Chapter 1595 - Fugitives

"What's strange?"

"Throughout this operation, I felt as though we were being watched at every turn—as if the Hair Thieves already knew us." He recounted what he'd observed near the gymnasium. "If they'd recognized me, that would be one thing. But they even recognized the minor disciples. It's bizarre!"

"Are you saying there's a spy among us?!" Sima Qiudao exclaimed.

Zhuo Yifan shook his head slowly: "I can't be certain—I just feel something is deeply wrong..."

"If we can go back—" Sima Qiudao stopped mid-sentence. Obviously, escaping from here was already a grim prospect, let alone speaking of "going back."

"If you were alone, you might still escape. Bringing me along—I'm afraid it won't work." Zhuo Yifan shook his head. "Once it's dark, leave quickly. Make for Nanbao. I don't know how Old Huang is faring there..."

As he spoke, he slipped back into unconsciousness.

Wu Mu held the phone. Okamoto's angry voice poured from the receiver. The call from the Art Troupe's head—coming from the sentry post at Bairen City's South Gate—was more interrogation than notification. But at this moment, such things didn't matter.

"As long as you're all safe. Three confirmed kills? One bandit escaped? Please calm down before continuing... Alright... Pass the phone to Deputy Director Dongfang."

Okamoto replied irritably: "No need—I've said what I have to say. The Art Troupe can only stay hidden in the city now. Catching terrorists is your responsibility, Director Wu." He hung up.

Wu Mu cranked the handle twice and connected to Mu Min, requesting the latest updated list. The people arrested so far and the bodies recovered were under National Police management. The latest feedback indicated that very few names on the list remained unaccounted for.

This list had been compiled by the task force through continuous monitoring and surveillance of suspects. It included both "suspicious elements" who'd arrived by sea and local indigenous people and naturalized citizens who'd made frequent contact with them. The task force had managed to photograph everyone on this list and designated them as key surveillance targets.

Wu Mu had originally expected more significant figures to surface on the list, but his expectations were completely dashed. True, the list contained a few more names than days earlier, but they were either insignificant or unlikely to be "violent terrorists."

Still, he couldn't let his guard down entirely. Who knew what bigger fish might be lurking underwater, yet to reveal themselves? Based on today's reports from the field, whether from the Political Security Bureau, the police, or the Garrison Battalion, their performance fell far short of his prior estimates.

"The search warrant has been issued. All naturalized citizen security personnel in Lingao—including National Army and Public Security Army—will be mobilized for the sweep." Mu Min's tone was meant to reassure. "I've ordered the Japanese and Korean Public Security Armies to handle key areas. They won't slack off. The dog teams have been deployed. Rest assured—not one will slip away."

"Good. I estimate those who escaped are the main leaders. That Young Master Zhuo is definitely a major figure." Wu Mu frowned. "This man must be captured. What about the female police officer associated with him?"

"I've already ordered Lian Nishang's arrest. Zuo Yami, Li Yongxun, and several others were arrested alongside her. Everyone on the list within the police system has been taken in."

"Good. Take care."

Only tens of minutes had passed since Qian Duoduo dialed Dongmen Chuiyu's phone, yet the storm unleashed in that brief span had set every Senator's heart in the Lingao area on edge. Wu Mu and Mu Min both understood that hundreds of pairs of eyes were watching the Political Security Bureau and Police Headquarters. Every step forward might land on thorns.

Fortunately, no Senator had been harmed so far. Their luck, it could only be said, had held—yes, consistently held.

Wu Mu set down the phone and dialed Liu Fuqing. He instructed him to immediately dispatch someone to the Art Troupe and the crime scene to investigate and compile a report on the relevant circumstances.

"Arrest the naturalized citizen musicians of the orchestra immediately—and the Garrison Battalion soldiers who were responsible for protecting them. Yes! Not a single one left behind. Even those requiring hospitalization must have a staff member accompanying them at all times!"

Wu Mu put down the phone, drew a deep breath, and dialed another call to the Interrogation Division: "Clear all interrogation rooms, cancel leave, and enter working status."

Sima Qiudao and Zhuo Yifan remained hidden until nightfall. Seeing the nearby search teams gradually diminish, they crawled out of the vegetation. Sima Qiudao carried spare clothes and a pair of scissors. In the bushes, he quickly cropped both their hair short and changed them into naturalized citizen attire.

"Your wound can't wait much longer. We need to reach Nanbao and find Old Huang!" Sima Qiudao said. As long as they made it to Nanbao, escaping into the Li territory would become somewhat easier.

Zhuo Yifan nodded in agreement, though he felt a profound sense of loss. I, Zhuo Yifan, am also of a righteous and renowned sect, sword in hand wandering the Jianghu. Now I've been reduced to this—cutting my hair and changing clothes like a common thief just to survive. What the ancients called "cutting the beard and abandoning the robe" must have felt exactly like this.

"Can you walk?"

