211: Chapter 211 Flickering Fire

Night.

Li Ming returned here once again.

He looked around; there was no one in sight, and it was pitch black.

He placed a small box of compressed biscuits, a small box of canned meat, and a crate of water at the spot where he had spoken with Tom earlier today, hoping someone would find them.

With that thought, Li Ming prepared to head back to his hideout to hunker down, but he quickly changed his mind.

He was being followed, likely by a pro.

In fact, without Logic's sensory warnings, he might not have even noticed.

As he passed a corner, Li Ming shifted the G36C from his back to his hands and flicked off the safety.

The other person was still tailing him; he had to find an opportunity to lose them or force them to show themselves.

Thinking this, he ducked into the ruins of the city's buildings.

As it turned out, this was quite a mistake; the pursuer was a veteran and very familiar with the area.

"Tsk..."

Time to take the path less traveled.

Leaning against a window, Li Ming shouted, "Sneaking around like that—what are you doing?"

Then he vaulted out the window, landing behind a derelict car before sprinting to the adjacent building at lightning speed. He turned around, switched on his thermal imaging, and raised his gun.

Through the thermal scope, he saw the figure peek out from the window; they seemed to have spotted him already.

But the person didn't seem to have a weapon—or at least hadn't drawn one—and was just watching him.

From this distance, even after turning off the thermal imaging, Li Ming couldn't make out their expression or identity.

But in the next moment, the person stepped onto the windowsill, leaped with a burst of power, performed a perfect roll in mid-air, and landed precisely in front of him.

The whole thing took less than two seconds.

But that was over ten meters, for heaven's sake!

"Oh my..." She stretched. "Sorry about that, I've been following you the whole way."

Li Ming truly almost fired, but after a moment's hesitation, he lowered his gun.

"What do you want?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to see what kind of man Elsa brought along." She pushed up her goggles. "Hello there, I'm Maria. What's your name?"

"..."

"Oh, are you angry? My apologies, following you was indeed wrong of me, but I had to do it for safety's sake."

"I'm not angry." Li Ming shook his head. "I understand, but next time, I'd prefer not to go through all that trouble."

"Then how about I buy you a Coke?"

"..."

"Alright, jokes aside." She set her AK74M down beside her. "Korean? Or Japanese?"

"...Chinese."

"Ah, sorry..." She waved her hands dismissively. "After all, normally, the Chinese should have already left with the repatriation fleet."

"Left...?"

"Yes, at least in our jurisdiction, we've basically transported everyone who could go. That's why I guessed wrong... Could you put the gun down? I'm not a threat..."

After thinking it over, Li Ming took a few steps back before slinging the gun back onto his shoulder.

"Li Ming. My name is Li Ming." Li Ming answered her question. "You probably won't be able to find any info on me; there are too many people named Li Ming."

"Hmm... it does seem like a common name." Maria sat on a pile of rubble and thought for a moment. "Anyway, thanks for your help, okay? Please let me thank you on behalf of those civilians."

"It was nothing," Li Ming replied. "Can I go now?"

"Of course. If you're looking for me, just head to the camp~"

She stood up and walked away. Li Ming watched her back, feeling a headache coming on.

Since things had come to this, he might as well head back.

He was likely already on the Blue Helmets' radar, so there was no point in being secretive anymore. He simply walked back along the main road, saving himself the effort of taking a detour.

"Stop! Who goes there?"

"One of your own." Li Ming raised his hands to show he meant no harm, letting the other person approach with a flashlight.

After being identified, Li Ming was finally allowed to pass and returned to his own territory.

"So this is where you live?"

"What the—? Are you a ghost?!"

Li Ming was startled and looked at the suddenly appearing Miss Maria. "What are you doing here?!"

"Ahem, just seeing where our new friend lives. I followed you openly this time, you know?"

"Look..." Li Ming winced. "Fine, fine. What else are you planning to do?"

"Hmm... aren't you going to invite me in for a bit?"

"Huh?..." Li Ming was silent for a good while. "Fine."

He took out a remote and lowered a rope. "Grab the handle on the rope. This is going to be fast."

"Like this?" Maria grabbed the handle and looked at him.

Li Ming picked up the remote and pressed the button.

"Seems alright—Whoaaa?!"

In the next instant, she was yanked upward, disappearing rapidly.

After a moment, Li Ming saw the remote was ready again, so he lowered the rope and went up himself.

"So... so fast... How did you make this thing?"

Maria clearly hadn't been prepared; she was still visibly shaken.

Li Ming's lips curled into a smirk. Normally, it didn't need to be that fast—he had done it on purpose.

"This is my hideout."

"No wonder no one could find you. In a place this high, nobody would expect someone to hide in such a dangerous spot. It might collapse any day..."

"I'll worry about that if it ever happens." Li Ming shook his head, took out a pot, and began heating water on a crude, handmade stove.

"You even have fuel? How did you gather so much stuff?"

"Guess."

"Can't guess."

"Then don't."

"You're quite strange, and you don't seem to like talking much."

"Yeah."

"So, it's almost December. Aren't you afraid of the cold, staying here?"

"It's fine. I'm fairly cold-resistant."

"...You really should go spend a winter in Siberia."

"No thanks."

"Just kidding... But have you thought it through? You've already offended the Donkey Party."

"So what? It's not like I'm afraid of them..." Li Ming sighed, poured the boiled water into a canteen, and tossed it to her. Then he turned back to use the remaining water for instant noodles. "But given the current situation, how much longer can you guys hold out?"

"..." Her smile became a bit forced in the flickering firelight. "Who knows about that?"

"Hmm..." Li Ming shook his head. "Let's leave it at that, then. Even though I know it's a bit like... a handout, I'm willing to give you a hand, at least for now. It's all about survival, isn't it?"

"Then... well, thank you, sir. I'm serious."

"It's just a small matter," Li Ming replied. "Some things are hard to explain. I don't know why I trust you either."

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