Raid

Chen Chuan glanced toward the other watchtower. The sentry there was still standing upright, but his expression was completely rigid. Chen Chuan immediately knew that Ren Xiaotian had also succeeded. Looking down from the tower, he flicked his flashlight twice toward the outside. At the exact same moment, Ren Xiaotian flashed a signal from the opposite watchtower. Wei Chang'an and Cai Si had already crept close. Seeing that the pair had succeeded, they boldly vaulted up, one on the left and one on the right, swiftly eliminating the sentries stationed at the entrance posts. Chen Chuan sensed something and cast a glance downward. A two-man patrol happened to be circling around from one side, flashlights in hand. Spotting them from above, he signaled downward with a hand gesture and flicked his flashlight twice to the side. Wei Chang'an understood at once. Crouching down, he vanished from sight in an instant. A moment later, just as the patrol reached the corner, Wei Chang'an emerged from the shadows. Reaching out, he gave each of their necks a sharp pinch, hauled the two forward a few paces around the bend, and tossed them aside. *Nice,* Chen Chuan thought to himself. Around the same time, Cai Si found the patrol on the other side and quickly dealt with them. Chen Chuan could tell that the sentries here lacked vigilance, appearing remarkably lax. That was actually quite normal. Routine skirmishes in the wilderness revolved around firearms and crossbows rather than high-level martial clashes. As long as the camp entrance was guarded, it was practically impossible for anyone to slip past the heavily guarded perimeter traps undetected. Furthermore, these men were outlaws, not soldiers, so they naturally lacked rigid discipline. Once the patrols had been cleared, Wei Chang'an stepped out and signaled outside with his flashlight. The rest of the team waiting outside filed through the main entrance into the camp. Only then did Chen Chuan sweep his gaze across the surroundings. Not far from the outlaw's body lay a modified rifle and a crossbow. After a brief thought, he picked up the rifle, checked it over, slung it across his back, and climbed down from the watchtower. Once he reached the ground, Ren Xiaotian walked over. "Two guys were sleeping in a vehicle. Handled." Chen Chuan nodded. He hadn't considered beforehand that people might be lying down in the vehicles—it was impossible to tell from the outside. *Senior Brother Ren is as reliable as ever,* he thought. After a moment's consideration, he said, "Senior Brother Ren, I'll have to trouble you to take some men to watch the rear." There was another path behind the camp. If an attack came from the front, the bandits might well flee through there, and Chen Chuan could only rest easy if Ren Xiaotian was holding that position. "Leave it to me," Ren Xiaotian said. After a brief discussion, he took two of the men Wei Chang'an had brought and headed outside the camp to cut off the bandits' escape route. With the perimeter sentries eliminated, Chen Chuan had the others fan out before moving deeper into the camp. Although there was a mix of new and old tents scattered across the area, determining whether anyone was inside was actually fairly simple. Most occupied tents had a lamp hanging inside, or at the very least a power cable trailing through the entrance. Chen Chuan approached the doorway of one barracks tent and immediately picked up the sound of three people breathing, two of whom were whispering. Listening for a moment, he gathered they were merely lackeys. Their chatter revolved around nothing more than how much they would get after finishing this score and where they would go have fun. Eight or nine out of every ten sentences were laced with profanity and sprinkled with incomprehensible slang, likely Maka colloquialisms. He quietly lifted the tent flap and slipped inside. Because his steps were light and his movements relaxed and natural, the occupants initially assumed a companion had walked in. By the time they realized who it was and looks of terror surfaced on their faces, he was already right in front of them. Pressing down gently on their heads, he sent them collapsing backward without a sound. The last person in the tent was lying down, engrossed in a pin-up magazine held above his face, completely oblivious to what had just happened beside him. Chen Chuan stepped over, nudged his foot forward, and tapped the man's temple with the toe of his boot. The man's hands immediately went slack, and the magazine dropped over his face. Chen Chuan walked out of the tent, his pace calm and steady, heading toward another illuminated tent. As he walked, he could hear faint, muffled groans and the thud of impacts drifting in from the surroundings—the others were taking action as well. At that very moment, in the innermost tent of the camp, a middle-aged man sitting cross-legged suddenly opened his eyes. Standing up, he tucked a short baton behind his back, held a coiled whip in his right hand, and strode out. Not far from him stood the largest barracks tent in the camp. Inside, the leader, Mitai, known as the "Wild Eagle," was holding a deciphered telegram and speaking with his deputy, You'an, known as "Viper." "The exchange delegation might depart tomorrow, so they want us to reach the rendezvous point tomorrow." You'an asked in surprise, "Tomorrow? Wasn't the agreed date the day after tomorrow? Besides, aren't they being watched by the people from Yangzhi City? Can they even leave?" Mitai said, "The telegram says the homeland made contact with a high-ranking official of Great Shun, and they're putting pressure on the Yangzhi Municipal Administration. Moving it up by a day won't be difficult. If all goes smoothly, we can set out with the brothers tomorrow to meet up with them." With that, he set down the telegram. "Once we deliver the goods, this achievement will earn us honor and status. The brothers won't have to risk their lives slaughtering each other in the wilderness anymore." You'an scoffed dismissively. "Boss, it's the same everywhere. Aren't we just dogs for the higher-ups either way? Just because they're our own