Zhuo Yifan had rested most of the day and eaten some of the dry rations Sima Qiudao carried. His energy and spirits had recovered somewhat. He rose and took a few steps. It was manageable—though the wound throbbed in waves. One slight stumble nearly sent him to the ground.

"This is the Hair Thieves' secret medicine. Take it first—it's very effective." Sima Qiudao produced the painkillers he'd purchased at the East Gate Market pharmacy and gave him one. Then he helped unwrap the bandage to change the dressing.

"The Hair Thieves' medicine really is effective!" Sima Qiudao observed with some surprise. When treating Zhuo Yifan's wound earlier, he'd administered sulfa tablets purchased from East Gate Market and applied anti-inflammatory powder to the wound. The condition seemed to be holding fairly well.

Fortunately, he'd prepared in advance. Sima Qiudao had military experience and understood deeply that being wounded was often worse than dying in battle. Often, after enduring torment, death came anyway. While lying low, he'd heard that the Hair Thieves' medicine was remarkably effective, so he'd bought several varieties from the pharmacy—even the bandages had been purchased there beforehand.

He tore open another packet of anti-inflammatory powder, sprinkled it over the wound, and rebandaged it. After waiting for the painkiller's ingredients to take effect, the two quietly left the riverbank and headed south. They dared not take the main road and could only use remote paths. Fortunately, this wasn't the urban area. Though some residential clusters stood nearby, due to the day's major events, every household had shuttered its windows, and the streets were essentially deserted.

Walking and stopping along the way, after much difficulty, the two had escaped the East Gate Market zone. Both Sima Qiudao and Zhuo Yifan possessed the ability to navigate by starlight and travel by night. They crossed wild fields and passed through woods. Thanks to the Hair Thieves' medicine, Zhuo Yifan could barely keep moving. Sima Qiudao estimated the time; arriving at Nanbao before dawn shouldn't be a problem.

At that moment, in a naturalized citizen dormitory in Nanbao District, the lights burned low. In the dimness, the creaking of furniture mingled with a woman's soft moans:

"Ah, ah, Brother Huang, harder—yes—I like that pressure." The woman lying prone on the bed wore only close-fitting undergarments, her brow slightly furrowed, making ecstatic sounds from time to time. A middle-aged man labored over her, concentrating intensely on the massage, sweating profusely from the effort.

"Xiu'er, you can really take force. Most men probably couldn't withstand my massage." The one working on the woman was Huang Zhen, proprietor of the Huang Family Medicine Shop.

"Done." Finishing, Huang Zhen sat down on a stool, drained a large gulp of tea, and lit a post-coital cigarette. You Xiu had already brought water to wipe his sweat.

"When Brother Huang presses me like that, my entire body feels comfortable—all forty-eight thousand pores relaxed..."

She snuggled against his chest like a small bird.

"You cried out so loudly—what if the child heard?"

You Xiu had three children. The older two boarded at Fangcaodi; the youngest stayed with her, sleeping in the bedroom separated by a wall.

"He sleeps very soundly. Back then, when I carried him while fleeing, he could sleep even through wind and waves at sea." You Xiu whispered, "I originally thought he was too small to survive. It really was the Bodhisattva's blessing, allowing us mother and children to escape to such a good place."

Huang Zhen studied the woman before him. Looking at her now, who could imagine her panic-stricken appearance during the flight? She was said to be a woman in her early forties, yet her body was maintained even better than a thirty-year-old from a poor family. As for the various wonders in bed—those were beyond description to outsiders.

Thinking back to when their affair had begun, there'd been unavoidable circumstances—but humans aren't grass or trees; how could familiarity not breed affection? She'd always been very considerate to him, so much so that Zhou Zhongjun and the others had teased him for his "fool's luck."

Huang Zhen was nearly fifty. His youthful ambitions as a knight-errant wandering the Jianghu had long since worn away. This time he'd come to Lingao to lie low, opening a medical clinic. Business was good, and he had such a lovely companion in You Xiu. Over time, he'd actually begun longing to settle down like this. Sometimes he even thought: How wonderful it would be if we never acted and just stayed hidden in Lingao forever... But those good days had ended today. The realization filled Huang Zhen with melancholy—sadness at losing this life, and even deeper worry about You Xiu's future. His own involvement would certainly implicate her. The Hair Thieves were said to be ruthless in dealing with traitors. Alas, he had brought harm upon her—not just her, but her entire family...

These thoughts left him deeply dispirited. He shouldn't have come here tonight, but knowing he might not survive the uprising, and uncertain whether they could ever meet again even if he escaped, he'd unconsciously found his way to her residence.

You Xiu's face was slightly flushed, her body pressing against his chest—clearly stirred by desire. Huang Zhen's own mood wasn't inclined that way, but thinking this would be a permanent separation, he couldn't bear to refuse. One hand had already found her breast and began massaging gently.

You Xiu made soft "mm-mm" sounds and whispered: "Brother Huang, I... I..."

"Hm?" Seeing her hesitate, looking shy, Huang Zhen asked, "What is it?"

"I... I... seem to be pregnant..."