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As they were talking, everyone suddenly heard faint gunfire coming from the rear side of Raveneye Mountain. It wasn’t particularly intense. Martin Yang was startled and said, “Huh? That’s strange. Why are the Kachin Tribe’s forces suddenly so strong? How could they have fought their way here so quickly?”
Shawn Young quickly asked him, “Why can’t the Kachin Tribe’s army make it here?”
Martin Yang explained, "Shawn, you probably don’t know this, but we took a huge detour to get here. Right now, we’re at the rear of Nick Carter’s private militia HQ. Even though we’ve got Nick Carter, he’s been running things here for over a decade—he’s got money, power, and serious influence. Besides his own men, he’s hired foreign mercenaries, trained his troops, and bought Russian weapons that are even a notch above the Kachin Tribe’s gear. So his guys aren’t pushovers. Plus, Nick Carter split his nearly thousand-strong militia into two: a small squad of about seven guards the outskirts of Raveneye Mountain, nearly a kilometer from here, while the rest defend his main base. Even if the Kachin Tribe went all out to wipe them out, the real fight should still be outside. Taking out those seven well-trained, well-positioned guys isn’t something you do in a snap!"
Shawn Young asked Martin Yang, “Oh, so you mean there’s another armed group that’s barged in here?”
Martin Yang nodded, “Yeah, the gunfire isn’t that intense, so I’m guessing this group doesn’t have many people. If General Mason’s Kachin Tribe army had really made it here, the fighting would be way fiercer than what we’re hearing!”
Shawn Young thought for a moment and asked, “Uh—could it be that the Hung Society brothers you sent for have arrived and started fighting Nick Carter’s men?”
Martin Yang immediately shook his head, “No way. First, their starting point is much farther from here, so they wouldn’t have arrived before us. Second, my people wouldn’t act without my attack order, and even if my men did clash with Nick Carter’s, the fighting would be way more intense—more like a small-scale war!”
“Hmm! So it’s neither the Kachin Tribe’s army nor the Hung Society guys. Then who could it be?” After Martin Yang’s analysis, Shawn Young was left scratching his head.
Just then, another burst of gunfire rang out—this time way more intense, but strangely quiet and distinct. Then, several huge explosions echoed from the rear of Raveneye Mountain. Jade Swann, who’d been silent, perked up, listened hard, then suddenly looked at Shawn Young and said, "That’s a Type-5 Silenced SMG and a Lake Series Grenade Launcher! Those are our guys!"
“Our people!? You mean—” Shawn Young’s eyes widened.
Jade Swann raised a finger to hush him, then said, "Yep. If I’m right, that’s Fiona and her crew over there! Let’s go hook up with them!"
It dawned on Shawn Young—Jade Swann’s ‘our people’ must mean Fiona Tang and Colonel Hank’s Dragonsquad Special Ops. Because this mission was so secret, Jade Swann didn’t plan to let anyone else know, not even Martin Yang and the others.
Shawn Young turned to Martin Yang and said, "Yang, wait here for the Hung Society brothers. Stick to the plan! Jade and I have something urgent—we’ll circle around that way!"
Martin Yang was an old hand and knew how things worked. He realized Shawn and Jade Swann were up to something secret, so even though he was curious, he nodded quickly, "Got it, Shawn. You two go ahead. If you need anything, just come find us—we’ll be here waiting."
“Alright, I got it. We’re heading out—be careful!” Shawn Young nodded to Martin Yang and the others, then hurried off with Jade Swann, skirting the huge fields of opium poppies at the foot of Raveneye Mountain toward the sound of gunfire.
After sneaking past the poppy fields, the two climbed the hillside and slipped into a dense forest. Within minutes, they heard the rapid ‘tat-tat-tat’ of gunfire ahead, followed by screams of pain and the crunch of hurried footsteps—soldiers running through the woods, trampling leaves and snapping branches.
Shawn Young and Jade Swann immediately hid behind a towering tree. Less than two minutes later, several soldiers armed and camouflaged, faces streaked with paint and dressed in combat fatigues, rushed past. Two of them were carrying an unconscious comrade. Even though they were moving fast, they kept a certain distance—covering each other and ready to lay down fire if needed. Only well-trained soldiers would fight like that.
Suddenly, the lead soldier came to a sharp halt and signaled the others to stop and spread out defensively. Two of them quickly dragged the unconscious man behind a tree and crouched protectively beside him, alert for any threats.
The lead soldier glanced at the ground, walked over to where Shawn Young and Jade Swann had just been standing, squatted down, and carefully inspected the leaves and the surroundings. In a cold voice, he said, “Everyone, stay sharp. Someone was just here—they’re close by!”
Hiding behind the tree, Shawn Young instantly recognized Colonel Hank’s voice. He darted out from behind the trunk, excitedly shouting, “So it’s you guys, Colonel Hank!”
Hearing the commotion, Colonel Hank instinctively rolled forward, gun up and aimed at Shawn Young, who’d popped out of nowhere. The other soldiers spun around, guns trained on Shawn, fingers itching to shoot. Shawn jumped, frantically waving his hands. "Whoa, Hank, chill! It’s me, Shawn! Don’t shoot!"
Colonel Hank blinked, squinting in the fading light—it was nearly dusk and the woods were dim. When he finally saw it was Shawn, he let out a breath and signaled his men to lower their guns. He turned to Shawn and grinned, "Damn, you just pop up outta nowhere! Nearly gave me a heart attack!"
“He’s here to meet up with me!” Jade Swann stepped out from behind the tree.
“Whoa! Thank goodness, it’s Leader Swann! We finally found you!” Colonel Hank nearly cheered when he saw Jade Swann. Their mission was to find and escort her and her team back to China, so seeing her meant half the job was done.
“Wait—it’s just you guys? Wasn’t Fiona Tang with you? Where is she?” Jade Swann didn’t see Fiona Tang with Colonel Hank and the others, so she immediately asked.
“Oh, Deputy Leader Tang went with two brothers to rescue the Dragonblade Unit operatives! The rest of us were tasked with distracting the enemy. Uh—Leader Swann, why are you dressed like that?” Colonel Hank replied, then looked curiously at Jade Swann, who was wearing Shawn Young’s clothes and army boots, looking pretty odd. Shawn Young was in a black vest given by Martin Yang’s bodyguard. No wonder Colonel Hank was curious.
"Hey—I just like dressing this way, alright? Anyway, what’s the deal? The Dragonblade Unit guys were with me, but we got split up. They’re tough enough to get out of here, so what happened that Fiona had to go rescue them?" Jade Swann pressed for details.
“Well, here’s the deal: they ran into a top-tier superhuman sent by JSOC, the US Joint Special Operations Command. One was killed, one wounded, and two were captured! This wounded brother met us while escaping, quickly explained the situation, and then passed out. Deputy Leader Tang told us to fight our way out and take care of him while she went to save the others. That unconscious guy under the tree is one of the Dragonblade Unit! Leader Swann, you should know him!” Colonel Hank waved at the tree, and two Dragonsquad Special Ops soldiers brought the unconscious man over.