The pouring rain started in the second half of the night and continued without stopping until dawn. Originally, everyone was sleeping in their tents, but later they all squeezed into the car to escape from the wet and cold feeling that made them uncomfortable all over their body.
After daybreak, they quickly had something to eat and then hit the road.
Myanmar’s national strength was weak, and there are only a few highways throughout the country. In sparsely populated areas, there were almost no cemented roads, and the road conditions were extremely poor when it rained. The road became increasingly muddy and difficult to traverse, fortunately, the car had a high chassis and enough power, otherwise many muddy sections could not be crossed. Occasionally, people had to get off and push the car.
When they arrived at the outskirts of the forest, they were already seven hours behind schedule and it was already midnight. It was very unsafe to enter the forest at this time. Ayer commanded everyone to park their cars in a circular formation, with the front and the back of the cars alternating, half facing inward and half facing outward. Four people took turns to keep watch every two hours, and they decided to just eat and rest in the car for the night.
After dinner, Ayer went to Shan Ming’s car and used an electronic device to pull up a map of the forested area as they discussed tomorrow’s route. After the discussion, they both agreed that they couldn’t proceed tomorrow. The roads inside the forest would be too muddy for the vehicles to pass through, and if they went on foot, it would consume too much energy. They decided to wait for a day to see if the weather would clear up.
Finally, Ayer looked at Shan Ming with a serious expression, his eyes showing a hint of worry. “Shan, I have a bad feeling about this.”
Shan Ming looked at the pouring rain outside the car and said, “If we were to be attacked in this kind of weather, with our unfamiliarity with the terrain and environment, it would end terribly.”
“Not only that, I have some concerns about this mission too.”
Shan Ming nodded, “I also feel that something is off. Don’t you think that the things we’re transporting this time…”
“It’s too little, right?”
Shan Ming’s expression darkened, “Yeah, 100 kilograms is too little. The trading price isn’t enough to cover our commission.”
“When I negotiated with the employer, I also asked him about this. He said that it was his first time working with that group of Mexicans, and they didn’t trust him. This transaction was only meant to examine the quality of the goods and test his credibility. His main goal for this trip wasn’t to make money, but to retain this customer.”
Shan Ming said, “What if his main objective isn’t the goods, but rather to have us eliminate his competitor?”
Ayer shook his head and said, “That shouldn’t be. The other side wouldn’t go all out, even if someone attacked us, it would just be their hired hands. To be honest, even if our employer wanted us to take out his competitor’s stronghold, no matter how much money he offered, I wouldn’t necessarily agree. After all, we’re not familiar with this area, and I don’t do business that I hold no certainty in. If it weren’t for his extremely tempting offer this time, I planned to just leave.”
Shan Ming pondered, “What if… he’s using us as bait?”
Ayer’s eyes showed a hint of viciousness as he coldly chuckled, “I’ve also considered this possibility. 100 kilograms of goods and us as the escorts are indeed ostentatious bait. I’m prepared for this situation, so if it happens, we’ll turn back and make him pay double the commission.”
Shan Ming laughed, “You are really a slave to money. You dare to take any risks for money.”
Shan Ming tilted his head, “Ayer, I’m not a child anymore.”
Ayer sneered, “You said the same thing to me a few years ago. Although it does sound more convincing this time, considering you have a child now.” Ayer glanced over at Shen Changze, who was curled up in his seat, snoring away.
Shan Ming followed his gaze and couldn’t help but smile. “Ayer, he’s very smart. He will become a good helping hand for our mercenary group in the future.”
Ayer scoffed, “In ten years’ time? It’s uncertain whether we’ll even live till then.”
Shan Ming stretched lazily, “Who cares how long we’ll live, it’s enough to live every day to the fullest.”
Ayer chuckled softly, “Then I’m going back to my car.”
“Mn, I’m going to sleep too.”
Ayer pointed to his own cheek and smiled gently, “How about giving gege a good night kiss?”
Shan Ming patted his back with a smack and said, “Don’t be silly.”
