Qi Jiguang looked over his shoulder when he realized that the soldier was taking aim at them. He practically lifted Han Xin off of the ground to move him towards the woods and off of the open path. The bullets began flying toward them at that moment.

"Sir these must be the American super soldiers, they are moving fast!" Qi Jiguang stated.

"I can see that Qi Jiguang but in my condition I do not think I can run fast enough. Leave me behind, you may assume the leadership role." Han said feeling defeated.

"I will not do that sir. I can still run with you over my shoulder." Qi Jiguang replied, while throwing Han over his shoulder. Jiguang began running faster while zigging and zagging through the woods in an effort to dodge the bullets that had now become like a hail storm.

"Sir how many of them do you see back there?"

"I can't tell for sure but there must be about 10 to 15 of them." Han responded.

Jiguang picked up his pace as he could feel them slowly closing in on him.

"How could they have known we were here?" Han asked rhetorically.

Han began thinking back on his life. Perhaps he should have listened to Qi Lian and Qi Wei when they told him to just be happy with his place in life. Perhaps they were right that more power would come to him if he waited longer. Maybe he should have not tried to grab control of everything all at once.

Yet how could he have ever imagined being in this circumstance? How could he have known that there were other superior beings out there, that would be fighting against him.

Han could verify what Qi Jiguang was feeling. These troops were moving in fast, and the bullets were getting closer and closer to being on target. In fact at this moment one flicked through the air, just missing his head and slamming into a tree trunk beside him. He watched as the shards of wood scattered across the ground from the impact. In this moment Han was sure he was going to die.

Was it possible that in death he would be reunited with Qi Lee? This question began to burn in his mind. Something that had never really been discussed during the upbringing of the Red Tide soldiers was what happened after you die? Is there some place that everyone goes after death? Are you reunited with loved ones? Would he be able to see Qi Lee and the good doctor? Would the good doctor even want to see him after what he had done?

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Now seemed to be a good time to contemplate the afterlife as any. Possibly being so near to death was the cause of such thoughts. Han had learned a bit about the various religions. Certainly he did not know enough to be considered a scholar on the subject but he knew enough to be able to carry on discussions about these religions. This was a part of being able to believably blend in with various populations. The Chinese government had anticipated that they might be using Red Tide soldiers as spies at some point.

At that moment yet another close call, with a bullet crashing into the ground beside him. He could feel a bit of dirt flying up and hitting him on the cheek. Then Han heard the squealing of tires. They must be getting close to the road he thought, still feeling hopeless. But then he noticed that the bullets that he heard no longer seemed to be firing in his direction. And there came another set of squealing tires.

Han struggled to adjust his position so he could catch sight of what was going on. However it was difficult to do so since Qi Jiguang was holding him tightly.

"Sir the cavalry has arrived." Qi Jiguang explained.

"Really? This is incredible news." Han replied.

Han then heard even more bullets fire. He could hear the smashing of a car windshield. He felt Qi Jiguang moving toward the road now. When Qi Jiguang dropped Han he found himself in the middle of several cars. The front 3 cars were being used as a shield for the back three cars. Han hopped in to one of the cars in the back along with Qi Jiguang. The car jerked backwards quickly after they got in and then spun around heading toward the road. Four other cars followed suit, as one was too damaged to get away in. The remaining cars were quite cramped.

"Thank you Qi Jiguang. Without you I would not have made it." Han said to his lieutenant.

"No need for thanks sir, you are our leader, I would do anything to keep you safe."

Han knew that this was true, and it gave him a sense of hope that they might be able to pull off their plan after all.

"Can we check on if we have any more fatalities please?" Han asked of Qi Jiguang.

"Yes sir, I am getting on it."

"I really hope we have avoided more losses, we have had enough for one day." Han said.

"Everyone seems to be accounted for, though we have another soldier who has sustained injury. So where are we heading next sir?"

"We are heading for the hospital Qi Jiguang. That is the most likely place we will find Qi Lian. We must have our revenge. And besides even if she is not there, we can get some of our soldiers patched up quickly." Han said.

"Yes sir I will inform the others we are heading for the hospital in Plattsburgh."

"Thank you Qi Jiguang. I really mean it, thank you." Han said.

"No problem sir, at your service."