Heishuigou was a village tucked deep in the mountains. Heishuigou Road had once connected seven villages, spanning a total length of 135 kilometers. Its standard width was 2.2 meters, with a passing turnout every 200 to 400 meters. The road surface varied, with stretches of asphalt, bluestone slabs, dirt and sand, and concrete.
Turning right off National Highway 211 and traveling about one kilometer brought them to Heishuigou Road, where a sign warned: "No Signal Zone."
Ritian stopped the car, and everyone got out. Chu Yu gave Brother Kai and Ding Shi's injuries some basic treatment.
Checking the signpost, they read that Heishuigou Road consisted of three types of terrain.
The first terrain: a bottomless abyss to the left and sheer cliff walls to the right. The road was like a fissure carved straight into a single colossal rock.
The second terrain: forested cliffs on both the left and right, winding through countless hairpin bends.
The third terrain: a winding mountain pass.
From this, one could see the immense blood and sweat people had poured into carving out Heishuigou Road back in the day.
An ordinary sedan measured between 1.6 and 1.8 meters wide, while some seven-seater commercial MPVs could reach two meters. Team Yuyu's car was 1.6 meters wide; driving it along a 2.2-meter-wide road—especially with a cliff yawning on the left—was quite a challenge.
Ritian took the initiative to hand over the car keys. Brother Kai didn't take them, instead looking toward Ding Shi. Ding Shi readily accepted the keys, and Chu Yu signaled for everyone to get in.
Ding Shi had never driven on a road like this either, but unlike the others, he had the guts to do it. Killing himself was still better than letting someone else kill him.
This stretch had the cliff on the left and the rock wall on the right, paved with flattened slabs of bluestone. Mountain spring water seeped across the surface, coating the bluestone with patches of green moss—the kind that would send anyone slipping the moment their foot touched it.
The car moved forward at forty kilometers per hour when the front left wheel suddenly slipped. Screams erupted inside the cabin. Fortunately, Ding Shi hit the brakes just in time. Ritian, sitting in the back seat, craned his neck to look down and saw only the drop-off—the road was nowhere in sight. The car had skidded right to the edge of the cliff.
Ding Shi comforted everyone as he steered cautiously, "It's fine. Half of the tire is still on solid ground."
From the passenger seat, Chu Yu said, "You don't have to comfort us—at least, not like that." No sooner had she spoken than the front right wheel slipped. Ding Shi decisively tapped the accelerator and powered through the mossy patch.
After five nerve-racking minutes of driving, Mumu called out, "There's a car behind us."
Ding Shi shifted some of his attention to the rearview mirror. Two black SUVs trailed them about two hundred meters back. He could only make out the drivers wearing black suits and dark sunglasses; the passenger seats were empty.
Ding Shi remarked with admiration, "They're going faster than us." Even though they had clones to fall back on and weren't as afraid of dying, Ding Shi still gave them credit for their sheer nerve.
Brother Kai reminded him, "They're not afraid of dying—they have clones."
Ding Shi accelerated. "And we have a brave heart."
Chu Yu said anxiously, "Don't rush, don't rush! They're still far behind us."
Ding Shi replied, "No, I've realized that driving too slowly is actually more dangerous."
Chu Yu gripped the grab handle for dear life. "I don't believe you."
Even as they spoke, one of the SUVs ran over an uneven bump barely a centimeter high. The vehicle jolted slightly, its wheels slipped, and the front left tire skidded off the cliff, leaving the SUV hanging over the edge of the road.
Ding Shi and the others could see it clearly. Brother Kai said, "Once the front wheel goes over, there's no saving it, though you could prop up the rear wheels. It's fine now—it's blocking the other car. We're safe."
Reality hit back fast. The SUV's driver climbed out via the front passenger side, joined forces with the suited man from the second vehicle, and together they shoved the stranded SUV off the cliff. Then the driver got into the front passenger seat of the remaining SUV, which resumed tailing the NB711.
