"Оvеr there." Diао Zhuо gеsturеd with his chin toward thе Рrado stuсk in the mud. Tоgеthеr, thеу drаgged Laо Ma and San Shui toward thе bаck оf the vеhiсlе.
Sеeing this frоm а distаnсе, Ye Хun thought there wаs hоpе of reclаiming his car аnd turned to run tоwаrd thеm. Хiаng Аn grаbbed him and fоrсefullу рinnеd him to thе ground. "Тhеy’re shоrt оf hostаges right now—what аre you gоing оvеr therе for?!"
This sudden turn оf еvеnts left thе роасhеrs stunned. Ноlding their brеath fоr a few sеcоnds, thе rеmaining thrее gоt оut of their vehiсles, aiming their guns at Diaо Zhuo and Bаyunyе. Laо Мa аnd San Shui trembled with fear, muttering "No... no..." as if pleading with Bayunye and Diao Zhuo, or perhaps with their three accomplices.
The veins on the hands of the three poachers ahead bulged. A thought flashed through Diao Zhuo’s mind, and he suddenly pulled Bayunye down, both of them falling beside the Prado. Then—
Bang! Bang!
Lao Pang, Lao Jin, and Tuzi had fired at Lao Ma and San Shui in unison. The two screamed and collapsed. Gritting their teeth, the three raised their guns again, firing at Diao Zhuo and Bayunye under the vehicle. But the car served as a shield, their bullets pinging against the body and striking Lao Ma and San Shui.
Diao Zhuo scrambled up, covering Bayunye with his body and holding her tightly. Driven by a male animal’s instinct, he was prepared to shield her from bullets if necessary. He was heavy, pinning her down so she couldn’t move, yet she found it immensely satisfying. His heavy breaths were right by her ear, a few strands of his hair swaying with each exhale, brushing the sensitive inner curve of her ear. She couldn’t help but shrug her shoulders and shake her head.
Damn, this feels amazing.
Shotgun pellets struck the ground with dull thuds. Lao Ma and San Shui, already fallen, took a few more bullets for them. Seeing this, Diao Zhuo quickly crawled a few steps forward and fired a shot at the three as cover. Lao Pang, Lao Jin, and Tuzi, seeing their companions beyond saving, showed no sympathy—instead, they grinned with relief and, without lingering, turned and dashed to their vehicles. Revving the engines, they sped away.
Lao Ma and San Shui lay on the ground, blood gushing from several bullet wounds, quickly forming a terrifying pool beneath them. They couldn’t even cry for help before losing consciousness from blood loss.
Bayunye coughed, choked by the dust. She got up and saw the poachers’ brutality—they’d even killed their own companions to escape. After a moment of shock, she stomped her foot. "Fuck! Our car!!"
The three vehicles that had gone to check on the injured rangers caught up. Qi Zi got out and informed everyone that one of the two rangers in the rear had died, while the other was injured but still conscious. Additional rangers would arrive soon. Bayunye peeked into his car and saw the injured ranger slumped in the back seat, clutching a rifle with one hand.
"Bro, lend me your gun!" Bayunye said.
"...No," the bloodied ranger replied weakly.
Ignoring him, Bayunye snatched the rifle, turned, and pulled Xiao Zi out of her Wrangler. Hippo was stunned, but Diao Zhuo gestured for him to get out. He quickly jumped down as Diao Zhuo leaped into the driver’s seat, and the car shot forward like an arrow.
The ranger was frantic, dark red blood still flowing from the wound in his arm. Da Qin and Tan Lin brought out a first-aid kit to bandage him. Hippo reassured him, "Don’t worry, she knows how to handle a gun. She’ll be careful.""But...ugh!" The protection team member was in so much pain he broke out in a cold sweat. He didn't know the background of these people—he was afraid they might be harmed by the ruthless poachers, but also worried they might use guns to injure the poachers and break the law.
Ye Xun finally scrambled to his car, pounding his chest and stamping his feet in despair, on the verge of tears. His car had been saved because it was stuck in the mud, but all his equipment had been stolen and used as cover for the shotgun blasts. The situation ahead looked grim.
