Chapter 179: Chapter 169: She Has Departed

Tang Mo couldn’t wait another moment. She had Hu Laosan send her the last known coordinates of Qin Ling’s helicopter, then boarded a helicopter heading there herself.

"Are you sure you don’t want me to send a few men with you?"

Hu Laosan was worried. He didn’t want the boss’s wife to venture into danger all by herself, but he couldn’t think of any better plan on his own.

"There’s no need. Taking others would just be a burden."

Tang Mo’s reply was so strong and self-assured, it left Hu Laosan unable to think of a single rebuttal.

’Perhaps he should trust her. She was far stronger than she looked.’

Tang Mo arranged with Hu Laosan that she would contact the team if anything happened. As soon as they got word, they would immediately dispatch a helicopter.

She left in such a rush she didn’t even have time to go home.

The last thing she managed to do was send a message to Xiao Tao, telling her she was on an urgent mission with no definite return date and to let Lin Yi know not to worry.

Aboard the helicopter, Tang Mo sat with her lips pressed into a thin line, silent.

She began to take stock of her equipment, making final preparations for the fight ahead.

She took out a backpack and filled it with some simple food, water, and a first-aid kit.

It wasn’t for appearances; carrying essential supplies simply gave Tang Mo a sense of security when she was out.

The scabbard for Wind Breaker was strapped to the top of her backpack, positioned for an easy draw at any moment.

Once she had everything ready, Tang Mo looked down at the landscape below.

A boundless rainforest stretched out below. She couldn’t recall if it had existed before the apocalypse or if it had sprung up out of nowhere afterward, growing with such startling density.

But one thing was certain: this rainforest had been shaped by the apocalypse.

Tropical rainforests shouldn’t exist in a country with a temperate monsoon climate.

Yet there it was, an endless tropical rainforest stretching out before her eyes, a clear testament that this was a product of the new world, one that harbored infinite mystery and danger.

There was no suitable clearing for the helicopter to land, so it could only descend to the lowest safe altitude before dropping a rope ladder for Tang Mo to rappel down.

The moment Tang Mo’s boots touched the damp earth, the chirping of countless insects, hidden amongst the surrounding trees and vines, rose up in a final warning.

Tang Mo straightened up. Switching to a reverse grip on the dagger she already held, she stabbed behind her at a large tree without even turning around.

A small red snake had just flicked its tongue, ready to strike its prey, but before it could, the hunter became the hunted.

Its head was pinned fast to the tree trunk, the dagger driven straight through it.

Tang Mo turned, pulled out her dagger, and wiped it clean with a tissue she retrieved from her Space. She couldn’t afford to leave the scent of blood in the rainforest.

The law of survival in the rainforest was simple: survival of the fittest.

Here, you were always a Hunter, but at any moment, you could become the prey of an even stronger one.

The only thing to do was to be careful—impossibly careful—and never leave a single opening.

Tang Mo looked down at her watch. There was still a signal, but it was very weak.

This had to be the place.

’If the signal gets weaker the deeper I go into the rainforest, then I just have to keep going until it disappears completely. That’s how I’ll find Qin Ling.’

She would find him.

There weren’t many large animals in the rainforest, but it was home to the most terrifying creatures of all.

Insects.

Insects are the most diverse class of animal on the planet, and most of them gather in swarms.

Tang Mo had been chased by a swarm of scorpions before; she knew all too well what it felt like to be hunted by a pack of "little critters."

Besides... Tang Mo glanced at the little snake’s corpse. Its entire body was a vibrant red.

’Most of the insects in this rainforest are probably venomous.’

Tang Mo secured her collar, cuffs, and pant legs, then swapped her footwear for a pair of high-top rain boots.

She pulled the hood of her jacket over her head, doing her best to leave no gap in her clothing for the bugs to exploit.

She was here to find someone, not to hunt mutant beasts or train.

Therefore, Tang Mo chose the path of least resistance, keeping a low profile and sticking to the safest routes she could find.

Right now, time could mean the difference between life and death for Qin Ling. She couldn’t afford to waste it on pointless fights.

But no matter how carefully she moved through the perilous rainforest, Tang Mo still ran into real trouble.

She came across a wetland, a mire of thick, clinging mud.

From experience, Tang Mo knew this mud bog was just like the quicksand she’d seen in the desert.

Once you sank in, it was nearly impossible to get out.

But just as she was cautiously making her way around the bog, she suddenly spotted something strange in the middle of it.

Something was struggling in the very center of the mire.

Tang Mo took a closer look. It was a human hand, no doubt about it!

Someone was trapped in there. Tang Mo stopped in her tracks.

’This rainforest is so remote. It’s almost unheard of for anyone to fly here for a mission.’

’So there’s a high probability this person is from the Qinling Team. It might even be Qin Ling himself.’

She was standing only a dozen or so meters from the center of the bog.

’At such a short distance, all I’d have to do is throw down a few planks, walk across, and quickly pull the person out.’

Tang Mo quickly ran through the options in her head.

’No, that’s not safe.’

’First, I’m not sure the planks could support the weight of two people. Second, I can’t guarantee that some other creature won’t attack me from the mire during the rescue.’

She couldn’t take that risk.

Tang Mo was far too cautious for that. She wasn’t just responsible for her own life, but for Qin Ling’s and his team’s as well. She couldn’t afford to take any chances.

After considering her options, Tang Mo decided on a different plan: she’d take a rope, tie a rock to one end, and throw it.

’As long as the rope touches that hand, the person’s survival instinct will kick in. Whether they can see or not, they’ll instinctively grab onto anything within reach. Then, I can pull them out from the edge of the bog.’

No sooner said than done. Tang Mo immediately retrieved a rope from her Space and got to work.

Throwing it a dozen meters was no challenge for Tang Mo. With the precise control of her spiritual power, the rope landed right next to the struggling hand.

’It touched!’

Tang Mo’s heart leaped.

But her hope was short-lived. The hand didn’t grab the rope as she’d anticipated. It just kept struggling with the same motion, as if it hadn’t touched anything at all.

’Are they too panicked to feel it?’

Tang Mo pulled the rope back and tried again, several times. Still nothing.

’Something’s wrong!’

It was then that Tang Mo finally realized: everything in front of her might just be a trap.

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