Chapter 205: Pursuit

After stealing two cars locally, Lei Yin and the group of eight quietly left Atlanta under the cover of night.

“Master, where are we heading now?”

“To Boston. The coastline there is long, and I refuse to believe we can’t find a boat to leave the U.S. Originally, I planned to wait until things calmed down, but that’s no longer an option. Staying here even one more day is too dangerous,” Lei Yin replied, looking at the map.

Seeing the distant look in Lei Li’s eyes, Chang’an tried to console him. “Little Lei, with the resources and connections we currently have, we can rebuild anywhere. All we’re giving up now is a portion of our operations in the U.S.”

Lei Li sighed and said, “I know. It’s just hard to leave after putting so much effort into this place.”

Chang’an remained silent. Indeed, they had invested a significant amount of time and energy here.

At that moment, the driver suddenly spoke. “Boss, there’s a police checkpoint ahead. Should we proceed?”

Lei Li suggested, “Master, we should take another route. If those people are really coming after us, it’ll be hard to escape by car if we’re spotted here.”

After thinking for a moment, Lei Yin said, “Alright, let’s find a place to rest for now. We’ll figure something out tomorrow.”

Lei Li nodded and instructed the driver to quietly merge into the flow of traffic heading in the opposite direction from the checkpoint. They drove back calmly.

After about an hour of driving, they found an empty house whose owner seemed to be away on vacation. Exhausted from everything they had been through, they decided to spend the night there.

Hearing a knock at the door, Lei Yin said, “Come in.”

The door opened, and Lei Li and Chang’an entered.

Although Lei Yin still appeared in his disguise as a middle-aged man, Chang’an noticed a trace of fatigue in his eyes. Concerned, he asked, “Sir, are you alright?”

Taking a sip of water that Lei Li handed him, Lei Yin set the cup down and said, “I’m fine, just a little tired. But given the circumstances, it’s unavoidable.”

Erasing all traces of his appearance from the memories of five resolute Dark Unit members while implanting new ones had taken a toll on Lei Yin, despite his exceptional mental strength.

In the past, it wouldn’t have mattered much if his trusted subordinates knew his identity. But now, they were facing an almost unwinnable enemy. To prevent any of them from revealing his identity if captured, Lei Yin felt this precaution was necessary. His new identity was Yan Yuxiao, a man thought to have faked his death ten years ago, only to reemerge now. This explained why Lei Li called him “Master.”

After a while, Lei Li asked, “Master, how do you think they found our hideout?”

“The most likely explanation is an informant. However, during the memory removal process, I took the opportunity to ask them some questions and confirmed they aren’t the traitors. The problem probably lies with your informants.”

Lei Li slammed the table in frustration. “This is infuriating—being hunted like this by those people.”

Chang’an voiced his concern. “Sir, those people seem to be getting more reckless. This time, they even deployed helicopters, as if they’re not worried about attracting attention.”

Lei Yin thought for a moment and said, “I find it strange too. If it were just about those documents, there’s no need to go to such extremes. But regardless, our priority now is to leave the U.S. as quickly as possible. Go get some rest; it’s late.”

“You should rest early too, Sir. We’ll head out now.” Chang’an and Lei Li stood up.

Lei Yin nodded.

After they left, Lei Yin sat on the bed, lost in thought.

“Ms. Hasegawa, please come out for dinner,” came a soft voice from outside the quiet room.

Opening the door, Naoko greeted the elegant woman standing before her. “Thank you, Ms. Sakurai.”

“You’re too polite,” Sakurai Mion said with a gentle smile.

In the living room, the two elegant women quietly began their meal.

Not long after, Naoko put down her chopsticks and said to Sakurai Mion, “I’ve had enough, Ms. Sakurai.”

Seeing that she had only eaten half a bowl of rice, Sakurai Mion said with concern, “Ms. Hasegawa, you’re eating too little. Please take care of your health, or Gennai will worry about you.”

Hearing her beloved’s name, a wave of anxiety surged in Naoko’s heart.

Ever since he had secretly sent her to Sakurai’s place a few days ago, he had not appeared again, not even called. This all-too-familiar scenario reminded her of when he had disappeared for two years without a word.

These past few days, if it weren’t for Ms. Sakurai keeping her company and comforting her, she might have fallen into endless worries again.

Seeing Naoko’s expression, Sakurai Mion realized she was thinking about him again. She put down her chopsticks and comforted her, “Ms. Hasegawa, please don’t worry. Gennai will surely return safely.”

“Thank you, Ms. Sakurai.” Recalling that this time, unlike the previous disappearance, he hadn’t said anything unsettling before leaving, Naoko felt somewhat relieved.

He will definitely come back. Naoko lovingly caressed the ring on her finger.

Watching her regain some composure, Sakurai Mion felt slightly at ease.

Over the past few days, she had come to understand the almost blind devotion this woman had for that man. Yet, at the same time, she was incredibly intelligent and empathetic. During her stay, she never asked any probing questions, simply spending her days calmly and quietly longing for him, with just a trace of worry. Sakurai Mion had never met anyone quite like her.

