HC CH219
Birds swept across the clear sky above the forest sea, their wings beating against the air to create a surge of sound, like radio waves transmitting from the woods.
Deep within the ridges and peaks, Shu Tong looked obsequiously at “Black Peacock.” His massive, 1.9-meter frame was bent low, hands clasped together. “Mr. ‘Black Peacock,’ this is one of the bases ‘Wang Ting’ has prepared for ‘Floating Light.'”
Behind him was an air-raid shelter that looked bottomless at a glance. Darkness poured out from within, as if ready to devour anyone who gazed into it.
The man called “Black Peacock” had a pale face with the elegant bone structure of an Asian, the only betrayal of his Western lineage being those dark green eyes. When those eyes looked at Shu Tong with apparent depth, even this desperado who had survived numerous life-and-death situations felt a chill in his heart.
“Black Peacock” rarely spoke. Shu Tong thought, Perhaps the bosses of large organizations are all like this? Deliberately cultivating an air of mystery.
Shu Tong spat in his mind, but remained polite on the surface. “Mr. ‘Black Peacock,’ would you like to go in and take a look?”
Showing “Black Peacock” the defense works in this forest was the task “Wang Ting” had assigned to Shu Tong. After defecting to “Wang Ting,” Shu Tong was bent on making a name for himself. The cooperation with “Floating Light” was significant; “Wang Ting” could likely soar on the winds of “Floating Light,” and if this was handled well, he, Shu Tong, might become a top figure in “Wang Ting.”
Thinking this, Shu Tong’s gaze toward “Black Peacock” became even more eager.
The group entered the air-raid shelter.
The shelter was immense. The entrance was concealed by vegetation, leading to a deep, downward corridor. After passing a vertical descent shaft, they reached the main body below. It was extremely high and spacious, enough to accommodate all the equipment and personnel needed to produce “Snow Children.” It also had maze-like tunnels; if discovered, the people inside would have time to flee with the “Snow Children,” or even engage in urban-style warfare inside, trapping and killing any intruders.
Halfway through the tour, “Black Peacock” revealed a satisfied smile.
A stone fell from Shu Tong’s heart. Next, he took “Black Peacock” to visit other air defense works. These deep underground shelters were built when L Country was at war with other nations years ago; even missiles couldn’t do much to them, let alone L Country’s trash police.
However, upon returning to the surface, a trusted subordinate suddenly leaned in and whispered a sentence in Shu Tong’s ear. Shu Tong’s face changed color instantly. He subconsciously looked at “Black Peacock,” only to find “Black Peacock” examining him with curiosity.
“No, nothing, Mr. ‘Black Peacock,’ let’s go to the next shelter.” Shu Tong suppressed his worry. Without direct orders given to him, he didn’t dare let “Black Peacock” know that the police were attacking Weimannu City.
At this moment, a “Floating Light” member also whispered something in “Black Peacock’s” ear. “Black Peacock” cocked an eyebrow, his face sinking like still water as he looked at Shu Tong. “Mr. Shu Tong, before I came, I made high-level security demands. How did you promise me?”
Shu Tong broke into a cold sweat. How could he forget that “Floating Light” had an intelligence network far superior to “Wang Ting’s”? If he knew what was happening in Weimannu City, “Black Peacock” certainly knew too.
“Mr. ‘Black Peacock,’ listen to me!” Shu Tong agitatedly organized his words. “The police might just be doing a routine patrol. Put your heart at rest, the entire Weimannu region is ‘Wang Ting’ territory; the police wouldn’t dare try anything! Besides, Weimannu City is over two hundred kilometers from here. Even if the city is taken by the police, we are safe here!”
“Black Peacock” huffed a laugh. “Inviting me here to discuss cooperation… this isn’t a conspiracy between you and the police, is it? Using the ‘Snow Children’ production base as bait to let the police capture me.”
Shu Tong was shocked. “What are you saying? How could ‘Wang Ting’ collude with the police? Besides, police all over the world can’t handle ‘Floating Light.’ Our country hasn’t even solved gang conflicts; where would the police get the courage to go against ‘Floating Light’?”
“Black Peacock” said, “Your country’s police don’t have this idea, but what about that giant dragon from the East?”
Shu Tong wiped away his cold sweat, thinking it even more impossible. “Mr. ‘Black Peacock,’ you are truly overthinking. I assure you, the conflict in Weimannu City must be an accident. It will be quelled by tomorrow. If you are still uneasy, we won’t go to Weimannu City later; we will escort you out of the country directly from here.”
