BL Ch84

Seeing Yu Duqiu also freeze, Bai Zhao, the only one remaining calm among the three, stepped up. He picked up the keys from the ground and, amidst the overwhelming stench, calmly approached the man shackled by chains, quickly unlocking them. Then he bent down to help the man up.

At a glance, he vaguely saw a cross pattern painted on the wall behind the man. The brushwork was very sloppy, seemingly done in haste with just a couple of strokes, making it unclear whether it was meant to be a cross or just random graffiti.

Ji Lin was too emotionally overwhelmed, with joy and sorrow mixed together, his mind in chaos. Seeing someone about to take Mu Hao away, he instinctively grabbed Bai Zhao, not letting him leave.

“There’s something to say, wait until we’re back at the hotel. It’s not safe here, and there’s a graffiti that looks like a cross; it might be a trap set by the Queen.” Bai Zhao doused him with a bucket of ice-cold reality, “Do you want to lose him again?”

Ji Lin shuddered violently, instantly sobering from the chaotic joy of recovery. He hastily wiped his tear-streaked face with his sleeve, stood up with a dizzy stagger, but managed to steady himself, took a deep breath, and said, “…I’ll do it.”

Bai Zhao handed the man over without any fuss. Mu Hao was so light he seemed like a dry leaf, likely to break with any force.

Ji Lin supported him, feeling surreal.

Bai Zhao, having woken one up, moved to the other who was still rooted in shock, and without a word, hoisted him up to carry him.

Yu Duqiu’s feet suddenly left the ground, his balance out of his control, and the sense of crisis filled his blank mind, bringing him back to reality, “What are you doing? Put me down, I need to check on Mu Hao.”

Bai Zhao’s strong arms clamped around Yu Duqiu’s legs, striding towards the door, “I’ll put you down if you promise not to waste time catching up and focus on getting down the mountain.”

Yu Duqiu laughed in frustration, “Am I that impulsive?”

“From what I know of you — yes.”

“…” Yu Duqiu was helpless, “Fine, we’ll go down first, discuss the rest later.”

Only then did Bai Zhao set him down, not caring how Ji Lin and Mu Hao were doing, pulling Yu Duqiu by the waist out the door, “Contact Aken immediately, have him and the others meet us at the foot of the mountain.”

“Okay… you call the police. Once we’re down, they should be here. Have them secure this mountain, Bai Zhiming might come back…” Yu Duqiu was still somewhat dazed, glancing back from time to time — despite the emaciation, the basic facial features were still recognizable; the man Ji Lin was supporting was indeed Mu Hao, who had been missing for ten months.

This was too bizarre, almost unbelievable.

Bai Zhiming’s “resurrection” was shocking enough, now there was Mu Hao. Yu Duqiu, who had just visited his grave last week, was more confused than overjoyed at this moment.

Why hadn’t the “Queen” killed him? Why go through all the trouble to move him to Myanmar and have Bai Zhiming guard him for so long? Why would Bai Zhiming, already out of the “Queen’s” control, still do her bidding?

They had obtained seemingly reliable key evidence, rescued the missing victim, and were about to catch one of the perpetrators, but why didn’t he feel in control of the situation? Instead, there was an unsettling feeling of being manipulated?

“Did you notice too?” Ji Lin finally calmed down a bit, realizing Mu Hao’s reappearance might not be a good sign. His hoarse voice was heavy, “I was just thinking, the Queen really fooled me. That night when Jiang Sheng died, she told me on the phone she would kill you and me the same way she killed Mu Ge, but Mu Ge isn’t even dead… But I think I might have misunderstood.”

It wasn’t about killing them in the same way but about making all three of them perish together.

At the same place, in the same manner, with the same hope and joy of survival, only to die in the same pain and despair.

The cycle of losing and regaining is indeed one of the best methods of torture.

Yu Duqiu suddenly stopped, sniffing the mountain breeze, his voice chilling, “What was meant to come has finally arrived.”

There was a faint smell of burning in the air of the dense forest, and the temperature seemed a couple of degrees higher than when they entered the house.

Yu Duqiu removed his mask, and the smell of burning became stronger, even to the point of being suffocating.

His face immediately froze, “It’s a mountain fire.”

No sooner had he spoken than a bright orange light appeared at the edge of their vision, incredibly vivid like the mane of a majestic lion, swaying arrogantly in the dry mountain wind, racing towards them at an alarming speed.

Before the flames, four figures were running desperately — to be precise, three men were carrying a woman in the middle.

Zhou Yi and his team had come back, running up the slope, shouting, “Young Master! Bai Zhiming has set the mountain on fire! We can’t go back the way we came!”

Bai Zhao made a quick decision, grabbing Yu Duqiu’s hand, “Back into the house! Block the doors and windows!”

Yu Duqiu stood frozen, as if shocked, murmuring, “How could Bai Zhiming know we were here…”

“He must have been tipped off by those miners at the foot of the mountain. He waited for all of us to be up here before striking.”

“No, no… I feel it’s not that simple…”

“Whether it’s simple or not, we need to get inside first!”

Ji Lin, with one foot inside and one outside, was in a dilemma, “But his girlfriend and child are up here too! Would he even kill his own child?”

“No one said it’s his girlfriend or child.” Bai Zhao said, “He’s never shown mercy to children.”

It was like a wake-up call.

Ji Lin suddenly realized there was no evidence that the child in the woman’s womb was Bai Zhiming’s; he couldn’t have children, so how could he suddenly have a child?

All these were just their assumptions.

Bai Zhiming deliberately let them see the pregnant woman, left her on the mountain to slow them down, giving himself time to start the fire. The tool for the crime… probably that lighter he used to light his cigarette.

