For safety, the DHS requires each search team to have no fewer than five people, and they must check in every fifteen minutes to confirm their location and whether they have encountered any danger. They also need to report when leaving the designated area to prevent repeating past dangerous incidents.

Jimmy's car radio and walkie-talkie have both been tuned to the designated channel. Before departure, he took out the equipment bag from the trunk and changed into a bullet-proof vest, placing an M4 on the passenger seat for easy access.

The group they face this time is different from those encountered before. The pressure is greater than when Jimmy had to ambush a drug dealer's manor. Back then, although the gunfire incited an onslaught by the drug dealer's security, their skill level wasn't high. The main danger was the chaos with bullets flying everywhere, making it impossible for Jimmy to anticipate every trajectory, keeping him pinned down in a corner, hesitant to expose himself.

This time, they're confronting professional war hyenas, accustomed to combat in the wild. Although it is known that they've fought in the Middle East, one can't assume they lack the ability to fight in forests, plains, and mountains.

Especially since the enemy mostly uses rifles, naturally extending their shooting range. Relying solely on a handgun might not allow Jimmy even to approach them. Using a rifle won't let Jimmy's perception cover the shooting range, but at least it provides an opportunity to counterattack from a distance.

This is Jimmy's first experience being guided by a helicopter to search a target location. The infrared camera on the helicopter can spot heat sources in not too densely wooded areas. However, being summer, the high temperatures have led rocks and such, having absorbed enough heat, to affect the infrared monitoring. After receiving a suspicious location, Jimmy's team checks it on-site only to find nothing.

The human body temperature generally ranges from 37-38 degrees. If the surrounding temperature is the same or higher, infrared detection cannot easily identify which heat sources are human. This limitation makes aerial identification's accuracy not very high.

The investigation isn't particularly smooth. The local police have been notified to restrict residents from heading into the wild and conduct simple checks in their jurisdictions to ensure no suspicious people are found. The DHS, possessing only three helicopters, doesn't search efficiently from the air, nor can it cover every area meticulously, primarily just circling overhead slowly a couple of times before leaving.

Jimmy and his team received a message: about a few kilometers away by a forest, two individuals were sighted. But by the time the helicopter arrived, visual contact was lost, and no corresponding infrared signals could be detected from the air, prompting a ground search.

A few kilometers isn't far, and Jimmy's convoy arrives quickly. The helicopter continues to hover above, with no findings reported over the walkie-talkie. Upon confirmation of their arrival, the helicopter hovers where the two were last seen.

Exiting the vehicle, all five of Jimmy's group, wearing bullet-proof vests and carrying rifles, pause briefly beside the car to observe before splitting into two groups advancing left and right into the forest to search.

Quickly, Jimmy spots a cleared area with a hidden space beneath. Of course, he first noticed the space before checking the ground to confirm; the fallen leaves had been cleared away, but the grass appeared almost untouched, only too clean.

Jimmy signaled Mahong to stop, examined the ground, confirmed the location of a secret door, and silently signaled the other group via walkie-talkie.

A few minutes later, another three-person team joins Jimmy's group. Jimmy and Mahong, guns drawn, stood over the site where Jimmy located the secret door.

Jimmy indicated the spot, pulled out his Glock, and felt around the ground until finding the lift ring on the secret door. The grass atop was actually a complete sod piece fixed to the door. Glancing at his team, Jimmy heaved the door open, pointing the Glock inside.

A wooden ladder extended downwards about 2 meters, leading to an inward slope. Jimmy knew the two inside weren't near the entrance, but others didn't know that. After considering, he decided not to go down directly but instead shouted inside, "FBI, to those inside, you're surrounded. Drop your weapons and surrender immediately."

Truthfully, it was all for show since he'd realized the two inside weren't their targets. Judging by their silhouettes, they were a male and a female, not wearing bulky bullet-proof vests, nor were weapons evident. However, for the act, the protocol had to be followed.

At Jimmy's call, the two inside clearly panicked. An agent beside Jimmy tapped him, pulled a shock bomb, and after pulling the pin counted down, "Three, two, one!" and tossed it inside.

Jimmy quickly moved away from the entrance, leaving the door open. A muffled explosion was followed by the man's and woman's screams of agony.

The shock bomb didn't just flash but also produced a stunning explosion within the confined space, rendering both individuals incapacitated, likely unable to hear anything right now.

The agent who threw the shock bomb went down the ladder right after the explosion, "DHS, hands up."

Jimmy genuinely didn't expect such aggression. Once the shock bomb was thrown, he decided not to interfere. The people below were probably unrelated to the case, but they were likely to file a complaint.

As expected, after two agents handcuffed the pair from the secret chamber, Jimmy took a brief look down. It was a secret stash, containing provisions, weapons, and ammunition. The chamber was lit, seemingly powered by batteries, as no generator was found.

Additionally, a ventilation channel extended to the surface, the walls reinforced with wooden boards. Though only 2 meters down, it delved slightly deeper. Nearby were two camp beds with bedding and a table with chairs, clearly a refuge prepared by local survivalist enthusiasts, not related to their target.

Taking in the scene, Jimmy exchanged a glance and a shrug with fellow DHS agents before leaving them to handle the situation, hoping they managed it well. If not, those involved in this operation were sure to receive complaints.

Back above ground, Jimmy left the forest, used the walkie-talkie to contact the helicopter overhead, directing it to other areas since no suspect traces were found here. He and Mahong returned to their car, while the three DHS agents continued discussing with the two survivalists in the forest.

Staring at the woods, fingers tapping on the steering wheel, it struck Jimmy that, given the presence of such refuges, might the mercenaries be similarly hiding in one? These shelters, stocked with canned goods and water, would suffice for several days or even a fortnight. It wasn't impossible that they planned ahead with refuges at specific sites, fleeing here to evade initial pursuit.

Jimmy immediately got out, shared this hypothesis with Mahong, who agreed it made sense. The two wasted no time in calling Agent Raymond to share their theory. Now they needed to delve deeper, investigating if residents along the way had similar wilderness shelters...

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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.