Chapter 68 – An Extra Hostage
Novel Title: 龙血 (Dragon Blood)
Author：水千丞 (Shui Qian Cheng)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 单鸣 (Shan Ming -MC), 沈长泽 (Shen Changze -ML)
*Please read at Novels Space.space, the original site of translation. TQ*
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The four vehicles drove all night and finally arrived at a military base of the Independence Party. According to intelligence reports, the kidnapped hostages were placed in this base.
Affected by the natural environment, people here are very fond of digging pits. There are several barracks and checkpoints on the ground in this base. But the people must be situated underground. Most of the hostages are imprisoned in the underground base.
This terrain is easier for defence. It is difficult to attack so no one dares to act rashly.
Tiger Shark said to Ayer over the radio, “I observed Kafar’s position. It overlaps with this base. He is here too.”
“What? Kafar is here too?” Ayer said, “Could it be that he was also kidnapped?”
“No. Kafar has a certain relationship with the Independence Party. He probably came here to seek refuge. He has so much money with him and he has some background. If he was really kidnapped, he would be killed in such a chaotic place. They might not even save his life, so he probably asked for refuge and was looking for a chance to return to France.”
Ayer said angrily: “Then most of his cash must have been swallowed up by the Independence Party.”
“Of course. It’s such a pity. I didn’t expect this situation.” Although he said so, there was no regret in his tone. Kafar’s appearance here just saved him the effort of searching for him later. This time, his goal is not money. He wants Kafar alive.
Ayer clenched his fists and said, “No one has ever dared to steal money from me. Brothers, let’s shut this den of thieves down.” A burst of chaotic laughter can be heard coming from Ayer’s earphones and everyone echoed confidently.
Tiger Shark said: “Do you remember the faces of the six hostages? Try to ensure that every hostage survives.”
“Remember.”
“Then let me go through the battle plan. To put it simply, we need to clear the people on the ground before the enemies underground become aware of our existence. We will then use hypnotic gas or light grenades to deal with those underground.”
House said: “I don’t agree with the use of light grenades. You mercenaries have no sympathy. In New York a few years ago, you used shock bombs to attack the bus where the robbers and hostages were sitting. It caused several hostages to become disabled for life. You only considered whether the hostages are alive, but you did not consider whether they are really safe.”
Ayer snorted coldly: “First of all, if we didn’t use extraordinary measures at that time, the terrorists would board the ship right away. If we were hesitant like you, when they find out that the ship has been seized, they will inevitably jump over the wall. They didn’t even care for their own lives. The final result must be for them to shoot the hostages in retaliation. Or they would simply detonate the explosives and die together with the hostages. We had calculated the overall situation. That was the best decision at the time. It was better than being dead even if you become deaf or blind. Secondly, for this mission, you have to listen to me or you can get the hell out of the car.”
House was silent for a moment and didn’t speak anymore.
Tiger Shark reminded: “Everyone, please wear light-sensing adjustment goggles. These are a batch of new products we just bought from the United States. They can be used as night vision goggles and can automatically protect your eyes when encountering bright light. Light grenades are a last resort. We won’t use it at will if it’s not at a very critical moment. Nonetheless, hypnotic gas has limitations such as the time for it to be effective and the spreading speed and range. Hence, it’s impossible for the designer to consider protection from explosives or viruses when digging a base underground. If we are equipped with a gas mask, the hypnotic gas can be used. But the effect will not be too great. So everyone should be careful. During the critical moment, we will use light grenades. One is enough for each person. Remember not to detonate at the same time unless you want to be buried alive.”
Using light grenades underground is also a risky move. Although the shock of a light grenade is not as strong as that of explosives, it will give out a certain impact after all. If there are too many detonations at the same time, there is the probability of causing landslides. But this kind of base that made it easier for defence rather than attack, the tunnels came with narrow passages. Therefore, it is very easy for the enemy to block all their attacks by blocking a certain corner. Without this method, even if they can attack, the sacrifice will be too great.
The health of the hostages and the lives of their comrades would be at risk. So, of course they chose the latter without hesitation.
House made no further objections. Tiger Shark sent someone to deliver goggles and grenades to them.
Ayer began to assign personnel, “There are not many people on the ground. Kali is in charge of the tower. Shan, your arm is no good. You follow Kali as his cover. Falcon, you are in charge of the surveillance camera. Tiger Shark, Koski, you guys are in charge of the checkpoint on the east side. Lily and Zouhuo, you two are in charge of the south side. Shen Changze and I are in charge of the west side. The other personnel should wait for Kali to take action and enter the base from the direction of the tower. Now it is time for them to sleep soundly. After entering the camp, use hypnotic gas first to deal with them. And then block the entrance of the underground base. We will act together. Now, let’s go!”
More than a dozen people cleared their equipment and then entered the base in an organised manner at night. When the vanguard completed the task silently and wiped out the guards at the checkpoints, the follow-up personnel quietly approached the two camps. Hypnotic gas was released and they waited for a while. Finally, they put on their masks and drew out their sabres as they rushed in. The Independence Party soldiers who were sound asleep were like fishes on a chopping board. Without any resistance, their necks were slit one by one. In the humid air, a strong smell of blood suddenly wafted out. It made people felt sick.
