After a thorough check, there was no suspicious object in the cabin, but Luo Zheng was still uneasy. He stripped off his outer garnts and put down his equipnt, tossing it to Ghost Hand. The equipnt were all specialized weapons from the National Blade Equipnt Team and absolutely could not fall into enemy hands. Since Luo Zheng was to escort the hostage over, he naturally didn't need to bring these items. He dived to examine the bottom of the boat to ensure there were no issues. After confirming everything was fine, Luo Zheng climbed onto the wooden boat, ca over from the original boat, and with Balang in tow, headed towards the wooden boat, preparing for the hostage exchange.
"Bro, be careful," Ghost Hand said seriously.
Luo Zheng looked at Ghost Hand, then at Snow Leopard, and nodded. The iron nails wrapped around his belt were also unwound. Just then, he heard Ghost Hand say, "Take this with you. From the outside, it looks just like a belt. If the enemy doesn't notice what it really is, it might co in handy."
"Alright," agreed Luo Zheng, feeling that this item wasn't highly technical and it didn't matter if it was captured by the enemy. He wrapped the belt back around his waist, checked his pistol and Tiger Teeth military knife, slipped Tiger Teeth into his boot, and went down the wooden boat with Balang, who had now woken up.
Balang's cold gaze was fixed ahead, a cruel cold smile erging on his lips. At any slight movent from Luo Zheng, he quickly surveyed the surroundings and detected nothing suspicious. He put on his earpiece and spoke softly, "Sothing feels off. Have you noticed anything suspicious?"
"No," Lan Xue said coldly, without a hint of emotional fluctuation. At this stage, remaining calm was the only way to ensure a successful exchange. Emotions could only lead to a loss of control and incorrect judgnts, putting Luo Zheng at a disadvantage. Lan Xue, seasoned in the field of battle, understood this well.
"No," Mountain Eagle also stated calmly.
Luo Zheng trusted everyone's observational skills. From a high vantage point, with a sniper scope in hand, if he hadn't spotted any suspicious targets, it ant they were well-hidden. This suggested that the mastermind behind the scenes didn't want to interfere with the trade. A slip-up, however, could alter the situation.
"Bring a couple of grenades," Luo Zheng called out quietly, needing to ensure nothing went wrong.
Ghost Hand responded with a yes and tossed over two grenades. Luo Zheng caught them and found a rotten cloth on the wooden boat. He tore strips of cloth and tied the grenades around Balang, securing the pins with the fabric. Holding the other end himself, he was ready to pull the pin at any sign of trouble; they could die together if necessary.
After all this was set up, Luo Zheng switched on the walkie-talkie, only to hear the General cursing angrily on the other end. He spoke coldly, "What's all this noise? We're about to exchange hostages. Let the tourists co over by themselves on a boat. None of your people are allowed, or the deal's off."
On a large boat opposite, a middle-aged man was observing through binoculars—General Turul. Two people stood by him, dressed like locals and appearing quite ordinary. They spoke in barely audible whispers, "General, the other side is personally escorting the hostage. It may be difficult to make a move halfway."
"The person being escorted is exactly who you and I have been looking for," the shorter person whispered back, a glint of ferocity in his eyes.
"The one you're looking for, not . Since you can't ensure my family's safety, you can't make a move halfway. Once you get the person you want, we can talk about exchanging hostages. As soon as my family is safe, you can play however you want," Turul said with a dark look, glancing at the two.
The taller person rely shrugged indifferently while the shorter person's eyes were cold, but he did not object. Turul sighed with relief, his tone turning softer as he addressed the taller of the two, "Your Reincarnation Organization has trained assassins for , and I've paid you money. We're partners. Now that you've asked to kidnap hostages, it's turned into an employer-employee relationship. Now, I'm supposed to help you with your money, but since my family's been kidnapped, we can cancel our agreent. I'll return every cent. However, we could modify our deal. After the trade, my troops could chase them down. How much for a head?"
"Sure, let's agree to that. What about the paynt, should it be as usual?" the tall man said with a cold smirk.
"Alright, agreed, let's settle it this way," said General Turul, looking toward the shorter man and feeling a bit better. He continued, "Are your n ready? It won't be easy to chase down this group if they run."
"Of course, the path of their retreat is filled with my n. None will escape the pursuit of the Divine Wind Special Team. Japan is unbeatable," the shorter man stated coldly, his gaze fierce.
"I extend my sympathies for the burning of Fushan in your country. In light of our friendship, I will support you unreservedly, rest assured. However, our equipnt is a bit outdated, and we lack heavy firepower, which has put us under significant pressure from the Governnt Army recently. What do you think?" asked Turul with a respectful look, but his words were anything but reverent.
"Don't worry, I have brought a shipnt of equipnt with , expected to arrive tomorrow. After the mission is complete, I will present another batch to you as well. You'll be satisfied," the shorter man stated coldly.
"Satisfied, of course, I'm well aware of your goodwill," Turul said nonchalantly, though his expression grew colder. He glanced through the binoculars at his son and mother, making sure they were safe, then looked at a sturdy man nearby and waved a big hand.
The sturdy man nodded in understanding and signaled towards the back of the large boat. Soon after, a small boat ca out from behind, carrying about a dozen people – the tourist group. A young man paddled vigorously.
Luo Zheng, unaware of the dark forces behind the scenes being the Reincarnation Killer Organization and the Japanese pirates, would not have understood why these two were cooperating even if he knew. With things at this point, Luo Zheng had no choice but to grit his teeth and paddle forward, while keeping in touch with everyone through the earpiece. Still not spotting anything suspicious, Luo Zheng beca suspicious. Could the other party really intend to exchange hostages? That didn't make sense.
"The masterminds might be disguised as locals. Stay observant," Luo Zheng whispered. As the tourist group's wooden boat drew closer, his unease deepened.
Everyone, upon Luo Zheng's prompt, began scrutinizing the people around Turul. Having seen Turul's photo, he was recognizable. Soon, they spotted the tall and short individuals by Turul's side. Mountain Eagle quietly said through the earpiece, "Sothing's off. The short one by Turul has a ren dan beard, a trademark of the Japanese pirates."
"Japanese pirates?" Luo Zheng was startled, but he quickly caught on and scoffed, "It seems the fire from last ti has left an impression on them. We should expect ninjas on the way back. They excel at hiding and tracking, so we can't return the sa way we ca in. Move in the opposite direction, head into the forest, and contact reinforcents for extraction. Our reinforcents should be nearby."
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