Chapter 408 - 406: Zhang Shuai

"Thank you, big brother... thank you, big brother..."

"I... I’ll definitely help you find the others!"

Brother Qiao was moved by these words.

Why did he come to Minma in the first place?

Wasn’t it just to make a lot of money, only to be deceived by those high-paying recruitment ads?

Rather than returning to the homeland to be a miserable worker, it’s better to stay here and live the high life.

"Work hard, my friend!"

Sha Wang nodded with satisfaction at Brother Qiao’s reaction.

Tempted by the lure of big profits, Brother Qiao was like a hunting dog, starting a frenzied search for traces of Tie Shanshan and the others.

Meanwhile, Sha Wang and his men closely followed behind, carefully searching the surrounding area.

"Captain, are you really going to give this Dragon Country man a few beauties?"

A tall armed guard familiar with Sha Wang looked at Brother Qiao ahead, who was active and eager, and asked in a low voice in Minma language.

"Heh heh!"

Sha Wang sneered at this, saying, "I don’t even have any beauties around me, so how could I possibly give them to him?"

"Then why are you doing this..."

The tall man was somewhat puzzled.

"To get a dog to work, you have to give it a couple of bones, don’t you?"

Sha Wang’s eyes flashed with disdain as he said, "This Dragon Country man is not even as good as a dog!"

"A dog knows it has to see the bone before it’ll work."

"But he hasn’t even seen a bone, yet he’s willing to help us..."

These words made the tall man laugh aloud.

Sha Wang laughed along as well.

Unlike other armed guards, as the captain, he was Mr. Wu’s trusted lieutenant.

Only he knew that among those fleeing from Dragon Country, the most important was the girl named "Tie Shanshan."

The rest of the people were of no use at all.

That’s why he didn’t hesitate to abandon Kong Lin.

...

Meanwhile, Tie Shanshan had no idea that two parties were searching the forest for her.

She was pressing forward with Xie Bing, supporting Zhang Shuai.

"Cough, cough... cough, cough..."

Zhang Shuai coughed a few times, his face flushed.

With difficulty, he said, "Shanshan, Xie Bing, you should leave me behind!"

"I can’t delay everyone’s escape!"

"I’m already starting to run a fever, and I doubt I’ll last much longer."

"Leave me, you must go... cough, cough... cough, cough..."

After saying these few words, his cough worsened.

He was completely exhausted and collapsed like a limp noodle.

"Zhang Shuai’s wound has already become infected!"

Xie Bing checked Zhang Shuai carefully and said gravely.

"What... what should we do?"

Cao Rui grew anxious upon hearing this.

"Sigh!"

Xie Bing didn’t answer the question but sighed helplessly.

If they were in the city, maybe Zhang Shuai could be saved.

But in this uninhabited and remote forest, unless an Immortal descended, no one could save Zhang Shuai.

"No, we definitely won’t abandon you, Zhang Shuai!"

"You need to hold on, don’t give up!"

Tie Shanshan crouched down, hoping to encourage Zhang Shuai with her words.

"No... I’m really done..."

Zhang Shuai was aware of his own condition.

His body was devoid of strength, and the pain from the wound infection was tormenting him relentlessly.

He even felt short of breath.

In this situation, he no longer had any hope of getting out of the forest.

He was grateful that Tie Shanshan and the others had brought him this far.

So he was determined not to burden Tie Shanshan and the others.

With this resolve, he clenched his teeth and used the last bit of his strength to take out the knife he’d been carrying with him.

He pressed the knife against his neck and said weakly, "Shanshan, you must go!"

"If you don’t leave now, I’ll... I’ll die right in front of you..."

As soon as he finished, the sharp knife had already pierced Zhang Shuai’s neck, and blood began to flow from the wound.

This scene made not only the three girls cry but even brought tears to a tough man like Xie Bing.

"Go... go quickly!"

Zhang Shuai shouted hoarsely, barely holding on to his last bit of consciousness.

Xie Bing sighed again, exchanged a glance with Tie Shanshan, and they nodded at each other.

"Zhang Shuai, we’ll always remember you!"

After embracing Zhang Shuai, Xie Bing said tearfully.

Leaving a comrade behind is always heart-wrenching.

But given Zhang Shuai’s situation, if they didn’t leave him behind, no one would make it out.

That’s why Xie Bing was the first to resolve to say goodbye to Zhang Shuai.

The other three girls followed suit, giving Zhang Shuai a final hug.

"Let’s go!"

Xie Bing turned to the three girls and was the first to step forward.

"Goodbye, Zhang Shuai!"

Tie Shanshan waved to Zhang Shuai and then followed suit.

Cao Rui and the other girl couldn’t summon the courage to take one last look at their comrade.

Watching the four of them gradually disappear from view, the corners of Zhang Shuai’s mouth lifted slightly, forming a faint smile.

"Mom, Dad, I’m sorry..."

With a tinge of regret, he slowly closed his weary eyes.

...

Elsewhere, Brother Qiao, like a hunting dog, followed the footprints on the ground and the traces of blood left by Zhang Shuai and indeed found traces of Tie Shanshan and the others.

"Hey? Isn’t this Zhang Shuai?"

Emerging from the forest, Brother Qiao immediately spotted Zhang Shuai collapsed on the ground.

Upon seeing Zhang Shuai, Brother Qiao’s face lit up with joy, and he hurriedly shouted to Sha Wang and the others, "Brother, I found someone!"

Hearing this, Sha Wang quickened his pace.

When he saw Zhang Shuai lying on the ground, unconscious, he couldn’t help but frown.

"Brother, he’s Zhang Shuai!"

"The injured one I mentioned before!"

"It looks like he’s been abandoned by Tie Shanshan and the others."

"But since Zhang Shuai is here, it proves we’re on the right path!"

Brother Qiao said excitedly.

Sha Wang nodded perfunctorily, then squatted down, grabbed Zhang Shuai’s chin, and shook it hard a few times.

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t wake Zhang Shuai from his unconscious state.

"Get some water!"

He called for a bottle of water and poured it all over Zhang Shuai’s face.

But even then, Zhang Shuai remained unconscious.

"Is he dead?"

Sha Wang’s frown deepened.

He checked for a very weak breathing from Zhang Shuai.

Then he felt Zhang Shuai’s forehead, which was burning hot.

He looked at Zhang Shuai’s injured thigh and shook his head, saying, "His wound is severely infected, and he’s running a fever."

"Looks like he won’t last another half hour before he completely dies!"

After saying that, Sha Wang sighed in disappointment.

He intended to wake this person to inquire about Tie Shanshan’s whereabouts, but instead, he encountered someone on the brink of death...