Xiao Zi got out of the car, fuming with indignation. When she looked up and saw the two poachers' bodies, she was so frightened she closed her eyes and screamed on the spot, "Ah—I want to go back! I want to go back right now! Take me back!!"
It suddenly dawned on her—what was money compared to life?
Da Qin, his hands covered in blood, said, "Let's wait until Diao Zhuo and Master Ba come back. Whether we can get the car back is still a question."
"No! I want to leave now! I don't want to stay here anymore!" Xiao Zi stomped her feet angrily. "Hurry! Aren't you the Rescue Team? Someone come out and take me away!"
"Go where?!" Ye Xun, furious about the state of his own car and with nowhere to vent his anger, stepped forward and slapped her, causing Xiao Zi to stagger back a few steps. "If you want to leave, go by yourself. Better yet, die on the way and save us some rations!"
Xiao Zi covered her face, terrified, and hid behind the others, no longer daring to act willfully.
"You... who are you? Why did you come into the protected area?" the protection team member asked.
Tan Lin pointed to the logo on his left chest. "We're from the Beidou Rescue Team. We came in to search for missing persons."
The protection team member relaxed, his body finally less tense. "I'm from the Sangzha Protection Station. We've been chasing this group of poachers for three days—we caught eight, but seven escaped... They killed over fifty Tibetan antelopes. We recovered about half, but the other half is still with them... Most of my colleagues went after the other two because the remaining antelope carcasses are in their truck. We don't know if these five have any more. The two of you who chased after them... be careful! These people already have buyers lined up before they come. As long as they can escape, they'll get their share of the money. They have no humanity."
In the distance, Diao Zhuo pressed the accelerator to the floor, speeding across the undulating wilderness like the wind. The terrain, with its constant climbs and drops, made the vehicle shake violently. No one would drive like this unless they were chasing another vehicle—it was enough to make anyone vomit. Due to the uneven ground, the vehicle ahead flickered in and out of view amid the swirling dust. Finally, on a slightly flatter patch of earth, Bayunye rolled down the window.
Seeing her grab the rifle with one hand, Diao Zhuo had a pretty good idea of what she intended to do.
She slapped the steering wheel with her left hand. "Hold onto this thing."
This woman was truly made of iron. He gripped the steering wheel firmly. "Go ahead."
Bayunye leaned halfway out of the vehicle, holding the rifle with both hands and taking aim. Diao Zhuo steadied the wheel, slowing down slightly while keeping an eye on whether the desperate criminals in the vehicle ahead might suddenly open fire on them.
The road was bumpy and uneven—the first shot missed.
She reloaded.
The second shot also went wide.
Bayunye said, "Slow down a bit."
"The pickup truck is out of sight. There must be a slope ahead."
"I know." Bayunye remained expressionless and unusually calm, her military-trained mental fortitude fully on display at this moment. "You keep it steady.""Don't rush, I'll find you a good position." Diao Zhuo thought for a moment, accelerated briefly, then lightly tapped the brakes at the top of the slope to slow down.
Bayunye focused intently, her brow furrowed tightly as her index finger pulled the trigger.
"Bang!"
The third shot punctured the Grand Commander's rear tire. The vehicle surged forward a dozen meters due to inertia before coming to a sluggish halt.
"You haven't used the spare tire on that car yet, have you?" Bayunye smiled. "Sorry about that."
The real challenge began now—the two men in the car also had guns. Diao Zhuo grabbed her arm and pulled her back into the passenger seat.
They exchanged a quick glance, an unspoken understanding passing between them.
Lao Jin and Tuzi got out of the car. Seeing the tire, they gritted their teeth in anger, but before they could react, a bullet struck the ground near their feet with a "bang." They quickly ducked behind the vehicle. Whether in the era of cold weapons or now, letting the enemy occupy the high ground and suppress with firepower always put them at a disadvantage.
In the distance, gunfire sounded again—likely the backup vehicles of the protection team had arrived, firing warning shots to signal them to lay down their weapons and surrender. Lao Jin and Tuzi cursed loudly, glancing back at Lao Pang. That guy, driving the pickup truck, showed no intention of returning to pick them up, instead speeding forward frantically until he disappeared from sight after descending the slope. Their faces darkened simultaneously as they scanned their surroundings. The herd of wild yaks they had disturbed earlier was now nearby, and the group appeared even larger than before, numbering at least a hundred.
