Liu Tiezhu hadn't gone far before he noticed two burly men trailing him about twenty meters behind. They looked like they were heading the same way, but their eyes never left Liu Tiezhu's back.
Realizing he was being followed, Liu Tiezhu wore an indifferent expression and continued walking toward Chen Family Village.
Half an hour later, Liu Tiezhu arrived at Chen Family Village. After dozens of days away, the village had changed drastically. As far as the eye could see, there were dilapidated houses and crumbling walls everywhere.
"Looks like under the influence of the broader environment, Chen Family Village couldn't escape either," Liu Tiezhu observed for a moment before walking straight in.
"What's he doing here? Does he have family here?" The two followers were stunned, then grew excited. Jiang He had told them that discovering Liu Tiezhu's family would be a major achievement. There was no way Liu Tiezhu was bored enough to walk several kilometers to this place for fun. Thinking this, both men grew excited and quickened their pace to follow.
Liu Tiezhu didn't hide the purpose of his visit and headed straight for Chen Hailiang's house. A few minutes later, he passed by Chen Hailiang's home, glancing at it a few times before continuing on. Chen Hailiang's house had long since turned into ruins, whether by Guo Qixing's doing or bandits'.
To avoid the two men noticing anything suspicious, Liu Tiezhu continued wandering around Chen Family Village. Since he couldn't get any valuable information from Chen Hailiang's side now, he'd have to find Yang Hua.
"What's going on? Did he spot us?" The two men following behind looked puzzled. This was already the third lap Liu Tiezhu had led them on. During that time, he hadn't stopped or done anything suspicious, as if he were just strolling after a full meal.
"Forget it, keep watching. If he has family in Chen Family Village, they'll come out to meet him," the other man said.
While the two were talking, Liu Tiezhu had already left Chen Family Village and was heading back the way he came. Half an hour later, he returned to town and turned into a tavern. After eating his fill, he wandered aimlessly around the south of town again. Only when the sky began to darken did Liu Tiezhu head toward the camp on the outskirts.
"We wasted our time today," Zhang Tielin said.
Zhang Tieyan was about to respond but his expression shifted slightly as he opened his mouth. "Wait, what are those guys trying to do?"
Zhang Tielin was startled and immediately followed Zhang Tieyan's gaze. He saw four burly men dart out from a corner on South Street, sneaking along behind Liu Tiezhu.
"They're definitely going to kill Liu Tiezhu," Zhang Tielin said.
Zhang Tieyan asked, "Should we help?"
Zhang Tielin waved his hand. "No, our mission is to monitor him, not expose ourselves. This is a good chance to see the kid's real strength. Word has it he held his own against Zhang Guofeng and his two brothers in the collective barracks. I want to see if he's really as impressive as they say."
The four men moved quickly, daggers in hand. They were Jiang Tianliang's men, having waited nearby all day to ambush Liu Tiezhu. According to Jiang Tianliang's original plan, they were supposed to wait until the third checkpoint to arrange a sneak attack on Liu Tiezhu. But when he learned Liu Tiezhu had left the camp alone today, his mind immediately stirred, and he sent his subordinates to intercept him.
A few minutes later, the four men were within five meters of Liu Tiezhu. Liu Tiezhu had spotted them long ago but hadn't acted, deliberately luring them closer to the camp. Doing this served two purposes: first, it would let the camp people see who these subordinates belonged to; second, these men, mindful of their identities, wouldn't dare use guns near the camp, greatly reducing his risk.
So Liu Tiezhu pretended not to notice anything, quickening his pace toward the camp, and eventually stopped pretending and started running. To the onlookers, this seemed cowardly. But in Liu Tiezhu's mind, keeping himself safe was the priority. It wasn't that he couldn't take on the four men, but using a safer method to deal with them was more reliable. In Liu Tiezhu's view, those who thought they were tough and risked their lives to show off were just idiots.
This scene made the Zhang brothers' jaws drop simultaneously.
"What the hell, is this the guy who supposedly took on three?" Zhang Tieyan snapped, a look of disdain on his face as he came to his senses. "I think all those achievements were just blown up by the collective barracks people."
Zhang Tielin thought it over carefully and offered a different opinion. "Tieyan, that kid isn't scared; he's clever. He's not running out of fear—he's leading the four men to the camp. He's half a camp member now. Do you think the camp people would just stand by if they saw one of their own being ambushed?"
Zhang Tieyan was taken aback. "Damn, is he trying to use their strength against them?"
"Not exactly using their strength—he's still a good few dozen meters from the camp. The four won't let him achieve that," Zhang Tielin said.
"Then why is he running?" Zhang Tieyan was puzzled again.
"He's using the camp to intimidate them into not using guns. Think about it: if they fire near the camp, the camp people will come out. Even if they kill him, they'll be surrounded by camp personnel and won't escape easily." Zhang Tielin had fully analyzed Liu Tiezhu's plan.
Zhang Tieyan came to his senses and couldn't help but give a thumbs-up toward Liu Tiezhu's back. "This kid really is talented—not just strong but sharp-minded. No wonder Brother Jiang wants to recruit him."
Zhang Tielin said, "Let's just watch the show. If this kid is as impressive as the newbies in the collective barracks say, those four are in for trouble."
Up ahead, seeing Liu Tiezhu suddenly break into a run, the four men immediately understood his intention. Once he got close to the camp, they'd have a hard time acting.
"Damn it, this bastard spotted us long ago. We can't let him make it back to the camp, or we won't be able to explain to Brother Jiang," Liang Haichao, the leader, shouted as he charged forward first. The other three were quick to follow, keeping pace with Liang Haichao.
Two minutes later, Liu Tiezhu, who had been sprinting, stopped less than twenty meters from the camp. Seeing this, Liang Haichao couldn't help but burst into laughter. He waved his hand, and the men behind him quickly closed in, surrounding Liu Tiezhu in the middle.
Liang Haichao glared at Liu Tiezhu with murderous intent. "Kid, run! Keep running for me!"
Guo Zhicheng, standing beside Liang Haichao, followed up with a sinister grin. "Damn it, I've been waiting half the afternoon to catch you, you bastard. Don't die too fast later, or it won't be fun."
Meanwhile, Zhang Tieyan, observing from behind, was puzzled. Given Liu Tiezhu's speed earlier, he could have easily shaken off the four and made it into the camp. "Brother Tielin, that kid could have outrun them just now. Why did he stop? Isn't he asking for trouble?" Zhang Tieyan voiced his confusion.
Zhang Tielin replied, "He stopped not to ask for trouble, but to kill."