With Colonel Hank Han's order, two Dragonsquad operatives helped Victor Zhang to the safety of a big tree, while the rest sprang into action, taking up advantageous positions and forming a triangular defensive formation. Shawn Young and Jade Swann also found places to hide themselves.
Soon, the sound of footsteps grew closer. Through the shadowy woods, dozens of figures appeared. Leading the way were three armed drug traffickers with military dogs, cautiously searching deeper into the forest. When both sides were about ten meters apart, the three dogs suddenly started barking wildly. The traffickers quickly raised their weapons and scattered.
Colonel Hank, acting as the assault gunner, made the first move. He was armed with a powerful pump-action grenade launcher, and he aimed right between the lead guys and their dogs, pulling the trigger—whoosh! A grenade, trailing a fiery tail, shot out with a roar.
Boom! The grenade exploded right in their midst, sending blood and flesh flying everywhere. Two of the guys leading the dogs were blown to bits, several more were wounded, and two of the military dogs were sent flying.
The drug traffickers immediately hit the ground, unleashing a barrage into the forest—rat-a-tat-tat! Dozens of fire snakes flashed through the shadows. Colonel Hank ducked and quickly retreated, while the nearby Dragonsquad soldiers provided covering fire. Leaves and branches flew, wood chips scattered, and the fight quickly became a stalemate.
But Colonel Hank and his team weren't looking to drag out the fight. After a few minutes of resistance, they began to retreat in an orderly fashion. The drug traffickers got excited, led by a foreign mercenary officer who waved his hand and shouted, "Don't let them get away! There aren't many of them, and they're almost out of ammo! Let's get them! Mr. Chen said, kill one and it's ten grand, catch one alive and it's twenty!"
With such a big bounty on the line, the traffickers went crazy, charging into the woods without a care for their lives. The guy in front soon spotted Colonel Hank's team running ahead, some of them ditching their weapons as they fled. He got even more hyped and shouted, "I see them! Looks like they're out of ammo and trying to escape! Hurry up, guys, grab them alive!"
The rest of the pursuers got riled up too, scrambling after them like a pack of greedy wolves. It was as if Colonel Hank's team were bundles of cash running away, and nobody wanted to miss out. The foreign mercenary officer trailing behind sensed something fishy, but he couldn't control the frenzy, so he just hefted his weapon and rushed in after them.
The traffickers were hot on Colonel Hank's heels, but suddenly, a thick gray mist spread out ahead of them. With the dense trees and wild grass, everything got hazy in an instant, and Colonel Hank's team vanished from sight.
"What the hell?! What's going on?! Why did this damn forest suddenly get all foggy?"
"Damn! If they get away, we won't get any reward!"
"Yeah, hurry up and chase them! We still have a chance—"
The traffickers couldn't see what was going on ahead and started shouting in panic. But the lure of all that cash drove them nuts, and they charged forward, forgetting all caution—their battle formation fell apart completely.
As they chased deeper, the traffickers suddenly realized the fog hadn't cleared at all. All they could hear was their own heavy breathing—no footsteps, no rustling leaves. They stopped, glancing nervously at each other. The whole thing felt super creepy.
Just then, the foreign mercenary officer caught up from the rear. The traffickers quickly gathered around him, weapons raised, scanning the thickening mist. They couldn't see a thing in the jungle anymore.
"Sir—um, should we keep chasing?" one of the traffickers asked nervously.
"Uh—things have changed. If they've set up an ambush, we're toast. Let's pull back!" The mercenary officer, experienced in combat, made a quick decision.
The traffickers froze for a moment, but quickly calmed down. They hated to admit it, but the officer made sense—staying alive was more important. So they fell in behind him, ready to retreat out of the jungle.
Suddenly, a thunderous rumble exploded overhead—BOOM! A burst of blinding white light flashed down, enveloping every trafficker, including the mercenary officer. Instantly, their joints stiffened, and even speaking became impossible. It was like they'd been flash-frozen, stuck right where they were. They couldn't move or shout, but their minds stayed sharp and alert.
The thick fog around them quickly cleared, and the jungle returned to normal. Suddenly, several figures strode toward them—it was Colonel Hank's team, back again. Each of them gripped a razor-sharp tactical knife, the blades gleaming coldly in the dim, mottled light of dusk.
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At that moment, every one of them turned deathly pale, terrified beyond belief. They wanted to run, to call for help, but couldn't move a muscle or make a sound. When Colonel Hank and his team approached, grinning wickedly, they finally understood what it meant to face death itself.
"Leave no one alive. Do it!" Colonel Hank barked out a ruthless order to the Dragonsquad operatives.
"Yes, sir!" The Dragonsquad soldiers didn't hesitate. Gripping their tactical knives, they stepped forward and cleanly slit the throats of the immobilized traffickers. Crimson blood spurted out as bodies dropped to the ground—no struggle, no screams, just a bunch of living people instantly turned into corpses.
In less than a few minutes, every last trafficker was dead, their throats cut, their blood soaking the fallen leaves. The thick scent of blood filled the jungle—it was a scene of pure carnage.
Finally, Colonel Hank walked up to the one mercenary officer who hadn't been killed, wiped the blood from his knife onto the man's ghostly pale face, and sneered, "Heh heh—everyone else has gone to hell. Now it's your turn!"
Just as Colonel Hank raised his knife to slit the man's throat, Shawn Young's voice called out from behind, "Big Brother Hank, spare him for now—I need him to lead the way!"
"Oh! Fine! Heh heh—old man, lucky you! But you'd better behave, or else—hmph!" Colonel Hank stopped, dragging the cold blade across the mercenary's neck. The chill and the close brush with death nearly scared the guy to death. When he realized he'd survived, a strong smell of urine wafted up from below—he'd actually pissed his pants!