Zhou Yi and his team, covered in soot, had reached the slope, getting closer to the house, the pregnant woman in shock but unharmed.

The dry weather over several days made the vegetation highly flammable, the fire spreading uncontrollably. They could only watch as the flames, accompanied by thick smoke, rushed towards them.

Ji Lin, supporting the weak Mu Hao, retreated inside, “Let’s listen to Bai Zhao. This house is made of cement; the fire shouldn’t get in right away.”

Cement…

Yu Duqiu suddenly turned around, staring at the bags of cement haphazardly placed beside the outer wall, his eyes widening as if he’d seen something terrifying, shouting, “Run! Get as far away from the house as possible!”

Ji Lin had never seen him so tense; it was confusing. But Yu Duqiu had a natural commanding presence, especially in crises, making people obey without question.

Zhou Yi and his team didn’t hesitate for a second, bypassing the house to continue running.

Ji Lin gritted his teeth, picked up Mu Hao, and followed, leaving his backpack behind. He didn’t look back but could hear Bai Zhao and Yu Duqiu right behind him.

“Why run! We have nowhere to hide from the fire!” he shouted.

Yu Duqiu shouted back, “A forest fire might not kill, but an explosion will! Bai Zhiming is too cunning; he would anticipate we’d take refuge in the house. The fire is just a distraction; those cement bags inside and out are his real weapons! If we don’t leave now, we’ll be blown to bits! I don’t want to die looking like that!!”

Ji Lin understood instantly, “Shit!! Are those explosives meant for blasting mountains? That old bastard is ruthless!!!”

The fire spread much faster than they could run, especially with two people who couldn’t run on their own. Soon, the flames were licking at their heels, and the thickening smoke made everyone cough.

Zhou Yi, with experience from border duty, knew what to do in a mountain fire. He led the charge, shouting, “We go down the back slope! The fire moves slower downhill; it won’t catch up!”

Luckily, they were near the peak; if they were halfway up, they’d be engulfed by now.

By the time they reached the top, everyone was drenched in sweat, but no one dared to stop, not yet in a safe zone.

The back slope was less sunny, with damper soil and vegetation, and the rising hot air slightly buffered the advancing fire. The six took this opportunity to descend quickly, choosing flat areas with fewer trees to step on.

All of them were exceptionally skilled and determined, even after the exhausting climb, they could still push through with gritted teeth.

Ji Lin had an extra person to carry, even if Mu Hao was light, he was still a tall man, weighing at least thirty pounds in bone alone. His feat of carrying Mu Hao to the top was nothing short of miraculous, but now his stamina was waning, lagging behind.

Lou Baoguo, seeing this, ran back, “Captain Ji! Let me carry him!” Not knowing who Ji Lin was carrying, he just wanted to help the struggling young policeman.

Ji Lin shook his head, sweat flying, panting, “You… help the pregnant woman… I can…”

Just as he spoke, he suddenly felt lighter.

Yu Duqiu had taken Mu Hao off his back, shouldering him decisively, “You want Mu Hao dead, but I don’t.”

Though knowing it was out of kindness, Ji Lin still wanted to punch Yu Duqiu’s ever-smug face.

Lou Baoguo, seeing he was no longer needed, quickly rejoined the front to help Zhou Yi and the others with the shocked pregnant woman.

Yu Duqiu had just stabilized when he felt the weight on his back disappear.

Bai Zhao threw down his backpack, supporting Mu Hao, “I run faster; you take the bag, I’ll carry him.”

Yu Duqiu wanted to say something, but Ji Lin, frustrated, said, “Are we playing pass the parcel? Be careful not to hurt Mu Ge. We’ll take turns! Hurry —”

“Boom!!”

A deafening explosion suddenly deafened everyone present.

The entire mountain trembled in pain, the ground shaking underfoot. The blast of hot air came roaring like a tidal wave, reaching them in moments even on the back slope.

Zhou Yi and his team, further from the blast, managed to hold onto thick tree trunks to stay upright. Yu Duqiu and the others weren’t so lucky; the blast wave knocked them down, tumbling down the slope. Yu Duqiu only managed to shout before falling, “Don’t mind me! Protect Mu Hao!”

Bai Zhao ignored him, one arm securing Mu Hao, the other, veins bulging, stretched out — at the last second, he grabbed Yu Duqiu’s clothes, pulling him close and pressing him into his embrace.

Yu Duqiu looked up in surprise, first seeing the sky turned red-black by fire and smoke: burning rocks and branches fell like meteors, igniting swaths of forest.

It was like a dormant volcano had erupted, spewing forth a rage of flames, intent on consuming everything that disturbed its sleep.

He never believed in heaven, but at this moment, he truly saw hell.

In this suffocating, desperate moment, Yu Duqiu’s last sight was of eyes brighter than the flames.

So close, yet seeming so far away, as if he’d have to delve deep into his memories to recognize who those eyes belonged to.

However, reality gave him no time for reminiscence.

The sky in his field of vision suddenly disappeared, replaced by scorched earth — Bai Zhao, holding him and Mu Hao, flipped in mid-air, and their three bodies plummeted rapidly.

Yu Duqiu immediately realized what he was about to do, his mind buzzing, his blood rushing in reverse, gripped by an indescribable, intense fear that choked his throat. He didn’t even have time to shout “No” before their fall abruptly halted.

In that moment, he clearly heard a dull thud and a groan of pain.

Bai Zhao landed on his back, taking the full brunt of the impact for them.

Yu Duqiu’s head hit his chest, causing a wave of dizziness, with countless afterimages swaying before his eyes. He tried to raise his hand to touch Bai Zhao’s face, but before his hand could reach, it fell limply, plunging into endless darkness.