Since everyone is very focused on this operation and their eyes are only locked on 'X's cabin house, no one noticed Stephanie Ruan sliding into the forest to tail Javier Zhong.
As the pathway inside the forested area is very narrow and difficult to see - especially more so at the night, Stephanie Ruan is unable to manoeuvre comfortably.
Each and every single step that she takes would require her fullest attention. She has to remain very vigilant of her surroundings because if she doesn't...
"Hiss..." A tree branch that is protruding out into the pathway has scratched her lower arm.
Without hesitating, she moved her phone's torchlight over her arm to check on the wound.
"Thankfully it's not a deep cut..." She breathed a sigh of relief and quickly looked ahead again, only to find that Javier Zhong's figure is already out of her sight!
"No way...!!!" Stephanie Ruan took a few steps forward and looked around anxiously for him but to no avail.
It has already been about ten minutes of non-stop walking into the forest and there is no way she is going to give up and turn back right now!
"..."
"I'm going to risk it!" Stephanie Ruan told herself silently and continued searching for the pathway on her own, even though she does not know if she is still heading in the same direction as Javier Zhong.
...
On the other side, Javier Zhong, who has been tirelessly moving forward all these while, did not spot anyone ahead of him. Instead, he has been following a foot trail that seems to be from a grown man.
In no time, he caught a glimpse of a small abandoned building right before his eyes!
"There is someone in there." He noted in his heart as he carefully made his way toward the dimly lighted building.
Upon reaching its back entrance, Javier Zhong instinctively pulled out the gun from his back pocket and immediately released its safety pin.
But just as he is about to open the door, he paused for a second and took out his phone from another pocket.
[If you did not receive any updates from me in the next 5 minutes, send a group of men after me.]
...
Soon, Stephanie Ruan also arrived at the abandoned building.
"This looks like... it's a warehouse... but in the middle of the forest??..."
And not only that... she quickly realised that she is actually at the back of the building!
So this is not the main entrance of the warehouse??...
Stephanie Ruan stared suspiciously at the run-down building while carefully walking around its perimeter.
It did not take long for her to find the entrance of the building.
To her surprise, she saw that the entrance is rather well-maintained as compared to the back, and there is even a short driveway and a small parking area at the side.
Seems like someone has been living here for quite some time...
"Interesting..." Stephanie Ruan swiftly took out a loaded gun from her backpack. She took a few steps forward and reached out for the door handle, only to find that it is not locked.
"??..."
Why is she having a bad feeling about this... Do people not lock their doors these days?...
Well, it's either that or... this is an open trap!
Regardless, Stephanie Ruan courageously pushed the door open and took her first step into the warehouse.
Closing the door behind her, she held onto the gun tightly with both hands and immediately surveyed her surroundings.
As expected of a warehouse, there is a column of large tall shelves lined up in front of her. Over on the right side is an open space with a large and messy worktable sitting right in the middle.
Although the space here is dimly-lighted and smaller than expected, the ceiling is noticeably high - approximately two storeys in height.
Stephanie Ruan vigilantly moved across the well-cemented flooring, toward the first large shelf in front of her, making as little noise as she could.
Spotting a narrow walkway just beside the shelves, she swiftly turned her back against the first shelf and began to take small steps toward the walkway...
One step forward...
Two steps forward...
She could vaguely hear a faint footstep coming toward her in this eerily quiet building.
When she is about five steps forward and at the end of the shelf, Stephanie Ruan took a deep breath and immediately raised her gun while swiftly turning around to face the walkway.
-Sound of gun clicking-
"!!!..."
Right at this moment, she noticed that a gun is already being pointed directly at her forehead!
And she was only about half a second slower than this person!
Needless to say, her heart stopped beating for a few seconds...
But before she had the time to fully react to the situation, the man suddenly retracted his gun from her face.
With a look of disbelief, he spoke in a low voice, "Stephanie?"
"??!!..."
"Jav..."
Just when Stephanie Ruan is about to speak a word and is in the midst of gathering her thoughts, Javier Zhong swiftly pulled her toward him and then pushed her into an empty corridor between two shelves.
"Ah!..."
Landing on the floor, her gun uncontrollably flew out of her hand due to the unexpected fall. She reached out for her gun and was about to turn back when she heard...
-BANG BANG BANG BANG-
Javier Zhong and 'X' started firing their shots non-stop at each other at the same time!
If not for him noticing that there was a shadow at a distance behind Stephanie Ruan earlier, she would have already been shot by 'X'!
The two men are too good at dodging the bullets that no one got injured from this firing spree.
Out of a sudden, there is one second of silence. Javier Zhong quickly shifted his eyes to Stephanie Ruan to make sure that she is doing fine before he...
"Argh...!!!"
Stephanie Ruan widened her eyes as she caught the scene of Javier Zhong being shot twice in his abdominal area while he was distracted!
"!!!..."
"Nooo!!... Javier!!!..." She wasted no time and ran over to his side to check on him.
Author's Note: I want to sincerely thank all the readers who have been patiently waiting for an update and are still supporting this book of mine. I was going through the toughest period of my life with many changes happening at once, which is why I had been unable to do an update. I am still in the transition period but I hope to be able to do my best to bring this book to life again! Thank you for your love for the characters and do look forward to an exciting storyline! Stay safe and healthy to all my readers!