“Black Peacock” smiled and nodded. “Let’s hope it’s just an accident.”
Although he said that, Shu Tong was very uneasy inside. He was a seasoned veteran who had seen all kinds of storms. The L Country police were a bunch of rice buckets; whether in Salingauke or Weimannu, they never dared to go against the gangs. Nothing like this had ever happened before. Why cause trouble suddenly at this critical juncture?
The more Shu Tong thought, the more wrong it felt. “Black Peacock” suspected “Wang Ting” was colluding with the police. He had thought it was a joke, but thinking calmly, why would “Wang Ting” give such an important task—hosting “Black Peacock”—to an “outsider” like him?
Was he unaware of “Wang Ting’s” true plan?
And with such a big incident in Weimannu City, “Wang Ting” hadn’t issued him any orders; he only found out because of his own spy.
Was he trapped in a massive conspiracy? Had he become a disposable pawn?
These guesses made it impossible for Shu Tong to remain calm.
The turmoil in Weimannu City had lasted all night. L Country police and “Wang Ting” were sniping at each other in the streets. Civilians who couldn’t escape in time lay dead on the roads. Communications across the city were cut, and “Wang Ting” mercenaries rushed in from other cities in the Weimannu region, surrounding and shooting police and unidentified persons alike.
Zhao Fan watched helplessly as the policeman who had eaten his burnt grilled fish not long ago had his windpipe shattered by a bullet, dying in extreme agony. There were four Special Action Team members currently in Weimannu City. Zhao Fan couldn’t contact them, nor could he reach headquarters. Before the operation, Shen Xun had repeatedly warned him: this is a foreign country; unless absolutely necessary, do not get involved with any side.
He hadn’t been exposed yet; the best choice was to hide.
He climbed into a shop where all the windows had been shot out. The customers and shopkeepers inside were all dead. “Wang Ting” had already searched this place. He found a corner to hide in and tried to sort out the sequence of this sudden event.
The L Country police had ambushed over a thousand men in Weimannu City, their goal to kill the key members of “Wang Ting.” But Shen Xun had negotiated with them, and they had promised not to act before the Special Action Team captured “Black Peacock.” If action was necessary, they would notify Shen Xun.
But he hadn’t received orders from Shen Xun. And when the conflict first broke out, the ambushing police were also confused.
Zhao Fan clenched his fists, looking at the tragedy outside the window with eyes like fire. What the hell are the L Country police doing? Rushing to give away heads?
Six hours earlier, L Country Police Headquarters.
Superintendent Asak’s gaze was fanatical; he wished he could personally go to Weimannu City to command the front lines. Heaven knew how long he had waited for this day! Scum like “Wang Ting” and “Jasmine Tea” had torn this land apart and treated the police like trash. Today, he could finally deal with “Wang Ting”!
His deputy was worried. “Mr. Asak, don’t be impulsive. It wasn’t easy to plant a thousand men in Weimannu City. Once exposed, we have to fight! That is ‘Wang Ting’s’ territory after all!”
Asak shouted angrily, “Coward! Useless! At least three of ‘Wang Ting’s’ leaders are in Weimannu City right now! It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; should I just let them leave?”
The deputy didn’t want to give up the chance either. “But… but Mr. Shen said you must inform him before acting! We cannot offend the Special Action Team!”
Asak laughed loudly. “Do you think they are really here to help us? No! They just want to catch ‘Black Peacock’! To liquidate ‘Wang Ting,’ we have to rely on ourselves in the end! Inform Shen Xun? Do you think he would let his team members buried in Weimannu act with us? He would only order them to stop us!”
“But…”
“We have to catch them off guard! That policeman is called Zhao Fan, right? He’s unprepared. Trapped inside, he will inevitably be forced to help us! Do you know who he is? He was once the International SWAT Sniper Champion!”
The assistant was finally persuaded, his blood boiling, feeling that Commander Asak was foresighted. “Mr. Asak, is the intelligence accurate? Are the important figures of ‘Wang Ting’ really in Weimannu City?”
Asak revealed an even more urgent smile. “Of course! It’s intelligence from ‘Jasmine Tea’! The one who wants ‘Wang Ting’ dead the most isn’t me, it’s ‘Jasmine Tea’!”
