Chapter 306: Turbulent River, Low Water Levels—Something’s Wrong!

“Yeah, look at this. My arm can’t even reach down to pull you guys up. This has gotta be low tide,” Brother Hu exclaimed, his voice full of excitement.

Xiao Gang rolled his eyes at him and snapped back without missing a beat.

“Are you serious? That’s just for seawater. This is a river. The water level’s dropping, not tides.”

Brother Hu scratched his head, not bothered in the slightest. 

“Eh, same thing, right? Boss, what are we waiting for? Let’s get the raft in the water already,” he urged impatiently, motioning toward the raft.

Wang Yun stood by the riverbank, frowning slightly as he stared at the rushing water below. He didn’t respond.

Xiao Gang jumped in instead, “You blockhead, can’t you see the current’s way faster than before? If we just toss the raft in like this, we’ll need a plan and the right position. Otherwise, we’ll all get swept away before we even climb on.”

Hearing Xiao Gang’s words, Wang Yun nodded in agreement. He turned to the two of them.

“Do either of you know anything about geography?” Wang Yun asked suddenly.

Both of them froze for a moment, then shook their heads.

“I barely passed geography in middle school. I can maybe tell north from south, but that’s it,” Xiao Gang admitted awkwardly.

“Same here,” Brother Hu mumbled, looking even more embarrassed.

Their lack of knowledge left Wang Yun in a tough spot. But just as he was wracking his brain, a familiar voice rang out, right on time.

[Ding! The system has detected the host urgently requires geographical knowledge. The Comprehensive Geography Encyclopedia is now available for purchase.]

When the system’s voice echoed in his mind, Wang Yun slapped his thigh in excitement, startling both Brother Hu and Xiao Gang so much that they jumped.

Watching their boss suddenly so overjoyed, the two of them exchanged puzzled glances, their heads full of question marks.

“Purchase!” Wang Yun said decisively.

[This will cost 12 million shock points.]

The moment the system confirmed the purchase, Wang Yun felt the empty space in his mind suddenly fill, as though a missing puzzle piece had been slotted into place. He barely had time to wonder why a geography encyclopedia cost so many points. It seemed like the more shock points he accumulated, the higher the cost of the skills and items he needed.

When Wang Yun opened his eyes again, the turbulent river and the rapidly lowering water level suddenly made sense.

His expression shifted sharply. Fear flashed in his eyes.

“This isn’t right. Something’s about to happen in this area.”

“Boss! There’s someone over there!”

Before Wang Yun could say more, a loud shout rang out in the distance.

“No way, those bastards got here already?! Boss, we’ve been spotted,” Xiao Gang exclaimed in panic.

Wang Yun frowned. He had been so focused on analyzing the river that he hadn’t realized people were already closing in on them.

“You two, get moving! Hide the raft. I’ll go distract them. Meet me back here in two hours. No, half an hour,” Wang Yun said.

With a low growl, Wang Yun bolted into action, his body moving like a blur.

Brother Hu and Xiao Gang hadn’t even processed what he said before their boss was already twenty meters ahead, charging toward the commotion.

“You’re like dogs, huh? Such sharp noses!” Wang Yun shouted mockingly as he sprinted right up to the group.

The group, who had been the first to spot him, panicked as Wang Yun charged toward them, stumbling backward in fear.

The scene was almost comical.

They were supposed to be the righteous ones—the hunters tracking down Wang Yun. And yet, here they were, retreating as soon as the villain approached.

But really, who could blame them?

This was Wang Yun—the guy who had single-handedly taken down dozens of people.

“D-don’t run! I advise you to surrender immediately,” the leader of the group stammered, pointing at Wang Yun with a shaky hand.

He was wearing a gas mask and protective gear that completely obscured his face, but his trembling voice betrayed his fear.

Then, clearly desperate, the leader grabbed his radio and shouted into it, “Wang Yun spotted! Wang Yun spotted! He’s by the river! Requesting backup!”

The moment Wang Yun heard those words, a chill ran down his spine. 

The next second, the helicopter that had been circling nearby suddenly started flying in their direction. As it approached, a strange splashing noise grew louder and louder, like the sound of torrential rain. The sound was intense, accompanied by powerful gusts of wind created by the downpour.

As the wind blew past him, Wang Yun caught a whiff of something rotten. His heart sank. It was the acid rain.

“Damn it, acid rain. They’re actually using acid rain. Are they planning to just destroy the whole mountain?” Wang Yun cursed loudly.

His suspicions were spot on. These people were so determined to catch him that they were willing to flatten the entire forest.

To be fair, this forest wasn’t particularly valuable. The locals had long wanted it gone, but they didn’t have access to this kind of large-scale technology. Now, though, that technology had arrived.

Just from the sound, Wang Yun quickly estimated there were over thirty helicopters.

“Damn it!”

He glanced back in Brother Hu and Xiao Gang’s direction.

The two of them were lugging the massive raft, moving far too slowly to outrun this situation. On top of that, they only had gas masks for protection. If the acid rain actually fell on them, their lives would be in serious danger.

They wouldn’t just stand there and let it drench them. They’d definitely find somewhere in the jungle to take cover. There were plenty of places to hide from the rain in the forest. But if they had to stop and hide, it would mean the raft, which Wang Yun had worked so hard to build, would be ruined.

Grinding his teeth, Wang Yun made a snap decision and sprinted straight toward the program inspectors.

His eyes locked firmly onto one thing—the walkie-talkie in their hands.