The bandits, never having heard a car horn before, were startled and hid behind trees. Lin Chi and I took advantage of the moment to drive our car off the bridge and onto solid ground. With the tires on stable ground, we could finally focus on the fight.
Wu Zhao got out of the car barehanded and went to negotiate. The bearded man also emerged from behind a tree, sizing Wu Zhao up. "Well, well, a harbinger from the Underworld Department! Visiting us?"
Wu Zhao was wearing her official uniform.
"Since you know it's the Underworld Department on official business, why aren't you clearing the way?" Wu Zhao asked sternly, hands behind her back.
The bearded man crossed his arms, tilting his head to look at Wu Zhao from the neck down. "Judging by your build, you must be Commander Wu, right?"
"Indeed, I am," she replied.
"We can let you pass, but I have a condition." The bearded man stroked his beard. Just by looking at his lecherous expression, I knew what he was about to say.
As expected.
"If Commander Wu can stay and spend a night with this great king, I'll let you all pass."
"Nonsense!" Wu Zhao exclaimed, though she made no aggressive move. Instead, she feigned weakness. "Great King, how about we change the condition?"
The bearded man was quite pleased with Wu Zhao's fawning, raising his chin. "Tell me about it."
"A whole night is out of the question, I have important duties. But, one time is possible…" Wu Zhao smiled.
*Pfft!* Laughter came from behind me. I peeked out and saw Lin Chi. I scowled at her, wondering what was so funny. This was just Wu Zhao's way of handling things.
Hearing that there was a chance, the bearded man immediately perked up. "That works too. But… Lord Wu, what exactly are you carrying in these strange vehicles of yours?"
"You don't need to know, do you?" Wu Zhao chuckled, her meaning clear. *I'm willing to spend a night with you, so don't get any ideas about the cargo.*
The bearded man shook his head. "No, no, that's still too good for you. How about this: no matter what's in your vehicles, you leave one of the three cars behind, and you can take the other two."
"Then do I still need to spend the night with you?" Wu Zhao asked.
"Of course, that's the prerequisite!" the bearded man said earnestly.
"Uh…" Wu Zhao thought for a moment. "Alright then, where shall we go? Here?"
"This place is unsuitable. Go to my tent behind there," the bearded man said, gesturing with his thumb over his shoulder.
Wu Zhao glanced back at me, winking. I guessed her plan and nodded in agreement.
Wu Zhao turned back to the bearded man. "It might be inconvenient to park our cars here, right? Big brother, where do you think would be a more suitable place to park, so we don't hinder your continued fortune-making?"
Seeing Wu Zhao's cooperation, the bearded man's guard dropped considerably. He pointed to a clearing in the woods behind them. "Park them over there. But you still have to leave one car for us."
"Oh, there's no rush for that. We can pick one after you've had your fun, big brother. Whichever car you like is fine. You should inspect the goods yourself, shouldn't you!" Wu Zhao said coyly.
"Heh heh, you're a sensible girl. I like your kind," the bearded man said, rubbing his hands together. He came over and put his arm around Wu Zhao's shoulder. Wu Zhao didn't resist, obediently following him to the tent behind. The other bandits then directed us to drive the three trucks to the clearing.
I observed the area. The clearing wasn't in an ideal location; it was situated right in the middle of all the bandits. This was both a disadvantage and an advantage. As long as we formed a circular defense, we could face all the bandits directly.
Of course, I trusted the abilities of the harbingers. After parking the vehicles, I used the walkie-talkie to contact the harbingers positioned front and back. Using a tree stump in the clearing as a marker, upon receiving my command, they were to disembark, surround the stump, form a "Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams formation," and shoot any bandit in sight!
I lit a cigarette, waiting for news from Wu Zhao.
As Wu Zhao and the bearded man entered the tent, about a minute later, I noticed the bearded man's aura suddenly disappear from within. Without waiting for Wu Zhao's signal, I made a decisive order: "Action!"