Chapter Eighty-Six: The Road to Escape

After He Zhixing hung up the phone, he immediately said to the taxi driver, “Sir, please take me to the Haoyouduo Supermarket near the second entrance of Nofeng Fashion on Xipu Road.”

Initially, he’d planned to go straight to the company, but after some thought, he decided it wasn’t the best idea and changed his mind at the last moment. The driver responded, “Alright, we’re almost there.”

He Zhixing felt relieved when he noticed how fast the driver was going. Glancing back, he saw a car several hundred meters behind them, obviously tailing them closely. Forcing himself to stay calm, he noted that they had already passed Nofeng Fashion Company and were about to reach Haoyouduo.

As the car pulled into Haoyouduo Plaza, He Zhixing spotted his own SUV. Standing next to it was a young man in a security guard uniform, waiting and constantly watching the vehicles coming in from the supermarket entrance. He Zhixing recognized him as one of the guards from his company.

The taxi stopped beside the young guard. The security guard immediately recognized him and called out, “Director He!”

He Zhixing nodded and said, “Thank you for your hard work. I’ll take it from here. You can go now. But don’t leave through here—go inside the supermarket and wait for half an hour after my car leaves before you come out and return to the company, understood? Stay safe!”

He Zhixing patted him lightly on the shoulder, and the young guard, understanding, went into the supermarket. He Zhixing then jumped into his SUV and sped off. Just as he was leaving the Haoyouduo grounds and hitting the main road, the pursuers finally caught up. Two or three cars were now chasing after him. Seeing He Zhixing’s car already five hundred meters ahead, they hurriedly turned around and raced after him.

Driven by instinct, He Zhixing headed toward his hometown, got onto the highway, and pushed his speed to two hundred kilometers per hour, streaking down the expressway from the provincial capital toward Le City. After some time, he suddenly veered off at the Y City exit and sped directly toward Y City.

Liu Tian and his group saw He Zhixing take the exit, so they followed him into Y City as well. He Zhixing didn’t stop in the bustling downtown area. He remembered coming here once with his monk mentor; if he passed through the city, there was a turnoff that led to a large temple called Puzhao Temple, a place with treacherous terrain and a perfect hiding spot.

But instead of taking that turn, he doubled back and drove straight to the Y City Municipal Government building, parked his car there, got out, and quickly hailed another taxi. The pursuers didn’t see where he’d left his vehicle—only that He Zhixing had now gotten into a taxi. They were puzzled, wondering where he’d hidden his car.

He Zhixing handed the taxi driver three hundred yuan and said, “Drive as fast as you can to the mountains near Lijia Village on the outskirts. Park by the village entrance and wait for me. I’ll be back in half an hour, and then you’ll take me out to the mountain road in front of Puzhao Temple.”

The driver was delighted to be paid so much—more than he sometimes made in a whole day—and quickly agreed, “No problem, boss. Buckle up.”

At Lijia Village entrance, He Zhixing got out, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and walked into the village. Moments later, several cars arrived at the village entrance. Liu Tian and his father, along with the others, finally caught up and got out, only to find He Zhixing was no longer in the car. They knocked on the taxi driver’s window and asked, “Where did the man who just rode with you go?”

The taxi driver replied, “I don’t know where he went. He just headed into the village.”

Liu Tian’s father, the priest, said urgently, “Hurry! Don’t let him get away…”