By dawn the next day, the sun dispelled the night and illuminated the earth, with sunlight sprinkling over the canopy, awakening the birds in the forest. They chirped and hopped onto the branches to sing joyfully, chasing each other in the void, calling companions, making a ruckus. In the thicket at the forest edge, a team lay in silent ambush, so still that not even the birds on the branches noticed them. Everyone remained silent, waiting for sothing.
The edge of the forest bordered a winding road, which led to an open plain. In the distance, a village and a small river could be vaguely seen. Several large trees grew in the open plain, seemingly out of place, yet adding so charm and vivacity to the otherwise silent plain.
Among the ambush team, one person was communicating through an earpiece. His face sared with heavy camouflage paint, Luo Zheng's sharp gaze was fixed on the road's end. The team had traveled overnight and finally arrived at their destination before dawn, now waiting for support by the forest edge.
Minutes later, Luo Zheng suddenly relaxed and whispered, "Brothers, the vehicle is coming."
Everyone looked up and indeed saw a container truck approaching at high speed. After waiting a while, the truck got much closer, with no other vehicles behind it. Luo Zheng breathed a silent sigh of relief and patiently waited for a short while as the truck pulled up and stopped by the roadside.
The driver, a middle-aged man around forty, was of the Yellow race with dark skin, not very tall but sturdy, resembling a seasoned driver who'd been on the road for a long ti. He rolled down the window, curiously glanced at the forest edge but saw nothing, then honked as agreed, two short and one long.
Luo Zheng saw the signal matched and gestured for everyone to stay put. He got up and dashed towards the road. The middle-aged man was startled, surprised to find people beside him he hadn't noticed earlier, and quickly shouted, "Who's there?" in a common international language.
"People of the Dark Tiger." Luo Zheng responded in Huaxia's language; these were prearranged codes. The term "Dark Tiger" referred to rescuing soone from within the Dark Prison.
The middle-aged man was thrilled, enthusiastically opened the door, jumped off the truck, and shook hands with Luo Zheng while gratefully saying, "Elder Ma's path, brothers, call Elder Ma, responsible for sending you over, get in imdiately." "Elder Ma's path" was also code.
Hearing the correct code, Luo Zheng wasn't suspicious but cautiously looked skyward. Elder Ma knowingly said, "Don't worry, Sam Country's satellites couldn't possibly be over our heads now; a UAV will be here in ten minutes. The orders were explicit. We don't have much ti, let's hurry up."
"That's good." Luo Zheng felt reassured, knowing National Security had considered everything thoroughly. He signaled towards the forest edge, then ran to the back of the container.
Elder Ma quickly ran to help, seeing dozens of people suddenly erge from the edge, each wearing desert camouflage and sared with dark paint. They looked like leopards suddenly leaping from the thicket, with a hint of bloody nace. Instinctively pausing, he warily watched as they dashed toward the back of the container truck, realizing they weren't hostile but moving towards the truck.
"Such intense murderous intent." Elder Ma was secretly alard and very curious about what this unit was doing here, but knowing the rules, he didn't ask unnecessary questions, focusing on his duties, and quickly rushed over.
The container's back door opened, with no cargo loaded inside. Elder Ma commanded everyone to board quickly, shouting, "Brothers, there's fresh water and food inside. We need to travel for a day. Endure it in the container, call if anything happens; there's a walkie-talkie inside."
Everyone swiftly jumped into the container. Elder Ma closed the door, returned to the driver's seat, and drove away. Inside the container, Luo Zheng saw food and water and imdiately distributed them. After running all night, everyone was exhausted and hungry, so they didn't hesitate to eat.
After eating and drinking their fill, Luo Zheng signaled everyone to sleep. He also sat down and closed his eyes to rest. With the container truck as transportation, it was much more convenient, and they wouldn't be discovered hiding inside. As for Elder Ma, Luo Zheng trusted people sent by National Security. This mission is critically important; unreliable people wouldn't be sent.
The container sped along, and everyone inside had a good sleep. Upon waking, it was around eight in the evening. The container truck had stopped, and the back door opened from the outside. Elder Ma called out, "Brothers, this is as far as I can take you; wishing you a triumphant return."
Luo Zheng jumped out of the container and looked around; a vast desert surrounded him. He was on a desert road, with the sky overcast and a full moon hanging high. It was getting cold, the wind blowing fine sand around. Luo Zheng gratefully looked at Elder Ma and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
"For the country. And right, this is the desert road. I was instructed to drop you here at this ti. I don't ask what I shouldn't. If you need anything else, just say it," Elder Ma replied seriously.
"No need, thank you!" Luo Zheng didn't waste words. This rescue mission was critically important and known to few people, so he wouldn't divulge any secrets. He glanced at the sky, quickly gestured, and the brothers sitting inside the container got up swiftly, grabbing their weapons and equipnt, and jumped out of the vehicle.
Luo Zheng took out a compass, looked at it, then checked his phone against the map. He then signaled Elder Ma to drive away while turning on the signaler to connect to the satellite. Once connected, he asked, "Lan Xing, it's , safely arrived. How long is our secure window?"
"Estimated two hours before Sam Country's satellite orbits over you. The route is secure," Lan Xing replied.
"Brothers, let's move, a forced march for two hours." Luo Zheng addressed the group, his gaze falling on Shi Qian and Cao Xi, seeing them in good condition, he was relieved, maintaining the connection, and proceeded into the desert's depths following the secure route indicated.
Though it was night, with no people or vehicles in the desert, avoiding detection, Sam Country's satellites and UAVs weren't to be underestimated. Satellites moved in set orbits; as long as the timing was right, discovery wasn't an issue. But UAVs were unpredictable—this required Lan Xing's intervention. Hence, Luo Zheng didn't dare to cut the connection, staying alert for warnings.
The team jogged ahead for so ti when Lan Xing's warning suddenly sounded in the earpiece, "UAV arriving overhead in five minutes, take cover quickly."
Racing forward, Luo Zheng was startled, quickly scanning the surrounding terrain, noticing several dunes staggered around. He swiftly shouted, "Brothers, follow into the dune area, there's a UAV."
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