C19 Hunter

After a brief struggle, the person in his arms quieted down. Concerned that Yun'er might suffocate or be pretending to be unconscious, Zhou Pu cautiously removed his hands from her eyes and shifted his body to check on her. He found her breathing steadily, apparently having fainted due to her recent recovery and lingering weakness. This made things easier for him. To prevent her from waking suddenly, he took off his clothes and used them to cover her eyes.

The phone made a thud as it alerted him. Zhou Pu initially feared a system glitch, but it was just a low battery warning, suggesting the activation of power-saving mode. Even with that, the phone wouldn't last much longer. It was clear they couldn't linger; without the phone, they'd be unable to exit this space and risk being trapped.

Checking the time, he realized about five hours had passed inside, which likely translated to mere minutes outside. Whether the kidnappers were still around was unknown. With no phone signal in this space, there was no way to contact the outside world. When the phone's battery dwindled to 2%, Zhou Pu carried Lin Yun'er out of the space.

Back in the original courtyard, the house lights were on, but the car was missing. To his relief, the kidnappers were nowhere to be seen. With aching legs, he searched the house, finding nothing but leftover trash and discarded newspapers. A few yellowed blankets on the bed reeked of smoke. Zhou Pu tore off a bedsheet to wrap Lin Yun'er, as the air outside was quite chilly.

As the phone rang, Zhou Pu saw it was Lin Yijing calling. Just as he was about to answer, the screen went black—the battery was completely drained.

On the dark mountain road, Zhou Pu carried the unconscious Yun'er with difficulty. It wasn't her weight but the unextracted bullet lodged near his bone that caused him pain with every movement. Despite the discomfort, he didn't feel tired, possibly due to the Godleaf's effects, which seemed to have enhanced his strength and endurance significantly. He had been carrying her for quite a while without needing to catch his breath.

Zhou Pu's sense of direction was weak, and being his first visit to this area, he couldn't distinguish north from south or east from west. He had no choice but to trust his instincts, hoping to stumble upon a road or a populated area. Even a chance to charge his phone would be a relief. He had come to realize that in this day and age, without his phone, he was as good as blind. Moreover, he couldn't access his secret space to take cover, leaving him clueless about how to handle any further dangers.

After a night spent in fear, at dawn, Zhou Pu discovered he had taken a wrong turn, venturing deeper into the mountains. In the distance, he heard the crowing of chickens and saw smoke rising from the woods. It looked like there was a household nearby where he could seek help.

He approached a rustic hunter's home where a dark-skinned middle-aged man was squatting at the doorstep, twining hemp rope, with a hunting rifle and a yellow dog by his side. The man became alarmed when he saw Zhou Pu approaching with a bound girl and raised his gun, ready to fire.

Startled, Zhou Pu quickly yelled, "She's my wife!" which momentarily calmed the man down.

A plump middle-aged woman, wielding a spatula, hurried out and restrained her husband. After a brief, hesitant conversation in broken Mandarin, she allowed Zhou Pu into their home.

The couple remained skeptical of Zhou Pu, maintaining their distance, with the man keeping his gun within easy reach. Yet, Zhou Pu found their wariness comforting; their misunderstanding was understandable, and their suspicion only highlighted their inherent goodness.

Grateful, Zhou Pu watched as the woman gently took Yun'er into her arms, untied her, and tenderly treated her wounds. The couple's demeanor towards him softened slightly, but they still wouldn't let him near Yun'er, so he had to content himself with watching from a distance.

It wasn't until noon that Yun'er finally came to, trembling at the sight of two strangers, fearing she was once again in the clutches of criminals.

"Don't be scared," Zhou Pu reassured her, pained by her fear. "They are kind people who rescued us."

"Dear girl, there's no need to fear. The villains won't harm you anymore. My husband and I will protect you," the middle-aged woman said, casting a cautionary look at Zhou Pu, signaling him to keep his distance.

Whimpering uncontrollably, Lin Yun'er was truly frightened. Once her tightly wound nerves relaxed, she began to sob uncontrollably.

Zhou Pu couldn't approach her, so he had to watch from a distance. Meanwhile, he endured disapproving glares from a nearby couple, making him feel like the villain who had wronged her.

Eventually, Yun'er's sobs subsided. The woman gently patted her back and asked in a soothing tone, "Miss, is he your man?"

Lin Yun'er was still groggy, her mind grappling with fragmented memories of a car accident and being kidnapped. Waking up in this bamboo hut, she wondered if this couple had rescued her. Why Zhou Pu was there, she couldn't fathom. She hadn't even entertained the thought that Zhou Pu could have saved her; he was too cowardly in her eyes, likely paralyzed with fear at the sight of the bandits. It seemed more plausible that he, too, had been rescued.

"No," Yun'er replied, unwilling to give Zhou Pu another glance as she flatly denied any connection to him.

"Poor child. So it is true," the woman said, pointing an accusing finger at Zhou Pu. "You wretch, we were nearly deceived by you."

The man remained silent but raised his gun, aiming it at Zhou Pu.

Zhou Pu's heart raced. Why was Yun'er suddenly so hostile? Had she lost her memory? He felt like he was being unjustly condemned, with no chance to clear his name. The middle-aged man's stern gaze suggested he might actually pull the trigger. Zhou Pu felt he was about to die a most undeserved death.

"Wait, don't shoot. He... He is my man," Lin Yun'er stammered out at the last second, sparing Zhou Pu's life.

"Miss, you just said..." The woman was perplexed but quickly caught on. She observed the pristine and delicate Yun'er, who resembled a young bride, and then Zhou Pu's unkempt appearance. Piecing together her own narrative, she turned to Zhou Pu and admonished, "How can you treat your wife this way? Look at the state she's in. A wife should be cherished. If you treat her well, she'll stay by your side. If you mistreat her, tying her up won't help; she'll eventually escape."

"I..." Zhou Pu began, but he was cut off. Was he being mistaken for an abusive husband? He wanted to explain, yet the opportunity slipped away.

"What are you saying? Did we make a mistake? Our home doesn't welcome you. Please leave," the woman said, protectively standing by Lin Yun'er as she ushered the visitor out.

Zhou Pu attempted to speak further, but was abruptly cut off as the man brandished a gun and forcefully expelled him from the premises.

Aware of the couple's good nature, Zhou Pu felt he couldn't simply walk away. Frustrated, he resigned himself to waiting outside the door.

By noon, the tantalizing aroma of food drifted from the house. Zhou Pu, stomach growling with hunger, longingly eyed the simple yet appetizing spread inside: a bowl of bamboo shoots, a dish of wild greens, and a pot of mushroom and rabbit stew. Lin Yun'er, equally famished, maintained her composure and ate with grace, in stark contrast to the couple's hearty appetite.

"Little Lin, let me give you some advice," the woman said after some time, having warmed up to Lin Yun'er. In this secluded mountain area, new faces were rare, and she was delighted by Lin Yun'er's arrival. "A woman often needs to lean on a man. Your man isn't all that bad. He's still out there waiting for you, which shows he really cares. Men can be thoughtless at times, but as long as you're in his heart, life can be good."

"He... Well..." Lin Yun'er internally disagreed with the woman's traditional views. Why should a woman be defined by her reliance on a man? A woman could be independent and successful on her own. Yet, out of respect for the kind-hearted sister, she simply nodded without voicing her dissent.

Unexpectedly, the sister took her silent nod as agreement and, with surprising decisiveness, invited Zhou Pu back inside.