Chapter 502: These Fugitives Are No Ordinary Criminals!

“The team currently in first place hails from Zhilihui. A small country, but every single member of their squad is an amateur. Still, they’re all incredibly bold, and even the regular program inspectors say these people have a natural talent for catching fugitives.”

Wu Mingyu’s admiration for the team from Zhilihui was obvious.

When he finished speaking, Zhao Youcheng nodded in agreement and picked up a folder from the side.

“I’ve done a background check on them. They’re all strong contenders. Their initial operation plan was nearly identical to ours,” he said, laying the file on the table and tapping one of the photos.

It was a picture of Soran, one of the captains from Zhilihui.

“This guy had his deployment sorted from the very beginning. Unlike the others who were all focused on catching Wang Yun, he, like us, targeted other fugitives. Also, the team from Sakura Nation is currently in sixth place. It looks like their targets are all Class-A fugitives; they’ve already captured one. And get this, it was one of their own citizens. Now that’s something.”

Zhao Youcheng ended with a smirk of amusement.

“Mm. Based on everything we’ve gathered so far, we’ll stick to the original plan,” Wu Mingyu concluded. “Seven days from now, we’ll reassess based on scores.”

“Right. The rest of the teams are a bit weak; no need to waste time analyzing them. After tonight, catching anyone’s going to get even harder,” Zhao Youcheng added.

With that, silence fell between the three of them.

They were right. This season’s fugitives were far tougher than the last.

The only reason they’d managed to capture so many today was because the contestants had just arrived at the airport and were still unfamiliar with Lidao. After tonight, they’d surely get their bearings, and then the real chase would begin.

***

Night fell, and with it, danger began to spread once more.

Wang Yun’s group of eight was still out at sea, harvesting seafood.

Under the beam of their headlamps, each face was etched with focus and determination.

Ying Yuezi had found a hotel near the Sero Market, using her entire 200 yuan budget to pay for a room.

Even while on the run, she refused to abandon her sense of style and refinement.

As for BeiBei, she didn’t disappoint. Relying on her beauty and charm, she managed to be taken in by a reclusive elderly man who let her stay at his home.

She specifically sought out someone elderly, knowing they wouldn’t care about internet videos and therefore wouldn’t recognize her.

The rest of the fugitives, including Wang Yue and Kolyev, scattered to all kinds of places. Some found black-market internet cafés, others ducked into shady bars.

Wang Yue, in particular, went straight to a clandestine fight club and picked up a part-time gig.

Underground fight clubs were opaque by nature, essentially illegal gambling rings drenched in blood and bravado. They didn’t bother checking anyone’s background. And in any case, Wang Yue had taken on the roughest, least desirable tasks.

Wang Yue had a goal: earn enough money in the shortest time possible to escape Lidao.

Only with money could the fugitive life continue.

What’s more, in such a shady venue, unfamiliar faces would raise immediate suspicion.

That meant every person in the fight club could become Wang Yue’s eyes and ears.

Others resorted to more traditional tactics—blending in with groups of homeless people, pretending to be one of them, sleeping under overpasses or in piles of trash.

Barely enough to get through the night.

But come morning, their next steps would depend on the plans they had or didn’t have.

***

Six hours later, dawn began to break.

Wang Yun and his crew sprawled out across the beach, exhausted. They lay on their backs, gazing up at a sky where only the faintest stars remained.

Weariness marked every face, but even more prominent were joy and excitement.

Beside them were seven buckets overflowing with seafood.

And piled nearby, in a mound almost like a small hill, was even more. Beneath it all, they’d laid out their clothes, knotted together to form makeshift tarps.

“In thirty minutes, we head to Sero Market,” Wang Yun announced. “Everyone, get your heads in the game. Don’t take off your jackets. You’ll need to stuff your coats full of seafood. It’s the only way to disguise the tracking tags on your wrists.”

“Don’t worry, Boss! I’ve totally adapted already!”

“Boss, once we sell all this seafood, we’re saving up to get off this island, right?” Big Mouth asked eagerly, prompting Old Zhou to chime in as well.

Wang Yun gave a small smile.

“No. We’re staying. And living even better.”

Everyone stared in surprise.

What did he mean by stay?

“Boss, are you saying you want to go head-on with them?” Old Hu asked, visibly excited.

Wang Yun grinned and gave him a glance. “You really do understand me best.”

Then he leaned back, hands behind his head, legs crossed like he was on vacation, eyes lazily watching the clouds drift by.

“Since the rules have changed, it’s no longer a cat-and-mouse game. If you’re following me, I’ll make sure you all live like kings.”

The moment he spoke, his voice carried a bold, unshakable confidence.

Sleepiness vanished in an instant.

Even Thirteen, who usually kept to himself, quietly turned his head to look at Wang Yun.