Nyoi-Bo Studio

  Nyoi-Bo Studio

  “Are you sure this is the place?” Su Zhixing asked.

  They had lost track of the other people the previous night. Wang Yao had been the one leading in front.

  “I can only speculate that they are around here,” Wang Yao said.

  His judgment was based simply on the residual scent in the air. It was a special scent originating from those strangers. It was the scent of medicinal materials. The other team had smeared special ointments on their bodies to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes and poisonous insects.

  “If we have not yet discovered their tracks by dark, we will withdraw,” Su Zhixing said.

  It was not his decision. It was an order from the higher-ups.

  “Understood!”


  After an hour’s rest, they continued their journey and advanced for about half an hour. Wang Yao suddenly stopped and looked up at the sky.

  “What is wrong?” Su Zhixing asked.

  “We can stop chasing,” Wang Yao said. “We will not be able to catch up.”


  “Why not?” Su Zhixing asked.

  “It is going to rain!” Wang Yao pointed to the sky.

  Twenty minutes later, rain began to fall. The rain nourished all things, but it also cleaned up and destroyed many things, such as residual scents and footprints.

  Before long, the original residual scent in the air had been washed away. They had lost their last clue. They could not possibly rely on guesses to search in the vast jungle, could they?

  Time passed slowly. The rain never ceased. They still had no clues.

  “We will not be able to find them,” Wang Yao said.

  Su Zhixing considered it for a while and communicated with the command center.

  “Let’s rest while we wait for their reply,” he said.

  Although there were dense trees above their heads to shield them from the rain, it still inevitably fell on them. There were hardly any dry spots on their bodies. They felt very uncomfortable when they were wet. Of course, some people were an exception. Wang Yao’s body was exceptionally dry and comfortable. An invisible protective film had formed around his body when he released his Qi, separating him from the rain.

  Meng Wushuang approached Wang Yao. He said, “Hi, sorry to interrupt.”


  “What is the matter?” Wang Yao asked.

  “Why are your clothes not wet at all?” Meng Wushuang curiously asked.

  “Well, my clothes were custom made for me,” Wang Yao jokingly said. “They are waterproof.”


  “What?” Meng Wushuang looked up at Su Zhixing who was nearby. “Captain, why did you not equip us with such materials?”


  “He is lying to you,” Su Zhixing said. “He is wearing the same clothes we are.”


  “Why is that you are still dry then?” Meng Wushuang asked.

  “External release of Qi,” Wang Yao replied.

  “What? The external release of Qi and communication with the earth and skies?” Meng Wushuang asked.

  “That is almost what it means,” Wang Yao said.

  “How is that possible?” Meng Wushuang asked.

  “Why can’t it possible?” Wang Yao replied with a smile.

  “That is the innate realm of legends,” Meng Wushuang said.

  “Innate or acquired, it is not as magical as you think it is,” Wang Yao said.

  “I heard from Master that no one has been able to reach that level in the past 50 years,” Meng Wushuang said.

  Wang Yao thought, For the past 50 years, really? Who was the last person to reach this level 50 years ago?

  “Excuse me, is what you guys just said true?” a soldier asked.

  “Why? Do you have some questions?” Wang Yao asked.

  “Do the things in martial arts novels and movies really exist?” the soldier asked.

  “Is there not the Shaolin and Wudang sects?” Meng Wushuang asked in reply.

  As they were chatting, a message from headquarters came in.

  “Alright, we can retreat now,” Su Zhixing said.

  They had come to the jungle but had not seen any living enemies. They had only seen only a few corpses. Although they encountered more than a dozen traps and a soldier had gotten slightly injured, the mission and journey could be considered threatening but not dangerous.

  “Shall we retreat?” Meng Wushuang asked.

  “Yes, there will be a helicopter to pick us up when we get to the designated place,” Su Zhixing said.

  They rushed to the designated helicopter landing site.

  Wang Yao suddenly stopped in his tracks. “Wait a minute.”


  “What is wrong?” Su Zhixing asked

  “Somebody is behind us,” Wang Yao said without turning around.

  The team quickly found a hidden place to hide and quietly waited.

