America: I came here to study, not to show mercy.

Chapter 228 Escaping into the deep mountains and forests, encountering people

The weather was lovely today, sunny and warm. With the heat building up throughout the day, Haggstown was enveloped in a lazy and cozy atmosphere in the afternoon.

People come and go in the town, and the sparse traffic brings a burst of car roars as cars drive by, and the streets and buildings quickly return to the tranquility unique to this remote town.

Outside the hotel, a cat, whose fur was snow-white and smooth, lay nestled under a bush, tilting its head back and opening its mouth to yawn.

Inside a room on a high floor of the hotel, however, came a different, more subdued murmur.

"Sean...Sean..."

Having already been pushed onto the bed by the young man, her teeth had long been breached by him. Her lips and tongue initially responded awkwardly, but were immediately submerged in the young man's passion and allowed to be explored at will. Feeling the young man's large hands caressing various parts of her body, Victoria trembled uncontrollably and let out a few whispers from her throat.

"what happened?"

Naturally, he couldn't just let himself be happy. Even though the girl's voice was very soft, Li Xiaoen took a deep breath, quickly got up, and looked at Victoria, who was lying on top of him.

However, the girl's hands were awkwardly placed in front of her, which made his breathing become heavy again, and he suddenly had a thought of bullying her.

"Victoria, don't you want to?"

"I……"

Victoria opened her mouth, but before she could speak, she looked away. Thinking of her family, a layer of sorrow settled in her heart. She steeled herself and looked back at him, "Just... honey, okay?"

Li Xiaoen paused for a moment, and the restlessness and passion in his heart subsided considerably. He smiled and nodded, "I'll do whatever you say."

Hearing this, Victoria was overjoyed. However, when she saw that the young man did not immediately take her back, but instead turned around and reached to the bedside table to hand her the water bottle that she had been drinking from, which was still half full, she was momentarily stunned.

"Victoria, drink some water first."

Why... do you suddenly want me to drink water?

Victoria frowned slightly, and seeing the young man looking at her expectantly, she reluctantly tilted her head back and took a sip.

"Let's drink some more, let's finish this first."

Li Xiaoen raised his chin.

"You're really... weird..."

She gave him a helpless look, pursed her lips, and did as she was told, finishing the rest of the water in the bottle before looking at him questioningly, "Sean, can you give me a reason?"

Although the young man's behavior was very strange, especially like that of a criminal with ill intentions, she was not worried and did not think that the young man would harm her.

"Um……"

After a moment's hesitation, Li Xiaoen reached out and put the empty bottle back in Victoria's hand. Then, with a forced smile, he looked at her and said, "Let me give you some water so our kiss will be more comfortable."

Victoria's face froze for a moment, then she snapped out of it and glared at him through gritted teeth.

"Dirty!"

"Ha ha……"

Li Xiaoen laughed twice. Only a gentle girl like Victoria would react this way. If it were Su Feier, she would probably start to suspect that he had added something to the water bottle when he handed it to her. Although she would coax her to drink it, she would definitely test her again and again afterward.

Sure enough, the gentle and soft-spoken younger sister is easier to bully.

A sense of malice crept into his mind, and Li Xiaoen reached out and hugged Victoria tightly before collapsing onto the bed.

He kissed her full, red lips, forcibly suppressing the urge to continue the intimacy, and nodded to the girl with a smile.

"You must not have been sleeping well these past few days. Take this opportunity to catch up on your sleep, and we'll set off tomorrow."

"Oh……"

Victoria's eyes widened at first, and it took her a while to come to her senses. She smiled with her lips pursed, feeling a warm feeling enveloping her heart.

She lowered her gaze and nodded slightly.

"Um……"

"Sean...didn't you say you were going to sleep?"

"It's for sleeping."

"Then...why don't you go back to your bed?"

"Oh...I want to hold you and sleep together, okay?"

"..."

Snapped.

"You're talking about sleeping, so where are you going to put your hands?"

"I'll leave it there, I promise I won't move, okay?"

"You..."

"..."

"You moved! How am I supposed to sleep like this?"

"Really... is this an unconscious activity while sleeping?"

"You...you're really shameless..."

The room, with its curtains tightly drawn, was filled with a thin layer of darkness. It was very quiet, with two beds, and only one of them could be heard whispering between two people. The whispers would start every now and then, and after a long while, they would slowly fade away, finally settling into a long silence.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but just as Li Xiaoen was slowly regaining some consciousness from the boundless void, he felt a slight movement in his arms. His consciousness gradually returned, and he felt a soft touch on his lips.

He couldn't help but take a deep breath, and Li Xiaoen tightened his arms around the girl in his arms. He lowered his head to kiss her where she had been, but unfortunately, all his lips touched were thousands of messy strands of hair.

