CHAPTER 423: CHAPTER 423: USING HER AS A SHIELD

"Hey guys, calm down!" Sang Ning raised both hands high and cautiously stepped forward.

The group showed no intention of firing, merely raising their guns higher and shouting for Sang Ning to stand still.

Sang Ning plastered an ingratiating smile on her face, raising her hands even higher to signal she had no plans of resisting.

In the darkness, Sang Ning heard the crackling sound of sparks. Trusting her instinct, she glanced toward the source, spotting a small flame igniting from the collision between two vehicles. There was a risk of an explosion.

She moved slowly, inching closer to the collision while explaining her intentions: "You’re looking for your friends, right? They’re here."

Sang Ning raised her arm dramatically and pointed to a spot nearby, where Hu Yaoji and his companion were lying not far from the wrecked vehicles.

"Stop!" The leader pointed his gun at Sang Ning and was about to squeeze the trigger to warn her when his gaze followed her finger. He saw Hu Yaoji and his companion writhing in pain on the ground.

The leader lowered his gun slightly and, maintaining his short-gun stance, began to move swiftly toward them. The others followed close behind.

Seeing Sang Ning approach, Hu Yaoji reacted instantly. He sensed Sang Ning’s malicious intent and yelled to his companion, "Shoot her! Kill that damn woman!"

At that exact moment, Sang Ning leaped behind the vehicle, using it as cover.

Her sudden movement instantly drew all the gunfire; five or six heavy machine guns opened fire on Sang Ning simultaneously.

Fortunately, she had prepared her cover in advance, evading the onslaught.

When the first wave of gunfire ended, Sang Ning’s heart was pounding like a drum. She swallowed hard, peeked out briefly, raised a middle finger, and quickly ducked back down.

The gesture infuriated her opponents, who picked up their guns and unleashed another barrage.

Sang Ning successfully redirected all the hostility to herself. She could hear them outside, snarling and threatening viciously to drag her from behind the car and turn her into a perforated mess.

"Everyone, hide now!" Sang Ning screamed at the top of her lungs, using all her strength, feeling as if her vocal cords might tear.

The Banana Forest descended into chaos. While Sang Ning drew all the gunfire, the others seized the chance to scatter in every direction.

The armed bandits realized this and turned their guns on the fleeing targets, firing relentlessly. But the runners dispersed so widely, and the deep-night darkness hampered visibility, rendering their shots ineffective. When they tried to switch targets, every escapee had vanished from sight.

Sang Ning hunkered down behind the car like a turtle in its shell, using the sound of approaching footsteps to estimate the enemy’s proximity. They were moving swiftly and were about to reach her.

Counting to herself under her breath, Sang Ning crouched and moved toward the collision site. She picked up a stone from the ground and hurled it into the air, luring bullets to follow its trajectory.

One of the bullets punctured the car’s hood, instantly filling the air with the thick smell of gasoline. Suddenly, an enormous flame shot into the sky.

The fire concealed Sang Ning’s figure as she launched into an all-out sprint at her personal speed limit, dashing away from the vehicle.

"Three, two, one..."

In just a few seconds, the burning gasoline exploded with a massive blast wave that warped the air.

Sang Ning managed to run a dozen meters before the shockwave struck her, knocking her to the ground.

Fortunately, the damage was minimal, and her injuries weren’t severe. She immediately scrambled back to her feet after falling.

Without pausing to clean herself up, she hastily brushed off the dirt on her forehead and continued running toward the denser and deeper parts of the forest, far from the explosion’s center.

With no light to guide her, Sang Ning ran blindly, stumbling over something. A startled scream told her she had tripped over a fellow ally.

"Stop screaming," Sang Ning crouched and took advantage of the moonlight to find Lu Yujing, cowering with her head between her hands.

Lu Yujing, hearing Sang Ning’s voice, realized it wasn’t the enemy chasing after her. Slowly, she raised her head. The moment she saw Sang Ning, her fear instantly shifted to blame: "You’re going to kill me! If I die today, I’ll haunt you as a ghost!"

Sang Ning kept her face cold, half-threatening and half-joking. "No problem. I happen to dabble in Maoshan Techniques. If you die, I’ll cast a spell to shatter your soul so you won’t even get to be a ghost."

Lu Yujing shot Sang Ning a resentful glare but didn’t dare argue back because she heard furious, irate shouts from beyond the Banana Forest.

Machine-gun fire erupted again, tearing through the forest indiscriminately.

Sang Ning’s heart sank. Damn, these people had unbelievable endurance. Even that massive blast wave hadn’t toppled them?

"Can we run now? I don’t want to stay here waiting to die." Lu Yujing asked, her voice trembling and tearful.

"Run? Where to? You want to dash out and become target practice?" Sang Ning dismissed the idea entirely.

Beyond the Banana Forest lay a flat, exposed island road with no cover whatsoever. Anyone stepping out there would be doomed.

Lu Yujing felt desperate. How had a simple vacation turned into a terrifying ordeal?

Sang Ning stopped fussing and simply sat down. She pulled out her phone and, with surprising calm, began chatting.

[Eight-person team. Currently confirmed two incapacitated. Six remaining armed with heavy machine guns. Unknown if reinforcements are incoming.]

Sang Ning sent the message to Zhou Rui, sharing her real-time location as well.

Lu Yujing, though terrified, couldn’t help being annoyed: "At a time like this, you have the nerve to play with your phone? Can’t you think of a plan to get us out of here?"

Sang Ning raised her phone and shrugged helplessly. "If you can’t think of anything, what makes you think I’d have an idea? All I can do now is write some last will and testament before it’s too late. Why don’t you join me in that?"

"Shut up!" Lu Yujing snapped, turning away. "Damn jinx!"

Zhou Rui, unsure of Sang Ning’s current situation, hesitated to call her for fear of risking complications. Instead, he messaged back.

[Ancestor, help is on the way. Just hang in there. We’ll be there soon!]

Sang Ning had no idea what Zhou Rui meant by "soon," but she had done everything she could. From here, her fate was in the hands of luck.

[Got it.]

With a brief reply, Sang Ning stood up. She knew staying put was too dangerous. The outside may have gone silent, but there was no telling if those enemies were now actively searching for them. If caught, they’d be dead in an instant. Better to find an even more concealed spot.

Sang Ning rose, and Lu Yujing mirrored her movements, following her every step.

"Didn’t you say I was dragging you down? Why’re you clinging to me like a shadow now?"

Sang Ning suddenly made a large stride, causing Lu Yujing to stumble in surprise and faceplant into the dirt.

Terrified, Lu Yujing scrambled up, clawing at the muddy ground, her fingernail catching painfully on a stone, tearing a piece of nail off.

Ignoring the sharp pain, she stumbled after Sang Ning, resolute in her determination. If she was going to die today, she wouldn’t let Sang Ning leave her behind—Sang Ning would have to be her scapegoat!