Chapter 4: A Risky Decision

Sorry about that, let me correct it for you:

The train from the provincial capital Yongchun City to the border city of Tumeng City takes a total of six hours.

Boarding at noon, by the time the train arrives at its destination, it's already late at night.

The mosquitoes, who have calculated the time well, fly out of the station.

And nobody notices them!

Jia Yan flies in the air, looking at the city in front of him. Compared to metropolitan areas like Yongchun and Shanghai, this county-level city with a population of only 120,000 appears much more desolate.

But big cities have their advantages, and small towns have their charm. At least for Jia Yan, who has been in the hustle and bustle of Shanghai for so long, coming to such a small town immediately brings a sense of calmness to his heart...

There aren't many people at the station. Jia Yan follows a passenger and takes a taxi together.

At night, passengers eager to get home are unlikely to look up at the sky. Jia Yan tries to fly in dark places as much as possible, reducing the likelihood of being discovered!

Moreover, in such public places, Jia Yan always tries to fly at the highest speed possible. Even if someone occasionally catches a glimpse of him, they would only see the silhouette of a giant mosquito next time they look.

The night is too dark for passengers to see the bottle he's carrying. Even if they do, they would probably just think it's part of the insect's body. Seeing a large bug isn't that strange, right?

"Driver, I want to go to Liangshui Town. How much for a charter?" A young man, probably just returning from work in Yongchun, excitedly asks after getting into the car.

Liangshui Town?

When Jia Yan hears this name, he feels a surge of joy!

The places he's looking for, marked with circles on the map, are very close to Liangshui Town. Of course, they're not actually near the town but rather deep in the mountains and forests on that side. Nevertheless, it's still in the vicinity. Being able to get there directly from the train is definitely fortunate.

"I'll give you a discount, 100! No bargaining!" 

"Okay, let's go!"

The young man happily agrees, showing his excitement about going home!

As the taxi starts moving, Jia Yan hides under the front seat, feeling excited himself. Getting to Liangshui Town earlier means getting closer to his destination.

After a while of driving, perhaps an hour or so, Jia Yan, through a certain angle of observation, sees the scenery outside transition from a small city to rural roads, and then to desolate wilderness.

After shaking for a while, the taxi finally comes to a halt with a sudden jolt!

"Thank you, driver. Here's a hundred bucks!" The young man happily pays and starts grabbing his luggage from the bottom.

"Huh..."

As he picks up his things, he suddenly sees a dark shadow dart out of the car beside him!

Instinctively, the young man looks over, but all he sees is a bug carrying something, quickly disappearing into the night!

Jia Yan quickly disappears from the young man's sight.

As for whether the young man saw this unique 'mosquito' carrying a small bottle and flying in the air, that's not Jia Yan's concern. After all, even if he did see, how could he possibly chase after a mosquito?!

Jia Yan looks at the town, which has a very unique border town vibe. The houses are low, and despite the sparse population, it doesn't look very bustling. But it has a certain charm.

"It's a bit like my hometown, but I'm not here for this kind of thing. It's about 9 o'clock now. Should I act now?"

Jia Yan's compound eyes flicker.

He's thinking, if he flies towards the circled areas on the map now, it's at least a dozen or twenty kilometers away. There are a lot of mountains and forests around, which would be a terrifying place for a lone mosquito like him.

And those circled areas seem deserted. Even if there are some small villages, Jia Yan wouldn't know the way there.

So, if he doesn't want to fly there himself, can he wait in Liangshui Town?

If the so-called factory of the Northeast Wild Tigers is of considerable size, they would definitely need to come out to replenish supplies. By then, he could blend in with their vehicles or other means of transportation!

Two choices. One is to rely on his own abilities to venture into the mountains and forests to find the factory.

The other is to wait in this town and sneak into the factory when the Northeast Wild Tigers' convoy or supply team appears.

The first option is extremely dangerous. Since Jia Yan transformed from a pupa to a mosquito, he has never truly stayed in the wilderness. He has encountered dangerous animals like bats and sparrows even in the suburban areas of the city. If it's already dangerous near the city, it's unimaginably more dangerous in the wilderness!

