Zhangjiajie, located around the Wuling Mountains, often experiences mutated beasts descending the slopes. To counter this, Zhangjiajie maintains over a thousand soldiers, though a significant portion are new recruits. In the post-apocalyptic era, many young men lacking survival prospects joined the army, becoming soldiers.
However, after the emergence of the Tianlong Bureau, they began issuing directives from headquarters. First, they ordered soldiers to seal off the areas surrounding the Wuling Mountains, prohibiting ordinary people from entering the mountains casually. Subsequently, they took two hundred soldiers, leaving Zhangjiajie's forces critically depleted.
Two days later, Zhangjiajie suddenly received a distress call from the Tianlong Bureau. They only knew that the bureau had fallen into an ambush. When they attempted to re-establish contact, all communication was lost, as if it had been abruptly severed. The leaders of Zhangjiajie were instantly bewildered. How could over two hundred soldiers and an entire Tianlong Bureau be ambushed? What did this mean? Had countless mutated beasts appeared in the mountains?
In their haste, someone proposed, "At this juncture, we should simultaneously dispatch helicopters to survey the Wild Man Mountain and notify headquarters and Changsha. We will await headquarters' decision. If troops are to be deployed, it will have to be Changsha that acts, as our own personnel are insufficient."
This suggestion was immediately met with agreement. Zhangjiajie's soldier numbers were already not substantial, and many veteran soldiers had been transferred away previously. After all, the safety of the provincial capital was far more important than that of a smaller locality. Now, even though Long Qian had explicitly requested aid from Zhangjiajie, Zhangjiajie could only dispatch a single helicopter.
"This is a good idea. I will find someone to contact Changsha immediately and also have the helicopter pilots prepare for immediate departure," the leader then instructed.
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately sprang into action. At this moment, the most crucial task was to rescue the espers of the Tianlong Bureau. If these important figures from Yanjing were to meet with misfortune, the repercussions from headquarters would be unbearable for those below.
However, just as the order reached the ears of the pilots, one of them smiled wryly and said, "Leader, the meteorological station has released the latest news. Due to abnormal climate conditions, a cold air mass from Siberia is moving south. Everywhere it passes, it is snowing, and this cold air mass will soon reach us. Taking off at this time makes it highly likely to encounter a blizzard."
Short-distance movements typically utilized helicopters, and helicopters were significantly constrained by weather conditions. Operations in thunderstorms or blizzards were particularly perilous, easily leading to accidents.
However, such a response did not satisfy the leader. Many members of the Tianlong Bureau were children of influential figures in Yanjing. At this moment, these children were facing death, and yet they were being hesitant. How would they account for themselves when these influential figures later held them accountable?
Therefore, the leader sternly addressed the pilots, "I am aware that this mission is dangerous. However, at this moment, even in the face of grave danger, we must choose to face it head-on. For among those surrounded are our brethren. When brothers are in distress, is it appropriate for us to stand idly by?"
The pilots were burdened with a heavy accusation. If they disobeyed the leader's orders at this moment, it would be tantamount to standing idly by. In other words, it would be like abandoning allies in need, a grave charge that no one wished to bear.
The pilots grumbled internally, "You scoundrels, you live in a world of your own. You should know that it is we who are risking our lives now, yet you speak so righteously. Ultimately, it is we who will face the danger."
With no other recourse, the pilots could only obey the order. At this moment, the pilots thought, "The cold wave has not yet arrived. Perhaps we can depart now. If we are lucky, we will not encounter the cold wave."
Encountering a southward cold wave in the first lunar month was not unusual. The most severe instances occurred in the third and fourth lunar months, known as the "late spring cold." If such a situation arose, it was certain that many crops would be frozen to death.
The pilots immediately set off. A total of three helicopters, carrying nine pilots, flew directly towards the Wuling Mountains. Fortunately, the distance was not great; they would reach their destination within an hour.
At the same time, headquarters learned of the events in Wild Man Mountain. Headquarters had not expected the Tianlong Bureau to encounter danger so quickly. Earlier, the Tianlong Bureau had reinforced its ranks with over a dozen espers, yet now they were so rashly surrounded.
Headquarters immediately began its analysis, stating, "Based on available data, Shen Feng of Yuzhou and Wang Aoye of Meizhou have not appeared in the past two days. If our assumptions are correct, the Tianlong Bureau has been ambushed by a joint force of Yuzhou and the Qinghong Gang. The specific combat situation is currently unknown, but the most important task now is to rescue the Tianlong Bureau. After all, the Tianlong Bureau is our directly affiliated esper organization. If it were to be annihilated, it would be a significant loss of face."
"I absolutely agree with rescuing the Tianlong Bureau. However, at this moment, we have no espers available to us. The Esper Management Bureau and the Chosen Bureau have already departed on aircraft carriers. Where can we find reinforcements to rescue them now? Moreover, even if there were reinforcements, it would be too late."
"As far as I know, some members of the Tianlong Bureau have connections with the Thirteen Taibao of Lüliang Mountain. Let the people of Lüliang Mountain act. We can appropriately compensate them with resources."
