Qiao Jing was thinking when George suddenly raised his hand and pointed at the boats quickly approaching the island, exclaiming in alarm, "Not good, those are Mr. John’s boats!"
"They must have discovered we’re hiding on the island and have come to capture us!"
As he said this, George turned to look at Qiao Jing, his face visibly tense, "Master, they’re almost here; we better hide for now!"
He had barely finished speaking when boats began to dock one after another.
The first to disembark were John and Frank.
Seeing this, Qiao Jing couldn’t help but frown and said to Zhan Qipei, "They have more people; we really need to hide first. Let’s run back the way we came."
If Tang Yan and his people were also there, they wouldn’t need to hide at all.
Unfortunately, Tang Yan and the others hadn’t returned to the agreed spot yet, and with John’s side having more people, just relying on her and Zhan Qipei, even if they were capable fighters with excellent skills, they would still be at a disadvantage.
After all, two fists can’t beat four hands!
Qiao Jing grabbed Zhan Qipei’s hand and turned to run toward the woods nearby, not forgetting to remind George, "Hurry up and follow."
She had managed to escape successfully, thanks to George’s help.
If it hadn’t been for George taking the opportunity to knock out the guards at the port, her escape plan might not have gone so smoothly.
But from John’s perspective, George was a complete traitor.
If caught, George definitely wouldn’t have a good outcome!
As Qiao Jing and the other two ran into the woods, John and Frank led their men in pursuit.
The island’s forests were extensive, and the one that Qiao Jing and her companions had entered was particularly dense and complex.
After entering the woods and being chased by John and his people, George accidentally got separated and failed to keep up with Qiao Jing and Zhan Qipei.
The three were forced to split into two groups.
Upon seeing this, Frank immediately asked John for instructions, "Mr. John, that kid George ran in another direction. Should we dispatch some men to pursue him, or...?"
John waved his hand decisively and commanded, "Never mind him for now. Focus our manpower on capturing Professor Qiao first!"
After all, the Professor Qiao they had been trying so hard to find was right in front of them. To disperse forces to chase George now would be to lose sight of the main objective.
If they allowed Professor Qiao to escape because of that, it would be a terrible loss!
After capturing Professor Qiao, they could deal with George later!
Zhan Qipei noticed George was missing and mentioned to Qiao Jing, "It looks like your apprentice has gotten lost."
"It doesn’t matter, getting separated might be a good thing."
Without stopping, Qiao Jing continued leading Zhan Qipei through the forest.
These last two days, she hadn’t been idle. While hunting for wild rabbits, she took the opportunity to familiarize herself with the island’s terrain.
Although knowing the terrain wouldn’t allow them to completely shake off John and his people, they could still gain some distance by using this advantage.
As long as they could buy some time to find Tang Yan and the others, that would be enough.
As for George, it was actually safer for him not to be with her.
Now, John’s sole focus was on capturing her, so she believed John wouldn’t disperse his men to catch George at this moment, giving her a chance to escape.
Zhan Qipei looked back and saw the pursuers still hot on their trail. He gathered his eyebrows, which were like mountainous mists, a hint of annoyance appearing on his face.
"I came in too much of a hurry. If only I had thought to bring some signal flares."
If he had signal flares, he could fire one now, letting Tang Yan and the others know his and Qiao Jing’s location so they could come to reinforce them in time!
Just then, John’s voice suddenly came from behind them.
"Professor Qiao, stop running. There are just the two of you; you won’t get away. It’s no use wasting your energy."
Qiao Jing furrowed her brows and, with a pivot of her feet, pulled Zhan Qipei to run in another direction.
To be honest, if it weren’t for her pregnancy slowing her movements, those people wouldn’t have had any chance of catching up with her.
Seeing that Qiao Jing had no intention of stopping, John bit his lip and raised his voice again, "Professor Qiao, if you don’t stop now, we will have to shoot!"
As John’s words ended, two piercing gunshots rang out, shattering the silence of the island.
Even so, Qiao Jing still had no plans to stop.
John was still counting on her to help research a new type of wheat, so she was certain that John’s threat was just that—a threat.
John wouldn’t possibly harm her life.
If she died, wouldn’t John’s new wheat research project be ruined?
Qiao Jing’s deduction was right. John indeed did not dare to take her life.
But he also didn’t want to give Qiao Jing another chance to escape.
He turned his head and said to Frank, "Fire, aim carefully, and remember not to aim at vital parts. Don’t harm Professor Qiao’s life.
After Frank replied, he raised the handgun in his hand, aiming the muzzle at Qiao Jing’s leg.
Qiao Jing had been paying attention to the terrain around her, contemplating strategies to shake off John and his men, and hadn’t noticed that she had been targeted.
It was Zhan Qipei who happened to look back unintentionally and saw what was happening.
At the moment Frank pulled the trigger, Zhan Qipei, with swift eyes and hands, pushed Qiao Jing away.
As the gunshot sounded, Zhan Qipei fell to the ground.
Qiao Jing stumbled from the push but managed to steady herself quickly thanks to her agility.
Once steady, she immediately realized what had happened.
Turning around sharply, she saw Zhan Qipei lying on the ground, a clear gunshot wound at the base of his thigh, from which blood rushed out in torrents.
At that sight, Qiao Jing’s heart skipped a beat, and her heart suddenly rose to her throat.
That feeling, like she was about to lose something incredibly important, brought a sudden rush of fear over her.
Qiao Jing suddenly thought of when Grandpa Zhang had passed away.
At that time, she felt as if the sky were falling.
And now, seeing Zhan Qipei shot and injured, she felt the same way.
Qiao Jing’s complexion turned a few shades paler, the first time she had ever looked so panic-stricken.
She rushed over, knelt in front of Zhan Qipei, grabbed his hand, and asked frantically, "Zhan Qipei, how are you? Are you okay? Can you hear me speaking?"
However, the man did not respond at all.
His eyes were tightly closed, and he was unconscious.
Seeing him , Qiao Jing completely lost her composure, her tears suddenly pouring out, her voice choked, "Zhan Qipei! Zhan Qipei! Wake up..."
It was also at this moment that Qiao Jing truly and profoundly realized she had fallen in love with this man.
This fear of loss was actually the feeling of deep love...
Just then, John and Frank, along with their men, surrounded them.
Seeing how emotional Qiao Jing was, John felt that the situation was getting out of hand and hastily made excuses, "Professor Qiao, you can’t blame us for this. We didn’t want things to turn out this way."