Once the silent attacks were done, all of them began to move towards the entrance of the underground base.
Shen Changze held the blood-stained sabre tightly and said softly through the radio, “Baba, are you okay?”
After waiting for a while, he didn’t hear any reply from Shan Ming. Shen Changze was a little impatient. Shan Ming’s arm is injured now. Once the position of the sniper is found, he may be affected. He couldn’t help worrying. So he asked again, “Baba? Are you there?”
Shan Ming’s cold voice came, “Don’t talk nonsense.”
Several people’s low laughter came from the earphones. Shen Changze’s face was a little flushed. Ayer teased him: “Are you fifteen or five years old? Still looking for your father all day?”
Just as Shen Changze was about to refute, Tiger Shark’s deep voice broke through the earphones, “Shut the fuck up and focus!”
The radio finally quieted down.
Falcon began to destroy the door locks of the underground base. Two minutes later, there was only a slight sound of metal rotation and the door was pushed open a gap. Falcon pulled the ring of hypnotic gas and threw three inside in a row.
Except for the six guards outside the camp, the others put on gas masks and protective glasses around their necks. They are ready to switch at any time. They walked in one by one with guns in their hands.
The thick smoke from the gas filled the entire passage and the visibility became very poor. They staggered left and right against the base of the wall. They walked in step by step. The first thing they saw was a monitoring hall. The people inside were all asleep. There were three doors behind the monitoring hall, which should lead to different attack areas. Tiger Shark divided the team into three teams and entered the three doors.
Shen Changze, Koski, Lily, and a SWAT team member brought by House put on the gas masks and walked in first cautiously.
Suddenly that SWAT member got on the ground. He put his ears on the ground and then made a gesture to indicate that someone was coming.
Shen Changze looked at the top of his head. There were pipes for ventilation in the underground base. All of which were exposed on the ceiling. They were thick enough to support a person’s weight. Shen Changze kicked onto the wall, then jumped up with his strength and grabbed onto it. He got on the pipe, turned over and got on his stomach. He then crawled forward along the pipe. After crawling for four to five metres away, the gas content in front of them was low and they could already see the surrounding situation clearly. Three Independence Party soldiers ran over quietly with gas masks and AKs in their hands. Shen Changze hooked the pipe, hung his body upside down and aimed at one of the soldiers. He pulled off his gas mask and quickly covered his mouth. His blade slit the opponent’s throat neatly.
Even though he moved quickly, the man still made a sound, which attracted the attention of the two people in front of him. Shen Changze jumped onto the second man, wrapped his legs around his waist and put his elbows around his head. He twisted it with a strong force and broke his neck abruptly. At this time, the man who ran at the most front fell to the ground. Lily likes to tease Shen Changze the most. She winked at him coquettishly and then put her bloody knife and slit the man’s throat.
Shen Changze glanced at her helplessly. He made a follow gesture and the four of them moved on.
There was a sound of gunshot ringing in their earphones. It seemed that the other teams had already opened fire. The four of them quickened their pace and searched room by room along the passage. Suddenly, a door opened more than ten metres ahead and one person came out while carrying his trousers sleepily from the inside. He is apparently completely unaware of what had happened outside. He got up to go to the toilet at night.
The four of them were stunned. They didn’t expect a person to appear out of nowhere. That person saw them who had masks on their faces. His eyes widened suddenly and he opened his mouth to shout. Koski raised his gun and shot his head. As soon as the sound of the gunshot was heard, they could no longer continue their covert actions. As Shen Changze rushed forward, he took out the light grenade from his arms and threw it into the room where the door was opened. He then slammed into the door panel, knocking out the hand grenade that was about to come out. The people inside were all knocked back as the grenade exploded. The whole base shook. Dirt and dust fell all over them. Painful howls can be heard coming from inside the room.
Shen Changze put on his goggles and opened the door. He held his PSG rifle and began to shoot at the people inside. Everyone covered their eyes and rolled on the ground, unable to resist at all. The place soon became a slaughterhouse.
They entered the room and searched around. It turned out to be just an ordinary soldier’s dormitory. They quickly withdrew and began to speed up forward.
Shen Changze didn’t dare to use the grenade anymore. He guessed that other people wouldn’t dare to use it either. The shock of the grenade was bigger than they imagined. If this place collapsed, they would all be buried alive.
The rest of the journey went smoothly. They found the group of hostages quickly. The hostages were all locked in a room. The guard at the door inhaled the gas and fell asleep long ago, which saved him his life.
When Koski opened the door, there was a commotion among the hostages. He began to recall the faces of the hostages. He counted them one by one, “One, two, three… Huh? Why is there one more? Huh? I know you.”
Shen Changze turned his head and saw that the person sitting quietly in the corner only showed a fair face under the dim light. Compared with the other hostages who were bewildered and frightened, he looked very calm. It was as if he was not being held hostage by anyone at all. He was imprisoned but looked like he came here to simply attend a meeting. This person was known by the mercenaries of ‘Peregrine Falcon’. He was a military doctor from China—Tang Tingzhi.
Tang Tingzhi stood up. This time, he didn’t wear any military uniform or a white coat. He wore ordinary casual clothes. He said to Shen Changze expressionlessly, “What a coincidence. Everyone who should come has come.”
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Next update: 2023.06.22
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