Chapter 302: Finding the Exit
Hummingbird executed a graceful mid-air flip.
As she landed, her katana swept across the wounded man’s throat, slitting it cleanly.
Watching his body collapse, Hummingbird still felt lingering fear—just a moment ago, she had already started composing her last words in her head.
Wan Xiaozhou’s shot was truly a lifesaver.
Had she missed, Hummingbird would have been the one with a bullet in her head.
Hearing the gunfire, Fang Xiaocao rushed over. When she saw that Wan Xiaozhou’s entire side was soaked in blood, her heart clenched in panic.
“Xiaozhou! Where are you hurt?”
Wan Xiaozhou forced a weak smile. “Feels like my arm’s broken.”
Fang Xiaocao’s face paled in alarm.
She immediately turned to examine Wan Xiaozhou’s arm.
The sight of the mangled, blood-soaked flesh made Fang Xiaocao break into a cold sweat. But when it came to treating gunshot wounds, she was utterly clueless.
“Your Highness, let me handle this.”
Hummingbird patted Fang Xiaocao’s shoulder reassuringly.
Seeing her, Fang Xiaocao reacted as if she had found a lifeline. She quickly nodded and stepped aside.
Hummingbird crouched beside Wan Xiaozhou and inspected the wound, frowning slightly.
“We need to stop the bleeding fast. Otherwise, you might not make it down the mountain.”
Wan Xiaozhou weakly nodded. “I understand.”
“This will leave a scar,” Hummingbird warned softly.
“It’s fine… I already have plenty,” Wan Xiaozhou said indifferently.
Hearing this, Hummingbird didn’t hesitate any longer.
She ripped open Wan Xiaozhou’s sleeve, revealing her bloodied arm.
After a careful examination, Hummingbird let out a breath of relief. “Luckily, it’s a through-and-through wound. The bullet passed through without lodging inside. No bones were broken either. I’ll stop the bleeding and wrap it up. As soon as we’re down the mountain, we’ll get you to a hospital.”
Wan Xiaozhou simply nodded.
Hummingbird removed her backpack and retrieved a medical kit. Step by step, she disinfected the wound.
After disinfecting, she didn’t immediately bandage it.
Instead, she picked up Wan Xiaozhou’s gun, ejected the magazine with a crisp “click,” and removed a few bullets. Using a knife, she pried off the primers and poured the gunpowder onto Wan Xiaozhou’s wound. Then, she struck a match.
Under Fang Xiaocao’s stunned gaze, Hummingbird dropped the lit match onto the gunpowder.
A sharp sizzle sounded. The gunpowder ignited instantly.
“Ah—!”
Wan Xiaozhou let out a pained cry, her vision nearly going black.
But she clung to her fading consciousness.
Her body wavered, but she didn’t pass out.
The gunpowder burned like a fleeting spark, and in the blink of an eye, it was gone.
The narrow passage filled with the acrid stench of burnt flesh and smoke.
Wan Xiaozhou’s wound was now charred black, wisps of smoke curling from it.
But the bleeding had stopped.
“Bleeding’s under control!”
“She should hold out until we get down the mountain.”
As Hummingbird pulled out a bandage and started wrapping the wound, she reassured them.
Wan Xiaozhou weakly nodded. “Thank you.”
“I should be the one thanking you.”
“If it weren’t for your shot, I’d be dead.”
Hummingbird shook her head with a small smile.
Once Wan Xiaozhou was fully bandaged, Hummingbird turned to Fang Xiaocao.
“Your Highness, we need to move quickly. If the wound gets infected, things will get complicated.”
Fang Xiaocao nodded. “Alright, let’s go!”
She had already been thinking the same thing.
“Your Highness, Xiaozhou is too weak to walk on her own. I’ll carry her. Can you take the lead?”
Hummingbird hesitated before making the request.
“Of course!”
“I’ll clear the path. You take care of Xiaozhou.”
Fang Xiaocao agreed without hesitation.
The three of them emptied their backpacks, picking out only the essentials and consolidating them into a single pack, which Fang Xiaocao carried.
The rest, though valuable, had to be abandoned.
With only Hummingbird fully capable of carrying anything, they couldn’t afford excess weight.
With Fang Xiaocao’s help, Hummingbird hoisted Wan Xiaozhou onto her back.
Once she was sure they were secure, Fang Xiaocao gripped her gun and took point.
She stepped over the corpses and continued down the tunnel.
After just a few steps, she encountered a door.
Pushing it open, she was startled to find herself in a natural limestone cave.
The Pawnshop’s people had carved a doorway right into the cave wall.
The cavern was small and well-hidden.
Fang Xiaocao scouted the area and found nothing unusual. Once Hummingbird caught up, she shut the stone door and moved toward the cave’s exit.
Emerging from the cave, Fang Xiaocao realized they were directly opposite the rock crevice where they had previously hidden from the mercenaries and man-eating rats.
If someone had been hiding here, they would have had a perfect view of the entire passage and the rock crevice.
Conversely, anyone in the passage or the crevice would have had difficulty spotting this vantage point.
Fang Xiaocao helped steady Hummingbird as they entered the passage.
“Hummingbird, can Xiaozhou hold out until we rendezvous with Tom and the others?” Fang Xiaocao asked seriously.
Her plan was to hide in the man-eating rats’ lair and wait for Tom and Taotie to arrive. Once they regrouped, Tom and Taotie could escort them out.
Hummingbird shook her head. “Xiaozhou can’t wait. Send them a message to come after us. We need to leave now!”
Hearing this, Fang Xiaocao nodded.
She checked her terminal and found multiple messages from Tom, all asking for their location.
She quickly typed a reply.
[Fang Xiaocao: We’ve escaped. Xiaozhou has been shot and needs immediate medical attention. Hummingbird and I are taking her down the mountain now. Catch up with us as soon as possible—forget about the treasure for now.]
After sending the message, she didn’t wait for Tom’s reply.
She pocketed the terminal and resumed leading the way.
She had considered abandoning Wan Xiaozhou.
But after remembering that Xiaozhou had saved Hummingbird’s life, leaving her behind—especially in front of Hummingbird—didn’t sit right with her.
So, she dismissed the idea.
“We’re not out of options yet.”
“For now, we’ll take Xiaozhou with us.”
“And if we reach a dead end… there’s always someone to stay behind and hold them off.”
With that thought in mind, Fang Xiaocao pressed on.
Since they were retracing their steps, they knew the terrain well.
Any previous obstacles had already been dealt with, allowing them to move much faster.
What had originally taken half an hour now took only ten minutes.
However…
None of them noticed the silent pair of eyes watching them from the shadows.
