In the Alpine Mountains, a relatively open canyon was filled with grapes; the vines climbed all over the wooden fras, with large green leaves swaying in the wind. The agate-like grapes glistened enticingly in the morning sun. On the open slope of the canyon stood a large manor, with a dirt road winding away from its entrance.
At the entrance of the manor, there was a parking lot with about a dozen cars parked. Several crew-cut bodyguards in black suits patrolled the area, wearing sunglasses and earphones, and the bulges at their waists were obviously handguns. So were patrolling with wolf dogs, clearly indicating that the resident was no ordinary person.
The surrounding mountain ridges were bare, devoid of trees. Behind an inconspicuous ridge with a protruding rock, a large stone, a head popped out from behind it, holding a pair of binoculars to observe the manor in the valley. With an icy expression, dressed in casual sportswear and hair tied into a ponytail, she looked youthful and spirited—it was Lan Xue.
Lan Xue observed coldly for a while before retreating from behind the stone where several others were crouching; Ghost Hand, Snow Leopard, Mountain Eagle, and Shadow. To investigate Song Yan's whereabouts, Shadow and Ye Laixiang had co to assist. Ye Laixiang, not being skilled in combat, naturally didn't need to co to this remote wilderness. Shadow took the binoculars, peeking out to inspect carefully, not missing any details.
"Is that old bastard Song Yan really inside?" Ghost Hand asked Lan Xue with a pale face. It had been three full months without any news of Luo Zheng, and even Song Yan seed to have vanished into thin air. Thankfully, Ye Laixiang was indeed a master at gathering intelligence and finally managed to get a lead—this manor was a property bought by one of Song Yan's lovers.
"This place is heavily guarded, which is unusual. Secondly, all the bodyguards are from the Yellow Race and they all look formidable. This reminds of a group of people Ghost once ntioned." Lan Xue said in a hushed voice, her face ashen, the unnad anger in her heart grew stronger. The lack of news about Luo Zheng was the most painful for Lan Xue.
"Which group?" Mountain Eagle asked softly.
"Do you rember when Ghost's younger sister was kidnapped?" Lan Xue whispered. After everyone nodded, she continued, "At that ti, five people followed and attempted to kill Ghost. Later on, Ghost detailed their descriptions to , and I feel like they resembled the privately trained Death Soldiers of great families. There's no evidence, and I don't know their specific identities, but the bodyguards below bear a striking resemblance to those described by Ghost. I suspect the Song family keeps Death Soldiers."
"What?" Everyone looked at Lan Xue in astonishnt. As a mber of a distinguished family, Ghost Hand naturally understood this matter. Mountain Eagle and Snow Leopard, although from prestigious backgrounds, were not from the greatest of families and were unaware of such affairs. It was their first ti hearing that great families kept Death Soldiers, but after careful thought, they understood. Without dwelling on this issue, Mountain Eagle asked softly, "Are they very skilled?"
"According to Ghost's description, each of them has a skill set no less than that of Special Forces mbers," Lan Xue said seriously, her already cold gaze turned even colder. Regardless of the enemy's strength, Lan Xue was determined to break in, capture Song Yan, and reached for a backpack nearby.
At that mont, Shadow pulled back and said in a low voice, "If they each are as capable as Special Forces, in close combat, you could each take down a maximum of five. They have thirty outside, and who knows how many inside, or what weapons. We need to plan this battle carefully."
"As long as we attack, that's all that matters. You call the shots for how we fight. Right now, my mind is filled only with revenge; I'm not in a state to command," Lan Xue decisively handed over the command to Shadow. Everyone knew of Shadow's capability and naturally would not oppose.
Shadow was not one to stand on ceremony. After careful consideration, he said, "We have two snipers here. They should get into position opposite the estate and cut off their escape route, forcing them to either hide in the rooms or flee towards the mountains. If they hole up in the rooms and don't co out, you two will follow and move in. I'll be up front, and you two will cover from behind."
"Understood," Everyone responded in unison.
"Judging by the situation, I doubt they'll leave. We'll make a move tonight when the snipers are in place. You two will co with to lie in ambush by the road—set up so little tricks to stop them from running," continued Shadow.
Everyone acknowledged, and they each opened their backpacks. They put on their earpieces, took out a bunch of parts, and quickly assembled them into weapons. Bullets were loaded into magazines, and once all of that was taken care of, Lan Xue gave Mountain Eagle a look, who understood the signal. The two quietly circled around and left.
Shadow went a long way around with Snow Leopard and Ghost Hand, arriving at a dirt road turn about a kiloter away from the estate. This spot was just out of the line of sight—the estate's bodyguards couldn't see it. Shadow observed the terrain for a while. It was deserted. He signaled to Ghost Hand and Snow Leopard, who were not far off in ambush, told them to cover him, then he rushed to the dirt road, lay on the ground, and started digging with his military dagger.
After a few minutes, Shadow had dug five holes within a ten-ter area, placed grenades into them, and buried them. He picked up so stones to hold them down, then tied the pull-rings with a thin cord, and quickly retreated with the other end, hiding behind a stone by the roadside and patiently waiting. For Shadow, setting up this simple pull-cord grenade trap was not an issue.
Ti ticked away, second by second. Shadow remained motionless behind the stone, resting with his eyes closed, as if he had beco one with the environnt around him, completely undetectable unless soone got very close. Ghost Hand slowly circled around and found a place to conceal himself nearby. Speaking softly, he said, "If a fight breaks out here, will that bastard call the cops up here?"
"It's possible, but it would take them an hour to get here. We must finish the fight within an hour," Shadow slowly opened his eyes and casually spoke, glanced at the high sun, and then at his wristwatch, which showed it was around one in the afternoon. Shadow looked towards Snow Leopard lying in ambush not far away, then at Ghost Hand who had crept closer and was hidden not far on the other side, and spoke in a low voice, "Three months have passed. We've been searching for three whole months. Tell , do you think we've overlooked sothing?"
"The world is too big, and there are too many places to hide. Who knows where that bastard hid Ghost? If that bastard Song Yan is really here, I swear I'll skin him," Ghost Hand said fiercely.
"We've searched all the places we could think of, and even those we couldn't. We've analyzed Song Yan's network of connections, and all the plausible places to hide soone have been investigated. Even the Sam Country Governnt and United Nations Police Headquarters have helped us look, and still, there's no clue. I have a feeling, we've missed sothing," Shadow said gravely, gazing into the distance as his calm gaze gradually sharpened.
"Let's just storm in and nab Song Yan first," Ghost Hand said, a surge of killing intent emanating from his whole being.
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