63: Chapter 63 The Girl and the Swaddling Clothes

Seeing that the compass needle was no longer spinning wildly, Cao Xiao breathed a secret sigh of relief; he had finally made it out!

As long as he bypassed this area of magnetic interference and headed back in one direction, he could return to the country in two days at most.

He somewhat regretted not preparing a satellite GPS, or else he would know his exact location right now; he hadn't prepared a satellite phone either, and his cell phone couldn't receive any domestic signals here at all. If anything really happened, he would truly be beyond help from heaven or earth.

The sun was blazing, and it was even more sweltering in the jungle. After walking for several hours, he was already drenched in sweat. Fortunately, there was a small river not far ahead; he would take a refreshing bath before moving on.

With no one around, he stripped naked and jumped into the river, feeling incredibly refreshed.

He ate some cooked food for lunch, changed into a set of cool clothes, and took out his map and compass for a careful comparison. He could now roughly determine his current position. He had wandered too far; returning by the original route would take quite some time. However, if he headed southwest, he could cross the foothills of Changbai Mountain and reach the border highway in about forty kilometers.

Coincidentally, this small river also flowed southwest. By following the river for twenty kilometers and then changing direction for a few more, he could reach the border line without worrying about getting lost.

There was no road by the river, but the terrain was relatively level, with grassy banks and low shrubs, allowing for a fast pace. By four in the afternoon, he had already covered more than twenty kilometers. He was almost out of Changbai Mountain. Cao Xiao saw two small mountain villages along the way, but he avoided them both. He was currently not within Huaxia's borders and didn't speak the language; rashly making contact might lead to him being treated as a spy.

The border line wasn't far now. If he picked up the pace, he could cross the border and reach the border highway before dark, then head to Provincial Road 302 in Ji Province to reach a nearby city. He wouldn't have to spend the night in the mountains today. Even though his space was fully stocked with various daily necessities and tools, resting in the wild was never as peaceful as being at home.

He plunged into the jungle, no longer stopping to gather medicinal herbs or wild fruits, focusing entirely on his journey. When he saw the North Korean border outpost in the distance, Cao Xiao felt like a traveler returning home, nearly moved to tears.

Just as he was preparing to dig an underground tunnel, the sound of a baby crying reached his ears. In this desolate mountain forest, it was incredibly loud. Aside from the distant outpost, the surroundings were uninhabited jungle, yet the sound didn't come from the direction of the outpost. Where did a baby come from? Could he have encountered something supernatural?

Despite the blazing sun, Cao Xiao couldn't help but shiver, his skin crawling all over.

The baby's crying stopped abruptly as soon as it started. He could faintly hear whimpering sounds, as if something was being muffled; the scene was indescribably eerie.

Even the soldiers in the outpost were alerted. A five-man squad was rushing toward the direction of the sound.

Cao Xiao decided to go over and take a look. It wasn't out of curiosity, but because this matter had to be clarified to prevent it from affecting his worldview when he recalled it later. He wasn't a staunch atheist, but he didn't believe in evil spirits either.

He wasn't afraid of being discovered by the border guards; it would take them at least ten minutes to rush over, while Cao Xiao was not far away and could get there in just a few minutes. By then, if he hid himself well and observed from a hundred meters away, he wouldn't be spotted.

He quickly changed into a set of black outdoor gear and crept toward the direction he had identified.

When he got close, he found nothing. Within a hundred-meter radius, there was nothing unusual on the ground, in the trees, or underground. The Detection Function didn't detect even a hint of magnetic fluctuation. Had that thing left the area?

The border guards were nearly there. He had no time to hesitate and quickly ran in the direction opposite the border outpost.

Suddenly, Cao Xiao stopped in his tracks. His eyes narrowed as he saw a series of messy traces on the ground a few meters ahead. Gently brushing away the fallen leaves, he could vaguely see that these were human footprints. The prints weren't large, belonging to either a woman or a child.

He chased in the direction of the footprints and found his target after moving less than ten meters, finally putting his heart at ease.