They raised their guns and fired maliciously at the yak herd.
Their bullets couldn't penetrate the yaks' thick hides, but they startled the herd once more. Some of the outer yaks, likely feeling pain, began showing signs of agitation. The massive herd instantly fell into chaos, though a few young yaks remained tightly protected at the center. The herd charged toward the small basin ahead, soon encountering the fleeing Lao Pang. The pickup truck, panicking amidst the yaks, angered the wild herd once again. To protect their young and the entire group, the yaks unleashed their immense strength and charging power, overturning the pickup truck with a few forceful blows, accompanied by a deafening crash.
Bayunye, holding the gun and maintaining the upper hand, watched the rampaging yaks alongside Diao Zhuo from a distance. They both realized simultaneously that these poachers were far from united—there was even a sense of "if I can't escape, neither will you."
Lao Jin and Tuzi tried to sneak up the slope to fire, but Bayunye preempted them with another warning shot, forcing them to retreat behind the vehicle, not daring to peek out.
A scream echoed from the slope. Lao Pang, who had crawled out of the pickup truck, was trampled and gored by the charging wild yaks. After a few agonizing cries, all sound ceased, leaving a gruesome scene.
The protection team's backup and the rest of the Rescue Team arrived in batches, forcing Lao Jin and Tuzi to surrender without a fight.
Diao Zhuo got out of the car and skillfully began changing the spare tire. Bayunye returned the gun to the protection team, stroking the stock with lingering reluctance. The protection team leader, Zhaba Duojie, a dark-faced man, criticized her for being reckless—not only seizing the gun but actually daring to fire. Unfazed, she brushed it off with a smile.
"The situation was urgent, we had no choice," Diao Zhuo offered a cigarette.
Zhaba Duojie pointed at her, angrily asking, "Your woman?"
"Yes—" Bayunye started to speak, but Diao Zhuo hooked his hand and covered her mouth. She bit one of his fingers, but he didn't pull away, as if knowing she wouldn't bite down hard.
Zhaba Duojie looked confused, but his craving for a cigarette took over, and he lowered his head to light it.
Hippo came over to help change the tire, saying, "I didn't expect them to turn on each other!"Zhaba Duojie said while smoking, "That's just how these people are. They pooled funds to enter the reserve and planned to split the profits per head when they returned. One less person means an extra share for the rest, so these greedy bastards wish fewer people would make it back—ideally just themselves—so they can pocket all the ill-gotten gains. Some sell goods through middlemen, while others negotiate prices with overseas buyers before poaching."
After speaking, he walked around the vehicle, seeming much more relaxed, his expression softening. "Hey, girl, you handle a gun well, but don't go wild with it."
Bayunye was squatting by the wheel watching Diao Zhuo tighten the screws and readily agreed.
The Grand Commander could still drive normally after the spare tire was replaced, but a spare couldn't substitute for the original tire for long. Unfortunately, given the limited conditions, they had no choice but to make do for a few more days.
As the yak herd gradually moved away, everyone repositioned the looted supplies and spent considerable effort flipping the pickup truck back over and towing the Prado out. Everyone was panting heavily. The Rescue Team and the protection team members discussed and decided that two off-road vehicles carrying the injured protection team members and Xiao Zi would follow the protection team's pickup to the protection station. Zhaba Duojie said that once there, they would arrange transportation for Xiao Zi.
"Hey, what's this?" A protection team member who was escorting Lao Jin and Tuzi to the back seat suddenly noticed a hard, bulging object in Tuzi's arms, suspecting it might be a handgun or an explosive device. "Quick! Hand it over!"
The protection team member nervously pulled it out and saw it wasn't a weapon but a handheld GPS. They casually opened the track log and asked in confusion, "Why would you take such a detour from Rutog County to get here? And you entered three months ago?!"
"That thing isn't ours," Tuzi replied impatiently.
The Rescue Team members were taken aback and crowded around to look.
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