Zhuang Rui, who was scouting ahead, suddenly spotted a person in a large tree. Zhuang Rui was greatly surprised, as it is very difficult to find someone hiding in the dense foliage of a tropical jungle.
Seeing that Peng Fei and the other two were still more than 300 meters away from the tree, Zhuang Rui quickly picked up the walkie-talkie and shouted, "Peng Fei, respond if you hear me..."
"Hmm? Brother Zhuang, what's up?"
Peng Fei's voice came through the walkie-talkie, very softly, as if he were speaking in a low voice.
Along the way, Peng Fei discovered many traces of human activity, and the route pointed towards the mountain valley. It can now be basically confirmed that someone must have set up camp there.
Chapter 998 Catching a Turtle in a Jar (Part 1)
"How is the situation?"
Zhuang Rui couldn't very well say that someone was hiding in the tree in front of you, could he? He could only ask some pointless questions first.
"There must be someone in that ravine; there are traces of footsteps along the way..."
Peng Fei concealed himself behind a large tree. He had dealt with Myanmar drug traffickers many times and knew that these people were cunning and suspicious, and now they were even more easily frightened. There would definitely be no shortage of sentries on the way to the mountain pass.
However, it was the height of summer in Myanmar, and the jungle was lush with trees and foliage. If someone hid in the bushes or in a tree and remained motionless, it would be very difficult to spot them.
“Peng Fei, be careful. Don’t alert them. Those drug dealers will probably set up traps or deploy guards along the way. I think you’d better not go along their route…”
Although Zhuang Rui knew that a drug dealer's sentry was hiding in a tree 300 meters ahead, he couldn't say it outright, and could only give Peng Fei a vague hint.
"Oh dear, how could I have forgotten that?"
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Peng Fei's eyes suddenly lit up. He slapped his forehead in self-reproach and then said, "Alright, Brother Zhuang, I won't talk to you anymore. I'll be careful..."
After hanging up with Zhuang Rui, Peng Fei looked at Zhang Guojun and said, "Brother Zhang, you don't need to lead the way from here. There are definitely sentries hidden along the way. Xiu Luo and I will sneak past from both sides." Because someone was leading the way, Peng Fei and Li Zhen hadn't broken out of their fixed mindset. After being reminded by Zhuang Rui, they immediately knew what they should do.
"Okay, you two be careful..."
Zhang Guojun didn't insist. He had already witnessed the two men's abnormal abilities on the march. They carried dozens of kilograms of weapons through the jungle without making a sound, like ghosts wandering in the forest.
Knowing his own limitations, Zhang Guojun handed over the bullet pouches he had been carrying to Peng Fei and then retreated. This was a game he couldn't afford to play.
Peng Fei gestured to Li Zhen, and the two of them ducked down, leaving the path worn into the ground and disappearing into the dense jungle in an instant.
Seeing that Peng Fei had become more vigilant, Zhuang Rui, who was several kilometers away, also breathed a sigh of relief. Once the two of them left the path, they would no longer be detected by the sentries in the trees ahead.
"Smack!"
A sharp crack rang out from a tall tree, over ten meters high, causing Peng Fei, who was about twenty meters away from the tree, to freeze in place.
Leaning against a tree, I blended into my surroundings.
"Damn it, they're eating, drinking, and sleeping over there while I'm stuck keeping watch. I can't take this anymore..."
The sentry in the tree had just swatted a mosquito that was sucking blood from his face, and was now pervertedly pinching the mosquito and putting it in his mouth, licking his own blood while cursing viciously.
Among the Kachin people led by Duwa, elite soldiers like them receive the best treatment. They usually enjoy good wine and meat, and they are the first to go after women. They have never suffered such hardship before.
These irregular forces "can only fight when things are going well; if they win, everything is fine, but if they lose..."
The morale of the people immediately collapsed. If Duwa hadn't been their leader and hadn't treated them well, they probably would have all run away long ago.
"Well?"
The Kachin man from Myanmar, who was grumbling, suddenly had his eyes bulge out, let out a meaningless groan, and looked down to see the handle of a Type 38 rifle bayonet sticking out of his chest.
"Damn it, what is this?"
The sentry's last thought flashed through his mind, and he fell heavily from the tree.
"Coo coo...coo coo..."
Animal calls came from the other side, and Peng Fei was relieved. "This is the code between him and Li Zhen, indicating that there are no hidden sentries around."