A girl of about fourteen or fifteen was holding a swaddle, with a large canvas bag on her back, shivering in a dense thicket of shrubs. Her expression was one of extreme terror. Inside the swaddle was a two or three-month-old baby, which explained the crying earlier. At this moment, the baby wasn't crying and was chewing on a pacifier while drinking milk.

Looking at the girl's attire and facial features, she was likely North Korean. As for why she appeared near the border with a months-old baby, he had no way of knowing.

Now Cao Xiao had to make a choice: should he turn around and leave, or help this girl escape? He could easily leave on his own, but this girl would definitely be discovered by the border guards. From the girl's terrified expression, he knew the consequences of her being found would be very severe.

This girl didn't look like a bad person. Cao Xiao couldn't bear to watch her get caught, especially with a baby in tow.

Having made up his mind, he quickly approached the girl. Her back was toward him, and her attention was focused on the direction of the outpost; she didn't notice Cao Xiao silently appearing behind her.

Cao Xiao suddenly covered the young girl's mouth with his hand to keep her from making a sound. The girl was instantly terrified by the sudden contact. Her hands naturally clawed upward, and her body struggled wildly. In her panic, her right hand holding the swaddle moved, and the bundle began to fall toward the ground. Fortunately, Cao Xiao was quick-eyed and nimble-handed, catching the swaddle in mid-air and pulling it into his own embrace.

With his hands full, Cao Xiao could only blink at the girl to signal her, making a soft shushing sound. Seeing this, the girl understood and stopped struggling. Cao Xiao lowered his right hand from her mouth, and the girl made no sound, simply looking at him with large eyes like a startled fawn. Since they didn't share a language, Cao Xiao didn't speak; he held the swaddle and gestured for her to follow him.

The girl didn't move, looking worriedly at the baby in Cao Xiao's arms. Cao Xiao returned the swaddle to her, took the large canvas bag from her back, and gestured again for her to follow. The girl no longer hesitated and followed closely behind Cao Xiao.

Cao Xiao led the girl about ten meters before ducking into a thick shrub. Inside was an irregular, downward-sloping tunnel entrance about two meters high. This was also Cao Xiao's handiwork; digging tunnels was now a familiar task for him.

Once he and the girl entered the tunnel, the large entrance behind them was restored to the appearance of the original ground. He also cleared the footprints he and the girl had left nearby. Even if those soldiers reached this spot, they wouldn't find any traces of them.

He took out a flashlight for illumination, and the girl followed him silently. They continued forward at a depth of ten meters underground, crossing the border and traveling several more kilometers before emerging from the earth.

It wasn't far from the border line and still wasn't very safe. They didn't stop to rest until they reached the border highway.

"Hello! Can you understand what I'm saying?" Cao Xiao turned back and asked the girl.

"I know a little Huaxia language. My name is An Ni, thank you!" The girl spoke in a version of international Mandarin and was about to bow to Cao Xiao.

Cao Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that she understood Huaxia language; with communication possible, things would be much easier. He wasn't surprised by An Ni's surname; there are 230 surnames in North Korea, 164 of which originated from Huaxia.

"This is already within Huaxia's borders. What are your plans?" Cao Xiao felt a bit of a headache. He had brought her over; he couldn't just leave her behind.

"My parents passed away, and my brother and sister-in-law died in an accident. Only my niece and I are left in the family, and they all want to bully me." An Ni's face was full of misery, and her eyes grew moist. After a pause, she added in a pleading tone, "I have nowhere to go. I'll go with you. I'll be your maid; I can cook and do laundry."

Cao Xiao didn't know what this girl had been through to flee into the jungle with a baby. But things being as they were, there was no other way. He could only take her with him for now and figure something out once they returned to Huanghe City.

"My car is just ahead. We'll go to a nearby city to rest first, and tomorrow I'll take you home." Cao Xiao didn't say much to her; in this day and age, there were no more 'maids.' He was helping her out of kindness and had never thought about An Ni repaying him.

Cars rarely passed on this border highway. He took the Leopard out of his space at a distance where An Ni couldn't see. An Ni didn't have an ID card and couldn't take trains or planes, so he could only drive all the way to Huanghe City.