Let her stay here and enjoy the sunshine."