"Does it know Zhou You's inside?" Two rejoiced, joining the search. The earpiece remained unresponsive, perhaps damaged on the other end.

Chapter 173: Breaking the Siege (Part II)

Leaning against Shao Qi, Zhou You and the team finally cleared a secure path. They needed to evacuate before attempting further rescues.

They heard a commotion from outside; mutated beasts were approaching, and in significant numbers. There were only six of them left outside. If any high-level beasts arrived, they wouldn't hold out for long.

"There's something off about today. Explosions don't just happen without a reason. Someone must have anticipated our moves, or there's a mole among us. Who knows what kind of danger awaits outside?" Shao Qi whispered to Zhou You.

Zhou You took a brief rest and was mostly alright, but his internal energy was only at about a third of its full strength. Still, Shao Qi insisted on carrying him, creating the illusion that Zhou You was utterly drained.

"Alright, we're almost through. This wall can't be more than two meters thick. Let's break through it together." Leading the way was a tall, robust young man from Zhou You's team. He volunteered to take the lead.

As his fist was about to strike, a tiger's roar echoed from outside, indicating its close proximity. It might have been drawn by the scent of food.

Lin Yuan Kang, startled, withdrew his fist and looked anxiously at Shao Qi. If they were surrounded by mutated beasts outside, they might be safer staying put.

Shao Qi squeezed Zhou You's thigh, silently conveying a message. They recognized that roar - it was from the white tiger cub, and it had somehow managed to track them down.

They hadn't brought the white tiger when they set out, thinking the mission would last at least a month. The march was too fast-paced for the tiger. Yet, could it be that the tiger also made its way out of the marshland?

"Keep going," ordered Shao Qi. Lin Yuan Kang, wiping his sweat, resumed his punches. One blow only managed to make a 30 cm indentation. Shao Qi set Zhou You down, signaled for everyone to step back a meter, and told Zhou You to stand behind him.

With one swift palm strike, light flooded in. Everyone instinctively shielded their eyes. When they looked again, both Shao Qi and Zhou You had vanished. As the rest hurried out, they saw a massive mutated white tiger sprinting away, with one person on its back and another chasing behind.

It seemed that Captain Shao and Lieutenant Zhou had driven off the mutant tiger. Faced with the dilemma of whether to pursue or stay back to rescue the others, they hesitated.

"Come on, snap out of it and help with the rescue!" Although Miao Miu only caught a glimpse of the white figure, she had a hunch about its identity. Just then, Zhuo Hao and Long Gan, both visibly injured, approached, causing alarm.

"What happened?"

"Was it that mutated tiger?"

"Where are the others?" The questions poured in.

Zhuo Hao quickly assessed their numbers, a grim expression on his face. "We've got a traitor. Someone planted an ultrasonic device at the entrance, attracting a horde of mutated beasts. Aside from us, everyone else has been lost."

The sight of broken bodies and pools of blood painted a gruesome picture.

"Who's the traitor?" They demanded angrily.

"Chen Shu."

"What? Old Chen? It can't be him!"

"Look for his body if you don't believe me. He fled as soon as the beasts arrived."

Miao Miu cursed bitterly, rallying the group. "Never mind him for now. Saving our teammates is the priority. He better hope he never crosses our paths again."

Everyone sprang into action. Zhou You, atop the white tiger, signaled for it to halt with a gentle pat.

Shao Qi circled the white tiger, inspecting it for injuries. Thankfully, it was just a bit dirty. Patting its head, he said, "Truly the best in the world. But I'm curious, how did you catch up?"

The white tiger nuzzled Zhou You affectionately, then yawned. It was clear that it had traveled day and night to reach them.

"We can't stay away too long; there are still people trapped. You haven't fully recovered, so take this time to rest with our feline friend. Think about our next move, whether to have it accompany us openly or secretly. I'll head back to help."

"Alright, shout if you need anything." After waiting for Shao Qi to leave, Zhou You looked around before gently patting the white tiger's head, murmuring, "Xiao Bai, let's hunt down the bad guys. Can you scent any humans nearby? They must be hiding close by."

"The fact that they could plant a bomb in the supermarket and time the explosion so precisely suggests they are monitoring from nearby. They might be watching my every move."

Zhou You's suspicion was half right. Indeed, a group was hiding in the nearby city government building. However, aware that martial artists have acute senses, they didn’t constantly monitor the area. They occasionally checked through a telescope and, as long as things went according to their plan, they could effortlessly eliminate them all.

"Quite a few of them have managed to escape and are now being rescued over there. What should we do? Do we need to confront them?" The man with the telescope asked, turning back after a glance.

A tall man, towering over the rest, approached to stand beside him. Dressed in a gray armor and wearing a black face mask, he inquired, "Check the number of survivors. Is Shao Qi still alive?"