Chapter 16: I Will Come Back For You

The single, sharp crack of the gunshot ripped through the silent mountain night, causing all three figures to freeze instantly. The thin thread of hope that had held them together snapped taut with renewed terror.

Skylar Vance turned her head slightly, her gaze piercing the thick curtain of the twilight toward the distant valley. Her lips were pressed into a grim, straight line. “Let’s move. We are running out of time.” The moment Wang Po and Dazhuang had mentioned “that person,” Skylar had calculated the immense risk: the criminal hub was not merely a village of simple farmers; it was a clandestine base likely harboring firearms and ammunition. This lethal knowledge was the only reason she had chosen temporary retreat over immediate, bloody vengeance.

Of the three, Skylar was the youngest, yet she was undeniably the leader of this desperate escape. Her composure was absolute. Despite her unfamiliarity with the treacherous mountain terrain, she moved with frightening calm. Whether they faced a patch of swampy ground or the threat of a poisonous snake, her reaction was immediate, efficient, and devoid of panic.

After four grueling hours of trekking, Clara Hu’s physical limits were reached. Though she bravely choked back any complaint, Skylar felt the chilling dampness and feverish tremors in her companion's hand—a clear sign of severe exhaustion and shock.

“We are stopping here to rest.” Skylar halted decisively, supporting Clara and guiding her toward the concealed shelter beneath a dense cluster of trees.

The decision was instantly met with fierce opposition from the unnamed girl who had forced her way into their escape. Her voice, thin and strained in the darkness, was brittle with frantic terror. “No! We can’t! They have guns, and they know these mountains better than anyone! If we stop now, we’ll be caught!” She had endured too much. She refused to go back to that place of unspeakable horror.

Clara Hu also shook her head, her grasp on Skylar’s hand clammy and trembling. “Skye, she’s right. We can’t stop yet.” Exhausted as she was, she refused to become a liability. She knew Skylar had already slowed her pace countless times just to accommodate her weakened state.

“Listen to me.” Skylar gripped her back firmly, her voice low, cool, and commanding, permitting no argument. She then lifted her gaze to the other girl, her tone casual, almost bored. “If you want to move faster, you are free to go ahead—alone.”

“You—” The girl was instantly enraged, opening her mouth to scream a retort. But the survival instinct, which required her to remain attached to Skylar’s superior skill, forced her to swallow her indignation. She slumped angrily beneath a distant tree, turning her back on them in a defiant sulk.

Clara sighed softly, watching the conflict with troubled eyes. Settling down for a brief rest, she whispered to Skylar, “Skye, she is innocent too. We should save every soul we can.”

Skylar understood Clara’s profound, inherent goodness. She simply nodded, offering no argument. Instead, she silently retrieved a bottle of water and a loaf of bread from the supposedly small backpack she carried, handing them to Clara. “Eat something first.”

Clara was momentarily startled, staring at the supplies in her hands. She glanced back at the compact pack slung across Skylar’s shoulder. “I don’t mean to pry, Skye, but how is your bag constantly full? I swear you have everything we need in there.” It was true; her mysterious companion seemed to conjure clothes, food, and water at will, making the impossible trek bearable.

Skylar offered a secretive, tiny smile—a flash of her true nature. “Don’t worry about the bag. Just eat. We have a long road ahead of us.”

“Yes. Thank you, Skye.” Clara nodded, a flicker of a long-lost smile returning to her ravaged face. Though they had only met hours ago, Skylar felt strangely familiar, as if they were repeating a shared, painful history. She felt the fierce, protective tenderness emanating from the younger woman.

As she ate, Clara’s kind gaze drifted to the other girl huddled in the shadow of the tree. Pity welled up in her heart. She held out the remaining water and bread and started to walk toward her.

But just as she approached, the girl looked up, and Clara froze in shock. The girl’s cheeks were already grotesquely stuffed with food, and she was aggressively hoarding a pile of pilfered supplies in her lap.

“You…” Clara stammered, unable to comprehend the brazen selfishness.

Skylar, still seated calmly, spoke with a voice like chilled crystal, revealing she had known all along. “She won’t starve, Clara. She’s the kind of person who cleans out her comrades’ meager rations to guarantee her own solo escape. She ensures her own survival at all costs.”

The accusation hit the girl like a physical blow. Her body stiffened, and her eyes, glittering with impotent malice in the darkness, locked onto Skylar.

Skylar was absolutely correct. The girl had been helped by her fellow captives to distract the guards so she could sneak out and grab a small stock of food. But when she saw Skylar and Clara escaping, she didn't hesitate to empty the entire stash—meant for everyone—into her own possession, never looking back at the despair she left behind.

She had thought her betrayal was a secret, but Skylar’s unnerving gaze had seen through her.

Skylar rose to her feet, unwilling to waste any more energy on the girl. “Take your eyes off me. The next time you look at me with that expression, I will gouge your eyes out.” The tone was cool, casual, and utterly final. The girl instantly dropped her gaze to the dirt, terrified into submission.

The trio resumed their desperate journey. Just as they were nearing a crest that might offer some reprieve, a cluster of firelights suddenly flared into existence directly ahead of them.

“No! We’ve been found!” The girl panicked, her face draining of color.

Skylar’s brow furrowed, but she showed no confusion. She was certain of her stealth; the village was miles behind them. It was impossible for the villagers to have outflanked and surrounded them so quickly.

Only one possibility remains.

This was the criminal head of the operation—the high-level trafficker who had been scheduled to arrive tonight to collect the ‘inventory.’

“Don’t panic,” Skylar murmured, her mind racing to formulate a strategy.

“They’re here! They are right here!”

Two voices overlapped: Skylar’s calm warning, and the frantic shriek of the girl, who had instantly betrayed their exact location, hoping to save herself.

“Damn it!” Skylar swore under her breath. It was too late to silence the traitor. With an explosive surge of strength, she snatched Clara’s arm and violently pulled her, flashing into the deep shadow of an embankment.

The instant they vanished, a continuous barrage of gunfire erupted—Bang! Bang! Bang!—the sound echoing and shaking the entire valley. The traitorous girl’s screams were utterly swallowed by the deafening roar of the weapons.

The night was freezing, the wind cutting like glass through the trees.

Clara felt her feet barely touch the ground, dragged along by the terrifying, unexpected power in Skylar’s grip. Despite her small frame, Skylar’s single-minded intensity and determined back offered a strange, unshakeable sense of security.

When Skylar finally located a small, concealed cave, her exposed skin was already scored with painful scrapes and cuts. She quickly shed her backpack and, using her Space, filled it with additional food, water, and a warm blanket. She thrust the heavy pack into Clara’s arms. “You wait for me here. I promise you, I will come back for you.”

Clara gasped, grabbing her arm tightly. “Where are you going? It’s too dangerous out there!”

“I will be back,” Skylar repeated, her voice settling into a rare, deep tenderness that was meant only for Clara.

That profound sense of safety, born from a conviction deeper than words, forced Clara to loosen her grip. She clutched the precious bag and nodded, accepting the desperate trust.

I believe in Skylar. I have to believe in her.

Skylar squeezed her hand reassuringly, then turned and slipped out of the cave. She carefully concealed the entrance, and after a final check to ensure the surrounding area was safe, her silhouette dissolved into the darkness, moving with the preternatural silence of a ghost.

She hadn't come to these mountains merely to rescue a lost friend.

The horrific trauma of her first life—the endless pain, the shattered innocence, the ultimate recruitment into a life of cold-blooded assassination—all began with this criminal organization.

Tonight was not an escape; it was the final confrontation. It was time for her to extract justice for a lifetime of suffering.