Chapter 15: Criminals

The mountain flowers had already begun blooming. Deeper into the mountain through the small path, the white birch trees blocked away the spring rays of the sun.

A little farther in, Ye Jian was able to see the iron mesh gate that stretched across the mountains.

That iron mesh gate was placed by the military to deter the public from accessing the restricted area for fear that they might also accidentally injure any children passing through the mountains.

Halfway up a mountain, Ye Jian could hear the rustling sound of dried leaves not too far away. She was not alone in the mountains.

It was quite normal to see villagers travelling through the mountains, but Ye Jian seemed somewhat anxious without a reason. Already, she was hidden behind a large tree and concealed herself as much as possible.

Her hand gently brushed away a shrub in front of her as she peered out. She spotted three unfamiliar faces, all males, who were carrying something on their shoulders while seeking something.

"F**k, that wretch took the money without finishing his task! Where is this place? Can we capture anything?" The man who was talking was around the age of twenty-four or twenty-five, but he was the shortest among the three. He placed an item, which he was carrying on his shoulder, by a tree and said, "Better take a look over at the top."

The tallest man must have been tired as he was resting by a birch tree. "Let's take a rest first. Screw this, we've been walking in this damned forest for a few days already. I can't take this any longer! I want to go down and find a random farmer to feast on a few dishes."

"Hmph, if you aren't afraid of dying then do it." The man, whose height was in the middle of those two but who was most burly with a pair of gloomy eyes, sneered. He dug into his pocket and fished out a cigarette. Putting it near his nose, he took a sniff before putting it back into a cigarette box. "Go, we'll head up."

"If this goes unfinished, then get ready to starve this whole month."

The other two men were obviously under him. When he said go, the two immediately packed up and followed.

The shorter man carried the items with a little difficulty and suggested to the taller one, "Help me carry this barrel. It's rubbing on my shoulder; I think the skin is torn already."

Barrel? Camera lens?

When the shorter man took out something from the waterproof bag, Ye Jian narrowed her eyes slightly to see it. No doubt, it was a camera lens.

…it was not just any normal lens. It was a lens that couldn't be obtained without spending a hefty sum!

In that short moment, Ye Jian inferred from their previous conversation that it had been a few days since they had entered the mountains, and she identified the purpose of the expensive lens.

They were here for the military located deep within the mountains, or to be exact… they were here to steal military secrets!

Ye Jian, who should have been heading towards the neighboring village, was determined to do something about this first. If they were here to shoot for military secrets, then they would have to head to the Eagle Mouth Precipice. From here to there, it would take around an hour.

If she were to head down the mountains now and find Grandpa Gen, that old man would surely have a way to contact the military within the mountains.

The tall man took the heaviest lens instead and went to insert it in his bag and sneered, "Stop being like a woman. If you've got the time, you should learn from Brother Lu and hit the gym more often."

After a try or two, and the lens still did not fit into his bag, so the tall man placed them to a side and felt his belt. While undoing his belt, he said, "I'll go take a piss. You put that in yourself."

Ye Jian was holding onto the branch tightly with both her hands… That man was undoing his belt and moving towards her direction!

Her sight immediately scanned the area. She no longer remained in her position but slowly circled to the other side of the tree. She did her best to shrink her shoulders and let the trunk block her body as much as possible.

The sound of the water trickling could be heard. Ye Jian quickly held her breath because she was extremely sensitive to smell that she could even identify how long that water had stayed within that man's body, even if the smell was faint.

A black snake slithered slowly from a branch to the side of the man who had just answered to the urgent call of nature.

Feeling comfortable after the release of water, the man shook his body a little and lowered his head. Looking down casually, he received a great shock which made him take a few steps backward.

And at this point after the man's scream, Ye Jian knew that she could no longer remain in hiding…