Liu Jing

Chapter 248 If We're Going Down, We're All Going Down

They were both covered in mud, like two mud monkeys, but at that moment, they had no time to clean themselves.

The rain outside had stopped, but the entire road had turned into a muddy mess and was very soft.

Ning Beichen, worried about further mudslides, dared not linger. He dragged Liu Yilin along, and they slowly and arduously made their way through the mud.

About half an hour later, Ning Beichen and Liu Yilin finally left the muddy area and reached a place with firmer soil, untouched by the mudslide.

"Boss..."

As soon as Ning Beichen called her "Boss," Liu Yilin interrupted him.

"When we're not at the company, don't call me Boss. Call me Yilin."

Ning Beichen was taken aback, unsure why Liu Yilin suddenly cared about this. Nevertheless, he called her by her name.

Oddly enough, the single word "Yilin" made Ning Beichen feel closer to her, as if her icy demeanor had softened.

"Yilin, you rest here for a while. I'll go see if there are any survivors and rescue them," Ning Beichen said to Liu Yilin.

"Okay, be careful," Liu Yilin nodded. Perhaps having gone through life and death together, and this time it wasn't child's play but a genuine confrontation with death, Liu Yilin felt a dependency on Ning Beichen that she herself couldn't quite articulate.

"I will. I'll be nearby. If anything happens, remember to call me loudly," Ning Beichen instructed her before returning to the mud to search for surviving bodyguards.

Indeed, Ning Beichen managed to rescue a few bodyguards who had been buried by the mudslide. However, most of them had perished, and some bodies couldn't even be found, likely buried too deep for Ning Beichen to reach.

In the end, Ning Beichen rescued six bodyguards.

Out of the twenty elite bodyguards, they hadn't even reached their destination, and now only six remained, all of them injured.

Whether they were too unlucky or Ning Beichen was, no one wanted this to happen.

After Ning Beichen treated and bandaged the wounds of the six bodyguards, he finally had time to clean the mud off himself.

Despite the misfortune, Ning Beichen considered it a blessing in disguise.

If he hadn't been buried by the mudslide, he wouldn't have known when or how he would break through his current limitations and become a Grandmaster-level expert.

Don't underestimate the significance of breaking through just one limitation.

The difference between a Grandmaster and his previous self was immense.

To use a simple analogy, the current Ning Beichen could easily defeat ten of his former selves.

Ning Beichen brushed off the mud, but their luggage and vehicles were buried by the mudslide. Apart from the case he always carried with him, they had nothing.

His case only contained weapons and medicine, so it couldn't hold any clothes. He would have to make do.

The absence of a car was more than just the inconvenience of walking; it meant Ning Beichen couldn't transport the six injured bodyguards.

However, Ning Beichen couldn't leave them to die. Since he had saved them, he had to see them through.

Fortunately, Ning Beichen had experience dealing with such situations. He cut some bamboo, made a simple raft, and placed them on it to drag them along.

It was fortunate that he was now a Grandmaster; otherwise, dragging six people might not have been possible.

"Yilin, you should get on the raft too. I can walk by myself," Ning Beichen said to Liu Yilin, seeing her fatigue.

"No, I can't watch you struggle alone. If we're tired, we'll be tired together."

Liu Yilin couldn't bear to add to Ning Beichen's burden and endured her foot pain to walk with him, which deeply moved Ning Beichen.

However, without a vehicle and having to drag several people, they took until almost dark to reach their destination, Laojin, despite the short distance.

Laojin was a marginalized city, a place of stark contrasts: one side a den of pleasure, the other a slum.

Chaos, shootouts, and power struggles were commonplace here.

As Ning Beichen and Liu Yilin dragged the group in, they attracted many curious glances. Had it not been for the weapons on the bodyguards, they might have already made a move.

Shortly after, Ning Beichen checked into a hotel in Laojin and hired doctors. After treatment, the bodyguards were mostly out of danger.

However, out of the original group of twenty, only six remained. It was impossible not to feel a sense of sorrow; even a heart of stone would feel the pang of loss at seeing comrades fallen.

Nicholas was also informed and sent another group of people the next day to replace them and protect Ning Beichen. The remaining six were taken back.

Today, Ning Beichen and his group planned to visit the mining area. Regardless, since they were already here, the problem had to be addressed.

Nicholas sent more new bodyguards this time, totaling around thirty people, divided into ten vehicles to escort Ning Beichen and Liu Yilin to the mining area.

With the armed convoy, their journey was much safer. Before long, they smoothly arrived at Liu Yilin's mining area.

However, upon reaching the mine, they found it shut down, with a few scattered personnel and no one working.

"Where is Yu Qiu? Tell him to come out and see me."

Liu Yilin said angrily.

"Boss, why are you here?"

Soon after, a fair-skinned, plump man wearing glasses came running out and respectfully said to Liu Yilin.

"Yu Qiu, I entrusted the mining area to you, and this is how you manage it?"

Despite being a young woman, Liu Yilin possessed the commanding presence of a superior. After all, she had been a CEO for so long. While she might not be a fighter, it didn't mean she was a delicate flower.

"Boss, it's unjust!" Yu Qiu immediately cried out, trying to explain.

"Boss, it's not that I don't want the workers to start. It's just that as soon as we start, someone comes to cause trouble. Several machines have already been smashed."

"Do you know who is doing this?" Liu Yilin asked him.

"It's a faction of the northern opposition, commonly known as the Red Gang Army. Their leader is named Varden. We don't know why they've targeted our mine," Yu Qiu explained helplessly to Liu Yilin.