Chapter 262: Another Massacre (Part 1)
May 27, 1:20 AM.
In the heavy rain, a black-blooded clan attendant rushed towards the defensive position at the cave entrance guarded by the Blood Dragon team, holding a large bundle from behind, baring his teeth and looking frenzied, as if he had lost his sanity, charging at an unreasonable speed.
At a distance of about twenty meters from the target, the black-blooded clan attendant was hit by crossfire from multiple directions, with large-caliber sniper bullets tearing through his body, but his dismembered corpse exploded in a terrifying blast just one second later.
The shockwave and heat wave released by over ten kilograms of explosives caused several soldiers from the Blood Dragon team defending the cave entrance to cough up blood and fall back, quickly pulled back into the cave by those behind, replaced by new warriors.
Such suicide attacks had already been carried out in two waves, and the black dragon club’s cannon fodder, controlled by Fuzhilan, successfully breached the first line of defense set up outside the cave by the Blood Dragon team, currently advancing towards the cave entrance.
Perhaps Qian Guilong and others had far inferior firepower compared to the Blood Dragon team, but the narrow terrain near the cave limited the troop deployment of the Blood Dragon team, making this sudden gunfight seem somewhat hesitant.
Furthermore, the special grenades provided by the Engel family emitted a potent anesthetic aerosol specifically targeting blood clans, forcing the local defenders such as Li Hongjun to maintain a high-serum state while they dared not easily abandon their positions to launch a counterattack.
On one side of the battlefield, Qian Guilong still held his shiny cigarette holder, watching the distant blood battle as if it were a show, leisurely and occasionally bursting into a fit of fearful laughter.
This was the so-called diversionary attack led by Qian Guilong. Behind him, two barons from the black dragon club who were fortunate enough not to follow Liang Er to their deaths looked pale.
Seeing Qian Guilong’s blatant disregard for his subordinates, not only Chu Dali and Qin Rong, but even Fujiwara Kiyoshi couldn’t help but frown.
Fujiwara Kiyoshi thought to himself, if Liang Er and Tian Shunhong had been annihilated by the Wang family and the Dark Arrow hours ago, then the James family’s influence in southern Huaguo and Vietnam would cease to exist, which would benefit our future cooperation.
As for Qian Guilong, we’ll find another opportunity later…
Chu Dali walked over to Fujiwara Kiyoshi’s side, secretly glancing at the Engel family’s representative who was watching the battle not far away, quietly speaking while making a secret pencil-sharpening gesture with his hand.
“Mm, Chu-san and Qin-san’s arrangements are quite bold. Since Qian-san is giving it his all here, I can’t fall behind either. Chu-san, from now on, I’ll rely on your command!”
Fujiwara Kiyoshi nodded in satisfaction and turned to give a knowing look to Tanaka Harutaka and Tsuruomi Sayaka behind him.
Tanaka Harutaka and Tsuruomi Sayaka almost simultaneously bent down, then moved with a large group of Japanese blood clan dressed as black-clad ninjas towards the south of the valley.
Under normal circumstances, any saturated battlefield space would greatly restrict the blood clan’s combat advantages, and the same applied to the Blood Dragon team lurking in the secret cave.
The secret assembly point of the Blood Dragon team had long been thoroughly scouted by Dali and others. In the southern part of the valley, there was another exit of the secret cave. Currently, the Blood Dragon team trapped inside the cave could only attempt to break out from there if they wanted to retaliate or escape.
Luring the Blood Dragon team out and then encircling and annihilating them in the open field was the tactic devised by Qin Rong for this encirclement operation.
Those participating in the ambush on the Blood Dragon team had divided into two groups. Qian Guilong led a large number of black dragon club members to carry out a pressure assault at the mouth of the secret cave, which included two barons, five knights, seven attendants, and a dozen blood servants that were hardly different from cannon fodder.
Chu Dali, Qin Rong, Fujiwara Kiyoshi, and others, the main force, would ambush in the southern part of the valley, totaling three viscounts, six barons, and as many as forty-seven knights or attendants, with twenty being absolute confidants of Chu Dali’s from the Hidden Alliance.
Both in terms of numbers and ranks, these forces were enough to swallow the Blood Dragon team’s elite whole.