So, what about the other option?

Waiting for the Northeast Wild Tigers' supply team is purely a matter of luck. He doesn't even know how big the so-called 'factory' of the Northeast Wild Tigers is.

If it's just a small-scale operation with a dozen or so people, they might not need to go out for supplies for a month or two. Since Jia Yan's rebirth, it's only been a little over a month. Wasting so much time waiting would be a waste of his short lifespan!

And he might not even get the chance to wait, as he could be killed before then!

Moreover, on the roads of Liangshui Town, although there aren't many vehicles and pedestrians every day, there certainly aren't few either. How could he possibly know which one is the Northeast Wild Tigers'?

If that guy made his factory so secretive, he wouldn't be parading around outside. Even the assassins' organization didn't get much information. As a mere mosquito, even if he did wait for the relevant vehicles to appear, he would surely miss them!

After thinking for a long time...

Jia Yan finally makes a firm decision!

"Compared to being chased by bats and sparrows, I'm already significantly stronger after mutating with the crimson potion!"

"My exoskeleton is tougher!"

"My flight speed and agility are faster!"

"I still have human intelligence and emergency capabilities!"

"So... I can definitely do it!"

Jia Yan chooses to enter the forest and rely on his own strength to find the Northeast Wild Tigers' factory!

"Now that I've made up my mind, there's no time to waste."

Jia Yan flies towards the outskirts of Liangshui Town.

Outside the sparsely populated Liangshui Town, there are no streetlights at all. The pitch-black jungle in the silent environment seems like a bloodthirsty monster waiting to devour its prey with its wide-open jaws!

Jia Yan flies along the road.

But soon, he realizes that the appearance of the road doesn't match the map he memorized.

He relies on the moon as a reference. During clear nights, those with some knowledge of astronomy can use the moon to determine direction.

"There's only one road here, but the circles on the map are in

 a different direction. Could it be that the Northeast Wild Tigers' factory has no road at all?!"

Jia Yan thinks. Perhaps the Northeast Wild Tigers have other secret roads.

Flying along the road would only take him further away.

He looks towards the direction of the circles. If he enters here, it will become a dense forest!

"I hope those two killers didn't lie to me, or else this risk will be in vain..."

Jia Yan sighs deeply.

Then, he flies into the forest in that direction.

Buzzing...

Jia Yan buries himself in the bushes.

The surroundings are very dark.

It seems like all sounds have disappeared, and he can only hear the flapping of his own wings.

But in his infrared vision, everything in this world is clear...

Flying in the darkness, his infrared vision hasn't been greatly enhanced by mutation. He can only roughly sense which areas are colder or hotter.

Unfamiliar scenes appear in his senses, and Jia Yan struggles to analyze them.

And his ability to sense carbon dioxide with his antennae is also smelling the air...

Jia Yan feels like he's about to vomit. He rarely deliberately uses the senses mosquitoes are born with, only relying on human habits and organs like eyes as much as possible. But in this pitch-black environment, he's forced to use unfamiliar senses, almost making him dizzy with discomfort!

Squeak!

Just as Jia Yan has flown more than a hundred meters into the forest, he suddenly hears the sound of objects swiftly passing through the leaves!

At the same time, his thermal sensing ability senses a fast-flying creature not far away, rushing towards him!

This creature has a familiar figure.

With its long ears, big eyes, and thin body, it stretches out a pair of wings as thin as silk, covered with tiny blood vessels!

Encountering bats again!

"Danger!" Almost in an instant, Jia Yan sends out a horrified warning to himself!

He quickly twists his body, and the bottle of crimson potion slips from his grip to the ground. With a flutter of his wings, he controls himself to make a freefall motion towards the ground!

Crack!

Almost simultaneously, the bat's sharp claws barely miss Jia Yan's tail, sending a sharp sensation through his mind.

Squeak!

The bat emits a high-frequency scream, somersaults in the air, and once again flies towards Jia Yan's direction.