Four kilometers upstream from the previous firefight there is a mountain peak, which is the highest commanding height in comparison to the surrounding terrain.
Song Heping's "taking a gamble" referred to going to the top of this mountain peak and then turning on his cell phone to search for a signal.
In the dense primeval rainforest, the mobile signal can be interrupted by the terrain and the trees, leading to "dropped connections".
This mountain is only about 30 kilometers away from Tame; Song Heping didn't know what the mobile network coverage was like in Colombia, so he could only "bet" on it.
But he was also well aware of the consequences that would result as soon as he connected to the network.
That would be signals being captured and then tracked.
All cell phones have a unique code that can be tracked once the device is switched on using technical means.
Of course, the Colombian Military wouldn't lack such capabilities, so turning on the phone entailed great risk. If there happened to be a search squad nearby the mountain peak, it was very likely that they could be caught in a crossfire and unable to escape.
Having slaughtered an entire special forces squad of the Colombian government army before, they would have certainly reinforced their troop deployment in the vicinity, which significantly increased the risk of such a move.
But without doing so, the two of them had absolutely no other way out.
It was still pouring heavily with rain.
This made Song Heping feel slightly relieved.
The torrential rain would increase the difficulty of the government army's search efforts, as the water would wash away footprints making it hard for them to track him based on these marks.
However, what the rain brought with it was the loss of body heat.
Even though this is South America, the temperature in the rainforest isn't high, especially during the rainy season. Once it rains heavily, the temperature can drop below 10 degrees. The continuous wetness can lead to a sustained loss of body heat.
It's broad daylight now, and Song Heping decided not to rush to the mountains to look for a signal right away. Instead, he decided to find a place to hide first.
After the previous firefight, the jungle was surely full of search patrols. A careless encounter could bring big trouble.
But hiding in the forest wasn't safe either…
The tree hollow he hid in before would definitely be discovered. As a result, during the search, every tree hollow would be thoroughly inspected.
If he chose to hide in a tree hollow again, he would definitely be caught.
"Do you know of any places nearby where we can hide?"
Song Heping had no choice but to seek the help of Morins, a local.
To his constant disappointment, Morins simply shook his head and said, "I'm not familiar with this area."
"Fuck, are you even a local?! And you dare to call yourself the boss of an armed organization, how can you not have any real skills? I thought you knew the jungle like the back of your hand, just like your own home."
Song Heping couldn't help but berate the leader of the ELN armed forces.
"I used to be active in the north, I don't come to this side often." Morins explained, "Before I became the boss, I led several armed forces in the northern region. It was after our old boss died in a government army airstrike that I was elected as the boss."
"Then why do you live in a camp on this side?" Song Heping asked.
Morins replied, "After I became the boss, with the government army putting a bounty on me and ramping up the roundup in the northern region, everyone decided to move me here for my safety. This was meant to be secret; even the government forces didn't expect I would hide so close to Tame. I didn't think that kid Rash would sell me out."
This explanation could account for the situation.
Song Heping could only accept the reality.
"We can't stay here any longer."
He looked around; they were in a certain spot in the rainforest, amidst a large expanse of bushes.
Such places might seem concealed, but a search squad passing through would definitely focus on checking these spots.
It wasn't safe at all.
"Let's go to the river bank."
"The river bank?"
"Yes," Song Heping said, "I took a look at the river you guys have here; there should be places along the bank where we can hide. It's not safe hiding in the forest. They have night vision equipment, and even if we hide in the bushes, we can easily be spotted."
He was referring to body heat and infrared radiation.
Now, with heavy rain and cloudy skies, the jungle was as dark as it would be at four or five in the morning, and the light was very dim. If he were a member of the search squad, he would also use night vision goggles.
Using infrared thermal imaging mode, hiding in the forest wouldn't be very effective; the only option would be to hide in a hole.
Which hole would be the safest?
Of course not one on land, but one by the water.
In mountainous rivers, there are often recessed rock caves, and riverbank vegetation is very dense. As long as they found a suitable spot, it would surely be very safe.
The other party would certainly not expect him and Morins to choose to hide in a water cave.
The two of them acted without delay.
Before the government army's net could tighten, they walked upstream along the river bank and actually found a natural stone cave by the river.
To call it a stone cave, it was actually just a recess about three meters deep. However, the plants along the bank concealed the entrance, and with a rocky L-shaped structure, once inside and hidden deep, it was impossible to tell from the outside.
Once the two of them crawled into the cave, Song Heping suddenly realized he had made a mistake.
The water was too cold!
"So... so cold..."