0107 Murder and Seizing the Path

Trembling uncontrollably for over ten seconds, Sanka finally managed to answer, "Three more blocks. Do you see that small white building in the distance? That's the one."

Hou Rui peered into the evening twilight in the direction Sanka pointed, but he could only discern the vague outline of a structure.

"Be careful, we'll approach slowly." With that, Hou Rui pulled the terrified Sanka behind him, taking the lead himself. He nimbly avoided the sweeping beams of searchlights, significantly increasing their efficiency and safety as they moved forward.

After another ten minutes, Hou Rui and Sanka arrived at the white building without incident. As Sanka began to knock rhythmically on the wooden door, Hou Rui quietly gripped his bread knife, ready to strike if things went sideways.

"Creeeeak!" The heavy wooden door was pushed open just a crack. In the absolute silence of the night, the sound of the hinges was piercing, nearly making Sanka jump.

Immediately, Hou Rui saw only darkness within the door gap. Before he could even be sure if someone was peering out, a low, gravelly voice emerged: "..."

"..." Sanka replied hastily. The two of them then effectively ignored Hou Rui, beginning a negotiation in Somali.

Although Hou Rui couldn't understand the specifics, he could tell from their tone that the man inside seemed deeply dissatisfied and angry, while Sanka was constantly explaining.

After about a minute, the heavy wooden door finally opened a bit wider. Sanka nodded at Hou Rui with a sigh of relief and slipped inside first. Since it had come to this, Hou Rui had no choice but to push forward. He followed, but the moment the door closed behind him, a cold gun barrel pressed against the back of his head.

"Hands up! Don't move." The broken English in the dark room was barely intelligible, but when a pair of rough, large hands began to search his body, Hou Rui knew exactly what they were doing. He didn't resist, simply dropping his knife to the side, fortunately without making much noise.

Once they finished searching him and confirmed he was unarmed, a light suddenly flickered on in the cabin. They had covered the lamp with a thick black cloth, which was why they could illuminate the room so quickly.

Squinting slightly, Hou Rui began to calmly observe the room and the men before him. Standing in front was a middle-aged man in a white shirt. He was quite tall, nearly a head taller than Hou Rui. The large black man stared at him fiercely, looking him up and down.

The room contained only a single table and two rickety chairs. On the table sat a few bowls and empty liquor bottles, suggesting the two had been eating before Hou Rui and Sanka arrived.

Hou Rui couldn't see the man behind him, but judging by the angle of the gun pressed against his head, he estimated the man was only about 1.60 meters tall, as the gun was being held at an upward slant—a noticeably different posture than someone of average height.

"You want to go south? To the Liberation Alliance?" The tall man spat out the words in broken fragments, eventually forming a sentence.

"Yes, I need to go south of town. I need help," Hou Rui answered quickly, matching his expression with a look of desperate hope.

"Why are you going? Are you with the government?"

"No, no. I'm just an American journalist. I'm going south for an interview."

The tall man stared at Hou Rui, likely trying to discern if he was lying. He soon brushed aside the difficult question, focused on something he cared about more. "Do you have US dollars?"

"I do."

"Show me the money first." The tall man's expression turned greedy, and he took two steps closer to Hou Rui.

"Wait, how do you plan to get me across?" Hou Rui didn't move, asking instead.

"Show me the money first!" The tall man grew impatient. At the same time, the man behind Hou Rui pressed the gun barrel harder against his head, the threat unspoken but clear.

"If you don't tell me how to get out of this town, I won't hand over the money. If you shoot, this place will be swarming with government soldiers in no time, and we'll all be finished." Hou Rui suddenly turned tough. He stared back at the tall man, gambling on the fact that these men living in the shadows wouldn't want to provoke the government military. Judging by the checkpoints he’d seen upon entering the town, the government soldiers showed no mercy to those hoarding weapons.

The tall man frowned and considered this for a moment before reluctantly agreeing. He lifted the lantern and led Hou Rui toward the second floor. However, as they climbed, the man took the opportunity to cast a secretive, meaningful look toward his accomplice. Hou Rui understood immediately: the tall man was planning to rob him and kill him. Hou Rui doubled his internal vigilance.

They climbed to the second floor, then the third, and finally, when they reached the roof, the tall man covered the light again, leading Hou Rui into the moonlight.

Only then did Hou Rui notice that the house was at the very edge of Baka town. Looking out from the roof, he could see the government checkpoint not far away and the silhouette of a small town in the distance. Between them lay dense, green vegetation, so thick that even a cat couldn't squeeze through.

"Do you plan for me to fly across, or jump?" Hou Rui asked, looking at the empty roof where only a few large bundles lay. He truly didn't see any way to bypass the blockade.

Was this whole thing a trap, and was he the fat sheep walking into the pen? At the thought, his expression darkened.

"Don't worry, they trade contraband with the Alliance often. They have their ways," Sanka whispered hurriedly from the side.

"Watch closely, American. You aren't the only smart people in the world." The tall man turned south, raised his lantern, and began signaling with the black cloth in a pattern of three long flashes and one short.

A moment later, a light the size of a soybean flickered in the distant town, responding with three short flashes and one long.

Seeing the response, the tall man lowered the lantern, walked to the edge of the roof, and pulled a thin cord from the eaves, quickly hauling it in.

After twelve minutes, a thick rope tied to the cord reached his hands. Hou Rui watched as the man expertly secured the rope to a roof beam, waiting for the people on the other side to pull it taut. A makeshift aerial cable bridge was thus easily constructed.

Who said Africans were lazy? At the very least, Hou Rui hadn't thought of this simple, practical method. If you couldn't walk across the blockade, you could just slide across the sky. The bridge was so simple that even if the government soldiers destroyed it, it could be rebuilt in minutes as long as there were ropes and someone on the other side to cooperate. It was a smuggling masterpiece for this underdeveloped region!

"American, now you know how to get south! Just slide across this rope! There, you've seen it—now hand over the money!" the tall man said triumphantly. However, Hou Rui noticed that while the man spoke, he made a subtle, slashing gesture with his hand at his side.

No more waiting. Time to move!

"Fine, here's the money." Hou Rui pulled a bundle from his pocket. As three of the four men on the roof were distracted by the object in his hand, he suddenly hurled it at the tall man's chest.

The tall man, Sanka, and likely the man behind Hou Rui all shifted their gaze toward the arc of the bundle in the moonlight. Hou Rui seized the rare opening.

He lunged backward, slamming his back into the man behind him. Pivoting on the ball of his foot, he whipped his body around with explosive force, raising his elbow to chest height. Using the momentum of his turn, he smashed his elbow into the man’s head.

"Ugh!" Stunned by the heavy blow, the smaller man staggered sideways. Only then did Hou Rui see that the man had been holding a massive machete; if he hadn't struck first, that blade would have likely severed his neck.

No time to think. Hou Rui lunged forward, grabbed the small man's wrist, and yanked him toward his chest. Simultaneously, he drove a heavy, heart-seeking punch into the man's chest.

Hung Ga killing move: The Arrow-Pulling Punch!