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 patch of forest, he saw scattered buildings in the distance: a few small bungalows and rows of sheds, along with several silos outside.

He didn’t go directly over; instead, he observed. In the open stockpile area stood several massive white gypsum piles and a few abandoned mine carts. At a 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 ten times as many showed up, 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 suspicion.

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

Seeing it was Qin Yun, Emily exhaled in relief and smiled: “Qin, we finally found you.”

Qin Yun’s gaze swept over Scarlett. The woman made sure everyone knew how good her figure was—clad tightly to accentuate every curve, head held high, radiating arrogance.

“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 heading somewhere else. If you’re not here for me, I’m leaving. Do as you please.”

He turned to walk away.

Emily grabbed his arm, glaring at Scarlett: “Qin, come with us. Two weak women here—what if we run into danger? Besides, we’re all friends.”

Qin Yun glanced at the pistol at her waist and thought: You’ve got a gun 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; instead, he circled around it as his center point.

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

As for giraffes and antelopes, no need to elaborate.

Though reticulated giraffes were endangered, wherever there was food here, giraffes were almost always visible.

“Qin, do giraffes have predators?”

Emily stared at the towering animal right before her and asked.

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—few animals can withstand it.”

He stepped forward and patted the giraffe’s side: “But they’re gentle by nature and won’t attack humans without provocation.”

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

But their movements made the reticulated giraffe uneasy—it lifted its hooves repeatedly. Qin Yun gently patted its neck, calming it, and 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.

It 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. 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 remarkable to see. He’d walked all the way from Serengeti; why would he care about this reserve? She suspected he had a hidden agenda.

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

“Then 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, he 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. She turned 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 within minutes, Qin’s livestream on overseas platforms would be banned.”

Scarlett sneered: “Hmph!”

Emily added: “Scar, forget it. Qin doesn’t even like you. Do you really want to join his livestream and keep getting ignored?”

Though she still didn’t know how Scarlett had offended Qin, Qin Yun’s behavior made it clear—he disliked her intensely. He hadn’t even bothered speaking to her for the past few hours.

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

Scarlett said nothing.

……

On the gypsum mountain, a small signal tower and power pole were hidden among the trees—Qin Yun only spotted them after passing through the woods.

He pulled out his phone—full signal.

After a morning of observation, the mine had only one entrance, constantly guarded. He didn’t know whether there was an alarm system inside.

Dealing with the guards was easy—but if there was an alarm and it triggered, things would go badly.

He didn’t descend from the gypsum mountain. He waited quietly on top—sitting for four or five hours. Just before four in the afternoon, he was about to get up and leave, when…

A loud “clack” echoed. Then, the roar of an engine rose from one side of the gypsum mountain. Qin Yun stepped forward two paces and saw a SUV kicking up a cloud of dust as it sped away.

“A car?”

Qin Yun paused, startled—he hadn’t realized there was another exit. But he’d clearly observed the entire gypsum mountain had only one mine entrance.

“So it was disguised.”

He muttered, then quickly descended the mountain, arriving at the side where the car had left. He hid in the trees and studied the tire tracks on the ground.

The vehicle hadn’t emerged from the mountain’s body—it came from underground.

Meaning, the kidnappers had opened a hidden surface entrance for vehicles.

“Hmph. I thought so.” Qin Yun sneered, confirmed the car’s direction, then turned and left.

…………

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