The two cars traveled one after the other. It was clear the agents had no intention of fighting Team Yuyu to the death here.
Just as they were about to clear the cliffside section, there was a sharp right bend. Rounding that bend brought them into a canyon mountain road flanked by sheer rock walls on both sides. The scenery ahead shifted: a kilometer away loomed a high, winding mountain pass.
Ding Shi said, "We're in big trouble." Their side: a small sedan, five passengers. The other side: an SUV, two people. As long as the SUV driver's skills were halfway decent, he could easily ram their small car off the mountain pass.
Mumu drew her pistol, preparing for a firefight. Watching her movements clearly in the rearview mirror, Ding Shi asked, "Only ever shot at paper targets?"
Mumu retorted, "How did you know?"
Ding Shi said, "You should drop the magazine first to see how many rounds are in it, then rack the slide to check if there's one in the chamber." Lacking real street combat experience would cost her dearly.
Ding Shi pulled over at the edge of the cliffside stretch. Reaching back, he took Mumu's pistol and stepped out of the car. Gripping the gun with both hands and leaning against the mountain wall, he aimed at the SUV a hundred meters away.
The SUV came to a stop.
Ding Shi kept advancing, closing the distance step by step. At seventy meters, he squeezed the trigger, striking the roof of the SUV. He kept advancing to sixty meters; the next bullet punched through the windshield.
Either reverse or step out for a shootout. Ding Shi refused to believe that many people had ever handled a gun. To have held a gun, killed someone, and also died in the Taoyuan Village instance—aside from Shabi, there shouldn't be anyone else like that.
Forced to act, the passenger climbed out. Holding a pistol in his right hand, he thrust his arm forward to fire, only to find the safety was still on. He frantically glanced down at his gun. From fifty meters away, Ding Shi fired, striking him squarely in the chest.
The passenger collapsed. The driver threw the vehicle into reverse immediately—in the real world, he had just been a corporate drone who had never touched a gun in his life.
Having reversed barely twenty meters, the vehicle tumbled off the cliff.
Ding Shi walked over to the fallen passenger and stripped him of his gear: a pistol with 21 rounds, a stun grenade, a baton, and 150 instance coins.
Tsk, tsk. With skills like that, I don't know what I was ever afraid of.
While Ding Shi was eliminating the enemy, an argument was brewing inside Team Yuyu's car.
Brother Kai said, "From my years of experience in the jianghu, Ding Shi is definitely bad news. I say we just drive off."
Mumu said, "I agree with Brother Kai. Looking at things right now, he's the greatest danger." At first, she had been confident she could hold down the fort; later, she thought she was only slightly inferior to Ding Shi; now, she knew that in front of Ding Shi, she was nothing more than a rookie.
Chu Yu said, "No. I formed this team. I can kick him out, but I won't abandon him."
Ritian asked, "Captain, do you trust him?"
Chu Yu asked, "Why do you ask?"
Brother Kai said, "Back at the dwarf farm, he looted the female dwarf's room and claimed he only found a dagger. I'm not saying he hoarded anything, but the feeling I got from his tone back then was that whatever was in that room was his, and that I'd better not make trouble."
Chu Yu said, "I'll ask him."
Brother Kai said, "Yuyu, are you joking? Didn't you see how ferocious he was back at the gas station? I can swear Ding Shi is a desperate outlaw—a highly professional, ruthless outlaw. You don't build up that kind of aura without at least a dozen lives on your hands."
Mumu agreed, "I've always felt he was dangerous. Right now is our chance. We can leave behind a medical pack and some food for him."
Chu Yu objected, "No. This is a matter of principle."
Brother Kai said, "Three to one. Ritian, go drive."
Without hesitation, Ritian stepped out from the rear left seat and slipped into the driver's seat. The engine was still running, and the key lay on the center console. Chu Yu reached out, switched off the ignition, and snatched the key. "I am the captain. What I say goes in this team." Her tone was resolute and brooked no argument.
Chapter 51