"Ha ha……"

A sound like wind chimes reached her ears, and Li Xiaoen reluctantly opened her eyes, meeting a pair of bright, mischievous emerald green eyes.

With Sophie, he always woke up first; with Victoria, it was the opposite—this was the first time he had been woken up like this in his dream.

Ignoring the smile in the girl's eyes, Li Xiaoen rolled over and pinned her down, lowering his head to passionately kiss her red lips. With one hand supporting himself on the bed, his other hand was not idle either, reaching under her clothes to caress her smooth and elastic skin, moving upwards.

"Hmph..."

With a soft groan, even though she had experienced it the night before, Victoria's body still trembled uncontrollably, her arms tightly wrapped around the young man's back.

"Sean..."

In a sudden moment, her consciousness returned, and she quickly lowered her hands, tightly grasping the young man's outstretched hand, "No..."

Li Xiaoen paused in his movements, smiled and nodded, then rolled over with the girl in his arms, letting her lie on top of him.

"What time is it?"

"Let me take a look."

It was the first time Victoria had ever been in this position, and she couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Taking this opportunity, she quickly got up and grabbed her phone from the bedside table.

"Hmm...we slept for quite a long time..."

Looking at her phone with a hint of surprise, Victoria nodded and replied, "It's 6:50 a.m. the next day."

"is it?"

Li Xiaoen raised an eyebrow. Apart from the time spent fidgeting before bed, they slept for about eleven hours.

I must have exhausted myself mentally and physically in the past few days. This hard-won peaceful sleep has really helped me make up for it.

Feeling a little uneasy, Li Xiaoen activated his Eye of Insight.

“Much profit… … ”

Smiling and greeting the girl, Li Xiaoen sat up, grabbed the blanket by both sides and draped it over his back, then pulled her into his arms. He got out of bed and went to the French windows. "Draw the curtains..."

"what happened again?"

Although she was puzzled, before the young man could answer, Victoria reached out and did as he said, pulling back the curtains. The soft, bright light illuminated her fair face, and she opened her eyes wide in surprise.

"Sean, it's sunrise..."

Because they were in a small, not very developed town, and on a high floor of the most expensive hotel, with no tall buildings around, they could see everything in the town below, stretching to the far horizon.

At this moment, the sun is rising in the east, and thousands of rays of dawn are shining down, making the entire world stretching from afar seem to be covered with a dazzling golden light.

"That's rare. It seems we were right to go to bed early yesterday."

Li Xiaoen chuckled, took a deep breath, and bent down to sit on the spacious sofa near the window.

"Um……"

With a soft hum, Victoria smiled and rested her head against the young man's chest. The two of them quietly looked back.

Having already spent most of the day in the town, the two enjoyed the sunrise for a while before packing up and leaving their room. They had a quick breakfast at the hotel and then drove to the town's largest supermarket.

The journey was long, so the two of them still had to keep enough water, food, and other necessities in the car.

As Li Xiaoen filled the shopping cart to the brim and waited at the checkout counter to have each item counted, his previously calm expression suddenly froze.

"Sean, what's wrong?"

Noticing the change in the young man's expression, Victoria asked in a low voice with surprise and suspicion, her body involuntarily tensing up.

"I don't want the rest."

Pushing the uncounted goods further away, Li Xiaoen ignored the cashier's frowning expression and handed over her bank card, saying, "Checkout, please hurry, thank you."

After quickly paying, Li Xiaoen pushed the shopping cart with one hand and took Victoria's hand with the other, walking briskly towards the parking lot.

"Sean, have they caught up with us?"

Seeing that no one was around, Victoria quickly spoke up and asked.

"Ah."

His face darkened, and Li Xiaoen nodded, his brows furrowed as he recalled any traces the two might have left behind or people they might have encountered at key intersections along the way. "I wonder how they found us..."

He quickly put the items into the trunk. With his Eye of Insight, he saw the middle-aged woman in a suit and uniform and two bodyguards walking briskly toward the supermarket, accompanied by Victoria's companion, Charlotte. Sean Lee quickly started the car and drove behind a house, hiding out of their line of sight.

Only after they had all entered the supermarket did he quickly start the car, press the accelerator hard, and drive towards a side road.

"What exactly gave away their whereabouts?"

It wasn't until they had driven several miles that Sean Lee relaxed and turned to look at Victoria beside him. "Could it be that you English have some unknown high technology that can track people across such a vast area?"

"Or do you have a tracking device on you?"

"what are you thinking about?"

Rolling her eyes, Victoria pursed her lips in dissatisfaction. "Isn't it possible that your car is just too eye-catching?" "..."

"This argument... seems to make a lot of sense."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiaoen paused for a moment, then nodded awkwardly.