…
In the complex interior of the cave, more than forty soldiers from the Blood Dragon team were almost silent, far from the fierce battlefield at the cave entrance, marching silently in the dark pit.
Captain Li Hongjun led a baron and twenty other soldiers to mount a symbolic resistance at the mouth of the cave, while instructor Tu Weijun was commanding the remaining main forces to wait for the right moment to burst out from another exit and launch a surprise attack on the black blood clan.
However, contrary to the initial arrangements, the team following Tu Weijun now included not only a lower-level baron of the Blood Dragon team, Alitai, but also two high-end combatants—Doctor Lu, a lower-level baron from the Wang family, and a girl whose true identity even Tu Weijun couldn’t see through.
In this stealthy team within the cave, a considerable number of the soldiers were carrying bags filled with dirt, leaving the not-so-combat-savvy Doctor Lu somewhat puzzled but too embarrassed to ask further.
Using tactical flashlights, Tu Weijun reviewed the map again, then halted the movement of the main troop in the cave, exchanged a glance with Han Jiexi, and issued a strange command: block the pit tunnels in front and behind the team.
The bags of dirt they carried finally came in handy, and within five minutes of synchronized action, the entire team was sealed tightly within a segment of the tunnel.
Jiang Yan looked somewhat absent-minded, or rather, her spirit was unsteady, not expressing any opinion on the seemingly suicidal actions of the Blood Dragon team but merely sitting aside, staring blankly at the ground.
“Miss Jiang Yan…”
A figure appeared in front of Jiang Yan, holding a portable oxygen mask.
Upon seeing the full view of the item in Han Jiexi’s hand, Jiang Yan’s pupils contracted again, slowly taking it and tightening her lips.
Han Jiexi sat beside Jiang Yan, letting out a sigh: “We’re now at the deepest part of the cave; hiding here is the safest… There’s no way around this; you contacted Meng Ge before, and he sent a one-way signal to attack Team Li, and won’t be able to accept any external communication.”
Jiang Yan turned her head, staring intently at Han Jiexi’s profile, her tone cold: “Was it your battle plan that compelled Meng Ge to carry out such a suicidal attack?”
Han Jiexi was taken aback, somewhat bemused: “Haha, you really think I’m a demon… This battle plan, Meng Ge at least contributed half of it.”
“What can your Han family not do? He’s providing all of you with an explanation!”
Jiang Yan clenched the oxygen mask in her hand, gritting her teeth.
Han Jiexi fell silent, and after a few seconds could only smile wryly and shake his head, unsure how to explain.
Regarding the notion that Meng Ge intended to seek death, Han Jiexi had always been skeptical, but now reflecting on every word and action from before, he felt there was something off.
“Everyone, inject the stabilizing blood agent!”
At this moment, the voice of Tu Weijun echoed in the tunnel, and all members of the Blood Dragon team, except for Tu Weijun and another baron, pulled out their calming agents from their pockets.
This was one of the trump cards equipped to the Blood Dragon team by Dark Arrow headquarters, a special potion that could significantly enhance boiling blood control and temporarily weaken the interference from high-level blood clan boiling blood aura.
The unfortunate downside remained, namely, that after the effect wore off, the Blood Dragon team warriors who had injected the stabilizing blood agent would completely lose their boiling blood capabilities and experience a significant reduction in physical mobility for the next week.
The latest version of the stabilizing blood agent had incorporated parts of the craftsmanship from the Hidden Alliance’s Weidan. Compared to the old version, its effectiveness had been extended, and the side effects reduced by more than half, further compensating for the Blood Dragon team’s combat shortcomings.
The combination of the blood clan physique with Dark Arrow’s tactical discipline, along with the stabilizing blood agent, granted knights and even attendants the ability to briefly engage with high-level blood clans, which was the key to the Blood Dragon team’s ability to undertake high-difficulty A-level missions.
With excellent night vision, the sight revealed figures silently injecting the medicine, and in a daze, Jiang Yan felt as if she had returned to the old Xuanjia team.
Each soldier from the Blood Dragon team, after injecting the stabilizing blood agent, raised their arms in a signal. When the last soldier raised their hand, Tu Weijun, wearing a peculiar smile, walked to the center of the tunnel.
