Colonel Hank Han parked the V-22 Osprey in a wide clearing in the valley and led his team out. Less than ten minutes later, Mohammed Zia Ake and several Afghan tribal fighters arrived, bringing a few resistance leaders who looked the part. They all crowded around Hank Han, repeatedly turning back to point at the Dragonforce Battalion members, thanking Ake and the tribal fighters for bringing such formidable reinforcements.
Mohammed Zia Ake kept things low-key, knowing it was best not to publicize his involvement in something like this. The Afghan tribal fighters, on the other hand, were over the moon. As the resistance leaders praised the Dragonforce Battalion, the tribal fighters felt as if the praise was directed at them, making them feel especially proud and exhilarated!
After Shawn Young reunited with Fiona Tang, they hurried over together. Hank Han quickly gathered the Dragonforce Battalion members. When Fiona Tang saw the Mjolnir Exosuit lying on the ground, her pale face instantly flushed with excitement. Hank Han said, 'This mission was worth it! We’ve managed to capture a Mjolnir Exosuit. If we can get it back to China, our military weapons experts will go absolutely crazy!'
Fiona Tang said excitedly, 'Exactly! Right now, only the U.S. has managed to develop combat-ready exosuits like this, and it took them nearly thirty years to reach this achievement. For our country to develop such technology would take a long accumulation of expertise. If we hadn’t managed to bring one back for our weapons experts to reverse-engineer, who knows how many years we’d have to wait if we tried to develop it ourselves!'
Shawn Young was excited too, even though he didn’t know much about weapons. He had personally witnessed two Mjolnir Exosuits rampaging with terrifying combat power on the battlefield. If his homeland could create such powerful war machines, it would be incredibly exhilarating news!
Hank Han said, 'We’ve disabled all the U.S. military communications here. After such a big incident, the Bagram base in Kabul will definitely send heavy reinforcements soon, so we’d better retreat as quickly as possible! I’ve already contacted Xun Xiangxiang—she said as long as we can withdraw to Peshawar in Pakistan, our people there will coordinate to help us secretly smuggle the captured Mjolnir Exosuit back home.'
Shawn Young and Fiona Tang nodded in agreement. Hank Han stepped forward and told Mohammed Zia Ake that his team needed to leave Afghanistan immediately, which was exactly what Ake was thinking. He then passed this message to the resistance leaders, who, though still excited, were well aware from years of guerrilla warfare against the U.S. military that this victory would surely provoke a fierce American retaliation.
Mohammed Zia Ake discussed with several resistance leaders, asking them to help Hank Han’s group leave Afghanistan. Unexpectedly, the resistance leaders eagerly agreed, even promising to help them bypass Pakistani border checkpoints and escort them into Pakistan via the resistance’s secret tunnels!
For these resistance fighters, who have long fought U.S. forces at the Afghan–Pakistan border, this was all routine. They had dug many secret tunnels along the border to facilitate cross-border guerrilla warfare and personnel transport. Their ability to resist the U.S. military for so long was thanks to these extensive tunnels connecting the borders, which also enabled frequent drug-for-weapons trades.
Many Islamic resistance groups and tribal armed forces in Afghanistan are closely connected. They often use drugs instead of money to make secret arms deals with international arms smugglers—their main method is trading drugs for weapons. This is why the Afghan–Pakistan border is notorious for rampant drug and arms trafficking. Even though global anti-narcotics agencies know about it, they are powerless to stop it in such a high-risk region.
With the help of these resourceful resistance leaders, Shawn Young, Fiona Tang, Hank Han, and the Dragonforce Battalion members dismantled the heavy fire-control system and several components from the captured Mjolnir Exosuit, wrapped everything tightly, and loaded it onto a few donkey carts. They easily slipped through the border's secret tunnels into Pakistan. On the other side, resistance members were already waiting; they had arranged support staff and two large trucks. The group brought along the captured Black Eye and the Mjolnir Exosuit technician, loaded everything onto the trucks, and headed for the border city of Peshawar. By dusk, the entire group had safely entered Peshawar.
Peshawar, a major city in northwest Pakistan, gets its name from ancient Sanskrit meaning 'City of Flowers.' Located inland and less than a kilometer from the Afghan border, it sits at the midpoint between Pakistan’s capital Islamabad and Afghanistan’s capital Kabul, making it a strategic location. Since the U.S. launched the war in Afghanistan, Peshawar has become a gathering point for resistance fighters, drug traffickers, and arms dealers. Many Afghans smuggle tons of drugs through secret tunnels to Peshawar, where they trade with international traffickers.
International spy agencies also use Peshawar as a hub for intelligence gathering. Many terrorist groups and gangs have offices here, and Pakistan’s laws allow civilians to own guns—especially in the northwest, where a love of firearms is particularly strong. Peshawar’s streets are lined with legitimate gun shops, and with a gun license, anyone can buy anything from the popular Austrian Glock 7 9mm pistol to the classic Russian Kalashnikov rifle. The number of guns and weapons circulating in the underground black market is even harder to count.
Gun shops are everywhere in Peshawar, and owning a good gun is even seen as a status symbol. Even little kids running wild in the streets have loaded pistols tucked into their belts! The local culture is tough and bloodthirsty, with frequent street shootings and brawls, sometimes even terrorist attacks targeting foreigners. Many locals give boys Browning pistols as birthday presents. Strolling through Peshawar’s streets and alleys, you’ll see ordinary people casually carrying guns on their backs like guitars. The outskirts, where some armed groups are entrenched, naturally breed semi-open red-light districts and drug trading spots. That’s why Peshawar is infamous worldwide as a den of vice and a paradise for adventurers!