Chapter Three: The Battle Escalates

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“Not an antipersonnel mine?” Sophia swallowed, her expression turning grave.

Yang Jie sneered. “They’re professionals. The car is probably bulletproof. An antipersonnel mine wouldn’t be enough. I prefer getting the job done in one shot.”

At the sight of the TM-62M, Sophia instinctively wanted to put as much distance between herself and the place as possible. The thing’s power was terrifying. Once it detonated, the remains would have to be collected with a vacuum cleaner.

All three were elite operators among elites. They immediately dug pits and buried five TM-62M antitank mines at different locations.

When the remote control was switched on, five green lights illuminated.

The trio promptly withdrew and activated the monitors. Sure enough, five dark shapes were approaching.

At that moment, inside five armored vehicles, dozens of fully armed combat personnel without any identifying insignia had begun a network conference.

The commander issued orders while holding a tablet.

“Once we dismount, Teams A and B will secure the main warehouse.”

“Teams C and D will clear the remaining damaged buildings and seize the high ground.”

“Team E will remain near the command vehicle and provide support. Our objective is to rescue the hostages. If that fails, execute them on the spot.”

All the operatives answered in low voices, “Yes, sir!”

The deputy held up a tablet.

“Sir, electromagnetic activity nearby is unusually high.”

The commander considered this, then nodded.

“Park farther away. Send four teams in carefully.”

“Yes, sir!”

The command vehicle stopped at a distance. The other four vehicles drove in from the road, but only one passed over an antitank mine.

Yang Jie’s brow twitched. Good grief, they were cautious. They had stopped a full kilometer away!

“Come on. Let’s change gear. Looks like we’re going to have to fight this one head-on.”

When the three emerged from the warehouse, they were fully armed.

Cui Huizhu carried a fully equipped HK416 fitted with an under-barrel grenade launcher and wore Level Three body armor. Her expression was solemn.

Sophia had a backpack containing two thousand rounds of ammunition slung over her shoulders. In her hands was an M249 light machine gun, nicknamed the “Big Pineapple.” Excited, she wore a Level Four armored suit that made her already imposing figure look even sturdier.

Yang Jie, meanwhile, was carrying a TAC-50. The rifle measured 1,448 millimeters in length and weighed 11.8 kilograms unloaded. It fired .50-caliber subsonic rounds specially designed for reduced noise, combined with a titanium-alloy suppressor.

The sound could be kept within a range of several dozen meters—ideal for eliminating targets without alerting anyone, and an essential weapon for a true sneak.

Before long, the four teams gradually crept closer. Taking cover, Sophia waited for the signal.

Cui Huizhu leaned against the cover, slowly opened her eyes, and donned thermal-imaging quad-tube night-vision goggles. Her hands gripped the grenade launcher mounted on the Picatinny rail as she waited in silence.

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Just as the four enemy teams were preparing to split up, Yang Jie suddenly roared,

“Let the fireworks begin!”

A stun grenade exploded, blinding the enemy.

Sophia sprang to her feet and unleashed a stream of fire from the Big Pineapple. While the enemy was still dazed and bewildered, she established overwhelming fire superiority.

Cui Huizhu did not fire her rifle. Instead, she repeatedly launched grenades into the midst of the crowd.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Gunfire and explosions intertwined without pause.

The enemy was caught completely off guard, but they recovered quickly. The men in the rear produced ballistic shields and attempted to organize a counterattack.

With its firepower, destructive force, mobility, and accuracy, the Big Pineapple was naturally one of the indispensable weapons of modern combat.

In an instant, it became a storm of metal, pinning the enemy down mercilessly.

At the same time, Cui Huizhu’s grenades made the already desperate enemy’s situation even worse.

Within moments, seven or eight of them had been cut down. The combined firepower of the two women forced more than twenty armed personnel to keep their heads down.

Amid the chaos, no one noticed the occasional, faint, sharp crack.

Each time that sound rang out, another enemy operative peacefully fell asleep.