But Asak’s calculations were clearly wrong. A thousand men seemed like a lot, but “Wang Ting” had occupied Weimannu City for years. Those ambushing police couldn’t grasp the situation in the city within a short time. Once urban combat started, they were quickly defeated, failing to find even a single “Wang Ting” leader.
As the night faded, the gunfire in the city lessened, but many streets were burning. “Wang Ting” members arriving from other places had almost completely blocked the roads out of the city; no one could get out.
Upon learning that the L Country police had suddenly launched an attack on Weimannu City, Shen Xun calmed down quickly after a brief moment of anger. He ordered technical reconnaissance to try contacting the four team members in the city continuously and immediately sent two other standby teams to the Tianma Mountains.
The Tianma Mountains were the most secluded part of the Weimannu region. There were many air defense works left over from decades ago, easy to hide people and easy to convert into production bases. “Black Peacock” was very likely to appear there. And upon learning that L Country police were attacking Weimannu City, “Black Peacock” would change plans, perhaps even terminating cooperation with “Wang Ting” and leaving the country via the Tianma Mountains.
The Special Action Team absolutely could not lose this chance to capture “Black Peacock” alive!
After deploying this key mission, Shen Xun took a deep breath, trying his best to suppress his rage, and contacted Asak, the head of the L Country police. He had cursed this rice bucket a hundred and eighty times in his heart, but now he had to tactfully suggest that they deploy some police forces to the border northeast of the Tianma Mountains.
Unexpectedly, Asak was completely flushed with the failure in Weimannu City. He ordered the police forces ambushing in the Weimannu region to fight “Wang Ting” on the spot, and those outside the region to find a way to charge in for support.
Compared to the L Country police, “Jasmine Tea’s” mercenaries were obviously fiercer. These people already resented Shu Tong for defecting to the enemy, so they mixed in with the police and pounced on the Weimannu region.
For a time, gunfire erupted everywhere in the Weimannu region, chaos reigning supreme. Asak received intelligence from somewhere stating that important “Wang Ting” figures were retreating toward the Tianma Mountains. Although he had lost a large amount of police force in Weimannu City, he was unwilling to admit defeat and immediately mobilized the remaining forces to advance toward the Tianma Mountains.
Facing such a muddle-headed collaborator, Shen Xun was truly furious, but as the commander, he had to remain calm.
Zhao Fan and the others were still out of contact. In the Tianma Mountains, with the L Country police causing trouble, the two teams probably wouldn’t be able to take down “Black Peacock.” The remaining standby team was still in the Salingauke region. The Special Action Team had to leave people to pin down “Jasmine Tea,” but someone also had to go to Weimannu City immediately to rescue the four trapped members and go to the Tianma Mountains together.
When Shen Xun’s communication request came through, Ji Chenjiao and Ling Lie already knew what was happening in the Weimannu region.
Ji Chenjiao looked solemn. Ling Lie quipped, “I told you, the L Country police are literally living ‘pig teammates.’ Captain Shen, have you worried yourself into growing stubble?”
Ji Chenjiao slapped Ling Lie lightly. “Captain Shen, what do you need us to do?”
Shen Xun briefly stated the plan—he needed two team members to go to Weimannu City now, find Zhao Fan, cooperate to break out, and once out alive, immediately head to the Tianma Mountains to stop “Black Peacock” from leaving the country.
This mission was very dangerous. The Weimannu region was in chaos; bullets didn’t have eyes. Communications within the region were poor, and whether Zhao Fan and the others were still alive was unknown.
Ji Chenjiao said, “I’ll go!”
Ling Lie smiled and blocked him. “Of course, I’ll go.”
Ji Chenjiao frowned, looking at Ling Lie in silence.
Ling Lie said, “Captain Shen, the mission is to find Zhao Fan and coordinate with him, right?”
Shen Xun nodded. “Not just Zhao Fan, there are four action team members in the city.”
Ling Lie said, “Since I need to coordinate with Zhao Fan, is there a more suitable candidate than me? I am… Zhao Fan’s apprentice, after all.”
The situation was urgent, so it was settled. Before the communication hung up, Shen Xun looked solemnly at Ji Chenjiao. “Captain Ji, I leave ‘Jasmine Tea’ to you.”
Ji Chenjiao held Ling Lie’s shoulder, feeling a heavy mass pulling him into the depths. He wanted to go with Ling Lie very much, but the Salingauke region required three people to stay behind.
