Chapter 121: Wrath of the Death God (2)

"No one can change what I have decided," Lin Fan said indifferently before striding forward. It was clear he had made up his mind to rescue Li Nanxing personally. As the leader of Dragon Soul, he would never stand idly by while his brothers faced danger on the front lines, hiding safely in the rear.

"Boss, Boss..." voices called out from behind, but since no one knew what lay ahead, they were all desperate to keep Lin Fan from taking such a risk.

Lin Fan stopped and spoke in a voice that was quiet yet audible to everyone: "If you still consider me your boss, you know what to do."

In truth, Lin Fan had no certainty about this operation; he did not know what awaited them. But some things had to be done, and some people had to be saved. He only knew that the more one feared, the smaller the chance of victory. Lin Fan had never feared anyone, which was why he was still alive today.

Zhang Lei, Xu Qiang, and Mo Fei exchanged glances and shook their heads helplessly. They had known it would come to this. Given Lin Fan’s personality, how could he possibly stay behind while his brothers charged into battle? Yet, it was precisely this trait that made them loyal to him.

Realizing they could not change their leader’s decision, the group fell in line behind him. The enemy’s territory was located on the mountain, and they could not afford to cause a stir, lest they alert the prey.

The mountain slope was not particularly steep, but it was thick with brush and thorns. Furthermore, it was deep into the night, and they could not use lights, making travel exceptionally difficult and easy to get lost in.

However, Lin Fan and Xu Qiang had undergone specialized jungle warfare training during their time in the Falcon unit. A qualified special forces operative never knew what mission awaited them, so they had to master as much as possible. Lin Fan had once led a team of Falcon operatives through intense jungle combat against terrorists, giving him profound knowledge and rich experience in such environments. As for the rest of the Dragon Soul members, while not experts, they were at least well-versed in jungle tactics.

With Lin Fan and Xu Qiang leading, the initial ascent went smoothly. They silently eliminated two sentries, signaling their entry into the Scorpion drug trafficking gang’s controlled zone. Everyone had to be extremely cautious now. Lin Fan signaled to Mo Fei, who understood immediately and slipped away.

Mo Fei was known as the "Warrior Star," not because of his martial arts prowess, but because his skill with hidden weapons was peerless. He was also a master of camouflage and tracking; most people could never detect his presence. Combined with his unique weapons, he was truly a master of silent assassination. He was the perfect choice to scout ahead and clear the sentries Scorpion had deployed.

Before setting off, Lin Fan had given Mo Fei a crucial task: after clearing the sentries, he was to locate where Li Nanxing was being held. This was the most important objective of the mission, followed by uprooting Scorpion and his organization to find out who was pulling the strings behind the scenes against Dragon Soul.

Along the way, Zhang Lei followed Lin Fan’s instructions, leaving special Dragon Soul contact markers in concealed spots. This was both to prevent them from getting lost in the jungle and to ensure that once Mo Fei finished clearing the sentries and scouting the enemy, he could rendezvous with them quickly.

Because the terrain was complex and offered many hiding spots, the group communicated using specialized military hand signals to avoid detection by Scorpion’s sentries. The gang wielded significant influence in the Golden Triangle and might even know that Dragon Soul was coming for Li Nanxing, forcing the team to be extra vigilant.

The mountain jungle was filled with snakes, insects, and rodents. Though most were non-venomous, their bites still caused pain or itching. Everyone wore jungle camouflage with their faces painted in specialized greasepaint. They moved slowly; rushing was a taboo in the jungle, and maintaining a steady pace was essential.

Along the path, they found the signs Mo Fei had left behind. The bodies of the sentries he had eliminated were well-hidden and expertly disguised; an ordinary person would never find them. It was chilling to see that those men had died with their eyes wide open, a trace of blood at the corners of their mouths, their faces frozen in terror and disbelief. They hadn't even been able to cry out, for a thin, long silver needle had been driven deep into their necks.

Zhang Lei and the others had lived with Mo Fei for years and knew his skills well. But for Xu Qiang, this was his first time seeing Mo Fei in action. Looking at the state of the sentries, he silently gave Mo Fei a thumbs-up. It seemed everyone in Dragon Soul was formidable, which explained how they had come to dominate the mercenary world in such a short time.

Around midnight, the group reunited with Mo Fei at the mountain peak. They sat in a circle, and Lin Fan pulled out the map of the Scorpion gang's base, which he had obtained from Jin Zhengyang. It appeared that Jin had long intended to deal with the Scorpion.

"Take a look. This is their encampment. It’s surrounded by wooden fences. Directly in front of us is an observation tower, and there is another one at the northwest corner. Our mission is to infiltrate quietly, find where Nanxing is held, and avoid direct confrontation with the enemy as much as possible. Do you understand?" Lin Fan whispered. Although Mo Fei had cleared the perimeter, caution was still necessary. It was night, and if even one enemy slipped through the net, all their efforts could be wasted—though the probability was low.

"Mo Fei, report what you’ve found," Lin Fan said.

Nodding, Mo Fei pointed to the map: "I estimate this gang has about forty to fifty people. Each observation tower is manned by one guard, both equipped with W95 12.7mm heavy machine guns. This area here should be where they store the drugs; about a dozen people guard it in shifts, rotating every two hours. The north gate is guarded by about ten people with unknown weaponry. The east, west, and south sides have two-meter-high fences and are patrolled by about ten men; there are no exits."

Lin Fan hadn't expected such tight security from a drug trafficking gang; they were almost like a guerrilla unit, clearly terrified of being targeted by the government. Seeing Mo Fei suddenly staring at the map in silence, Lin Fan asked, "What is it? Is something wrong?"

"Boss, look here. This is their dungeon. Logically, Nanxing should be held here, but strangely, there are no guards stationed there. Not a soul. It’s completely silent," Mo Fei said, voicing his suspicion.