“Those words were originally hidden behind the garbage bins; we only saw them after moving the bins aside,” a guard stepped forward to explain.
Gao Wen’s face was livid.
The line of words before her was without question left for her to see!
Because she had always treated the other woman as trash before, that woman had deliberately done this to mock and slap her in the face.
It was utterly infuriating!
“Have you interrogated the driver?” she asked the guard beside her.
“We did. He claims he had no idea what was happening in the cargo hold,” the guard said. “We checked the truck’s dashcam footage. He didn’t stop once the entire way from the research institute, nor were the cargo doors opened. We can basically rule out any possibility of collusion.”
Gao Wen couldn't help but frown upon hearing this, sinking into thought.
The truck hadn't stopped the entire way, and the cargo doors had been locked from the outside. Yet they weren't inside the container now—could they have vanished into thin air?
But those three had clearly boarded this truck, or they wouldn't have left these words behind...
Wait!
The words!
A sudden spark of inspiration flashed in Gao Wen’s mind.
These words had been left for her to see. That woman had long anticipated that they would pursue them, so there was no way she would board this truck and walk right into a trap!
Could they still be inside the research institute, having never escaped at all?
Impossible!
Gao Wen immediately shook her head, rejecting her own guess.
That woman had expended so much effort to reach the backyard; she wouldn't let such a prime opportunity slip away for nothing.
If she hadn't hidden in this truck to get out, then how had she escaped the research institute...?
Suddenly, a thought cleaved through her muddled mind like a bolt of lightning.
Gao Wen realized something and immediately called out urgently to the people around her, “Everyone, check the three trucks we drove here right now!”
Upon hearing this, the guards sprang into action.
Soon, someone discovered something abnormal and came over to report.
“Captain, we found something underneath the last truck.”
“Take me there!”
Gao Wen immediately followed him to the truck parked at the very rear. Taking the flashlight handed to her by her subordinate, she bent down and crouched to inspect it.
Sure enough, across the steel frame in the middle of the truck’s chassis, there were obvious marks where dust had been rubbed away, as well as several strips of cloth tied around the steel beams.
Evidently, someone had been hiding here not long ago!
Just moments ago, everyone’s attention had been fixed entirely on the garbage transport truck in front. No one had realized that someone had pulled off a covert escape right under their noses.
The fury of being made a fool of surged in her chest. Gao Wen’s gaze turned icy, her face seemingly masked in bitter frost.
She surged to her feet, gritting her teeth. “Everyone, fan out and search the surroundings immediately! They couldn't have gotten far. You must bring them back to me!”
...
The night was thick, and a hazy crescent moon slowly rose into the sky.
Amid a dense expanse of low shacks, two tall, slender silhouettes navigated the narrow paths in the dark. One of them had a bulge at their chest, as though holding something close.
It was none other than Ye Li’s group of three, who had successfully escaped.
From where they were now, they could still faintly hear the commotion over by the highway.
“Big Sis, let me carry Duoduo on my back.”
As they turned into a hidden alleyway, Qiao Bei spoke in a low voice.
Ye Li had been carrying Duoduo the entire way.
She had tied the child to her front with clothing and carried her like that the whole time, including while hiding beneath the truck's chassis earlier; she was bound to be exhausted by now.
“All right.”
Ye Li didn't refuse. Stopping in her tracks, she had Qiao Bei help untie the clothes from her body, then transferred the still-sleeping Duoduo onto his back, securing the child once again with the clothes.
Rolling her sore, numb shoulders and shaking out her arms, Ye Li looked around, then vaulted nimbly over the low wall of a nearby home. Darting into the courtyard, she swiped two coarse cloth jackets hanging under the eaves to dry, poked around a bit more, and smoothly walked off with a small bag of sweet potatoes sitting in the corner.
Her utterly practiced moves left Qiao Bei completely dumbfounded.
On a late autumn night, the chill grew sharper. Dressed only in thin cotton clothes, they couldn't help but shiver in the brisk wind.
Ye Li slipped on one jacket and draped the other over Qiao Bei’s back, covering Duoduo so the child wouldn't catch a cold, then took the lead and kept walking.
Qiao Bei hitched the child up on his back and matched her pace, asking, “Big Sis, where are we heading now?”
Ye Li replied, “They won't catch up anytime soon. Let’s find a secluded place to stay and rest for the night first.”
This area was a slum district with complex terrain, packed houses, and countless alleyways, making it ideal for hiding their tracks.
Their pursuers would have to put in considerable effort to find them!
Having successfully escaped, Qiao Bei had absolute faith in Ye Li. Naturally, he was obedient to her every word, his eyes filled with adoration.
After pondering for a moment, he couldn't help asking, “Big Sis, how did you guess they'd pursue us?”
“Does that even require guessing?” Ye Li shrugged, replying nonchalantly. “Isn't that something anyone with a brain would think of?”
When Mutants escaped, the research institute would certainly send people to hunt them down.
So the moment she knew there were armored trucks parked in the backyard, she had decided to switch vehicles and catch them off guard.
What surprised her, though, was that minor figures like them would draw Gao Wen out in person.
She had originally left that message for someone else to pass along, never expecting the woman herself would receive it directly.
Her expression at that moment must have been quite a sight!
What a pity she hadn't been able to see it in person!
“Well, I certainly didn't think of it,” the brainless Qiao Bei said with heartfelt feeling. “You have no idea—when they surrounded the garbage transport truck, my mind was totally blank. I was terrified, but so relieved. If we were still hiding inside that truck, they definitely would've caught us like turtles in a jar, with no way to escape...”
As he chattered on, Ye Li suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned to cut him off, her tone thoroughly serious.
“Then you're wrong. If any turtle was getting caught, it would be you, definitely not me. I'm clever!”
Even if they hadn't switched trucks, once the garbage transport truck left the research institute, she would have found a way to make noise so the driver would stop to check, making a break for it as early as possible.
“All right, enough nonsense. Keep moving, or if someone really catches you and stews you into soup, I'm definitely not saving you!” Ye Li urged before continuing on.
Qiao Bei: “...” I feel like you're insulting me, but I have no proof!
Ruthlessly mocked, Qiao Bei pursed his lips and could only hurry to keep up.
He thought to himself, Big Sis is still as sharp and merciless with her words...
Yet looking at the woman striding ahead like a breeze, he soon broke into a pure, simple smile, his eyes crinkling into starry crescents.
She truly was the big sister he idolized and admired!
Ding—little fanboy online!
Rate on N.U.