“Comrades, today is the most dangerous battle since the establishment of the Blood Dragon team!” Tu Weijun slowly walked through the passage, his tone calm, “Someone wants to kill us all here, breaking Dark Arrow’s strongest blade, after which they can do anything they want without worry.”
Tu Weijun’s voice rang with conviction in the tunnel, and nearly all the Blood Dragon team soldiers wore serious expressions.
…However, they were thinking too beautifully; the headquarters had already uncovered the enemy’s plot. Now, Team Li was directly countering the front, while the comrades from the Xuanjia team were hurrying from the north.
“Wait a moment, the higher-ups will use high-yield thermobaric munitions for an airstrike in the valley. After the airstrike, we will move behind the enemy to launch a counterattack and completely annihilate them!”
Now, no standing with your body against the wall! Everyone enter a silent state; without commands, personal action is forbidden!
The brief pre-battle mobilization filled everyone with confidence, and Tu Weijun was the first to don the oxygen mask.
However, all of this left Jiang Yan, who couldn’t comprehend Meng Ge’s current situation, even paler, only managing to tightly shut her eyes and tremble slightly. Meanwhile, Doctor Lu, who was beside her, wore a panicked expression.
No matter how little one understood modern warfare, the terror of the thermobaric bomb represented still sent a chill down Doctor Lu’s spine as a high-level blood clan.
“No… I want to go out… I want to find Su Huai!”
One minute later, to the astonished gazes of Tu Weijun and others, Jiang Yan grabbed her Tang Dao and slowly stood up.
Seeing the other party’s stance, Han Jiexi understood what she intended to do and hurriedly reached out to stop her: “Jiang Yan… it’s very dangerous outside right now; there might not be enough time!”
“Give me the communicator! I know you have it!”
Jiang Yan locked eyes with Han Jiexi, enunciating each word.
…
In the southern part of the valley, in the pitch-black forest, Tsuruomi Sayaka, dressed in a black skirt and carrying a katana, was calmly watching the north.
Xi Ou Miao, now devoid of her usual adorable laziness, was anxiously trembling in the Japanese girl’s arms, her cat ears perked up as she let out low, mournful sounds occasionally.
Behind Tsuruomi Sayaka, Bai Yu Chuan held an umbrella, remaining motionless; further back were twelve knights and fifteen attendants belonging to the Fujiwara family, all adopting the same half-kneeling posture, allowing the rain to drench them, not uttering a sound.
Among them were Tsuruomi Sayaka’s direct entourage and the trusted subordinates of Tanaka Harutaka.
“Sayaka, you don’t seem nervous at all?”
Tanaka Harutaka walked over to Tsuruomi Sayaka, a mild smile on his face.
Tsuruomi Sayaka quickly lowered her head and carefully replied, “Uncle’s plans are very well arranged, and with Harutaka-oniichan here, I have confidence too.”
“Is that so?”
Tanaka Harutaka glanced casually toward the northeast of the valley, and the smile on his face grew ever more mysterious: “A meticulously laid trap, but until the last moment, no one knows who the real hunter is…”
After speaking, Tanaka Harutaka walked away with his men.
Tsuruomi Sayaka felt a pang in her heart but quickly regained her composure, watching the retreating figure of Tanaka Harutaka, a glimmer of confusion passing through her eyes.
Could it be that Tanaka Harutaka had discovered the Wang family lurking kilometers away? No, that’s unlikely. If he really found something, why wouldn’t Uncle know…
From departure until now, Tsuruomi Sayaka noticed that Tanaka Harutaka didn’t seem as close to Fujiwara Kiyoshi as she imagined, but rather closer to her.
As for why she felt this way, she couldn’t quite articulate.
Once Tanaka Harutaka and his group had completely disappeared, Tsuruomi Sayaka raised her hand behind her.
“Bai Yu-kun, let’s move eastward for another two hundred meters and hide behind that cliff, expanding the perimeter.”
Tsuruomi Sayaka focused on the direction of the secret cave, coldly issuing the latest orders.
But Lord Kiyoshi… oh well!
Bai Yu Chuan looked around, a bit hesitant, but met Tsuruomi Sayaka’s irrefutable gaze, and quickly lowered his head.
