Hearing Xu Ze’s request, General Yang Guanglian on the other end of the line fell silent for a brief moment before replying, “Lieutenant Colonel Xu Ze, your decision just now was absolutely correct. According to the satellite images we just received, your choice to take shelter in the rainforest is the best possible option…”
“Alright… Lieutenant Colonel Xu Ze, I am hereby granting you command authority over this operation. Your objectives are as follows: if you can link up with the relief force, do so; if not, then you must do everything in your power to escort General Zuma back safely!”
General Yang Guanglian gave Xu Ze his solemn instructions: “We need to cut off communication as quickly as possible now. The Dragon Lion Army is likely equipped with the latest tracking devices provided by Country M, which might be able to pinpoint your location… so from here on out, you’ll have to rely on yourselves…”
“Yes, sir… Minister, I will give it my all to complete the mission!” At this point, Xu Ze wasn’t holding out much hope for support from the General Staff Department anyway. After all, they were now tens of thousands of miles away from the motherland, and the most the General Staff could offer was the occasional satellite intel—which, to Xu Ze, wasn’t all that critical. With Little Knife around, given his capabilities, there probably wasn’t any intelligence he couldn’t get his hands on.
“Remember… the leak of this operation may very well mean that there are still Dragon Lion Army spies among those close to General Zuma. You must proceed with extreme caution!” General Yang Guanglian lowered his voice as he gave the warning, then added gravely, “Xu Ze, I know you’re highly capable. The equipment you requested—Captain Bai Qi has brought it all with him. Remember… make sure you come back safe!”
“Yes, sir… General, I will complete the mission to perfection and return safely!” Hearing the genuine concern in General Yang Guanglian’s words, Xu Ze felt a warmth stir in his heart. He straightened up and replied with solemn determination.
Once the transmission was cut, Captain Bai Qi naturally no longer had any doubts about Xu Ze’s command authority. He simply asked in a low voice, “Lieutenant Colonel… what do we do now?”
“Prepare for jungle combat. We need to get into the rainforest before the Dragon Lion Army catches up. Only by entering the jungle will we have a chance to escape—out here on the open grassland, we don’t stand a chance,” Xu Ze said calmly.
“Yes, sir… Lieutenant Colonel!”
The helicopter had already reached its maximum speed, racing toward the rainforest. Xu Ze glanced at the three red dots on his glasses’ display and noted that the enemy hadn’t yet realized they’d changed course—they were still heading toward the border. He let out a small sigh of relief. Given the current pace, by the time the Dragon Lion Army figured things out, they’d already be deep inside the jungle.
Several dozen minutes later, the helicopter finally reached the edge of the rainforest. At Xu Ze’s command, it touched down in a clearing, and the team quickly disembarked, carrying the still-weak General Zuma as they rushed into the trees.
Xu Ze frowned as he watched the three red dots on his glasses’ display—they were now rapidly closing in. This was still the outskirts of the rainforest, where the trees were sparse. If those three armed helicopters caught up, they might not be able to get away.
He turned to Captain Bai Qi and said firmly, “Captain… my case…”
“Yes, Lieutenant Colonel…” Bai Qi gestured to one of the men behind him, and a soldier promptly carried over a long equipment case.
Xu Ze opened it swiftly, inspected the contents, and nodded in satisfaction. He pulled out a combat suit and changed into it with practiced ease, then tucked a type 92 pistol under his left arm. Next, he slung a type 99 automatic rifle over his shoulder, and slid a foot-long combat knife into the concealed pocket along his thigh.
Finally, he picked up a Barrett M107—nearly a meter long.
The nearby soldiers from the Wolf Fang unit, along with Captain Bai Qi, stared in disbelief as Xu Ze strapped on weapon after weapon, then hoisted the last backpack from the case and swung it onto his back.
Bai Qi hesitated for a moment, then finally said, “Lieutenant Colonel… do you really need that many weapons? With that kind of load, you won’t be able to trek very far. How about I carry the Barrett for you?”
“No need…” Xu Ze gave a slight smile and waved his hand. “You all hurry up and catch up with General Zuma and the others. I’ll be right behind you.”
Hearing Xu Ze’s order, Bai Qi froze and said, “Lieutenant Colonel… you’re the commander. You have to stay with us!”
“Follow orders. Don’t worry—I’ll catch up in no time.” As he spoke, Xu Ze could already hear the faint drone of helicopter rotors in the distance. He furrowed his brow and said firmly, “Obey the order. Go join General Zuma and the others right now. I’ll be there shortly.”
Seeing the unyielding resolve in Xu Ze’s eyes, Bai Qi, though puzzled and uneasy, didn’t dare disobey. He waved to his men and took off after General Zuma’s group.
