Chapter 192: Feint To The East, Attack To The West
“Medic, do you think Dog Head Old Gao and the others aren’t coming tonight?”
Ostrich turned and asked the medic lying beside him.
He had searched dozens of times, both in the forest and on the training ground below; it was as quiet as a ghost town.
“Maybe they’re not coming tonight, maybe they’ll suddenly pop out from an unexpected place in the next second, who knows?”
The medic lifted the night vision goggles attached to his helmet and replied to Ostrich. The prolonged stakeout was extremely draining for both of them.
While it was safe all around, they needed to rest.
It wasn’t just the sniper team who doubted; everyone except Chang Ning, who was in deep sleep, had started to doubt if Gao Zhong Dui was coming tonight.
Looking at the sky, dawn would break in just over an hour.
“Everyone, hang in there a bit longer. We’ll arrange for shifts to rest once it’s dawn.”
Geng Jihui, guessing everyone might not be in good condition, immediately made corresponding arrangements.
Of course, this didn’t include Chang Ning, who was sound asleep.
With a “whoosh,” Gao Zhong Dui forcefully opened the airplane’s cabin door, and strong wind instantly filled every part of the cabin.
Looking at the dark sky below, Gao Zhong Dui, without the slightest hesitation, leaped into the inky night.
Not long after, only a faint white flash could be vaguely seen from the airplane.
“Parachute jump?
Aren’t they afraid of being discovered?”
Someone in the office was very confused by Gao Zhong Dui’s actions.
A parachute jump was too conspicuous. At thousands of meters high, even if Group B on the ground didn’t spot them immediately, they would eventually land.
Once they descended to a few hundred meters, Group B would be able to see the situation in the sky with a slight glance upwards.
This was simply too risky!
“Xiao He, why did this pursuit team choose to parachute?
According to the map, they could have chosen to enter the jungle or travel by water.”
He Commander was very puzzled by Dog Head Old Gao’s plan.
There were clearly two other routes with better concealment, so why did he choose not to take them?
Seeing that the leader had called him by name, He Zhijun dared not stall and revealed Dog Head Old Gao’s background.
He was an experienced special operations soldier who had spent half his life researching special operations, and Gao Zhong Dui was his former subordinate and old brother.
Therefore, he had more say from the perspective of special operations and his familiarity with Old Gao.
“Group B was trained by Group A, and they know each other very well.
The map clearly marked two routes, and since they were marked, there’s no reason for Group B not to pay attention.
They must have set up a watertight net in the jungle and by the water, waiting for Group A to walk into it.
Since they come from the same training, what Group B can think of, Group A can also think of.”
He Zhijun paused here, organizing his words.
“There is indeed a high risk of being discovered during a parachute jump, but as long as they can land quickly and control the main access points before Group B can react, the subsequent outcome will depend on their respective capabilities.
To achieve the above objective, Group A’s parachute jump technique would definitely be High Altitude Low Opening.”
After carefully listening to He Zhijun’s explanation, everyone finally understood.
From this phrase, they could roughly guess what was going on.
Because the advantage of jumping from high altitude and opening the parachute at low altitude is fast landing speed, short airborne time, and a greatly reduced chance of being discovered.
It is a common freefall method used by special forces for behind-enemy-lines assault and reconnaissance missions.
“It’s no wonder the higher-ups want to vigorously develop special forces; there’s a reason for it.”
Through He Zhijun’s explanation of Dog Head Old Gao’s tactics, He Commander immediately thought of the information revealed by the leader’s speech at the meeting this year.
He came from a background of large-scale troop command and combat and didn’t know much about special forces.
However, after this year, none of it would be his concern anymore.
He was going to retire.
Thinking of his impending retirement, He Commander thought of his deceased son; if he were still alive, he would probably be a Major by now.
Seeing He Commander lost in thought, no one in the office dared to disturb their leader.
Thus, everyone’s gaze shifted back to the screen; the show was about to begin!
“Is it possible Gao Zhong Dui isn’t coming tonight?”
Xiao Zhuang softly said to Qiang Zi, who was not far from him. The sky was almost dawn, but everything was quiet with no movement.
They couldn’t possibly attack during the day, could they?
Thinking this, Xiao Zhuang pondered and realized it was indeed possible.
The exercise outline didn’t stipulate that Group A had to launch the hostage rescue mission tonight.
“I don’t know either. It would be better if they don’t come; we can get some proper rest.”
Qiang Zi didn’t overthink it and felt they should just proceed according to the plan.
If Group A appeared, with the sniper team and Lao Pao providing long-range fire support, and the assault team, Chang Ning, and Xiao Geng resisting from within, the probability of losing seemed quite low.