…
In the northern part of the valley, on the border, among the dense mountains and forests, a Chinese Dark Arrow unit of over two hundred people was heading south in the rain.
This was the Xuanjia team, having cut off all external communications, secretly entering the territory of Laos from their deployment location.
At this time, whether it was the assault squad or the support squad, everyone, under the leadership of Captain Tao Qiaoer, marched through the rain-soaked mountains in a difficult yet orderly formation.
The beam from tactical flashlights swept through the sides of the forest, occasionally revealing a rusted warning sign entwined with vines, cautioning about landmines.
The sign bore a mottled and grotesque dark red skull.
The area where China, Vietnam, and Laos meet is one of the most dangerous regions in the world. The war fifty years ago left countless landmines scattered throughout these undulating hills and forests, rendering the area desolate for decades, returning to its primitive state.
For ordinary people, this is a death zone, but for blood clan smuggling groups that have been scraping by in the underground world for years, it’s one of Southeast Asia’s most renowned underground smuggling routes, representing wealth and opportunity.
The reality is that only a very few blood clan members actually master the safe routes through the mountainous minefields, risking lives for returns.
At the very front of the convoy was a mysterious man dressed in rainforest digital camouflage. He was the secret guide for the Xuanjia team’s crossing of the border minefield and the only one capable of ensuring that the over two hundred member team didn’t end up trapped in true peril.
Tao Qiaoer and Han Xiao supported each other, advancing together through the rain-soaked, muddy forest, and the multiple falls suffered along the way made both of them look quite disheveled, and as time passed, their expressions grew increasingly anxious.
According to prior arrangements with Han Xiao, the Xuanjia team should have long since reached the ambush point by this time and should not still be struggling in the forest minefield.
“Uh, Mr. Wang, how much longer do we need?”
The line ahead stopped, and the mysterious Wang family guide walked back, Han Xiao and Tao Qiaoer hurried to meet him, wiping rainwater from their faces.
“It’s safe here; continuing south for just over a kilometer will reach our destination.”
The Wang family guide approached Tao Qiaoer and Han Xiao, smiling as he pointed towards the southern forest: “Mr. Han must have instructed you that you can only approach upon seeing the signal flares; otherwise, it’s easy to cause friendly fire.”
After that, the Wang family guide vanished into the dense woods, just as quietly as he had suddenly appeared.
“Take a break, check the gear!”
After seeing off the Wang family personnel, Tao Qiaoer summoned a lieutenant and gave orders.
Han Xiao took out her satellite phone, and after several seconds shook her head helplessly: “This Xiaogai is practically walking on a tightrope… I still can’t reach him, and the situation of the Blood Dragon team is completely unknown!”
“Sister Xiao, is Meng Ge really still alive? Is he with the Blood Dragon team right now?”
Feeling the rain had lessened, Tao Qiaoer wiped off her raincoat’s hood and gazed anxiously at the dark valley to the south under the rain.
“I don’t know; Xiaogai and he have always been secretive. I never thought that our Dark Arrow would have a secret unit composed of blood clan members… Forget it, we are breaking military discipline this time, following them down this path to the end.”
“Ah, the Blood Dragon team seems born for someone like Meng Che. Some people really can’t do anything in order to keep fighting against vampires…”
Han Xiao sat on a fallen, decayed tree, smoothing her wet hair, her face calm.
“Uh, Sister Xiao, if something unexpected happens this time, it’s not your fault; it’s all my responsibility!”
Tao Qiaoer checked her weapon while showing a serious expression to Han Xiao.
“Foolish sister, as if I wouldn’t take responsibility… Don’t worry, Xiaogai and I are known for our audacity in Dark Arrow. This time, it’s hard not to have my father get involved; if the sky falls, he’ll bear it.”
Han Xiao seemed to have already come to terms with it, casually speaking words that were somewhat unconcerned.
Just then, a slight commotion occurred at the front of the convoy, and simultaneously, a low rumbling sound roared through the rain night, sounding like distant thunder.
A second lieutenant ran over, pointing back to the direction he came from, “Captain, there’s been an explosion in the southern valley, about a kilometer away from here!”