The equipment was already loaded on the car. Ling Lie turned around and waved his fist at Ji Chenjiao. “I’ll bring that bastard Yan Xi back for you.”
Ji Chenjiao opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but at this moment, any words seemed pretentious and insignificant.
Finally, he hooked Ling Lie’s fist, pulled him close, and hugged him hard.
The car kicked up dust, leaving the busy mine and speeding north. Ji Chenjiao gazed at the trail of dust until it completely returned to the earth.
“Mr. ‘Black Peacock’! Mr. ‘Black Peacock’! Don’t just leave!” Shu Tong chased after “Black Peacock.” “I, Shu Tong, absolutely have no intention of harming you. Isn’t it just that I can’t contact ‘Wang Ting’ either?”
“Black Peacock” looked at him leisurely. “Perhaps, you are also just a tool for ‘Wang Ting’?”
Shu Tong was greatly shaken. “Black Peacock’s” words poked directly at the thing he was least willing to admit. Killing intent instantly surged in his eyes.
Was he a pawn for “Wang Ting”? “Wang Ting” accepting him wasn’t out of sincerity at all, but simply because they coveted the territory he controlled. Having him host “Black Peacock” now wasn’t out of trust, but to sell him out, letting the L Country police and the Special Action Team catch “Black Peacock”!
But what if it wasn’t like that? What if “Wang Ting” really valued him? This was the chance to cooperate with “Floating Light”! Would he meet a second chance in this lifetime? He couldn’t show weakness in front of “Black Peacock”; he had to stabilize him!
If he couldn’t contact “Wang Ting,” then… then maybe it was because of the police raid, and the “Wang Ting” high command was too busy to look after themselves. Besides, the Tianma Mountains had a special location; it was “Wang Ting’s” most important hiding place, and sometimes communication with the outside world was impossible!
Shu Tong tried his best to calm down. “Mr. ‘Black Peacock,’ I think you must have misunderstood. ‘Wang Ting’ sincerely wants to cooperate with you. I am an important member of ‘Wang Ting’; our relationship isn’t what you imagine. These Tianma Mountains are ‘Wang Ting’s’ lair. We are safer hiding here than leaving rashly. You saw those fortifications; any country’s police barging in would be no different from falling into a maze.”
“Black Peacock” suddenly smiled, as if seriously considering Shu Tong’s words.
Shu Tong wiped his sweat, glancing at “Black Peacock” from time to time.
“Black Peacock” said, “But I just received intelligence that L Country’s police are gathering toward the Tianma Mountains. And it seems not only police are coming, but also your old acquaintance, ‘Jasmine Tea.’ Mr. Shu Tong, aren’t you afraid?”
Shu Tong’s eyelids twitched violently, his voice cracking. “I said, Mr. ‘Black Peacock,’ as long as we are in these Tianma Mountains, we have nothing to fear. If I’m not mistaken, ‘Wang Ting’s’ main force will gather here soon, and the leaders will also choose this place as a hideout.”
A muffled sound suddenly came from the distance, startling a flock of birds. It was actually the sharp sound of bullets tearing through the air, but from so far away, it sounded weak.
“Black Peacock” smiled. “Look, they’ve already attacked.”
Shu Tong cursed inwardly and asked his subordinates to contact “Wang Ting” again, but they were like they had been dumped on an isolated island, receiving no response.
Suddenly, Shu Tong felt a familiar object pressed against the back of his head.
In the past, he was the one holding the gun to crack others’ heads open. Now, he was about to be the one cracked open.
“You… ‘Black Peacock’…” Shu Tong dared not turn around. In his field of vision, his trusted aides were leaving him. They had looks of unbearable reluctance on their faces, but against “Floating Light,” they had no chance of winning.
Shu Tong never dreamed that the task “Wang Ting” gave him was actually a suicide mission!
“Black Peacock” pulled the trigger. Shu Tong fell to the ground, twitched twice, and stopped moving.
At the edge of the Tianma forest, the L Country police were carefully scouting the path. Not long ago, they had killed a group of “Wang Ting” members, which seemed to include a minor leader, boosting their confidence immensely. The intelligence they received was that important “Wang Ting” figures were in the mountains. They didn’t need to rely on that group of foreigners from the Special Action Team!