“Forest Wolf, do you think Group A isn’t coming tonight?
After all, the exercise outline doesn’t have clear regulations on when to initiate the action.
Over.”
Xiao Zhuang asked.
“Siberian Wolf, whether Group A comes tonight or not, we must stay alert.
Over.”
Geng Jihui replied, knowing full well Xiao Zhuang’s concerns.
He couldn’t order a rotation of rest now; what if Group A attacked them?
They could only rest after dawn; he truly didn’t dare to relax at night.
Night combat, fierce combat, and close-quarters combat had been the forte of the Chinese Army since World War II. Coupled with the fact that the opponent was an experienced veteran, Geng Jihui didn’t dare to gamble on whether they would come tonight!
Just as Xiao Zhuang and Geng Jihui were talking, Chang Ning’s voice came over the public channel.
“Everyone pay attention to the sky, the guests have arrived, prepare to open the door and welcome them!”
Everyone looked up at the sky, and six white parachutes were clearly visible.
“Holy crap! Parachuting!” Ostrich exclaimed.
“And High Altitude Low Opening, is Group A going to such lengths to deal with us, is it necessary!”
The medic saw the high importance Group A placed on them through their actions.
Normally, he would have been happy, but now he couldn’t smile.
“Their target is the training house. Assault Team and Mountain Wolf, move towards me.
Sha Po Lang, please hold on until we arrive!
Sniper Team, take them out!”
Seeing the parachutes in the sky, Geng Jihui understood Gao Zhong Dui’s intentions and quickly issued the corresponding combat orders.
“Sha Po Lang received. I will hold on until their first assault ends. Over.”
Chang Ning leaned against the window frame, firmly protecting the hostage behind him.
The next step would surely involve hand grenades. Tong Youyou had not received relevant training, and Chang Ning was afraid she would be accidentally injured.
He’d just treat it as payment for her reminding him earlier.
Otherwise, Chang Ning wouldn’t bother with Tong Youyou at all; after all, training bullets were used, greatly reducing their lethality and preventing death.
Gao Zhong Dui had calculated everything; he would never have thought they would be exposed in advance, the problem stemmed from the hostage.
It turned out that Tong Youyou had drunk too much water and was woken up by a full bladder in the middle of the night. When she came out of the restroom, she looked up and saw Gao Zhong Dui and the others descending rapidly.
Initially, this was nothing, but she told Chang Ning about it.
Thus, things began to spiral in a direction Gao Zhong Dui had not anticipated.
Some things are better left to those who are suitable to be involved.
It could only be said that Group B was lucky.
“We’ve been exposed, speed up the descent!”
The problem of exposure was within his expectations, but premature exposure was not.
Gao Zhong Dui could only attribute it to bad luck.
But it was no big deal; they would just accelerate their descent.
On a protruding mound in the jungle, the medic, wearing a ghillie suit, continuously provided Ostrich with the necessary data.
“Puff… puff… puff.”
Ostrich adjusted the aiming point based on the data provided by the medic and fired several shots. The added silencer made Ostrich’s gunshots extremely quiet.
There was no excessive communication in between. Their long-term tacit training allowed them to anticipate each other’s needs without any verbal cues.
“Watch out for snipers!”
Hui Lang pressed himself against the wall after landing.
He was lucky just now; Ostrich didn’t hit him, and a teammate beside him took all the shots.
The airflow in the sky was chaotic. While it couldn’t blow Group A members away, it could cause them to sway slightly.
This resulted in Ostrich missing several shots, and by the time Group A had all landed, he had only taken down two targets.
“They’ve landed, and we’ve eliminated two of them.
We can’t see them now, so be careful.”
After reporting the situation of the sniper team, the medic waited for Geng Jihui’s orders.
If they didn’t receive orders, he and the medic would act freely.
“Sniper Team, immediately move towards Chang Ning’s direction!”
Group A had rich combat experience; once the sniper team lost track of them, it would be very difficult to find them.
The battle situation was now clear; next, Group A and Group B would engage in close-quarters combat around the house where Chang Ning and the hostage were. Geng Jihui had to rally all members except Chang Ning.
“Boom~”
A loud noise was heard. It was the booby trap installed in the building where Chang Ning was, which had been triggered.
Immediately, Chang Ning’s voice was heard by everyone.
“They’re coming up, I’m holding the line, over!”
As he spoke, Chang Ning emptied a magazine of bullets towards the stairwell. The dense rain of bullets suppressed Group A, making them hesitate to charge up.
After emptying his magazine, Chang Ning casually tossed a hand grenade.
