Chapter 31: The Pursuit

Thunder rolled from the heavens, exploding with a deafening roar just five meters from the front of the car.

As the blinding flash of lightning streaked past, the man in black felt a continuous ringing in his ears.

Yet, catching something in his peripheral vision, his mind instantly went blank.

Thus, while his two accomplices were still confused about the situation, he stared ahead in astonishment, his mouth agape, nearly losing his voice as he cried out, "Holy shit..."

"Thunder! It sounded like thunder just now!"

"And then... a bolt of lightning struck right in front of our car!"

As the man's words fell, the other two human traffickers in the vehicle froze.

"What??"

"Is that even possible??"

Though the remaining two traffickers were unsure of what had just happened, they couldn't help but question him

"Sang Biao, what kind of crazy shit are you talking!"

"In a place this big, how could lightning strike right in front of us without missing a beat??"

"I've lived this long and I've never even been struck by lightning!"

As the two retorted, their vision gradually returned.

However, regarding Sang Biao's claim that the intense light was a lightning strike, they still found it somewhat far-fetched.

But before they could think it through, in the next second, a series of sirens wailed from behind!

Hearing the urgent sirens, the faces of the three traffickers in the van instantly turned pale!

They hurriedly looked back to see the red and blue warning lights flashing at the end of the road.

In this gloomy weather, they appeared exceptionally piercing!

"Damn it, the cops are chasing us!"

Seeing this, the traffickers in the car fell into a state of panic!

The driver, responsible for the getaway, slammed on the accelerator, cursing under his breath

"What's going on?! Why are they reacting so fast this time?"

As he spoke, the trafficker in the passenger seat responsible for lookout also shifted the blame.

He cursed fiercely at the man in the back

"Sang Biao! How did you grab the kid?"

"Did you expose yourself while you were doing it!"

At this moment, listening to the wailing sirens behind them, Sang Biao's eyes widened.

His face was full of disbelief as he spoke to the two in front

"This... this is impossible! I made sure to avoid all the surveillance cameras!"

"And along the way, we weren't spotted by anyone."

"The zoo is so big, logically speaking... they should still be searching inside!"

As Sang Biao explained frantically, he searched his memory.

Where exactly had things gone wrong!

It seemed that from the moment he entered the zoo to the moment he lured the little boy, and then wrapped him up in a surveillance blind spot to walk out—he hadn't left a single trace!

He even lowered his head to glance at the boy in the backseat.

The boy appeared to still be fast asleep, and the tightly wrapped blanket showed no signs of anything unusual.

It was certain that even if the boy's own mother were here, she wouldn't recognize him!

When exactly were they exposed?

And the police were chasing them so quickly...

They must have received the report and mobilized the moment they left the zoo!

"When..." Sang Biao murmured to himself.

While reminiscing, a figure suddenly flashed through his mind.

And as that figure surfaced in his mind, Sang Biao's heart suddenly skipped a beat!

It felt as if an invisible hand had gripped him tightly! Even now, he felt a lingering sense of dread!

The figure burned vividly in Sang Biao's memory, wearing majestic celestial robes and armor.

The expression between the brows was filled with divine intent, and there was a lifelike eye upon the forehead!

Upon reflection, he realized that only that person had looked toward his arms as they passed by.

And that gaze seemed to carry a certain majesty that made his heart race with anxiety!

"Could it be..."

As Sang Biao's thoughts wandered aimlessly, a sudden surge of acceleration hit him.

It was his accomplice driving, who had slammed on the gas again, increasing their speed even further!

Immediately after, the driver seemed to steady his nerves and said

"Alright, alright, stop panicking! We've already arranged everything."

"The entrance to the scenic area is just ahead. Once we get in, it'll be a nightmare for them to find us!"

"And listen to those sirens, they aren't close yet!"

"We're driving at a similar speed, and we're almost at the entrance. We'll definitely make it!"

Hearing his companion's words, Sang Biao and the trafficker in the passenger seat calmed down slightly.

Indeed, although sirens were wailing behind them, the warning lights were still far away.

Barring any accidents, they certainly wouldn't be caught!

With that thought, the traffickers in the van breathed a sigh of relief.

The driver slammed the accelerator once more, racing toward the entrance ahead.

...

Meanwhile, the pursuing officers also noticed this.

Because right now, even the police car closest to the van could only faintly see a vehicle shape flickering on the distant horizon.

Furthermore, the speed of the van was not slow; it was clearly accelerating.

Under these circumstances, one of the officers couldn't help but speak up

"Captain, that should be the van up ahead, right?"

"We can see them, but this distance... it doesn't look ideal."

Hearing the officer's concern, Liang Yuzhu also realized the gravity of the situation.

These traffickers were extremely cunning; the reason they drove straight this way after succeeding must be because they had a backup plan here.

Once they entered the scenic area, they would lose their visual target.

The routes within the scenic area were quite complex, and even with surveillance, nothing could be guaranteed.

There was no telling if these traffickers would switch vehicles or go into hiding.

Moreover, the child in the car was in danger.

At his age, he could not remain in an anesthetized state for a long time.

These traffickers treated him merely as a tool for money; they didn't view him as a human being at all.

To prevent the child from making noise, they might administer an even higher dose.

They might even cause brain death!

Therefore, every second delayed meant an extra measure of danger!

If they missed this chance and allowed them to escape into the scenic area, no one could predict what these traffickers might do.

The ultimate consequence would likely be a vibrant life lost!

Thinking of this, Liang Yuzhu's brow furrowed deeply as he told the driving officer

"Do everything possible to close the gap quickly!"

"Try to intercept them before they escape into the scenic area!"

"Yes, sir!" the officer responded immediately.

However, even as he slammed on the accelerator and drove at maximum speed, there was no sign of significantly closing the distance with the van.

It seemed as if the other party was driving like a madman to escape for their lives.

Despite the police's rapid pursuit, the initial gap was too large.

Under the watchful eyes of the officers, they could only watch helplessly as the van drove into the scenic area!

The roads in the scenic area were winding and branched out in all directions.

When the van vanished at the end of the road, the officers on the car were filled with frustration.

"Damn, they've already gone in."

"That child's condition is critical. If only we could have been faster..."

Just as the officers were feeling regretful.

Rumble—

In the sky, another burst of intertwining thunder rolled, sounding like the rhythmic beating of war drums!

...

(End of Chapter)