people, do you think they'll throw us a little more meat?" "Don't be so cynical," Mitai said. "If we deliver this back, we'll be heroes to the Maka people. As long as we have renown, they'll treat us with at least some respect." "Here, you're the boss," You'an countered. "Once you go back, you'll be nothing." Mitai pointed to his chest and said in a heavy voice, "I grew up in the wilderness. Very few people survive to my age here. I can feel it—if I keep going like this, I'll end up dead in some corner sooner or later, dying worthless and unknown to anyone. But once I go back, whatever I do will be for my own country. Even if I die, I'll leave behind a name." You'an sighed. "Fine. Like I said, since it's your decision, Boss, I'll follow you to the end. Who told you to go and save my life back then?" Mitai patted him on the shoulder. "Brother, get the goods ready just in case." You'an's eyes flickered. "Are you guarding against them burning bridges?" Mitai replied gravely, "If they don't honor their promises, we'll still have something to leverage. While it's unlikely they'd do that, we have to keep our guard up." You'an said, "Don't worry, Boss. I had that sorted long ago. But let's hope it doesn't come to that, or you'll offend people before you even settle in." Just then, a voice came from the guard outside the barracks tent: "Who's there?" Extremely alert, Mitai drew his gun at once. Splitting up with You'an, he moved to the doorway and peered out cautiously. Seeing a tall, middle-aged Maka man, he breathed a sigh of relief. Glancing at the whip coiled in the man's hand, he asked, "Instructor Qisai, why are you out?" Qisai looked outside and said, "Someone has broken in." Mitai was startled, his gaze darting rapidly. Decisive by nature, he immediately pulled out a whistle and blew it hard. In an instant, the entire camp was jolted awake. Hearing shrill blast after blast echo from deeper within the camp, Chen Chuan and the others knew immediately that they had been discovered. Seeing that the element of surprise was lost, they no longer bothered sneaking around. Pulling out smoke grenades, they hurled them toward the center of the camp. Billowing plumes of smoke instantly erupted throughout the grounds. These grenades proved exceptionally effective. Caught completely off guard by a sudden raid and their vision heavily obscured, the outlaws fell into panic and disarray. Knowing they were under attack and that enemies had already infiltrated their inner perimeter—yet unsure of how many attackers there were—panicked bandits raised their guns and fired blindly, shouting at the top of their lungs as if terrified someone might not know where they were. Chen Chuan's side showed no mercy, returning fire from multiple directions. Hearing the distinctive cracks of Datuo-pattern rifles and seeing the relatively uncommon smoke grenades, Mitai felt a jolt of anxiety. "Could it be those gray dogs from Yangzhi City? Have we been exposed?" You'an remained calmer. Listening closely, he said, "At most five or six guns. It shouldn't be the constabulary—probably people from a commission agency. The style fits too, slipping in without anyone noticing." Mitai cursed. "A commission agency? Is it about that shipment we hijacked last time?" With a dark expression, You'an said, "No idea. Boss, I'll go check the rear. We can't let them cut off our escape." "All right," Mitai said, gripping his shoulder firmly. "Brother, I'm leaving the rear to you!" You'an waved his hand, rallied a few men at the door, and rushed toward the back. At that moment, the middle-aged man named Qisai stepped outside, one deliberate stride at a time. Mitai watched him go without attempting to stop him. Toward this martial instructor who had come from Maka to coach them in combat techniques, he felt a mixture of respect and trepidation. Outside, Luo Kaiyuan listened for the origins of the shouts and gunfire. Suddenly raising his rifle, he pulled the trigger, dropping a figure in his tracks. He quickly relocated, working the bolt to eject the spent casing and chamber a fresh round. Pausing briefly to identify his next target, he fired again, and another man collapsed instantly. Feng Xiaoqi had never handled a firearm and knew his own limitations. Concealing himself in a secluded corner, he fired stealthily with a crossbow so that, hit or miss, he wouldn't expose his position. As for Wei Chang'an, he was a seasoned veteran. Taking up a position with good cover, he scanned carefully for targets. His marksmanship was sharp—every shot found its mark. Yet at one point, right after taking another shot, a sudden sense of danger gripped him. He threw himself into a roll. A whip lashed across the spot where he had just been hiding, snapping with a sharp crack that splintered the sturdy barrier. The fierce gust of air brushing past left a stinging prickle on his skin. Mid-roll, he fired a return shot blindly into the smoke, but there was no reaction. He crouched motionless in place, gripping his gun firmly with both hands pointed ahead, his gaze focused and steady. A few breaths later, he abruptly tilted his head and threw his body to the side, firing twice in rapid succession. Even with his lightning reflexes, a thin line of blood was slashed across his cheek, stinging with burning heat. Rolling over once more, he darted in another direction, narrowly and awkwardly dodging another crack of the whip. He was certain his shots had struck home, yet the enemy was unharmed—meaning his assailant was wearing a protective suit. Just as he felt things turning dire, the incoming attacks abruptly ceased. Looking up, he saw a tall, solid, yet unencumbered figure. The man suddenly swatted his hand out, deflecting a crossbow bolt aimed straight at his head. But just as he moved to advance on Wei Chang'an, he froze and turned his gaze in another direction. At the other end of the passage, Chen Chuan was walking forward. As he advanced, he tossed aside the rifle whose magazine he had emptied. Unfastening the Xuejun Saber from his back, he planted the scabbard into the ground, and as he stepped forward, the blade was smoothly drawn from its sheath.