“This kid is as tough as ever; if it were someone else, I would have charged up already.”
Hui Lang leaned against the corner, smiling. His slightly chubby face showed no signs of anger despite being blocked.
“Yeah, mainly because Chang Ning’s marksmanship is too good. Whoever shows their head is unlucky.
Watch out!”
Just as Tu Lang and Hui Lang were exchanging their experiences, a hand grenade suddenly flew towards them, startling them into running.
“What the! Let’s go!”
Hui Lang, with no time to retreat, instinctively lunged into the empty room next door.
“Ptooey~
That was strong!”
Hui Lang spat and immediately returned to his position, afraid Chang Ning would charge over while they were defending.
At this point, if Chang Ning really charged, with his skills, they might be finished.
“Fortunately, we’re only responsible for drawing fire. If we had to charge up, we’d lose several men without taking down Chang Ning.”
Flying Wolf, covered in dust, lay in his position and fired shots towards Chang Ning’s location.
“I think this is pretty good too. Group B can carry the Lone Wolf banner after we retreat.”
“Yeah, that’s heritage!”
Hui Lang also sighed a few words along with Tu Lang.
“By the way, we have another fierce battle ahead, and it’s possible we old guys will fall to those brats in Group B.”
“Don’t worry, Hui Lang. I’ve prepared some little surprises that will definitely make them pay a heavy price!”
Flying Wolf stated that some people don’t have good teeth without good preparation.
On the other side, Geng Jihui, leading the remaining men and meeting with the sniper team, became anxious upon hearing via radio that Chang Ning was already engaged.
With only Chang Ning at the hostage’s location, if Group A, led by Gao Zhong Dui, launched a concentrated assault, Chang Ning wouldn’t be able to hold on for long.
“Let’s go, we’ll go support Chang Ning and take down Dog Head Old Gao!”
Geng Jihui, anxious, remained unperturbed; his command was still calm and stable.
“Be careful of the booby traps they’ve set.”
As they entered the small building, Geng Jihui reminded them.
Xiao Zhuang, as the vanguard, led the way into the first floor of the building. He didn’t find any booby traps from Group A, which greatly reduced the pressure in his heart.
The stairs were at the far end, so for Xiao Zhuang and the others to pass through the stairs to support Chang Ning, they had to cross a short corridor.
Seeing the corridor filled with tables, chairs, and benches, Xiao Zhuang’s scalp tingled.
Putting himself in Group A’s shoes, he would definitely have laid mines here.
“What’s wrong?”
Seeing Xiao Zhuang raise his fist, the team members immediately took defensive and counter-attack positions, on alert.
“There are mines.”
Looking at the transparent fishing line hidden in the gap between the tables, Xiao Zhuang replied to Geng Jihui’s question.
“Can we bypass them?”
Whether they could disarm the mines now was not important; they had to reach the engagement point immediately to support Chang Ning.
Besides, it was the decisive battle; only one team between them and Group A would emerge victorious. Retreat was no longer within Geng Jihui’s considerations.
“Yes, but we have to be extremely careful.”
Xiao Zhuang carefully examined the way the fishing line was tangled and found that although it was dangerous, it could still be bypassed, thus answering Geng Jihui’s question.
In the past, when Chang Ning was there, he didn’t seem to struggle this much?
On this short stretch of less than ten meters, Xiao Zhuang felt his nerves were already beginning to fatigue.
As the vanguard, he was responsible for scouting ahead and capturing prisoners for the team. The lives of the entire team rested in his hands, and Xiao Zhuang dared not relax for a moment.
“Shhh~”
Gao Zhong Dui, who had climbed to the second floor with his bare hands, made a shushing gesture to Tong Youyou. After Tong Youyou nodded slightly, he quietly slipped into the room from the window.
The exchange of fire was too intense, and Gao Zhong Dui consciously lightened his movements, which resulted in Chang Ning not noticing a bit of these actions.
Something’s not right!
Chang Ning hadn’t noticed Gao Zhong Dui’s attempt to rescue the hostage, but he always felt something was off behind him; it was an intuition.
He quickly turned and aimed his gun muzzle towards Tong Youyou’s direction. Chang Ning saw Gao Zhong Dui tying a rope to Tong Youyou.
Looking at the other end of the rope hanging from the window, Chang Ning’s mind raced, and he immediately understood Gao Zhong Dui’s plan.
He was going to lower Tong Youyou directly out of the window; that would save trouble.
He hadn’t expected Gao Zhong Dui to employ not only parachute jumps but also diversions to deal with them.
Was he taking them too seriously? Was it that necessary!
4000 characters combined chapter.