Both Tao Qiaoer and Han Xiao’s expressions changed simultaneously, with the latter quickly leaping up like a cat and darting up a large tree, raising her night vision binoculars to her chest.
“It’s there, that’s right… the light from the explosion, there’s combat happening!”
Seconds later, Han Xiao jumped down from the tree, her expression somewhat excited.
More than a kilometer away, most of the light firearm noises were difficult to hear, while in the primitive mountains, the transmission distance is further shortened. Only the low-frequency noise generated by the explosions could be heard from far away.
“Everyone, switch to contact combat formation, advance, and launch the drones!”
Tao Qiaoer immediately issued a combat order without hesitation.
In the dark night, where the rain had somewhat lessened, two reconnaissance drones equipped with night vision gear took off into the sky, heading towards the explosion site, followed by several star fire portable drones soaring up into the night sky.
In just a few minutes, over two hundred commandos from the Xuanjia team formed a field combat formation composed of several horizontal ranks, with each rank partly subdivided into several independent combat units.
The atmosphere instantly tightened; Han Xiao disengaged her gun’s safety and instinctively took the lead, shadowed by thousands of stormtroopers from the Xuanjia team.
Another round of low, harsh engine sounds came from the night sky behind them, and Han Xiao couldn’t help but turn to look, spotting a large transport aircraft flying just under a hundred meters above the treetops, roaring toward them from afar.
The exceedingly unconventional high-risk flight posture seemed lost, as if searching for a suitable landing spot.
Clearly, this was a military transport plane that had breached into Laos from Huaguo’s direction. Han Xiao’s heart skipped a beat as her eyes stayed deadlocked on the flickering navigation lights of the aircraft, which skimmed over the mountains and slowly ascended.
“Captain, it’s the signal flare!”
Several seconds later, a dazzling red and green signal flare shot up from deep in the valley, traversing the rainy night like a light spirit.
…
…
Somewhere in a ground radar monitoring station within Huaguo, a flying object that had been circling the border for two hours suddenly turned south, crossing the border.
“44075, you have deviated from the mission path, please turn back immediately!”
In the ground radar monitoring station, an officer grabbed the communicator, his expression extraordinarily tense.
This transport aircraft was tasked for a night training mission, but at this moment, it seemed to be experiencing a sudden malfunction, not only deviating from its course but also sharply descending.
Regrettably, even after shouting until his throat was raw, there was no response, and with the descent, the radar already lost all tracking data.
Inside the transport aircraft, Meng Huai shifted his gaze away from a temporary satellite communicator installed on the instrument panel and began shutting down unnecessary equipment one by one.
Behind him in the cabin, a thermobaric bomb weighing a thousand five hundred kilograms had been disarmed of all safety devices; now, any abnormal landing maneuvers could turn this aircraft into a horrifying fireball in the rainy night.
In front of the cockpit, the rising signal flare and the two fires on the ground serving as navigation were already visible.
In a spiral maneuver, the transport aircraft soared back up to nearly a kilometer altitude and dove down toward the direction indicated by the ground.
“Meng Huai, respond to me!”
Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed in the temporary satellite communicator.
This was the first time Meng Huai had heard such panic and fear in Jiang Yan’s voice since they had known each other.
Jiang Yan’s voice rang loudly in the cockpit, thrumming deafeningly, but Meng Huai’s expression remained cold and indifferent; he merely glanced outside at the mountain forest night scene while pushing the control stick to complete the final course adjustment.
Releasing the control stick, he removed his flight helmet, ignoring Jiang Yan’s calls and tightly shutting his eyes.
“Meng Huai… don’t do this. Please answer me… You bastard! Don’t let it happen as it did last time, where I’ll live and die without knowing! I’m here waiting for you to complete the mission!”
Jiang Yan’s voice grew increasingly hoarse, until she was nearly shouting at the top of her lungs.
Meng Huai’s body shivered; he slowly opened his eyes, and from the corner of his vision, he saw a parachute in a corner of the cockpit.
The twin turboprop engines revved into high gear, diving angles far exceeding normal flight posture, causing the entire aircraft to tremble, as though it would disintegrate at any second, while the powerful acceleration rendered Meng Huai’s body momentarily immobile.