The TAC-50 was loaded with .50-caliber subsonic rounds. Their stopping power was not particularly impressive, and sometimes they could not even penetrate a ballistic plate.

Yet their tremendous kinetic energy could smash an opponent’s bones and internal organs into a tangled mess in an instant. No matter how underpowered they might be, they were still 12.7-millimeter rounds.

Given the current situation, Yang Jie needed only a few more minutes to wipe out the enemy without suffering a single casualty.

“Yang Jie, they’re leaving!”

Zhao Baitong’s slightly urgent voice came through the earpiece.

Yang Jie narrowed his eyes. Clearly, the team left behind had been observing the battle. Once the enemy realized they were at an obvious disadvantage, they would not stay and die. They were certainly preparing to flee.

Not only was the enemy command vehicle preparing to withdraw, but the operatives still able to stand were also attempting to retreat.

Unfortunately for them, they carried ballistic shields and dragged their wounded comrades along—until all of them gathered directly over an antitank mine.

Yang Jie’s eyes narrowed, and the corners of his mouth slowly lifted. He abruptly pressed the number-three button.

“Boom!”

Earth erupted into the sky, accompanied by a mass of severed limbs, mangled remains, and a cloud of blood mist.

The occupants of the command vehicle stared in shock.

What the hell? This was supposed to be a special operation, and they had used an antitank mine? That was completely against the rules!

The command vehicle accelerated instantly and began racing for its life. But Yang Jie was not about to give them the chance. He raised his rifle and fired, striking one of the tires.

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To be fair, the enemy’s armored vehicle was extremely well made. Even its wheels were specially designed. Despite being hit by a bullet, it did not slow down at all.

As the vehicle sped desperately away, Sophia arrived on a motorcycle. Without a word, Yang Jie jumped on behind her, and they raced after the car.

During the pursuit, the two sides exchanged fire repeatedly.

Who could have believed that a country known as the beacon of humanity would stage such an explosive firefight?

If those die-hard admirers who endlessly praised the “great beautiful country” saw this, they would surely say, “Ah, the air of the great beautiful country is filled with the scent of gunpowder. That is the sweet fragrance of freedom.”

Relying on the motorcycle’s agility, Sophia kept swerving and dodging. The enemy, meanwhile, relied on the vehicle’s bulletproof modifications. Unless they destroyed the tires, there was no way to force it to stop.

When she saw the intersection ahead, Sophia shouted, “We’re almost back on the main road!”

Yang Jie flipped his hand, and an M72 antitank rocket launcher appeared in it. He yanked it open and fired at the vehicle ahead.

“Boom!”

The car instantly became a fireball and rolled repeatedly across the ground.

After stopping, Yang Jie walked up to the blazing vehicle and spat disdainfully.

“Let’s go back.”

Sophia kept glancing at Yang Jie but said nothing. She started the motorcycle and headed back.

She genuinely could not understand where he had hidden such a long rocket launcher. Could it be the same one that had been pressing against her just moments ago?

When the two returned to the warehouse, they saw Sarah walking out covered in blood. In her hand was a tracker blinking with a green light, and her eyes glittered with excitement.

“That bastard is a complete pervert. He actually implanted the tracker in his butt!”

Yang Jie pushed the tracker away with considerable disgust.

“What about the intelligence I asked for?”

Sarah tossed him a USB drive and shrugged.

“Two things.”

“First, the USB drive is Paul’s private reserve. It contains all his money.”

“Second, the address of the armory has already been sent to your phone.”

“Okay!”

Yang Jie could not help exclaiming in admiration. That bastard really had been planning to run. Realizing that he was not the only one who had been cheated, Yang Jie immediately felt relieved.

Wonderful. As expected, human joy and sorrow were universal.

The five of them dealt with everything in the warehouse, finished stripping the spoils, and began their journey home. As for the tracker, Yang Jie stuck it to an unknown truck with chewing gum. Heaven only knew where it would end up.