"Um?"
Upon seeing the clothing worn by the Kachin man, Peng Fei, who had been expressionless, instantly turned ferocious.
"What's wrong? Drag him into the bushes, let's hurry..."
Shura's figure flashed out, and he was taken aback when he saw Peng Fei staring motionless at the corpse.
"They're from Duva..."
Peng Fei said something in a low voice, stepped forward and pulled out his Type 38 dagger. A spurt of blood gushed out from the corpse. Peng Fei did not dodge, his face covered in blood.
"What? Let me see..."
Upon hearing this, Shura shoved Peng Fei aside, looked at the man's clothes, and said, "That's right, Lao Peng, we have a chance to avenge our platoon leader..."
Li Zhen clenched his right hand so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh. The ambush on their first mission, and the brutal killing of their platoon leader while trying to save them, remained a lingering shadow in the hearts of Peng Fei and Li Zhen.
"Calm down. Now that we've taken out this sentry, we must immediately infiltrate the valley and set up booby traps. We can't let a single person escape..."
As Peng Fei spoke, he dragged the corpse up, removed the walkie-talkie from its body, and threw the body into the bushes. "It'll probably be eaten by forest animals in a few days," he said. "Let's go. We need to be quick; we can't arouse their suspicion."
Li Zhen nodded. Generally speaking, these drug dealers would contact each other every one or two hours. If they couldn't get in touch, they would definitely become alert.
Now is the best opportunity to wipe out these drug traffickers and capture Duwa, because, according to Zhang Guojun, there is only one exit from the valley.
Although the valley is easy to defend and difficult to attack, blocking the exit is like catching a turtle in a jar. If the drug traffickers are allowed to sneak into the jungle, Peng Fei and his companion alone will definitely not be able to wipe them out.
"Thank goodness these two aren't terrorists..."
Zhuang Rui, who "saw" Peng Fei's blade strike the hidden sentry, was secretly astonished. He knew that this forest was shrouded in darkness for years, and the accumulated leaves on the ground were very thick. It was no easy feat for Peng Fei to kill the sentry without him even realizing it.
What are they going to do?
Zhuang Rui suddenly stood up.
Sensing that Peng Fei and Li Zhen were moving much faster, stealthily heading towards the valley, Zhuang Rui became worried. He was genuinely afraid that these two would fight the drug dealers all by themselves.
Seeing Zhuang Rui stand up, Hu Rong, who was sitting next to him, asked, "Um, Zhuang Rui, what's wrong?"
"It's alright, I reckon they should be back by now..."
Zhuang Rui "saw" Zhang Guojun's figure had reached the edge of the forest. He had gone there very slowly because he had to be on guard against the enemy, but on the way back, Zhang Guojun had run all the way and returned in just over ten minutes.
"Dajun, are you back?"
Hu Rong was a little skeptical of Zhuang Rui's words, so he took out his walkie-talkie and asked a question.
"Brother Hu, they'll be out soon. It's confirmed that there are drug dealers in the valley, but we don't know which group it is..."
Zhang Guojun's voice came through the walkie-talkie, confirming Zhuang Rui's guess.
"Where are Peng Fei and Li Zhen?"
Hu Rong then asked.
"The two of them were going to scout the valley, and I... I would have been a burden if I had gone with them, so I came back first..."
Zhang Guojun was a little embarrassed. He was considered a good fighter in the mine protection team, proficient in grappling, hand-to-hand combat, shooting, and firearms. However, compared to Peng Fei and Li Zhen, he was mediocre at everything.
"Hey, I told you not to make any rash moves, but these two... why aren't they listening..."
Hu Rong became anxious upon hearing this and looked at Zhuang Rui. He knew that the two brothers could not be ordered around except by Zhuang Rui.
"Brother Hu, there's nothing I can do. They've changed the frequency of their walkie-talkies, and we can't contact them now..."
Zhuang Rui smiled wryly. Fortunately, after his observation, the drug dealers in the valley did not seem to be alert and were still lying haphazardly on the spot. Meanwhile, Peng Fei and Li Zhen had already approached the outer edge of the valley.
The entrance to this valley is about ten meters wide, with cliffs on both sides reaching hundreds of meters high. The cliffs are jagged and difficult to climb. A stream flows down the rock wall inside the valley, which over time has formed a small lake, attracting animals from the surrounding area to come here to drink water.
