71: Stunning beauty

"Heh, get lost? You're the one who should get lost! Old Man Sheng, this place belongs to me now. Take your lackeys and scram!"

Sheng Jiyuan's gaze sharpened. While he didn't show it on his face, his heart skipped a beat in alarm. Could this fellow have discovered something and known his ultimate goal?

Impossible. This matter was top secret; no outsider could possibly know. Only two people knew about this trip, and he was one of them.

What exactly was Gu Xiheng doing all the way out here? Was he following him? Or did they just happen to run into each other? Sheng Jiyuan preferred to believe the latter—it must be a coincidence.

If anyone had been following them along the way, they would have been discovered long ago. Therefore, Gu Xiheng definitely didn't know what he was planning! Coming here was just a stroke of luck.

He didn't know yet that one of the insiders from Dark Gold Bio-Company had been missing for a long time.

"Hmph, Gu Xiheng, I got here first. This place should belong to me. You should go back to wherever you came from!"

Gu Xiheng took two steps forward, causing the people opposite him to swiftly chamber their rounds with a series of clicks, aiming their weapons at him in unison. Gu Xiheng stood his ground and didn't advance further. "Should? Didn't you say it yourself? The state has collapsed, and there's no more reason. No one can control anyone else. Since that's the case, naturally, whoever has the bigger fist gets the say. Today, I'll also play the part of an unreasonable man."

Gu Xiheng flicked the dust off his sleeves and said nonchalantly, "Before I change my mind, you'd better leave quickly. With just these few people of yours, facing us is nothing more than a snack!"

Since Sheng Jiyuan became famous, he had been treated with courtesy and humility wherever he went. Even in the Apocalypse, no one had ever been so disrespectful to him. He hadn't expected to be so humiliated by a young brat here.

The composure he had cultivated over the years broke in an instant. Sheng Jiyuan's mustache twitched with rage as he cursed at Gu Xiheng, "Bullshit! You brat, you're arrogant enough. I'll definitely make you regret being so rude to me!" Then he said to the burly man standing next to him, "Hank, keep these ten people here. Don't let a single one go!"

He was then escorted into the village by his entourage.

Suddenly, intense gunfire erupted behind him. As Sheng Jiyuan walked, he lamented, "Trying to challenge me with only ten people... Sigh, young after all, haha..."

"Young General, I didn't expect that old geezer to be so treacherous, attacking without warning," a soldier beside him said.

"Hmph, a crafty old fox. I've been guarding against this move of his for a long time." Gu Xiheng led the group to hide behind the marauders. Although the opponents' marksmanship was also excellent, they were still no match for Gu Xiheng and his specially trained men.

The few people hiding behind the marauders were expert marksmen, capable of taking down an enemy with a single shot—except for the Biologist Gu Xitian, who was a third-rate fighter.

The other side also realized Gu Xiheng and his group were not to be trifled with and scrambled to find cover. For a while, neither side could gain the upper hand. As time passed, the sky gradually darkened. When Sheng Jiyuan's side dwindled from thirty or forty people to about ten, they stopped trying to intercept Gu Xiheng's group and retreated into the village.

As soon as they entered the village, those dozen or so people seemed to vanish. Gu Xiheng and his team followed them in but lost their trail.

"Strange! We clearly followed them in, so how did they disappear?"

"Yeah, Brother, what's going on? Could they all be hiding in a basement?" Gu Xitian looked up and asked Gu Xiheng in confusion.

Gu Xiheng's brow furrowed. "They must have found the path to their destination ahead of time. It's very likely underground!"

"Xiheng is right, let's split up and search. What do you think, Xiheng?" Cheng Siyu turned her stunning face toward Gu Xiheng, her facial lines softening instantly as she spoke with a slight curl of her lips.

This sudden smile from the ice beauty sent a shiver through the hearts of the rough men around them. So beautiful! She was beautiful enough when she wasn't smiling, but this smile could practically steal one's soul.

"Alright, groups of two. Retreat immediately if you encounter any danger. If there's no time, fire a signal shot."

"Yes."

"Siyu, take care of my sister, and also... be careful yourself. Ensure your own safety," Gu Xiheng said to Cheng Siyu.

Hearing Gu Xiheng's reminder to stay safe, Cheng Siyu felt a warmth in her heart. A stunning smile blossomed on her lips. "Mm, you be careful too!"

Everyone stared blankly, completely immersed in Cheng Siyu's smile. How could there be such a beautiful woman in the world? She wasn't a mortal at all, but a fairy who had descended to the world to undergo trials.

Gu Xitian giggled, watching the two people closest to her interact so affectionately.

"Alright, let's head out!" Gu Xiheng said sternly, completely oblivious.

Hearing his voice, the crowd finally snapped out of their trance from Cheng Siyu's beauty and quickly dispersed in all directions, their faces flushed.

"What's wrong with them?" Gu Xiheng asked the person beside him in surprise, seeing everyone's reaction.

The person beside him blushed, lowered their head, and shook it vigorously.

Seeing he couldn't get an answer, Gu Xiheng didn't press further. These things weren't important, and he had no interest in paying attention to their odd behavior.

"Let's go!" With that, he led the person beside him toward the northwest, where no one else had gone.