Meanwhile, the alpha carried Song Lejin on his back for a long time. After making sure no one would follow, Song Lejin patted his shoulder, and the man set him down.
Song Lejin stretched his legs and said, “You know what to do, right?”
The man replied, “Don’t worry, I’ll stand guard here and make sure no one interferes with your plans.”
“Where’s Zhao Bai?” Song Lejin asked. “Has he gone yet?”
The man nodded. “Zhao Bai has already left.”
Song Lejin flexed his muscles. “Then keep a good watch.”
With that, he turned and walked back alone.
Money could always make the devil turn the millstone no matter the circumstances.
Before coming, Song Lejin had instructed Zhao Bai to arrange everything: buying identities, bribing these men, and setting up an ambush along the way.
This time, Song Lejin refused to believe that even after investing so much, he could still lose everything.
Shen Yuqing and Lin Sui had been walking for who knew how long. Shen Yuqing was starting to feel exhausted and said, “Let’s stop here. If we go any further, it’ll be too troublesome to return.”
There was no signal in the woods, and they had no way to contact anyone.
Lin Sui, who had been worrying about Song Lejin the whole time, agreed immediately.
“Alright, you wait here while I go back to call for help,” he suggested.
As an alpha who had been training for a long time, Lin Sui was in much better shape to make the trip back than Shen Yuqing.
Shen Yuqing asked, “Which one of you two will go with Lin Sui?”
The leader of Team 5A replied, “I will.”
As the captain, it was only right that he took charge in such situations.
“Look around this area for a good hiding or resting spot. We’ve been walking for about twenty minutes, but the return trip should be faster, around half an hour,” the 5A captain said, glancing at his wristwatch.
Shen Yuqing and the other alpha had no objections, though the latter remained completely silent.
After Lin Sui and the captain left, Shen Yuqing said, “Come on, let’s find a place to hide.”
The other man merely nodded and followed silently.
Shen Yuqing spoke up again, “It’s so dark out here, no lights, and the woods are so empty. Why don’t you take off your mask? What kind of allergy is this serious?”
Still, the man didn’t answer, almost as if he was deliberately avoiding the question.
Shen Yuqing’s eyelid twitched something felt off.
Seeing the man try to move past him, Shen Yuqing blocked his path. “Why won’t you answer me? That’s incredibly rude.”
Only then did the man speak. “N-no need. I’m fine like this.”
The moment he opened his mouth, Shen Yuqing finally realized what was wrong.
This man wasn’t the allergic alpha at all!
In one swift motion, Shen Yuqing reached out and yanked off the man’s mask before he could react. The face revealed was one he had seen several times over the past few days.
Panicked, the man tried to cover his face, but Shen Yuqing grabbed his wrist tightly. “Why is it you?” Shen Yuqing demanded sharply. “Since when did you develop allergies?”
From the moment he changed clothes, Alpha had been in a state of tension. Now, being scolded by Shen Yuqing, his psychological defenses crumbled even further. “I-I’m sorry,” he stammered.
Only then did Shen Yuqing realize he’d fallen into a trap. He took several deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down. “When exactly did you return the clothes?” he demanded.
“Before we set off,” Alpha replied.
They could’ve easily swapped clothes during a bathroom break. Shen Yuqing quickly recalled the scene before departure someone leaning against a tree trunk with a hat covering their face.
At the time, he’d thought it was to block the sun. Now he realized it was to conceal their identity.
“What else do you know? Why did you switch clothes? Speak!” Shen Yuqing pressed.
The man trembled. “I-I don’t know. He just told me to swap clothes with him and follow along. Said I’d get paid after we left.”
Shen Yuqing released his wrist and turned to leave, but the man grabbed his arm in panic. “Y-you can’t go back,” he stuttered.
Shen Yuqing’s expression turned icy. “Why not?”
The man looked ready to cry. Despite being an Alpha, he was utterly intimidated by this Beta.
“B-because… they don’t want you to return.”
Shen Yuqing shook him off angrily. “Get lost!”
He immediately sprinted back, calling out to his system: [Quick! Check if Song Wangzhuo is still resting there.]
The system could monitor movements through live cameras and had already begun scanning before being asked. Soon it replied: [Song Wangzhuo is gone. Song Lejin and the person with the covered face have also disappeared. Host, they headed east, but there are few cameras in that direction. I lost sight of them after a while.]
Shen Yuqing skidded to a halt. [East… isn’t there a slope there?]
The system froze. [You don’t mean…]
Shen Yuqing didn’t have time to waste: [Hurry, boost my speed a little.]
Even with enhancement, the increase had to be subtle they couldn’t risk alerting the audience through the cameras.
As he ran eastward, Shen Yuqing fought to stay composed.
Panicking wouldn’t help now. He needed to figure out how to turn the tables.
One thing was certain: Song Wangzhuo couldn’t be pushed off that slope.
Though the Main System hadn’t provided detailed visions, if the fall had been harmless, it wouldn’t have given such a warning.
More importantly, Song Lejin had revealed everything no more hiding. This showed he was absolutely determined and no longer afraid.
Shen Yuqing cursed his own carelessness. If only he’d been more vigilant.
With the system’s guidance, Shen Yuqing arrived at the camera’s blind spot five minutes earlier than expected.
Faced with two diverging paths, he panted: [Can you detect which way they went?]
The system replied apologetically: [Sorry, Host. There are no cameras installed further in.]
So, it didn’t know.
Shen Yuqing examined both trails. Though there were no cameras, footprints remained.
The left path showed clear signs of recent passage.
Shen Yuqing hurried forward. [Can you redirect a camera here?] he asked.
The system replied: [Not really. The nearby cameras are all fixed, but there’s a drone. I can hack into its system and alter its flight path.] A drone.
Shen Yuqing looked up and asked, [About how long will it take?]
[Probably around ten minutes to make it seamless.] The system said, [Host, don’t worry, I’ll guide it over as quickly as possible.]
Shen Yuqing gave a slight nod. Ten minutes should be just about right.
*On the eastern hillside.
Song Wangzhuo watched as the person approached him and said, “So it’s you.”
Zhao Bai chuckled lightly, “Long time no see.”
Song Wangzhuo recognized Zhao Bai he was the one who had bumped into him in the garage before.
Back then, Zhao Bai had seemed timid, but today, he gave off a completely different vibe.
Song Wangzhuo asked, “What do you want, going through all this trouble to lure me here?”
Song Wangzhuo had been resting peacefully when suddenly, Song Lejin rushed over in a panic, claiming that Shen Yuqing was in trouble.
He said they had been ambushed by another team, but the opponents hesitated to eliminate Shen Yuqing due to his status. However, the other team’s leader was hot-headed and insisted on taking them out, so the two teams ended up fighting.
With a group of alphas involved, Shen Yuqing had tried to mediate but got caught in the crossfire. Song Lejin urged Song Wangzhuo to hurry over and help.
At the time, Song Wangzhuo had been completely fooled, he hadn’t even stopped to wonder why Song Lejin had only told him.
Now, it was clear this had all been planned from the start.
Shen Yuqing’s departure had been part of their scheme, all to draw him out.