About ten meters in front of the valley, in an open area, two sentries were lazily holding their guns, leaning against the rock wall behind them and smoking, completely unaware of the impending danger.
"Shura, don't let a single one escape! Damn it, you brat, you're always bragging, and now one's gotten away. I'm cutting ties with you..."
About thirty meters from the valley, Peng Fei and Li Zhen were hidden in the shadow of a large tree, their backpacks already unpacked and placed beside them.
"Don't worry, if one of them escapes, you'll hold me responsible. But you'd better watch out, kid, don't end up getting blown up yourself instead of killing them all..."
Li Zhen's lips twitched, his face full of coldness. If these people were hiding outside the valley, Li Zhen really wouldn't be able to do anything about them. After all, he wasn't a dog and didn't have a dog's nose to search for them one by one.
However, if they establish their stronghold in the valley, they are courting death. Li Zhen will set up a death zone in the woods in front of the valley!
Peng Fei moved through the woods like a monkey, placing plastic bombs in various locations, and then wrapped the entire forest in front of the valley with a very thin wire.
Peng Fei then assembled the firearms, placing five guns in front of him. Apart from a sniper rifle, the other four were submachine guns fully loaded with bullets.
There was also a grenade launcher; once the grenade was loaded, it could be fired as soon as it was picked up. Looking at the valley not far away, Peng Fei's eyes were filled with murderous intent.
"All set. If the fighting starts later, you stay here and snipe. Oh, and here, this is for you, I made it on the spot..."
About half an hour later, Li Zhen returned to Peng Fei's side and tossed him a makeshift detonator he had made himself.
Chapter 999 Catching a Turtle in a Jar (Part 2)
"What are those two bastards up to?"
Zhuang Rui sensed that Peng Fei and his companion's actions did not escape his notice. According to the pre-arranged plan, they should have returned by now, but judging from their behavior, they did not seem to be planning to come back.
"What's wrong? Zhuang Rui, why do you look so pale? Don't worry about those two kids. According to Da Jun, they're as agile as monkeys in the jungle..."
When Hu Rong saw Zhuang Rui pacing back and forth around a tree with a furrowed brow, clearly worried about Peng Fei and the other man, he quickly comforted Zhuang Rui. He knew that Peng Fei was Zhuang Rui's sworn brother and the two had a very good relationship.
Zhuang Rui stopped and looked at Hu Rong, saying, "Brother Hu, no, I have to go and take a look..."
Peng Fei's wife, Zhang Qian, is about to give birth. Zhuang Rui originally didn't want Peng Fei to come, but Peng Fei insisted on coming. If something happens, Zhuang Rui won't be able to explain it to Zhang Qian.
Although Peng Fei and Li Zhen are jungle warfare experts, and Zhuang Rui has witnessed their skills, as the saying goes, two fists can't beat four hands. If something goes wrong, Zhuang Rui and the others won't even have time to rescue them.
With Zhuang Rui's spiritual senses, those drug dealers would never be able to get close to him, so Zhuang Rui was confident enough to protect himself, at least not to cause trouble for Peng Fei and Li Zhen.
Moreover, in this area spanning more than ten kilometers, apart from the mountain valley where people are entrenched, there are no traces of drug traffickers anywhere else. In other words, there is no danger from here all the way to the mountain valley.
"Are you kidding me? I'm not trying to make fun of you, but if I let you in, you'd definitely get lost again. Don't worry about it, just wait for them to come out..."
Hu Rong waved his hand, thinking that Zhuang Rui was just acting on a whim. Last time, even with someone leading the way and leaving signs, he still got lost. Now, with several groups of drug dealers hiding in the Savage Mountain, it was even more dangerous. Going in would be like courting death.
"No, Brother Hu, I brought these two out here, and I absolutely have to bring them back with me, otherwise I won't be able to face their families..."
After Zhuang Rui finished speaking, he picked up a fully automatic AK47 assault rifle leaning against a tree, looked at Hu Rong, and said, "Brother Hu, don't send too many people in. Brother Dajun will go with him, and then about ten more people will be enough. Make sure you bring enough weapons and ammunition..."
Although Zhuang Rui didn't understand what jungle warfare was, he knew that if too many people went in, they would be used as targets. Peng Fei and Li Zhen's lives were valuable, and the lives of these Chinese children in the mine protection team were just as valuable.