Chapter 278: Discovered, Time to Escape by Water!

As soon as Zhao Youcheng gave the order, everyone sprang into action!

All the program inspectors split into three teams. One team was assigned to climb the slope and cross over the rocks. 

Another team, which was much larger, was sent to the nearest riverbank to prepare for entry into the mountain. The mountain area was vast and covered in dangerous miasma, posing a significant risk to anyone who ventured in without caution. 

The third team stayed with Zhao Youcheng, using all the remote-controlled fish to closely monitor the river from below.

The scale of the operation was massive, and none of the other nation’s program captains had any objections. Everyone was eager to wrap this up—the program had dragged on for too long.

A tense atmosphere filled the air. Everyone’s faces were set in serious concentration.

“Wang Yun has already spotted us. We need to move faster. We can’t let him get away,” Wu Yaoming said as he jogged ahead, calling out to the other captains.

“Where can he possibly run? He can only go into the mountain. It’s not like he can follow the river all the way to the sea,” Captain Hardy’s voice came through the radio.

“Don’t be too sure of that. Knowing his character, he’s capable of anything,” Werner chimed in.

Hearing this, no one said a word. It was true. Wang Yun could pull off anything.

***

As all the inspectors were on the move, Wang Yun was springing into action as well. He stood by the riverbank, holding a fish in his hand, smoke still coming from it. His face was filled with frustration.

“You’ve got to be kidding me, they’re even using high-tech stuff like this now?”

He glared at the fish. Its eye? It was camera.

Annoyed, Wang Yun plucked the fake eyeball out of the fish. If he hadn’t come to the river intending to catch some food for everyone, he wouldn’t have heard the faint buzzing noise in the water. The sound was so quiet that the rushing river almost completely drowned it out.

A normal person, or even the fish swimming nearby, wouldn’t have noticed it, let alone be spooked by it. But Wang Yun wasn’t just anyone. He had superhuman hearing. 

Within a minute of approaching the river, he picked up on the mechanical buzzing getting closer and closer. At first, Wang Yun thought it might be an electric eel, and he backed away from the water. But when the thing got close enough, he realized it was just a slightly oversized fish.

Thinking the fish might have swallowed something that made the noise, Wang Yun decided to grab it and investigate. But when he pulled it out—what a surprise—it was a fake fish.

Both of the fish’s eyes kept rolling around, gleaming with light. In an instant, Wang Yun ripped the fish in half with his bare hands. The mechanical components were exposed, and a faint smell of something burnt filled the air.

“Disgusting!” Wang Yun muttered, tossing the fish away. 

He quickly grabbed the rope and climbed back up. 

Forget catching fish—right now, the priority was getting out of there. His cover was blown.

In just over ten minutes, Wang Yun had climbed back up. The cliff face was damp from being so close to the water, with moss growing in many areas. The higher he climbed, the drier and less slippery it got. Normally, this climb wouldn’t have taken him long, but the slick surface slowed him down a bit.

“If only I had a phone,” Wang Yun grumbled once he reached the top.

Brother Hu and the others were surprised to see Wang Yun climb back up so quickly. 

“Boss, why did you come back so fast?” Brother Hu asked, standing up with the other two.

The cave was just a little taller than Wang Yun, providing some shelter.

“We’ve been spotted. We need to go now,” Wang Yun said to the three of them.

“What?!” 

“Spotted?” 

Brother Hu and Xiao Gang exclaimed in disbelief. 

“How could they have spotted us? There’s no path ahead or behind, and they can’t possibly have seen us from the river!”

Wang Yun nodded while quickly gathering up the blankets that had been lying around. Despite it being summer, the ground was swarming with ants and mosquitoes, and they still needed the blankets for protection.

“Exactly. They found us from the river,” Wang Yun explained. “I don’t know where they got their hands on these electronic fish, but the eyes are cameras, completely waterproof and able to see everything underwater. When I went down to catch a fish earlier, the first one I grabbed turned out to be one of these electronic fish. Its camera must’ve caught me on video. I’m not completely sure, but we can’t take any chances. We need to leave here, now.”

Brother Hu, Xiao Gang, and Wang Zi exchanged shocked glances.

“Unbelievable! They must’ve spent a fortune on this!” Brother Hu cursed.

This time, his outburst was fueled by pure frustration. They had been hoping for two or three peaceful days to relax and calm their nerves, but now this mess had found them again.

Once again, they had to move, and there was no turning back. 

Now, they could only follow the path ahead, which would lead them straight into Enclosed Mountain!

There was no need to guess—Enclosed Mountain would be far more dangerous than where they were now. Brother Hu felt his scalp tingle and a wave of frustration rise as he thought about it.

“We have to move faster than them. I have no idea how much further it is to reach Enclosed Mountain,” Wang Yun said, looking at the three of them after gathering his things. 

“Right now, the fastest option is to take the river.”

Even though Brother Hu, Xiao Gang, and Wang Zi were feeling agitated, they didn’t stop what they were doing, quickly finishing packing up as well.

“So, what’s the plan, Boss?” Xiao Gang asked, glancing down at the river below.

“We take the water route!”

By getting into the river and letting the current carry them downstream, their speed would increase significantly. However, there was a catch—there were likely more of those electronic fish in the water. Their whereabouts might have remained hidden, but once they took the river, they would almost certainly be exposed. 

But right now, there weren’t many options left. They had to prepare for the worst. Even if they were spotted, there was no way the inspection team could catch up with them at their current pace—the current was too swift.

The four of them began descending along the ropes. It was a slow process, as the surface was incredibly slippery. Twenty minutes later, with a splash, all four landed in the river.

No one knew how deep the water was, but for now, they were floating on the surface, each gripping the riverbank’s reeds.

“I’m not sure how well you three can swim, but if you want to survive, you need to stay relaxed. There aren’t any dangerous creatures in this river—the current’s too strong for them. But there might be rocks, so stay sharp, keep your eyes wide open, and avoid them. Did you hear me clearly?” Wang Yun shouted over the sound of the rushing water. 

The roar of the current surrounded them, making their voices seem almost insignificant in the chaos.