After deliberation, headquarters made the reluctant decision to have the people of Lüliang Mountain intervene, as the Tianlong Bureau absolutely could not be allowed to fall.
The organization known as the Thirteen Taibao of Lüliang Mountain was too mysterious, and headquarters could not accurately ascertain information about these individuals. Furthermore, based on their modus operandi, they did not appear to be a civilian organization. Instead, they seemed like mercenaries who acted for payment, with supporters behind them.
Originally, headquarters did not wish to engage with the Lüliang Mountain organization. However, at this moment, headquarters had no esper organizations under its command. Moreover, the opponents of the Tianlong Bureau were Shen Feng and Wang Aoye. Both of these individuals had long been renowned. Shen Feng, of course, was known throughout China as "Wind God." Wang Aoye, while less known to some, was the uncrowned king of Southeast Asia, with a multitude of talented subordinates. To deal with these two, only the group from Lüliang Mountain could be called upon. Whether they could arrive in time to rescue the Tianlong Bureau was another matter entirely.
At this very moment, in the valley of Wild Man Mountain, victory for Shen Feng's side was all but assured, as the soldiers began to surrender. Their so-called "iron will" was no longer present. These were recruits, many not even having graduated from high school before being sent to the battlefield. Their surrender at this point was a matter of necessity.
As the soldiers continued to surrender, the number of those still resisting in the forest dwindled, and the espers of the Tianlong Bureau were continuously being killed. The space for the espers to survive was shrinking.
Zhan Jinshu felt a growing sense of dread. Her esper ability was an extremely powerful regenerative capability. Even if her heart were shattered, she could recover in a short period. Under normal circumstances, Zhan Jinshu would not be so flustered. However, at this moment, Zhan Jinshu was facing enemy espers who could appear from any direction at any moment. She could no longer maintain her composure.
No matter how powerful Zhan Jinshu's regenerative ability was, her body was still human. If her head were severed, she would not survive. Therefore, at this time, Zhan Jinshu was constantly guarding against attacks from her surroundings. If these attacks were directed at her torso, it would be fine, but if such attacks were aimed at her head, Zhan Jinshu would need to dodge.
At this moment, Zhan Jinshu suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest. She looked down but saw nothing. However, she could feel that her heart had been attacked. This intense pain was unbearable. Had it been an ordinary person, they would have already succumbed to the pain and died. But Zhan Jinshu was accustomed to injuries, and at this moment, she endured it.
Zhan Jinshu quickly recalled the sensation of this pain, especially the method of attack she had experienced. When attacked, there were no visible external injuries, but her heart was directly struck. This method of attack was truly unique, and Zhan Jinshu would not forget it.
"Cough, cough..." Zhan Jinshu coughed uncontrollably, spitting out blood. She then shouted to her surroundings, "Brother Lin Yue, are you still hiding? Why don't you dare to come out and see me?"
Lin Yue did not hesitate. He then leaped down from the tree and said indifferently, "Zhan Jinshu, don't be so sweet-mouthed. Don't think that calling me by a pleasant name will make me let you go. Let me tell you, ever since you stabbed me, I vowed that you would surely die."
As Lin Yue spoke, Zhan Jinshu immediately said, "Lin Yue, back in Yanjing, I was on a mission. If you feel you were wronged, I'll let you stab me. How about that? Then we can consider ourselves even."
Lin Yue did not expect her to say such a thing, and his tone immediately turned cold. "Zhan Jinshu, are you treating me like a three-year-old child? You possess powerful self-healing abilities. Even if I stab you a hundred times, you'll still be fine."
Zhan Jinshu certainly would not try to get close to him casually at this moment. The reason she said so much was to buy herself time to recover from her injuries. As long as the time was up, her shattered heart would heal.
"Bang," at this moment, Lin Yue raised his hand and threw a sonic projectile. This was a completely colorless and transparent attack, invisible like a wind blade. But the essence of this sonic projectile was sound waves, in other words, it was a fluctuation.
Zhan Jinshu's complexion had just improved, but she was immediately hit again. Her heart, which had only recently recovered, was instantly shattered again. Zhan Jinshu spat out blood once more and then collapsed on the ground. At this moment, not only her heart but also her liver and kidneys had been attacked. She was in unbearable pain.
Lin Yue looked at Zhan Jinshu's current state, a hint of mockery flashing across his face. He said, "Now, do you feel what betrayal tastes like? I can't believe I once had feelings for you. I must have been blind."
Lin Yue looked at Zhan Jinshu's face. She still looked like Fu Ya, but this woman was clearly not Fu Ya. She was just a wicked woman.
Upon hearing Lin Yue's words, Zhan Jinshu immediately realized that at this moment, besides fighting to the death, she could also play the emotional card. This method might not be effective for others, but for Lin Yue, who had been fooled before, this was definitely worth a try.
"At this moment, there is only one choice left: to fight for survival by facing death." Zhan Jinshu thought to herself.