After Ayergot off the car, Shan Ming bypassed Pelle and sat in the back seat. He leaned on the seat with his eyes closed, trying to fall asleep, but the air around him was damp and cold, making him very uncomfortable. Shan Ming endured for a while but he really couldn’t fall asleep. He then leaned his body forward from the back seat, reaching out and poking the soft, flabby face of the child in the front seat.
The child was soon awakened. His sleepy eyes stared at Shan Ming above him, and he asked in a small, aggrieved voice, “What?”
Shan Ming stretched his arm and picked him up.
The child was just sleeping soundly, so he struggled reluctantly. His voice carried a whiny tone of insufficient sleep, “What?”
“Sleep together with me, it’s so damn cold at night.” With that, he took the child from the front seat to the back seat and tucked him into his own arms.
The child’s small body was able to sleep anywhere, so he snuggled into Shan Ming’s arms, finding a comfortable position, and dozed off again.
With something warm in his arms, Shan Ming felt right again, so he leaned back on the seat and also fell into a deep sleep.
Everyone was jolted awake by the sound of a gunshot. Shan Ming suddenly jumped up, hitting his head on the car roof, which made him dizzy for a few seconds.
Shan Ming quickly pulled out his gun and wiped off the mist on the glass. He saw their watchmen firing randomly into the woods in a chaotic manner.
Shan Ming pushed the child away, opened the car door, and jumped off, shouting “Stop shooting, get down on the ground!”
The four watchmen crouched down and slowly made their way toward the barrier of the cars. Ayer jumped out of one of the cars and yelled, “Shan, get the rocket launcher! Shooting blindly won’t help, we can’t even see the enemy.”
Shan Ming assembled the M72 at the fastest speed, then climbed onto the car roof with the rocket launcher on his shoulder. With a loud bang, he fired the rocket toward the woods, creating a beautiful explosion of sparks. They could clearly see people being blown up and figures moving in the firelight.
After firing this round, he immediately jumped off the car. Otherwise, he would’ve been too big of a target and would soon get shot like a beehive. After jumping down, he threw the rocket launcher aside, picked up the submachine gun, and shouted, “Ayer, you take some men to watch the goods! I’ll take a few people in and kill these dumbasses!”
Ayer ordered the sniper to prepare for cover. The small red dot of the infrared night vision scope scanned back and forth in the dark forest, like the eyes of a demon scanning for prey. The other side probably did not expect them to have a sniper here. The forest immediately became quiet, as if you could hear the slightest rustle of the grass.
Pelle jumped onto another car and dug out night vision goggles, then tossed them near Shan Ming’s feet. Shan Ming pointed to four people to follow him and then threw the night vision goggles at them. Jim was also included among these people.
Jim had no advantages in face-to-face combat, but in such poor lighting conditions, he could silently take out an enemy’s neck in the darkness with his small build and excellent speed. He was the best assassin in the Peregrine Falcons, which was why people tolerated his hobbies and kept him around. After all, a mercenary group was not an organization of justice, they only kept useful people.
The five people put on their night vision goggles, crouched down, and quietly entered the forest, relying on the darkness to conceal their movements.
In close combat situations, submachine guns weren’t very effective. Shan Ming slung his beloved MP5 behind his back and held a pistol in one hand. To prevent any surprise attacks from the enemy, he also drew his military knife from his boot.
Shan Ming’s love for blades was similar to Jobb’s love for women. Despite admiring and collecting various types of blades, his favorite and most handy one was always the Kukri Knife from Nepal.
This knife was fully carbon-treated, giving the entire body a black finish that exuded a strong, masculine aura. The curvature of the Kukri Knife was also in line with the principles of aerodynamics. Shan Ming wielded it like he was using a second arm. The sharp blade sliced through the air, capable of easily severing any grown man’s neck.
Shan Ming clenched his hand into a fist and extended his arm at shoulder height, instructing the other four to move forward in a horizontal column. The four received his command, spread out to both sides, and then formed a straight line to advance.
The two people farthest away from him quickly became blurry. Shan Ming held the knife in his hand and cautiously moved forward into the forest, his sharp eyes scanning every inch of the land in sight.
Those people weren’t too far away from him. He could feel it.