Ten minutes later, everyone started withdrawing from the battle scene with nearly fifty captives. Luo Zheng didn't expect that over twenty more would erge, but each one was severely injured, lacking combat power, and even walking was difficult. They had to slow down their pace to march. Fortunately, all the enemies were buried under the heavy snow, with no other escapees. It would take ti for the enemy to catch up, and by then, everyone would have retreated far away.
To avoid exposure to satellites, everyone chose to march through the dense forest, moving very slowly. On the way, Luo Zheng had Ghost Hand capture several for interrogation, but they all refused to speak, preferring death over confession. Luckily, each of their necks had a military tag with numbers and nas, enough to identify them as mbers of the Snow Bear Special Forces.
Capturing over fifty mbers of the Snow Bear Special Forces at once was undoubtedly a great asset, more than enough to exchange for the captured brothers. Luo Zheng and others were overjoyed upon learning their true identities, and even felt a bit of admiration for these people. Surviving such a terrifying avalanche attack was indeed extraordinary.
Two hours later, they arrived at a crevice and used ropes to lower the captives to prevent them from falling to their deaths. These captives couldn't die before being exchanged for their brothers. After descending into the cave, they found a place to tie all the captives together and arranged for soone to guard them while everyone else found a place to rest.
Luo Zheng and other officers gathered excitedly by the bonfire to discuss strategies. The number of captives gave everyone hope for rescuing their brothers and further solidified their confidence in the whole plan. Wu Jin said with a smile, "Brothers, this battle was exciting. I haven't been on the battlefield for a long ti. This old body almost couldn't keep up with your pace. You all did great. When we get back, I'll recognize your rits."
"Thank you, Director Wu," everyone shouted excitedly.
"Don't thank , you all earned it," Wu Jin laughed heartily, his eyes landing firmly on Luo Zheng. Joyfully, he continued, "The entire plan consists of three steps: capture, ransom, and retreat. It's concise yet strategic, where every step matters. The first step went smoothly, now it's ti for the second."
"Hmm, can you inform Lan Xing to implent the second step and contact the Snow Bear high-ups for negotiation, and also report this to our superiors? You must personally handle this," Luo Zheng said seriously.
"Alright, I'm on it," Wu Jin readily agreed and left eagerly.
At the Snow Bear Base Camp, in a large infirmary, the Major General was leaning against the bed, attached to an IV drip. The military doctor hurried away, and the officers and rcenary representatives waiting outside entered with guilty expressions, heads hanging low, not daring to et the Major General's eyes. With the battle turning out like this, everyone was too ashad to face him.
"Take a seat. I'm aware of the situation. I also bear responsibility for underestimating the enemy. I thought that with nearly a thousand elite troops and almost ten thousand from the Mountain Division, handling just a few dozen people would be no problem. I will bear all responsibilities to the higher-ups, so you needn't worry," the Major General said, his face pale.
"General?" a Major spoke urgently.
"No need to say more. With such losses, I already have no face to remain here or wear this uniform any longer. I've let down the brothers who died so tragically. Soone has to take responsibility, and I'm the ideal person. You all aren't qualified yet. Until a decision is made, I earnestly plead that we do our duty and find that group of bastards quickly. I want to see them one last ti before I leave and take them down myself."
"General, we'll do our best." Reincarnation Killer Organization's Xue Shi quickly said, secretly relieved. If he hadn't sensed the danger quickly and retreated midway, he might also have been buried in the snow. Facing such opponents, Snow Bear had to reassess whether this course of action was correct. But they had to express their stance now, or they wouldn't be able to leave this base camp.
"You? I've already heard about you retreating midway. Not arresting you was already lenient. I'm not asking much from you. Find their location, and I'll settle half your remaining paynt, and your rcenary relationship will be terminated. If you can't find them, don't expect a cent from the remaining paynt," the Major General said coldly, displeased.
"Alright, we'll guarantee to complete the task." Xue Shi suppressed his dissatisfaction, planning to leave as soon as possible, as far away as he could, never to return or get involved with Snow Bear again.
On the side, Wolf King Tang Tian also had his calculations. He felt that Snow Bear's combat power was not as strong as Sam Country's and that it was more reliable to stick with them. Having made up his mind, he also stepped forward and said, "General, rest assured. We'll only take half the remaining paynt. We'll fight to the last mont. How about it?" In his heart, however, he resolved to find an opportunity to slip away. Who knew if the Snow Bear would pin false charges in a fit of rage? So many people died; could just one Major General account for it? Tang Tian saw further than Xue Shi and didn't think so.
Similarly cunning and ruthless, the Bloodsucker King also saw the Major General possibly planning to bla them, using the rcenaries as scapegoats. Such significant loss at the hands of just a few people versus hundreds wasn't the sa. The Bloodsucker King had no intention of staying to die, but he couldn't reveal that outright. He swore, "General, we won't accept less money, but we will fight until the end, I swear on my reputation."
If Wolf King Tang Tian only wanted half to reassure the Major General, then Bloodsucker King's firm refusal to reduce the amount was also to gain his trust. One was retreating to advance, the other advancing to advance, with the sa goal but different tactics.
The Major General indeed had the intention of blaming it on the rcenaries. Losing to a small number was worse than losing to hundreds, and which would be more acceptable to society? The answer was obvious. With several hundred heads as war rits, although he couldn't save his position, at least his life could be saved. Seeing Bloodsucker King and Wolf King voluntarily express their stance, he had no suspicions and nodded contentedly, thinking it best to observe the situation first.
At this mont, an intelligence officer rushed in and whispered sothing in the Major General's ear. The Major General's face turned cold, shouting, "Bastards, daring to negotiate with ."
The communications officer stood awkwardly by, as the Major General's expression turned as cold as frost, murder in his eyes, the surrounding air seeming to chill by several degrees. No one dared breathe loudly, waiting quietly. After a while, the Major General's expression softened a bit, saying, "We have fifty-three Snow Bear brothers in enemy hands. Now the enemy is proposing a hostage exchange. What do you think?"
"This?" Hesitation filled the room as everyone exchanged looks, too important to make a hasty decision.
Note: It's the end of the month, everyone check your monthly tickets, don't waste them.
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