Chapter 111 Dying Embers

own unscrupulous nature, Li An thought everyone was as bad as him. But this time he guessed correctly."Yes," Yan Luoxi admitted without hesitation, "I’ve been slandering you for over three hours behin...Chapter 111: A Desperate Last Effort

Lǐ n opened his eyes to gaze at the dense subtropical jungle, which seemed like it had entered a primeval forest. Everywhere was covered in trees and branches, thickly blocking out light below into pitch blackness, making it hard to see anything even with sunlight outside, blocked by the lush secondary growth of these ancient forests.

He weakly swallowed his saliva; his cracked lips hurt terribly, and his throat felt like it was on fire. He hadn’t eaten in days, only occasionally picking some unripe fruit from chance encounters with trees to ease hunger pangs, and drinking dew off the leaves.

The day Li An used an unexpected tactic again to ambush Sang Kun.

Sang Kun had lived for years in the Golden Triangle, flaunting his power, and had gotten used to nobody daring to oppose him. He even regarded Li Hao Nan’s aloofness as a sign of submission and fear, believing Li Hao Nan wouldn’t dare do anything against him.

These days, Sang Kun's men kept suffering from ambushes by opposing forces, making him vaguely feel this was Li Hao Nan putting on the blinders for him. But he thought that since Li Hao Nan was getting old and had higher status, at most it would be to dampen his arrogance, not eliminate him.

But what he didn’t expect was that this time those who came weren't from Li Hao Nan’s side but from the sinister second son of Li Hao Nan. Skilled in ambush tactics and hitting targets accurately, they used small rocket launchers against him; although surrounded by countless bodyguards, his arm was still blown off.

Sang Kun had grown up in the Golden Triangle since childhood and could become this leader due to his infamous ferocity and strength. This grenade thoroughly infuriated him; ignoring the gushing blood from his wounded arm and the excruciating pain, he drew out a handgun from his waistband, organizing his brothers around him to immediately retaliate.

Between Lǐ n and Sang Kun, one was like a calf unafraid of tigers, resourceful and cunning; the other was adept at jungle warfare with rich experience, old and crafty. When these two sides clashed, they were truly evenly matched opponents.

The final outcome was brutal, with heavy casualties on both sides. Sang Kun died due to excessive blood loss after being shot in the abdomen, rendering him completely helpless.

Lǐ n, overcome with excitement and losing himself in the moment, focused solely on fighting his opponents' scattered soldiers, forgetting where he was. He led a few bodyguards into the dense jungle of the Golden Triangle, getting lost along with them.

Once realizing they were lost, Lǐ n instructed his bodyguards to stay put and look for a way out.

He had heard from his father and uncles that what made the Golden Triangle truly terrifying was not only its complex terrain and bandits but also the landmines buried there during past wars. With time, these deadly devices shifted positions, making it almost impossible to know their exact locations unless one lived in the region for years.

Now, they could do nothing but wait quietly for help from home.

In such a fierce battle with no combat experience, even Lǐ n's intelligence couldn't save him from getting shot in the arm. His bodyguards, who had some knowledge of first aid, asked if he could endure the pain while they removed the bullet to prevent infection and fever that would likely lead to his death before anyone found them.

Lǐ n shrugged nonchalantly, rolling up his tattered shirt sleeve to reveal an arm covered in countless scars, causing shock among his bodyguards.

The wounds on his arm weren't long and gnarled; they were numerous, intricate, and shocking in their sheer number and severity.

Experienced as the bodyguards were, they could tell that these injuries were fresh. Given Lǐ's delicate upbringing, it was unlikely anyone would dare to inflict such wounds on him daily. It was clear that he had inflicted them upon himself.

A person who can be so ruthless to himself, daring to self-harm like this must have a heart that is extremely hard, cold, and cruel!

The bodyguards, who were already somewhat afraid of Li An before, now felt even more apprehensive. This second son of the Li family was truly terrifying!

The bodyguard, after burning the knife, skillfully cut through the skin on Li An's arm; the pain made Li An's temples throb violently, causing him to break out in a cold sweat that drenched his shirt, turning it darker.

Yan Luoxi, are you satisfied now You've finally managed to take revenge on me by having fun with other men while I'm in excruciating pain!

Li An thought of Yan Luoxi and felt an unbearable ache in his heart. The agony from the wound on his arm seemed somewhat alleviated.

Even though the bodyguard treated Li An's injury, he still developed a high fever late into the night. In a state of weakness and pain, Li An felt as if he were dying. In this confused state, he saw Yan Luoxi again.

Yan Luoxi was running happily on the beach with a little child. He tried his best to catch up with them but could not move his legs, as if they had been bound by thousands of weights...

"Luoxi, wait for me... Luoxi, don't leave me..."

Li An raved in a feverish delirium for two days and nights, sweating profusely, terrifying the bodyguards to their core.

They were all bodyguards brought by Li An from his home, assigned to him by Li Haonan. If the youngest son of the Li family encountered any trouble under their protection, they wouldn’t be alive either.

Fortunately, on the third morning, Li An finally woke up, though he was in poor spirits.

Looking at the endless expanse of primeval secondary forest around him, Li An croakily asked one of his bodyguards. He found out that they had been here for four days and three nights already and couldn't help but close his eyes in despair.

Four days!!!

Wan Qiang and Dafeng must have discovered by now that he hadn’t returned the other day, and would have started sending people to search for him with full force. His brother and Uncle Xin would also come if they found out that he was missing in the Golden Triangle.

But after four days, no one had found him yet. This proved that this place was rarely visited by humans, geographically complicated, and hard to locate.

If he were healthy, even without food or water, he could endure for several more days, which might allow them to find him eventually. But in his current state, it seemed unlikely that he would last until then.

Li An looked up at the towering trees with no gaps between branches and leaves, seeing Yan Luoxi’s face before his eyes again. She was smiling at him, calling out his name repeatedly. Li An felt a stir in his heart, reaching out to touch her face, only for an intense pain to shoot through his arm, snapping him back to reality.

Seeing the desolate surroundings around him, Li An couldn’t help but laugh silently. Could it be that he was experiencing a deathbed visioned at Yan Luoxi with his hand. "Let go, don’t bite."The furious Yan Luoxi finally found an outlet to vent her anger; even after tasting blood in her mouth, she still clenched her teeth."You bastard… l...