"The Dark Stinger is in the Lion Body Country, and won't be back anytime soon. The other special forces teams are also occupied with their missions, so General Chen sent me to find you," Yuan Fei said.

"Who's the target and where are they?"

"The target is the international narcotics trafficker Sha Kun, who has now escaped into Shennongjia and is hiding there," Yuan Fei answered.

"I've just started school, haven't even had formal classes yet, and I already need to take leave. What a pain," Luo Chao said, though his blood was already boiling with excitement.

Yuan Fei shrugged, "Can't help it, it's sudden. The national intelligence team only just got the news, all because of a black-market firefight during a border transaction—these guys are too cunning."

"When do we depart?" Luo Chao was eager to go.

"Tonight."

That night, Luo Chao and Yuan Fei took a plane to Qingzhong City, the closest city to Shennongjia, and then drove to Wushan County nearby.

Chen Yuquan would perfectly handle their sudden disappearance.

Luo Chao and Yuan Fei found a small inn to rest for the night and get into top condition.

Yuan Fei stayed in the inn for about half an hour before he left, weaving through the crowds until he disappeared.

He returned at dusk with two silver cases in hand, back at the inn.

"Instructor, look what I brought you," Yuan Fei said, placing the cases on the table and patting them.

Luo Chao opened them to find a disassembled sniper rifle, a handgun, and a special trident military spike.

Seeing the military spike, Luo Chao was pleased and handled it. The unique trident design, deep blood groove on the blade, and serrated edge unmistakably marked it as a deadly weapon.

This military spike was made in Germany, and Luo Chao favored using it in missions for its great lethality in close combat. In fact, Luo Chao held high regard for German-made weapons, believing their performance surpassed most countries.

Yuan Fei knew of Luo Chao's preference, so he brought top-notch weapons from a German military factory, including the sniper rifle and handgun.

"For this mission, I'm in charge of close combat, while you provide sniper support from afar, using a high-power scope to report enemy movements," Luo Chao instructed.

"Yes." Yuan Fei had no objections to Luo Chao's arrangements and was confident in his instructor's abilities.

Shennongjia is vast. Even with the general location of Sha Kun's group from the national intelligence team, it took Luo Chao and Yuan Fei three days to track them down.

In a valley, there were over a dozen tents set up, with four men patrolling the perimeter while others appeared to be discussing something inside a tent. Luo Chao roughly estimated there were about twenty people.

"Instructor, what should we do next?" They lay hidden in a thickly branched tree.

"Wait until nightfall to act. You can handle nighttime sniping, right?" Luo Chao observed and asked Yuan Fei.

Yuan Fei patted his new sniper rifle confidently, "I'm one of the top snipers in our unit. This is no big deal for me.

Luo Chao knew of some of Yuan Fei's achievements, so he felt assured, pointing to the highest point, "That's the best sniper position. Go there and await my orders."

"Yes."

Five minutes later, Luo Chao's earpiece buzzed.

"Instructor, Yuan Fei in position, awaiting instructions."

"Hold your position."

"Yes."

Luo Chao concealed himself more thoroughly and closed his eyes, immersing himself in silence.

As the moon reached its peak and midnight arrived, Luo Chao whispered into his earpiece, "Begin operation."

"Bang~"

A muffled gunshot marked the beginning of the battle. The bullet precisely hit the heart of one of the four patrollers.

The gunshot alarmed everyone, who grabbed their weapons and rushed out. Yuan Fei then fired "Bang~" "Bang~" "Bang~" taking down three more, but exposed his position. Everyone opened fire with submachine guns, suppressing him with heavy firepower. Yuan Fei huddled behind cover, not daring to shoot again. His task was accomplished, successfully drawing the attention of the smugglers, creating an opportunity for Luo Chao.

As the gunfire erupted, Luo Chao ghosted down the tree, silently approaching Sha Kun's camp. Drawing the trident spike strapped to his military boot, he covered a nearby thug's mouth and nose, silencing him as he plunged the sharp blade into his temple, killing him instantly. The assault rifle's fiery spray halted abruptly.

The gunfire served as the perfect cloak for the assassination. After eliminating three people, Sha Kun's group finally sensed something was wrong—the gunfire noticeably weakened.

Turning around, they witnessed a horrifying scene—a Huaxia man extracting a spike from a comrade's chest, with two bodies already lifeless at his feet.

Seeing he'd been exposed, Luo Chao decisively charged towards their leader, Sha Kun, before they could react.

With a thunderous leap, he closed in on Sha Kun in a flash, raising the spike for a fatal thrust. The others hesitated, fearing to shoot and hitting their own leader.

Right as Luo Chao's strike was about to succeed, a short blade suddenly deflected it aside.

Luo Chao squinted at the woman blocking him—a typical blonde American with blue eyes.

"It's you," Luo Chao said.

"Dark Night, long time no see," the American beauty responded in fluent Huaxia.

Luo Chao had encountered her before during a mission in the Middle East, clashing with her. Despite succeeding, she escaped. He wasn't confident in winning a solo duel with her.

"I really don't want to fight you. You make me feel unsafe. How about a deal? One million U.S. dollars, you let us go." Behind her, Sha Kun, shaken by Luo Chao's assassination attempt, nodded urgently, "One million, I'll pay, just let me leave Huaxia safely." He valued his life dearly; money could be earned again, but a lost life couldn't be revived, so spending money to resolve it was no issue for him.

Luo Chao held the spike with open hands, smiling, "Heh, a million U.S. dollars, quite the offer. But, Poppy, you know what I do for a living."

"Poppy" was the woman's codename in the international mercenary world.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.