188: Chapter 188 The two conspired, and Ya Ruo's ship capsized in a ditch!

Not far away, Lanna was wrapped in a blanket, breathing evenly, evidently fast asleep.

By the campfire, the Chef was leaning against a rock with his head tilted to one side, seemingly asleep as well.

A chance!

Yaro's heart began to pound wildly.

She quietly propped herself up and observed for a full five minutes.

Qin Feng showed no reaction.

She felt relieved.

During the day, she had seen it clearly: when the Chef was cooking, he took food from his backpack, and there was a handgun inside.

She crept forward, inching her way toward the backpack.

Every step felt like she was treading on her own heartbeat.

Five meters, three meters, one meter...

She finally touched the tactical backpack.

She unzipped it, reached inside, and felt a cold touch.

The gun was still there!

A burst of wild joy surged in Yaro's heart; she gripped the handle tightly with both hands and pulled the gun out.

The cold metal gave her immense strength.

"Go to hell, Chef!"

She turned abruptly and aimed the gun at the Chef, just as she was about to pull the trigger.

A cold female voice rang out from behind her.

"Put the gun down."

Yaro stiffened and slowly turned around.

In the darkness, Lanna had stood up at some point, also holding a gun, its dark muzzle pointed straight at her head.

"If you don't put it down, I will shoot you dead."

There was not a shred of emotion in Lanna's voice.

How could this be...

Wasn't this woman asleep? How could she have a gun?

Yaro was completely bewildered, never expecting to fail so miserably this time.

Meanwhile, a faint, almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corner of Qin Feng's mouth by the campfire.

He slowly opened his eyes, showing not the slightest hint of drowsiness.

Without even turning his head, he simply stretched and then opened his hand.

"Clatter..."

A magazine of bullets slid from his palm, falling to the ground with a crisp sound.

Yaro's pupils constricted sharply.

She looked down at the gun in her hand, then at the pile of bullets by Qin Feng's feet.

A terrifying thought exploded in her mind.

The gun in her hand... was empty!

This man was playing with her again!

"No... impossible!"

Refusing to believe it, Yaro aimed at Qin Feng and pulled the trigger hard.

"Click."

"Click."

The trigger made a hollow, powerless sound, as if mocking her stupidity.

At that moment, Yaro felt the world spinning, and all her strength was drained away.

She had lost, yet again, losing completely and utterly.

She had been played by this despicable couple together!

"What... what is going on?"

Yaro's voice trembled slightly as she stared fixedly at Lanna, then at the Chef.

Lanna couldn't possibly be in cahoots with him; even now, she insisted on believing that.

"It's simple."

Qin Feng stood up and walked over to Yaro.

"If you're going to act, you have to do it completely. As a person, you must always have an ace up your sleeve."

He picked up a bullet from the ground and toyed with it between his fingers.

"I was indeed asleep, but my gun wasn't."

He pointed to Lanna.

"And she wasn't asleep either."

Lanna walked over, holstered her pistol behind her waist, then cast a cold glance at Yaro and snorted.

"Stupid woman, I've had a gun the whole time. If I wanted to escape, I've had plenty of chances along the way."

"But I know that no matter how far I run, the Chef will catch me and bring me back."

"You know nothing of the Chef's ability, and you underestimated me too."

Yaro's brain buzzed.

So, from beginning to end, it was all a trap.

A trap specifically set for her.

The Chef had deliberately let her see the gun in the backpack, deliberately pretended to be asleep, and even this Bear Country woman was a "hidden sentry" he had arranged.

He had calculated that she wouldn't be able to hold back and would choose the most direct method.

"You... you all..."

Yaro's lips trembled, unable to utter a single word.

"Me what?"

Qin Feng crouched down to look her in the eye, a hint of mockery on his face.

"Do you feel desperate? Do you feel like all your thoughts have been seen through by me?"

He gently placed the bullet in front of Yaro.

"I told you, be direct, and perhaps you might have a chance. But you didn't understand what I meant."

