Chapter 310: Clues (Support Please)

Far away, Qin Yun smelled a strong sulfurous odor mixed with the salty, alkaline earth smell.

After passing through a grove of Lin Zi, distant buildings appeared—several small single-story houses and rows of sheds, along with a few silos outside.

He didn't go directly over; he observed instead, noticing several massive white gypsum piles in the open stockyard and a few abandoned mine carts. At first glance, the place clearly looked abandoned and unsuitable for human habitation.

Yet Qin Yun found traces of human activity amid this ordinary scene—and the number was considerable.

Beyond the factory area, behind it, should be the Gypsum Mountain.

Qin Yun circled around and immediately spotted two figures standing at a cave entrance, cigarettes in their mouths, guns in their hands.

His heart leapt: Found them!

Hiding behind the shrubs, Qin Yun felt a strong urge to rush out and kill the two men. With his current strength, even if twice as many came, it wouldn't matter.

Guns? They'd have to hit him first.

But he still didn't know the hostages' condition—better to proceed cautiously.

At that moment, he suddenly turned his head toward the path he'd come from, his expression changing: Fuck, they followed me.

He glanced at the mine entrance, then immediately retreated and walked toward the direction of the sounds and movement.

Within five or six minutes, he spotted Emily and Scarlett—his expression turned blank.

"Who's there?"

Emily suddenly shouted, her eyes locking onto Qin Yun's position, filled with wariness.

Qin Yun shook his head, stepping out into the open and walking toward them.

Seeing it was Qin Yun, Emily immediately relaxed, smiling: "Qin, we finally found you."

Qin Yun's gaze swept over Scarlett—this woman made sure everyone knew how good her figure was, dressed to accentuate every curve, head held high, radiating haughtiness.

"Why are you looking for me?"

"We're not here to find you," Scarlett corrected. "Emily and I were just wandering around—we happened to run into you. Don't flatter yourself."

Qin Yun had no patience for a woman with a broken brain. He turned to Emily: "I'm planning to explore elsewhere. If you're not here for me, I'm leaving. Do as you please."

Saying that, he turned to go.

Emily grabbed his arm, glaring at Scarlett: "Qin, come with us. What if we two weak women run into danger here? Besides, we're all friends."

Qin Yun glanced at the pistol at her waist—thought to himself: You've got a gun on you, and you call yourself a weak woman?

He shook his head, said nothing more, and turned to walk in another direction. Emily and Scarlett hurried after him.

Qin Yun didn't stray far from the Gypsum Mine; he circled around it as his center point.

This vast protected area had complex biodiversity—aside from large predators like lion prides, nearly all other animals were present. Along the way, the trio frequently saw animals darting past.

As for giraffes, antelopes, and the like, no need to elaborate.

Although reticulated giraffes are endangered, wherever there's food here, you'll almost always spot them.

"Qin, do giraffes have predators?"

Emily gazed at the towering animal just ahead, asking her question.

Hearing this, Scarlett's ears twitched; though she didn't turn her head, she listened intently.

Qin Yun looked at the animal and said calmly: "Adult giraffes, as individuals, have almost no predators. Adult males can reach six meters in height and weigh over a ton. Their four legs cover a wide striking range, and a full-force kick delivers over a ton of impact—almost no animal can withstand it."

As he spoke, he stepped forward and patted the giraffe's body: "But they're gentle by nature and won't attack humans without cause."

Seeing this, Emily and Scarlett curiously approached and tried touching the giraffe's hide.

But their movements made the reticulated giraffe uneasy—it lifted its hooves intermittently. Qin Yun gently patted it, calming it down, after which it resumed eating leaves as if nothing had happened.

The two women had no idea how he did it, but throughout the journey, every wild animal had been wary of them—yet some showed no reaction to Qin Yun's approach, as if he were one of their own kind.

This left them utterly baffled.

After wandering for over two hours, Emily and Scarlett grew hungry.

"Qin, did you bring food? Let's head back to the car? We packed lunch."

Qin Yun shook his head: "No need. I'm not hungry. You two go eat. I'll keep looking—I'll head back later."

Hearing this, Scarlett, already sweltering, grabbed Emily's arm: "Let's go. It's killing us out here."

Emily was curious about Qin Yun's purpose for coming here—there was nothing particularly interesting to see. He'd walked all the way from Serengeti; why would he care about this reserve? She believed he had a hidden motive.

But throughout their walk, Qin Yun had wandered aimlessly, giving no sign of intent. Honestly, Emily's curiosity was about to overflow.

"Well, Qin, stay safe. We're heading back."

Qin Yun nodded, watching them walk away.

Back at the car, the driver Oku sat inside, air-conditioning running. Seeing the two women drenched in sweat, Oku immediately opened the door.

"Young Lady, back to the hotel?"

Scarlett nodded. After Oku turned the car around, she suddenly asked: "Oku, have you finished your task?"

Oku froze, glancing at her through the rearview mirror: "Young Lady, how do you know?"

Scarlett shook her head: "I don't know. I just overheard you talking to my father about delivery."

Oku shrugged: "I'll finish it today." He said no more.

Scarlett didn't press further, turning to Emily: "Emily, how can I get Qin to give me a spot?"

Before Emily could answer, Oku spoke: "Young Lady, even if Qin were willing to give you a spot, your father would never allow it. Believe me—you'd get the spot, and seconds later, Qin's overseas livestream would be banned."

Scarlett sneered: "Hmph!"

Emily also urged, "Scar, forget it. Qin doesn't even like you. You still want to join his livestream? Haven't you had enough of his cold shoulders?"

Though she still didn't know how Scarlett had offended Qin, from Qin Yun's behavior, it was clear he despised Scarlett—even now, he hadn't spoken to her for hours.

Though she'd only known Qin Yun briefly, Emily felt he was a genuinely gentle person. For someone like him to hate someone so intensely, Scarlett must have done something unforgivable.

Scarlett said nothing.

……

On Shigao Mountain, a small signal tower and power transmission tower were hidden among the trees, unseen until Qin Yun passed through the forest.

He pulled out his phone and checked—the signal was full.

After a morning of observation, this mine shaft had only one entrance, and guards were always stationed at the opening; whether there was an alarm system inside, he had no idea.

Dealing with the men was easy, but if there was an alarm system and it was triggered, that would be trouble.

He did not descend from Shigao Mountain; he waited quietly atop it, sitting there for four or five hours. Just as it neared four in the afternoon, he prepared to rise and descend the mountain—but at that moment…

"Gaga"—something opened with a sound, and then the roar of an engine rose from one side of Shigao Mountain. Qin Yun took two steps forward and immediately saw a four-wheel drive vehicle kicking up a cloud of dust as it drove farther away.

"A car?"

Qin Yun froze for a moment, then realized there must be another exit here—but he had clearly observed that Shigao Mountain had only one mine entrance.

"Looks like it was disguised."

Muttering this, Qin Yun swiftly descended the mountain, arrived at the side where the car had left, hid among the trees, and stared at the tire tracks on the ground.

The car had clearly not emerged from the mountain's body, but from underground.

That meant the kidnappers had opened a surface entrance for vehicles to pass through.

"Heh," Qin Yun sneered, confirmed the direction the car had taken, then turned and left.

…………

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