After all, this isn't a major metropolis on the east or west coast. The closer you get to the less developed central region, the fewer top-of-the-line luxury cars like the Aston Martins they drive become. You can ask any passerby and they'll almost always remember where to find a luxury car they haven't seen in a long time.

"So, you pawned your car?"

Victoria raised an eyebrow mischievously.

Things haven't gotten to that point yet.

Li Xiaoen paused for a moment, then quickly waved his hand, earning an amused look from the girl. At the fork in the road ahead, he turned and drove onto a more secluded road that deviated from the navigation.

"Sean..."

Victoria called out in confusion.

"Even if our car is very conspicuous, we deliberately choose unusual, secluded, and deserted roads to drive on, so fewer people will see it, right?"

Li Xiaoen smiled and nodded at Victoria. The road was gradually surrounded by tall, dense forests. He casually pulled the canopy back and couldn't help but take a deep breath of the fresh air in the woods. "Besides, the scenery is more beautiful when we take this kind of secluded path, isn't it?"

"That's the truth."

Nodding meaningfully, Victoria asked again, "Then what will we eat? Will we just eat snacks and dry food?"

"of course not."

Li Xiaoen quickly shook his head in denial.

He asked himself honestly, if he wanted to avoid the girl's family so that she would suffer, he wouldn't agree, even if Victoria was willing. If she really had to suffer, he would rather let those people come looking for her. "When the time comes, we'll look around for houses, or drive out to find a town."

"It's okay for anyone to suffer, but not for your stomach."

After saying that, Li Xiaoen smiled and nodded at Victoria, "Most importantly, I'm afraid of thunder."

"..."

Snapped!
A car that was driving smoothly in a two-way single lane suddenly swerved and drifted into the opposite lane.

"Hey hey hey..."

Ignoring the pain in her back, Li Xiaoen steadied the car and exclaimed, "Victoria, be careful..."

“Your driving skills are excellent, I’m not worried.”

Clenching her teeth, Victoria glared at him, then turned her head away, angrily turning her gaze toward herself.

Fortunately, there wasn't a single car on this road at the moment. Li Xiaoen sighed helplessly and amusedly.

Come to think of it, based on his understanding of Victoria, if she really had a car, she certainly wouldn't have acted so irritably towards him, right?
As he pondered this, Li Xiaoen felt the coolness of the morning breeze. Even though someone was chasing him, he couldn't help but feel extremely comfortable.

Looking at the narrow road winding through the woods in front of him, with not a single car in sight, he nodded and sang along to the rhythm of the music player.

"Not really sure, but man, it feels like the first time..." (Unsure if this refers to someone who is new to the area)
"A conversation where we don't need the words..."
"..."

As she sang along to the music, she saw Victoria sit up straight and look over. Li Xiaoen smiled smugly at the girl, which immediately earned her an eye roll.

"There are a hundred reasons why it's..." (For example, seeing you in the morning makes me happy all day long).

The young man's singing voice was always beautiful. Victoria listened silently with her lips pursed, occasionally letting out a smug look at him. Finally, she couldn't help but exhale.

"I really don't know where you learned all these songs?"

What's wrong with these songs?

As if it were the most natural thing to stop, Li Xiaoen couldn't help but ask, then realized what she meant and shook her head with a wry smile, "I sing these songs just because I think they sound nice, I didn't deliberately learn them specifically for girls."

"Besides, this is my playlist, and I didn't learn it."

Finally, Sean Lee emphasized one more thing to Victoria.

"To put it another way, could you say that your playlist is full of these kinds of songs?"

Undeterred by the young man's intimidation, Victoria asked again with a smile.

"..."

"Okay, since you don't like my playlist, you can change it to yours."

Without dwelling on it further, Li Xiaoen shrugged. "As long as your playlist isn't all Beethoven Rhapsodies or something like that, it's fine."

"After all, you know, listening to those kinds of music in the deep mountains and forests is really creepy."

Upon hearing this, Victoria immediately fell silent.

The music on the control panel continued to resonate. Li Xiaoen silently looked ahead, a slight smile just beginning to appear on his lips, but he immediately gritted his teeth and let out a long hiss.

"Hey, I didn't say anything!"

Li Xiaoen quickly explained as he grabbed the girl's hand from behind.

"I have a feeling you're about to say something."

Victoria withdrew her hand and gave him a gentle smile.

He opened his mouth, but to avoid further physical harm, Li Xiaoen took a deep breath and resisted the urge to complain about the other person.

He switched his grip on the steering wheel with his right hand and rested his left hand on the window sill.

“I remember you brought dried fruit to the car and fed it to me.”

"Aren't you taking this for granted?"

