After Mi Tai and You’an retreated from the front with their n, they boarded an ard vehicle inside the camp. Unsure of what awaited them, they had another SUV take the lead.
The road ahead was a downward slope. The mont the vehicle exited the camp, it sped downhill, intending to break through in one go.
Dawn was just beginning to break, but visibility was still poor. By the ti the n inside noticed sothing amiss on the road ahead, it was too late. The vehicle rolled right over a spike strip. The tires instantly burst, and the SUV skidded for several dozen ters before flipping onto its side.
You’an, following behind in the ard vehicle, realized sothing was wrong and slamd on the brakes. A cold sweat broke out on his back. ’Thank god we weren’t in the lead,’ he thought, ’or we’d be the ones stranded out there.’
Just then, gunfire erupted from both sides of the slope. Bullets peppered the armored vehicle’s makeshift steel plates. Although the rounds couldn’t penetrate, they didn’t dare stay put and quickly reversed.
Mi Tai slamd his hand against the vehicle’s interior. "Damn it!" he cursed.
’There’s a spike strip blocking the way. If we force it, our tires will just get blown out too. We can go on foot, but it’s nearly impossible to get anywhere in this wilderness without a vehicle.’
You’an said, "Boss, there’s only one way out now."
Mi Tai knew what he ant. It was a path they’d prepared earlier—a narrow gap in a trench that led outside the camp. He grabbed his gun. "So we get out and circle around to attack them from behind? Fine! Let’s give them a fight!"
"Boss!"
You’an grabbed his arm. "These guys definitely drove here. They must have co from the city. There’s only one place in that direction where they could have hidden their vehicles, and it’s probably not far from here. Even if they left soone to guard them, it can’t be many people. We get out first, sneak over there, and as long as we can steal a vehicle, we still have a chance to get away!"
Mi Tai froze for a second, then a spark of hope for survival ignited within him. After a mont’s thought, he said harshly, "Let’s do it!"
They had brought six of their brothers with them, but the four in the lead vehicle had crashed. In this car, besides the two of them, were two Maka Students who had co with the Oak Leaf. With Qi Sai missing, these two could act as liaisons with the exchange delegation. They might even put in a good word for them later on, so they had to bring them along.
The four of them made their way to a corner of the camp and climbed down a rope, one after another.
anwhile, at the front of the camp, the firefight was still raging.
Chen Chuan noticed the enemy’s fire from the front had weakened considerably. A mont later, he heard gunshots from the rear. ’That must be bandits trying to escape out the back,’ he figured, ’and our n back there are stopping them.’
The shooting stopped after just a few shots, which ant the enemy hadn’t broken through. Still, he felt uneasy. He glanced at his watch—it was nearly five o’clock, and the sky was growing lighter. After a mont’s thought, he said, "Brother Wei, I’m going to check the rear. I’ll leave the front to you."
Wei Chang’an pointed to a team mber on the watchtower behind them. "Don’t worry. With Brother Ding up there watching, they won’t be able to break out with the few guns they have left."
Chen Chuan glanced over, nodded, then quickly pulled back from the camp’s main entrance and circled toward the rear. If the back was clear, he could try to push in from there. A pincer attack from both sides would end this fight quickly.
By the ti he made it to the rear of the camp, he saw the overturned SUV. Ren Xiaotian and his n had already dealt with the survivors who’d crawled out. He conferred with Ren Xiaotian, and they prepared to launch a surprise attack from the back.
At that sa mont, outside the camp, Mi Tai, You’an, and the two Maka Students were climbing out of the ravine one by one. They glanced back at the camp. The firefight was still ongoing, so they probably hadn’t been noticed yet.
You’an, who was up ahead, waved him over and whispered, "Boss, this way." Mi Tai nodded, crouched low, and broke into a trot, heading away from the camp. The two Maka Students scurried to keep up.
The four of them had only made it a short distance when the sniper on the watchtower seed to sense sothing. He peered out into the open wilderness. The sky wasn’t fully light yet, but he could vaguely make out a few shapes moving. ’But Chen Chuan already went that way.’ He imdiately swung his rifle, took aim by instinct, and fired a single shot in that direction.
BANG! With a single gunshot, one of the Maka Student’s arms was blown clean off. He let out a bloodcurdling scream and collapsed to the ground.
You’an was shocked. "Go! Split up!"
There was no cover on the open plain. Against a sniper who could strike from long range, all they could do was pray the next bullet wasn’t for them. They had run barely twenty ters farther when another shot rang out. The Maka Student at the front of the group pitched forward and collapsed.
Back at the camp’s rear entrance, Chen Chuan had only taken a few steps when Ren Xiaotian glanced outward and shouted, "Junior Chen, hold on!"
Chen Chuan stopped in his tracks and turned back. "Senior Brother Ren, what is it?"
Ren Xiaotian’s expression was grim. "That last shot was aid outside the camp."
The implication hit Chen Chuan instantly. A shot aid outside the camp ant one of two things: either more enemies were approaching from the outside, or soone from inside had found a way to escape. But if soone were approaching, there would have been a different signal. That made the second possibility far more likely. ’And whoever escaped at a ti like this,’ he realized, ’must be important.’
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