Under the moonlight

Chapter 126 Still That Same Path

Xu Ao followed Lao Huang to the door, took the mask Lao Huang handed him and put it on. Chen Che was able to sit up with difficulty, and he gestured for Xu Ao to stand at the door and listen to him.

"Boss, that day, after you left, I was bored, so I went to take a walk on that path you mentioned. I found that one side of the path was right next to houses, and the other side was overgrown with weeds. Originally, I thought it was just a wasteland, but after I explored it, I found that..."

Chen Che was still very weak. Although he was able to sit up with difficulty, it seemed that speaking these words had exhausted his strength, and he was panting heavily.

Seeing the once sunny young man transformed into his frail state, Xu Ao felt a pang of heartache and reluctance. He wanted to take a few steps forward, but Chen Che stopped him. Looking at Xu Ao's pitying eyes, Chen Che cracked his dry, pale lips and said with a smile, "Boss, I'm fine. I'll be a hero again in a few days. The problem you have to face now is the hardest one. I saw Huang Meng."

"Yes, she's here too," Xu Ao said, nodding at Chen Che.

"So, I knew you'd have to face something much harder than I did. And then there's that big ditch by the path—yes, it's a ditch. I don't know what it looked like when you passed by, but when I went there, it was a huge ditch." Perhaps afraid that Xu Ao would worry about him again, he mustered all his strength and finished speaking in one breath this time.

"In other words, someone dug a hole there after we left." Xu Ao quickly realized.

"Hmm, that should be it, but there's something fishy going on. You, you guys can observe carefully." Chen Che finished speaking and lay down, panting heavily. Xu Ao wanted to go forward, but this time Lao Huang stopped him. "Your most important task right now isn't him. With me here, he'll be fine. Don't worry."

Xu Ao glanced gratefully at Lao Huang, opened his mouth as if to say something, but seeing his familiar face, he swallowed his words. Lao Huang patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, "There's no need for such formalities between us. Go and get busy!"

Xu Ao nodded, keeping Chen Che's words in mind, and quickly went out.

He strode to the wall, quickly climbed to the top, and gazed into the distance. All he could see was endless weeds; it was utterly desolate. The embassy seemed to have been abandoned by the world in this wasteland. Xu Ao looked at the weeds swaying in the wind. Could the pit Chen Che mentioned be hidden by the weeds? Xu Ao looked again, but the path was no longer visible; it was completely obscured by weeds. He could only discern its approximate location from the lonely houses along the roadside.

Xu Ao stared at the scene before him for a while. Perhaps he would have to walk to the roadside to confirm if there was a pit. But what were they going to do with it? Xu Ao frowned and jumped down with doubt in his eyes.

"What, you can climb walls too?" Xu Ao was startled by the sudden voice behind him, lost his footing, and stumbled to one side.

"You told us not to act on our own, but you came and climbed the wall yourself. Are you feeling guilty?" Zhao Meng released his grip on Xu Ao's arm and teased.

"It wasn't you... who stands behind someone and talks for no reason?" Xu Ao glanced at him impatiently, swung his arm, and walked forward.

"What did you see?" Zhao Meng didn't argue with him and quickly asked, following Xu Ao.

"Ugh, there's nothing here, just grass, damn it!" Xu Ao cursed in frustration.

"Oh my, you look so refined..."

"Zhao Meng, do you know what we're facing? Can't you be serious for once?"

“I’m being very serious,” Zhao Meng said earnestly, looking at the exasperated Xu Ao.

“From the moment we got off the plane and left the airport all the way to the embassy, ​​there were no defenses. Their main goal now is to control the government building and that fenced-off area, preventing people from getting close. Of course, they won't give them any hope of survival. The people inside will either die of disease, starve to death, or commit suicide,” Zhao Meng said calmly to Xu Ao.

"What you're saying is all nonsense." Xu Ao said impatiently, reaching out to tug at his collar.

“A head-on confrontation is obviously not an option, but one thing is certain: the number of guards will not be large; they are all dying men, not worth wasting their resources on.” Zhao Meng seemed oblivious to his anxiety and spoke calmly as usual.

"So, you're trying to use a feint?" After listening to his words, Xu Ao calmed down and thought about it. This was the only way.

"Of course, feinting to the east while attacking in the west is just a strategy; how exactly to do it still needs to be..."

“What do you want? I’ll tell you. No matter what plans or ideas you have, don’t tell Huang Meng. Last time, even the sleeping pills couldn’t stop her. If she finds out what you’re planning, she definitely won’t give up.” Xu Ao stared at Zhao Meng with a serious and earnest look in his eyes.

"Yes, I know." Zhao Meng looked at him and thought for a while before agreeing. He didn't doubt the truth of what Xu Ao said, after all, this woman originally planned to come here alone.

“Chen Che just said there was a big pothole by the roadside, but there wasn’t one here before we left,” Xu Ao said to Zhao Meng after calming down.

"Do you want to confirm this again?"

“Yes, if what he said is true, then it means that after we left, those mercenaries must have acted secretly.” Xu Ao said, pointing to a corner by the wall. Zhao Meng looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a surveillance camera.

"Won't it just happen to break?" Zhao Meng turned to look at Xu Ao and said.

"It's not broken, but none of them noticed anything unusual in the surveillance footage. If Chen Che hadn't checked it himself, no one would have noticed."

"Hmm, so you think they secretly dug a hole next to the embassy?" Zhao Meng said, looking at Xu Ao's serious face.

Xu Ao didn't speak, but instead crossed his arms and looked at him.

"Okay, I understand. Anyway, there's no one guarding the area around the embassy. Let's go out and take a look together sometime."

"okay."

The two stood in the courtyard for a while longer, watching the sun sink low into the sunset, before going upstairs one after the other.