Watching the Wolf Fang squad gradually vanish into the dense forest, Xu Ze unshouldered the Barrett, pulled out the magazine to check—it was full—then slung the rifle again and quickly made his way into the rainforest.
After running about ten meters in, the sound of helicopter rotors grew increasingly distinct. Xu Ze scanned his surroundings with the Barrett in hand, spotted a large, thick-canopied tree, dropped his backpack, took two quick strides for momentum, and launched himself at the trunk.
With the help of his left hand and carrying over twenty kilograms of gear, he scrambled up the tree as nimbly as an ape.
Perched on a thick branch, Xu Ze braced his back against the trunk and raised the ten-plus-kilogram Barrett. Normally, a Barrett M107 requires a bipod for stability, but with no support available, Xu Ze had to rely purely on his formidable arm strength to aim and fire.
He peered through the scope and saw the three helicopters now appearing in his field of view.
But glancing at the scope, he frowned slightly, then reached up, yanked it off, and tossed it aside. With his system-enhanced glasses providing targeting data, the scope was nothing but dead weight.
After discarding the scope, Xu Ze gently pushed the bolt forward—click—chambering a round. All the ammunition loaded into this Barrett anti-materiel sniper rifle was armor-piercing incendiary rounds. Taking down a few helicopters? For Xu Ze, that was hardly a challenge.
As the helicopters drew closer, Captain Bai Qi, who had already caught up with General Zuma’s group, also heard the distant roar of rotors. His heart jumped. In a flash, he determined that three helicopters were closing in, and they were likely modified gunships with heavy firepower.
He halted immediately, grabbed a shoulder-fired rocket launcher from one of his soldiers, and sprinted back the way they’d come.
The other soldiers also sensed the danger. Another man carrying a rocket launcher followed Bai Qi without hesitation, while the remaining seven team members drew their weapons and hurried General Zuma and the others deeper into the jungle.
Xu Ze held the rifle with both hands, the stock pressed firmly against his cheek. A small targeting reticle on the right lens of his glasses locked onto one of the helicopters, with data flashing beside it: range 1,100 meters, wind conditions…
Watching the helicopter now crystal-clear in his sight, Xu Ze’s eyes narrowed slightly—and his finger gently squeezed the trigger.
The stock slammed hard into his shoulder, the massive recoil shoving him backward into the tree trunk. His back tensed against the bark, absorbing the force in an instant. Without pause, he swung the barrel with one hand while his left hand worked the bolt—click—chambering another round and swinging toward the second helicopter.
In his display, the first helicopter erupted in a deafening explosion, blossoming into a brilliant fireball.
Xu Ze’s face remained expressionless as he squeezed the trigger again. One second later, the second helicopter detonated midair.
By the time Xu Ze trained his sights on the third helicopter, the Dragon Lion Army crew aboard had finally snapped out of their shock. Panicking, they fired two rockets in his direction—
But no sooner had the rockets launched than the third helicopter, too, exploded into a ball of flame under Xu Ze’s sniper fire.
Three shots, three kills. Xu Ze didn’t waste a second. He stowed the rifle, dropped from the tree, ignored the incoming rockets entirely, grabbed his backpack, and ran.
Behind him, the two rockets slammed into the jungle a few dozen meters to his left, erupting in twin fireballs that sent splinters and debris clattering against his back.
Xu Ze kept running, swinging the backpack onto his shoulders and slinging the sniper rifle across his right shoulder as he plunged deeper into the forest.
Not far ahead, Bai Qi had stopped in his tracks, staring blankly in the direction of the explosions. He had clearly heard—in the span of just six or seven seconds—three massive detonations from the distant sky.
Then, only afterward, came the two answering rocket blasts on this side.
“Did the Lieutenant Colonel shoot down all three helicopters by himself?” Bai Qi stood stunned for a moment, then quickly started running back toward the source of the explosions. If something happened to Xu Ze, that would be an unacceptable loss…
But he’d only taken a few steps when he heard rapid footfalls approaching—and Xu Ze’s figure emerged before him.
Seeing Bai Qi running toward him with a rocket launcher in hand, Xu Ze nodded and kept moving without slowing, saying, “Hurry up—we’ve got maybe ten minutes before Dragon Lion Army ground troops get here. We need to put as much distance between us and them as possible. Now that they don’t have helicopters, it won’t be so easy for them to find us.”
“Yes, sir!” Watching Xu Ze, who was carrying thirty or forty kilograms of gear yet still running like the wind, Bai Qi’s eyes flickered with astonishment. Then he snapped out of it and followed, matching Xu Ze’s long strides as they pressed forward into the jungle.