After a while, Naoko suddenly picked up the chopsticks she had just set down. She smiled at Sakurai Mion and said, “You’re right. I shouldn’t make him worry. I know he’ll come back.” With that, she resumed eating quietly.

Sakurai Mion smiled and also picked up her chopsticks.

※※※

To conserve energy, everyone except those on duty tried to get as much rest as possible. No one knew when they might next have the chance to sleep.

In the kitchen cupboard, Lei Li found some instant noodles. After nearly a day without food, he was surprised to find these snacks—something he usually avoided—exceptionally delicious.

After resting for a day, everyone regained their spirits, and the oppressive atmosphere gradually dissipated. Around 11 PM, Lei Yin returned from outside.

“Master, how’s the situation outside now?”

“The checkpoints have been removed. It seems they weren’t after us. We’ll hit the road again tonight.”

Hearing they could leave, everyone looked excited.

As the two cars sped along the highway, they didn’t realize that three helicopters had arrived about a kilometer from the house they had just vacated. The loud sound of the spinning rotors drew the attention of nearby residents, some of whom opened their windows or stepped outside to see what was happening.

After a thorough search, a man in black emerged from the house and approached a tall, burly man. “There’s no sign of anyone inside. However, we found some tire tracks in the nearby woods. It’s likely they’ve already driven away.”

At that moment, another man in black hurried over. “We just received a report from a highway toll station. The facial recognition system captured images of people who look very much like them.”

The tall man immediately shouted, “Have everyone board the helicopters at once!”

The cars had been driving for almost two hours when Lei Yin checked the time. It was already past 2 AM. By this hour, the highway was nearly deserted, with cars appearing only every ten minutes or so.

Having slept the whole day, Lei Li was full of energy. He was quietly humming along with the music on the radio. Watching him, Lei Yin smiled and turned to look out the window. Despite the streetlights, the nighttime highway had a stiflingly eerie stillness to it.

At that moment, Lei Yin suddenly heard some strange sounds. Initially thinking it was just the wind, he quickly realized something was amiss.

“Stay quiet and turn off the radio immediately,” Lei Yin ordered in a low tone.

The group member promptly switched off the radio, and Lei Li looked at him curiously. Except for the sound of wind seeping through the slightly cracked car window, the cabin was silent. Even Chang’an, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them to listen carefully to the sounds outside.

After a moment, Lei Yin said gravely, “It’s helicopters. Two helicopters are heading this way.”

Hearing this, everyone’s hearts sank.

“Master, should we abandon the car now?” Lei Li asked immediately.

“No, the surrounding roads have no cover. If we abandon the cars now, they’ll catch up with us quickly. Speed up! If we can find a forest, we’ll have a chance to escape.”

After relaying the same instructions to the vehicle behind them, both cars accelerated down the highway as fast as possible.

Ten minutes later, everyone could hear the distinct sound of helicopter rotors, but it wasn’t coming from behind them—it was from the front. Adding to their troubles, a high-powered spotlight from an approaching helicopter illuminated their vehicles. Before long, the two helicopters pursuing from behind also closed in, their engines roaring audibly.

“Turn right!” Lei Yin shouted.

The driver immediately veered the car off the highway, with the second vehicle following closely behind.

The new path was a rough terrain scattered with stones and potholes, making their progress slow and bumpy. The terrible road conditions severely reduced their speed, and the helicopters drew closer and closer.

“Open the sunroof,” Lei Yin said, taking out several grenades from his gear.

“This car doesn’t have a sunroof!” the driver shouted.

Without hesitation, Lei Li grabbed a submachine gun and fired at the car roof, creating a rectangular shape of bullet holes. Amid the deafening gunfire, hot shell casings rained down inside the car.

Once Lei Li stopped firing, Lei Yin kicked the bullet-riddled roof, creating a square opening. He then cautiously poked his head out to observe the helicopters’ positions.

Two minutes later, when one of the helicopters was less than 20 meters away, Lei Yin suddenly popped out of the makeshift sunroof and hurled a grenade toward it.

As Lei Yin prepared to throw another grenade, the car suddenly jolted violently, nearly throwing him out of the window.

“Damn it! Can’t you drive more carefully?” Lei Yin yelled, helplessly watching the grenade miss its mark, hitting the helicopter’s exterior before falling to the ground. Seconds later, the grenade exploded harmlessly on the ground, producing a brilliant but ineffective burst of flames.

“Sir, I’m sorry! There was a huge pothole,” the driver shouted back.

“Forget it; it’s not your fault,” Lei Yin said, disappointed as he sank back into his seat.

“Master, what now?”

“If we don’t find cover soon, this will get very troublesome. It’s strange, though—why haven’t they started shooting at us yet?”

Just then, the driver suddenly exclaimed, “Sir! There’s a forest up ahead!”

Lei Yin immediately looked forward and saw a medium-sized forest in the distance.

He couldn’t help but smile. “Looks like our luck isn’t too bad after all.”

Near the spot where the car was abandoned, more than ten black-clad men descended from the helicopters.

The burly man in charge turned to one of the pilots and said, “Surround the area from outside. If you see them trying to escape, fire at them and force them back inside. Also, notify headquarters of our current position immediately.”

As the three helicopters took off again, the man led his team of black-clad men into the forest.