Chapter 32: Seizing the Military Vehicle [3/4]

In the dead of night, Thunder God led the entire Lightning Commando unit into action.

Old Fox looked puzzled. "Thunder God, wasn’t it said that victory in this exercise was already in the bag, and there were no targets worth our出手?"

"Exactly, Thunder God," Yama added, equally confused. "Surely the Red Team’s commander, Colonel Kang Lei, could be handled by the Wild Wolf squad alone? Who exactly is this target that requires all of us?"

Thunder God’s gaze was firm and icy. "No! On this battlefield, there is no target worthy of the entire Lightning Commando! To be precise... this time, it is I who will strike!"

"What? Thunder God, you’re joking, right? You’re going yourself?" Little Bee was startled. "Come on, Thunder God! Is this target really more important than 'Master Kang'?"

The rest of the team was equally shocked, waiting for his reply.

"That's right," Thunder God nodded. "This opponent is completely unexpected. They are stronger than anyone we have ever faced!"

"Stronger than anyone?" Old Fox stared in disbelief. "How strong could they be? Are they stronger than you, Thunder God?"

"He wiped out the entire Wild Wolf squad by himself!" Thunder God gritted his teeth.

He felt a complex mix of love and hate for this Qin Yuan! This man, whom he had initially dismissed as a deserter, had not only returned on time but had also delivered such a massive surprise upon his arrival—a surprise that even made Thunder God himself feel immense pressure.

"Damn! He's that ruthless?"
"Taking out the Wild Wolves alone? You’re not kidding, right?"
"Thunder God, even if we all worked together, it would be difficult to eliminate the Wild Wolves without taking any casualties, wouldn't it?"

Old Fox, Yama, and Little Bee broke into a heated discussion, all of them thoroughly stunned.

"I am not kidding! It is indeed difficult," Thunder God said, his eyes sharpening as he looked ahead. "That is why I am putting pressure on myself this time. I want to face this guy alone!"

"What? You want to face him one-on-one?" Old Fox raised his eyebrows in surprise. Given Thunder God’s description, the opponent was clearly terrifying. Could Thunder God survive a solo encounter?

"Exactly, Thunder God. Going in solo—don't you think the odds are low?" Little Bee asked skeptically.

"Low odds?" Thunder God glared at him. "Little Bee, I am a top-tier ace of the Langya special forces, a 'Soldier King'! Are you telling me I can't handle a mere recruit?"

"What? The opponent is just a recruit?" The group stared in shock again.

"Hmph! So what if he’s a recruit? Don't look down on recruits!" Thunder God drove forward, shooting a fierce glare at them.

The engine roared through the dark wilderness. Old Fox and the others fell completely silent. They all sensed the immense difficulty of this operation. It was going to be a monumental challenge.

***

In the wilderness, Qin Yuan used his powerful night vision and thermal imaging system to spot the enemy long before they saw him. With his cosmic-level marksmanship, he landed headshots on a five-man Blue Team squad one by one.

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for killing (11/10) enemies. A new inventory slot has been unlocked!"

As the system notification chimed, Qin Yuan smiled. "Another slot earned!"

He had previously used his last slot for an owl, leaving him with nothing. Now, he had gained another. "Nice and easy."

He didn't bother looting the bodies. He simply drove on with Li Erniu in the passenger seat, continuing their search. The five poor Blue Team soldiers were eliminated without ever knowing who had hit them.

"Damn it! We just heard the gunfire and were taken out without even seeing a person! This is humiliating!" The five soldiers were deeply frustrated. Unfortunately for them, Qin Yuan had calculated their position and found the perfect vantage point, leaving them clueless until the end.

Time passed. Qin Yuan cruised through the wilderness, but strangely, he hadn't encountered any Blue Team soldiers for a long time.

"Could it be that we’ve taken such an obscure route that we're moving away from them?" Qin Yuan wondered. It didn't make sense. By now, they should have run into more squads. But with the fuel gauge dropping, he hadn't seen a single soul. He was getting annoyed. "I wish I could catch another rattlesnake."

He missed the benefits of the snake. Its thermal imaging ability had provided a 1,000-meter range—a vast area, but for this massive wilderness, it was barely enough. However, rattlesnakes weren't exactly easy to find; he didn't even know where the last one had come from.

"It seems I need to change tactics. Let's hijack a Blue Team truck, get some fuel, and see if we can find their march route."

Qin Yuan turned the steering wheel 90 degrees and headed in a new direction. Sure enough, his persistence paid off. Within a few kilometers, his thermal imaging picked up a Blue Team supply truck.

"A pillow for someone who's sleepy! Just what I needed," Qin Yuan grinned.

There were two soldiers in the cab and four in the back. According to his thermal scan, two were sleeping, and two were on guard duty.

"Erniu, wake up! Another target has delivered itself to our doorstep," Qin Yuan said, tapping the dozing Li Erniu.

Li Erniu jumped to life, grinning. "Brother Yuan, more enemies? Don't forget, leave one for me! I still want to earn some merit to join the special forces!"

"Fine! I'll leave two for you," Qin Yuan laughed and slammed on the gas. The jeep roared as it sped forward.

Minutes later, Qin Yuan stopped at his chosen spot. "Erniu, see that road ahead? In three minutes, the target will pass by. You fire first, and leave the rest to me!"

The two hid in the woods overlooking the road. "Got it, Brother Yuan!" Li Erniu said, his eyes locked on the road with intense focus.

Sure enough, a military truck slowly rumbled into view.

"Erniu, fire!"

As the distance closed, Qin Yuan gave the order, and Li Erniu opened fire with a wild burst of gunfire.