"Being direct doesn't mean this kind of mindless sneak attack."

Qin Feng's voice turned cold.

"It means making you recognize reality and directly giving up those unrealistic fantasies."

"That's the fourth time! It's a pity, you've disappointed me too much."

He stood up, stopped looking at her, and turned to say to Lanna: "Tie her up securely; we have to get moving when it's light out."

"You got it."

Lanna replied crisply, found some rope, and in no time at all, had Yaro tied up like a rice dumpling, her technique even more proficient than Qin Feng's.

It was a classic case of settling a personal score.

That night, Yaro didn't close her eyes again.

She lay on the cold ground like a soulless puppet, staring at the stars in the sky with hollow eyes.

For the first time, she even began to doubt whether everything she was persisting in still had any meaning.

After daybreak, the three of them set off again.

The atmosphere was even more oppressive than before.

Yaro was like a walking corpse, stumbling along the mountain road.

Lanna walked beside Qin Feng, but her mood was exceptionally good.

Last night's "collaboration" made her feel that her relationship with this man had taken a step closer.

She was no longer just a captive or a "little maid," but a "comrade-in-arms" who could fight side by side with him.

"Chef, do you think that silly woman might do something drastic and commit suicide?"

Lanna asked in a low voice.

"Her?"

Qin Feng scoffed.

"Don't worry, people like her have very tough bones."

"Right now, they've just been broken, that's all; she won't die. In a couple of days, when she sets her own bones back, she'll be arrogant again."

Qin Feng understood this type of person too well.

So-called aces, so-called elites, all possessed pride and self-esteem that differed from ordinary people.

Only by completely destroying their pride and will could they be made to willingly bow their heads.

And right now, Yaro was in the middle of this process.

After walking for another morning, they finally crested the mountain peak and began their descent.

The scenery below suddenly opened up; a not-too-wide river, like a silver ribbon, meandered into the distance.

"Once we cross that river, we'll be almost there."

Qin Feng pointed into the distance.

Just then, his ears suddenly twitched.

"Shh."

He yanked Lanna behind him and simultaneously gave a signal with his eyes.

Lanna understood immediately, instantly drawing her gun and looking around vigilantly.

Yaro, who was tied up, also stopped in her tracks.

She had heard it too—the roar of an engine, approaching from afar.

Soon, two dark green military jeeps appeared on the dirt road at the foot of the mountain, the emblem of Yang Country painted on their bodies.

The jeeps stopped by the river, and seven or eight fully armed soldiers jumped out.

They dispersed into formation and began patrolling the riverside, their movements efficient; it was clearly a well-trained patrol unit.

Yaro's eyes lit up instantly—that was her own country's army!

They were her comrades!

If she just shouted once, she could be saved!

As soon as this thought emerged, she felt a cold gaze fall upon her.

Qin Feng was looking at her coldly, his eyes seeming to say: If you dare to make a sound, I will snap your neck first, and kill them along with you.

Yaro inwardly scoffed, thinking that this Chef was clearly afraid.

No matter how formidable a person was, how could they deal with seven or eight patrol soldiers at such close range simultaneously?

Plus, with Lanna as a dead weight, the Chef was clearly feeling guilty.

"What do we do?"

Lanna lowered her voice, feeling a bit nervous.

"Don't rush, let's see the situation."

Qin Feng lay in the grass and took out his binoculars to observe.

The squad of soldiers seemed to be conducting a routine patrol; they checked the riverbank and searched the surrounding area, but didn't find anything unusual.

The officer in charge seemed a bit impatient, shouted a few things at his subordinates, and then the group prepared to get back into their vehicles and leave.

Qin Feng and Lanna both breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as they left, it would be safe.

However, just at that moment, an accident happened.

One soldier seemed to be in a hurry to relieve himself; instead of getting directly into the vehicle, he walked over to a cluster of bushes by the river and unbuckled his belt.

And that spot happened to be on the path Qin Feng had planned to take down the mountain to cross the river.