Victoria gave the young man a reproachful look, then turned her gaze away. But after a short while, she lowered her head again, tore open the packaging, and handed him a small piece of dried fruit.

"Mmm...so sweet."

As he chewed slowly, Li Xiaoen nodded in approval, which immediately earned him an eye roll.

Because they had taken a detour through remote, sparsely populated mountain roads, the journey became longer. As they drove leisurely, accompanied by the sound of singing, and enjoying the beautiful scenery of America's late winter and early spring, the two of them rarely showed quiet and relaxed smiles.

Even Victoria began to hum a pleasant tune softly, and whenever this happened, Li Xiaoen would turn off the music.

They drove for several hours, and only when they occasionally drove out of the jungle and crossed bridges did they see the sun gradually climbing overhead.

As he listened silently to the girl's singing, occasionally using his [Eye of Insight] to scan the road ahead, Li Xiaoen's expression suddenly froze.

As soon as Victoria turned her head to look, she heard several consecutive, sharp moaning sounds.

The two men exchanged a glance, and the car continued driving forward. Finally, they found the source of the sound on a small hill not far from the roadside—a man dressed in dark clothes and a green hat was standing there with a gun in his hand, and the sound was probably coming from a whistle in his mouth.

As if sensing the movement of their car, the man glanced back, and just as the two men were about to jump, he turned back to look at the spot where he had been.

"Sean..."

Victoria turned to look at the young man.

"Let's go ask him."

After a moment's thought, Li Xiaoen nodded and made a decision, "It's almost noon now, let's go ask where the nearest town is and how to get there."

As the car drove into the deep mountains and forests, their cell phones had been out of signal for two hours. Apart from the satellite phone in the [Containment Space], they had no way to contact the outside world. This was why he had to activate the [Eye of Insight] from time to time to warn of unknown dangers ahead.

"it is good."

Victoria had no objection to the young man's decision and nodded in agreement before getting off the bus with him.

Before they could even approach each other, a figure hopped and skipped out of the jungle. Upon closer inspection, they realized it was a small deer with orange-yellow fur.

"Sean, it's a deer..."

Victoria opened her eyes wide and turned to look at the young man in surprise, but before she could finish speaking, a sudden sound made her tremble.

boom!
Looking back, she suddenly realized that the man's gun barrel was pointed directly at her, and the fawn had already fallen to the ground.

"Um……"

Frowning, Victoria let out a helpless and disappointed hum.

"Ha ha……"

Unable to suppress a laugh, Li Xiaoen reached out and pulled the girl in front of him into his arms. The girl pounded her chest with her fists, making him even more amused. "Victoria, didn't you see? She's holding a gun!"

"Furthermore, based on the results, the sounds from those whistles were probably used to lure the deer over."

"I can guess these things without you telling me!"

Looking up helplessly, Victoria took a deep breath, broke free from the young man's embrace, and pursed her rosy lips. "It's just that when I first saw that little deer coming over, I didn't make the connection."

She offered a weak explanation, but seeing that the young man's smile hadn't faded and had instead become even brighter, her eyes narrowed slightly. Just as she was about to lash out, a greeting came from the direction of the man in front of her.

Good afternoon! Are you here for a hiking trip?

"Oh, good afternoon."

Smiling and nodding, Li Xiaoen took the initiative to shake hands with his opponent, "We're here on a trip. It's noon now, and we'd like to find a small town nearby where we can rest."

"Nearby..."

Upon hearing this, the man frowned, tilted his head back, and thought for a while before turning back and shaking his head from side to side. "The nearest town is forty or fifty miles away."

After saying that, he smiled at the two of them, nodded his chin, and raised the prey in his hand to indicate that he was there.

“If you don’t mind, come to our farm for lunch. I’m going to town this afternoon to sell the deer, and I’ll take you with me.”

Upon hearing this, Li Xiaoen and Victoria exchanged a glance, and seeing the girl's look that indicated she wanted him to make the decision, they smiled and nodded in agreement.

"That's troublesome."

"No trouble, no trouble."

With a chuckle, the man waved his hand dismissively, "It just so happens that we rarely have visitors to our farm. My daughter has been complaining about being bored, so she'll definitely be happy to see you all."

The car only had two seats, so Li Xiaoen and his companion had to drive slowly alongside the man, searching for his mountain motorcycle a few hundred meters away.

The two then discovered that the man's motorcycle already had several carcasses of his prey hanging on it.

It's clear that the man's marksmanship is superb.

Maintaining a calm expression, Li Xiaoen took a deep breath and drove silently behind the other person, though his heart was still involuntarily on edge.

Perhaps it's because he watches too many horror movies, but when he encounters people in these deep mountains and forests, he feels more nervous than when he encounters wild animals.

(End of this chapter)