Ling Lie’s car sped northeast through the flying sand. Along the way, he encountered many L Country police mobilized by Asak. In this conflict, they were like ants, rushing one after another into the massive fire pit of Weimannu. And Ling Lie had no standing to stop them.
This wasn’t the country he had to protect, but he had an important mission on this land. Once completed, he could expel the evil of “Floating Light” from the homeland he needed to defend.
L Country was small. After half a day of lightning speed driving, Ling Lie had arrived at the edge of the Weimannu region. Shen Xun sent intelligence at this time—communications in Weimannu City had recovered slightly. It was confirmed not long ago that Zhao Fan and the other three team members were safe. Zhao Fan had rendezvoused with Xiao Hui, but there were more and more “Wang Ting” people in the city. They were trapped in a restaurant, unable to escape for the time being.
Shen Xun had sent the city map and Zhao Fan’s coordinates to Ling Lie. “The intelligence obtained by the L Country police was wrong. ‘Wang Ting’s’ important figures are currently all near Weimannu City; they didn’t go to the Tianma forest at all.”
“Wang Ting’s” combat power densely covered the map, and every checkpoint was heavily guarded. The car Ling Lie drove had Salingauke region plates; in “Wang Ting’s” territory, it was a live target. He and his teammate, Xiao Bing, grabbed all their equipment, jumped onto an L Country police vehicle, and when they encountered a “Wang Ting” squad, retreated amidst the chaos to hijack a “Wang Ting” pickup truck that had fallen behind.
The people on the pickup didn’t react to what happened before they were killed by L Country police bullets. The pickup rushed out of the crossfire zone. Ling Lie changed into the “Wang Ting” mercenary uniform and smeared a handful of ash on his face to turn it brown.
The closer they got to Weimannu City, the more “Wang Ting” vehicles there were. Many police cars were burning, and men on fire screamed in agony as they rushed out of the vehicles.
“Wang Ting” was executing the L Country police.
Zhao Fan’s voice came through the comms. “Ling Lie?”
Ling Lie said, “I’m almost there. What’s the situation in the city?”
Zhao Fan said that there were people from all factions in the city now. Those wearing police uniforms were basically all dead, but that was the first batch from the night. Subsequently, more L Country police and “Jasmine Tea” members had entered. They were all dressed as “Wang Ting” mercenaries, and since L Country was a melting pot of races, one couldn’t distinguish friend from foe just by appearance. Bullets were flying everywhere in the streets, vehicles were crashing recklessly. If they had enough equipment and coordinated well, they could kill their way out through the chaos.
Ahead was the checkpoint to enter Weimannu City. Xiao Bing, who was driving, was a bit nervous. Ling Lie said, “Drive your car. Don’t speak in a moment.”
At the checkpoint, “Wang Ting” mercenaries stopped the car. Ling Lie laughed, kicked open the door, and spread his hands in a slouching, casual manner to let them inspect.
“Where from?” the other party asked.
“Fanlongke.” Ling Lie had just come from the small town called Fanlongke and saw “Wang Ting” vehicles gathering there.
His demeanor was too loose and casual; he looked exactly like some small fry coming to snatch credit. There were plenty of such people in the city right now—greedy and not very threatening. They usually got killed as soon as they went in.
But the guard relaxed because of this. His mission was to execute “Jasmine Tea” and police personnel on the spot; suicidal shrimp were not his concern.
After inspecting the car, the checkpoint let them pass.
Ling Lie even asked the guard for a cigarette, lit it in front of him, smiled, got back in the car, and shouted at the top of his voice, “Let’s go!”
Stray bullets fell like rain in the city. The ground was littered with bleeding corpses, a shocking sight. But Ling Lie had a clear goal: avoid conflict with any side and drive directly toward where Zhao Fan was. Bullets hit the pickup, ding-ding-dang-dang. One bullet entered through the window, whizzing past the back of Xiao Bing’s head. Ling Lie reacted extremely fast, reaching out to push him down.
The car made a sharp turn, nearly crashing into the roadside blast wall.
Ling Lie yanked the steering wheel, drifted on the spot, and rushed out, scraping past another charging car. That car crashed into the wall with a boom, emitting a loud noise. Flames erupted in the rearview mirror, the shockwave lifting surrounding cars and corpses high into the air.
Xiao Bing gasped for air. “Thanks, Brother Lie.”
Ling Lie adjusted the frequency of the communicator and saw the restaurant where Zhao Fan was hiding.