The morning sunlight fell on the plateau ravine, where oddly shaped hills were composed of layers upon layers of red-brown rocks, one next to another, stretching endlessly with varying forms. The sunlight reflected them beautifully, and many places revealed small holes like hives, as if telling the story of ages past. Not a single wild grass could be seen on the ridges, let alone trees.
In a sunken plateau depression, Luo Zheng, Ghost Hand, and Madela lay quietly in ambush. They lay on the ground watching the rising sun with its warm, eye-catching light. After leaving the embassy overnight and driving all night, they used permit passes to pass unobstructed, hid the vehicle in an inconspicuous mountain depression before reaching Hariri's territory, and walked more than ten kiloters to their hiding place.
The group had been lying in this depression for about an hour. Luo Zheng, thanks to the family-taught Breathing Skill, recovered quickly. Seeing that Ghost Hand and Madela had not fully regained their energy, he allowed them to continue resting, while he opened the signal device and soon connected to the satellite.
"Brother-in-law, morning!" Lan Xing's voice ca through the earpiece.
"Quickly locate and check the surrounding situation," Luo Zheng casually responded.
Before long, Lan Xing successfully pinpointed the location and continued, "About ten kiloters north is the target destination. The terrain in between is entirely plateau, and the mountain roads are difficult. We've spotted nurous sentries along the way, with more than five people at each point. Moving forward carelessly will easily expose you. You'll need to find a way."
"Ten kiloters? It seems the road ahead is tough. What about the target area's situation?" Luo Zheng answered casually.
"The guards nearby are even stricter, and the terrain features match your description exactly. We can be sure the target location is correct, but infiltrating won't be easy," Lan Xing reminded.
"Hmm." Luo Zheng responded gravely, closing the signal device to continue resting with his eyes closed, pondering strategies. The path was lined with enemy observation points. Though the surrounding area was plateau terrain, the highest points were roughly the sa height and very flat, making it easily visible from high points. Carelessly going forward would surely expose them. What to do?
After pondering for a while without any insights, Luo Zheng felt well-rested. They took out buns and shared so. Though cold and hard, they were better than nothing. Being well-trained soldiers, they would eat raw at if necessary, and buns were already a delicacy in comparison. After filling their stomachs, they looked at Luo Zheng.
Luo Zheng recounted the satellite intel and added, "The situation is quite dire. Though it's called a plateau here, the highest points are about the sa, making the flat ground plainly visible and easily exposed. Taking the canyon route is ti-consuming and also risks exposure. Do you have any ideas?"
Ghost Hand and Madela fell into thought. After a mont, Ghost Hand angrily said, "If it doesn't work, we can create a diversion. There are more tribes around here than just Hariri's. I rember there's another tribe's territory about thirty kiloters to the west. We can flank around and then infiltrate Hariri's territory, take out their sentries, and provoke a fight between the two tribes. Maybe we can turn the situation to our advantage."
"What do you think?" Luo Zheng looked at Madela.
Madela thought for a mont and shook his head, saying, "The likelihood is low. Though these tribes are belligerent, they don't like wars. If sothing happens, they'll send people to question each other, find out the truth, negotiate if possible, and only fight if talks fail. They won't be easily provoked."
"These people are quite cautious, probably having learned from past mistakes and suffered losses." Luo Zheng said helplessly, frowning and continuing to think deeply. Enemy guards were tight, making it difficult to infiltrate unnoticed. Charging in would an exposure, truly a dilemma.
"How about we move at night?" Ghost Hand suggested.
Acting at night reduces the risk of exposure, which is indeed a thod, but Luo Zheng shook his head and said, "That's a last resort. If we can infiltrate during the day to see clearly and plan well, it's fine to act at night. However, it's best to move during the day; the dical team isn't like us and isn't trained. Escorting them during an escape won't be easy. Can they even march at night?"
"That's true." Ghost Hand pondered, feeling frustrated.
"If it doesn't work, let's just do a forced assault, take out all the sentries along the way at noon when they eat and change shifts. Usually, these outposts report to the command center every hour. If we can infiltrate within that hour, it should be fine." Madela suggested.
Luo Zheng, seeing Madela's thoughts align with his own, looked at Ghost Hand and noticed so disagreent. He explained, "This plan could work. If successful, that's best; if not, we'll at least alert the enemy, making them aware of exposure and possibly forcing them to shift their objective. Then we can follow and seize the opportunity. Right now, chances are slim; we might as well take a gamble."
"That makes sense. Rather than sitting around, we might as well take a shot." Ghost Hand considered and agreed.
With unanimous agreent, Luo Zheng quickly reopened the signal device, wore the earpiece, and once connected, said to Lan Xing, "Quickly plan a safe route, lock onto the enemies along the way. We've decided to infiltrate."
"Got it, about a kiloter north is an enemy observation post. I'll send the enemy coordinates to your phone. Be cautious." Lan Xing's voice sounded through the earpiece.
Luo Zheng was startled to learn that the enemy was just one kiloter away, yet the view appeared empty, with nothing but stone mountains, causing a slight change in his expression. Exchanging a glance with Ghost Hand, who also wore an invisible earpiece, everyone beca vigilant, loaded bullets, and swiftly entered combat mode.
Soon, Lan Xing sent the coordinates to the phone. Luo Zheng opened it to check, white dots representing their position, red dots for enemy positions, and a full terrain map displaying the surroundings clearly. Comparing the map with the nearby terrain, he quickly identified the enemy's position behind a northern slope.
The slope was littered with weathered rocks, exposed and looking like wild beasts from a distance. Luo Zheng hadn't expected an observation post there, gaining more understanding and caution towards Hariri's capabilities. After swiftly surveying the surrounding terrain, he said to Ghost Hand, "Alternate cover, infiltrate, silent combat."
"Understood." Ghost Hand agreed, quickly charging forward with an M4 rifle.
Luo Zheng lay in ambush, setting up the sniper rifle aid toward the slope, ready to provide fire support at any ti. Seeing Ghost Hand rush forward about two hundred ters and find a concealed spot, Luo Zheng called out to Madela, "Your turn."
"Understood." Madela also crouched and sprinted forward swiftly; his actions were impressive and his montum remarkable, worthy of a Guard team leader with apparent solo combat skills, which put Luo Zheng at ease.
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