  “Are you sure?” Su Zhixing asked.

  “There is a peculiar smell in the wind coming from behind us,” Wang Yao replied.

  “Smell?” Su Zhixing was stunned when. “Did you analyze it by the smell?”


  “Yes,” Wang Yao said. “What is the problem?”


  “How far do you think he is from us now?” Su Zhixing asked.

  “Dozens or a hundred feet away,” Wang Yao replied. “I am not sure.”


  “You can smell something that far away?” Su Zhixing asked.

  “It is all thanks to the wind,” Wang Yao said. “Wait a minute, I will go and take a look.”


  In the blink of an eye, he disappeared. When Su Zhixing saw him again, Wang Yao was already more than 30 feet away.

  “Damn. He is too damn fast!” If Su Zhixing had not seen it for himself, he would not have believed that someone could be that fast.

  Wang Yao did not go directly in the direction of the smell. Instead, he went around in a circle and blocked the stranger from behind.

  The man thought, He has stopped. Have I been discovered?

  The rain was still falling. The man was crouching beneath the trunk of a tree. He knew that all his companions had been killed, but he did not know who had done it. It was certainly not the team in front of him. He had just wanted to find the other group of people. He had followed the army’s team to see who they were so he could go back and report.

  He suddenly felt very uneasy. He chose to withdraw. He came down from the tree and retreated in the direction he had come from.

  I have found you! Wang Yao thought.

  If he had not moved, nothing would have happened. When he moved, there were some inevitable sounds. Although the sounds were minimal, they had been heard by someone who had a keen sense of hearing.

  The man who came down from the tree heard the footsteps and raised his gun. He could not see anyone. He crouched quietly in the grass, listening to the footsteps.

  Wang Yao also stopped walking. He thought, Why has he stopped moving? It came from that direction.

  He crouched down, found a few stones from the ground, and threw them in the direction from which the sounds had come.

  Whoosh! Whoosh! The sound of air splitting sounded.

  Thud!

  Coincidentally, a stone hit a tree and bounced off, hitting the man crouching in the grass hard. He endured it and did not shout.

  Wang Yao instantly moved.

  Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! The sounds of a gun firing went off.

  Wang Yao was not hit.

  A voice came from behind the other man like a ghost. “Over here!”


  He dodged to the side and turned around to shoot. His movements were quick and agile. They were as smooth and light as clouds and running water, but he found no one behind him. He suddenly had intense pain in his abdomen. He flew out and crashed heavily into the trunk. He wanted to stand up, but his vision went dark as he fainted.

  Su Zhixing and two other soldiers followed in the direction of the gunfire.

  “That brother-in-law of mine is so headstrong and capricious,” Su Zhixing said.

  A soldier raised his hand. “Captain, he is coming!”


  They looked in the direction he pointed. They saw a Wang Yao quickly approaching. It seemed as if he was carrying a man.

  In the time it took to take a few breaths, Wang Yao arrived at where the group was stopped. There was an unconscious man in his arms. He had carried the man as easily as if he was carrying a tiny chick.

  “Damn. There is indeed a person!” Su Zhixing was very surprised at what he saw.

  “Shall we take this person back?” a soldier asked.

  “Wait a minute. Let me take a look at him first.” Su Zhixing looked at the man who was out cold. He had a tattoo on his neck. It was a coiled snake. “It is the foreign team. They all have tattoos like this. The tattoos are either snakes or poisonous creatures like centipedes.”


  Su Zhixing patted Wang Yao on the shoulder and said, “You have made a great contribution to the team!”


  Although they had already fought this armed invading group several times, they had never caught a live hostage. The other team had been very fierce. Once they realized that there was the possibility of them being captured, they would end their own lives.

  Su Zhixing’s team smoothly arrived at the appointed pick up place. After a while, the sound of a helicopter came from the distance. An armed transport helicopter soon appeared on the horizon and quickly approached them.

  “Did the mission go well?” the pilot asked.

  “It was fine,” Su Zhixing replied.

  Not one had been left behind, and they had also brought a captive back. This mission had ended smoother than they had imagined.