Chapter 18 Operation Details

Da Hei slowed to a halt, and Zhang Wei's group of four stepped down from the front of the vehicle.

"I am Qi Baijia, the commanding officer for this mission."

Qi Baijia, looking stern, gave a crisp military salute, displaying heroic bearing.

"Hello, pleasure to cooperate." Zhang Wei nodded, then turned and embraced Ma Qingyang in a comradely hug with a loud laugh.

Lin Yao, seeing Di Susu, immediately brightened up, clinging to her and reluctant to let go, waving shyly as he greeted, "Sister Susu."

"Little Linlin~" Di Susu completely ignored Lin Yao, bypassed the frozen youth, and approached Li Yalin with a smile, reaching out to pinch her cheeks. "It's been a while. You've become even prettier."

"Get lost, I'm not familiar with you." Li Yalin's eyebrows shot up as she slapped Di Susu's mischievous hand away with a disgusted expression.

Di Susu didn't mind, glancing around with curiosity. "Where's your mechanic? Where's he hiding?"

Li Yalin crossed her arms and coldly refused to answer.

Zhang Wei took over the conversation, saying, "He's a bit tired and is sleeping in the vehicle."

"This vehicle is..."

"Our support vehicle." As Zhang Wei finished speaking, he straightened his back, looking extremely proud.

Ma Qingyang's and Di Susu's team members all wore envious expressions, casting resentful glances at their respective leaders.

*We* want a support vehicle too...

Qi Baijia clapped his hands. "Alright, it's getting late. Let's depart."

A military train was parked at the station. This time, they wouldn't be traveling by air but by land. Accompanying them were forty field personnel, all well-trained soldiers, busily loading crates of ammunition and firearms onto the train.

Due to the large number of abandoned highways, the Six Nations vigorously developed railways, making them interconnected. The military train used dedicated military lines, which were faster than civilian trains, allowing them to reach their destination in three days.

The first five carriages consisted of the driver's cab, two living quarters, a dining car, and an armory. The last few carriages were open-air, specifically for transporting vehicles. Li Yalin drove Da Hei onto one of them, and the field personnel secured it with ground locks. Then, they covered Da Hei with dust-proof cloth to conceal its appearance, tying it down securely to prevent it from being blown away by the wind.

After everyone boarded the train, the military train rumbled to life, leaving the eastern checkpoint and venturing into the desolate and dangerous wilderness, bathed in the harsh sunlight.

…

Han Xiao felt the vibrations in his sleep and woke up.

The light fixture on the roof of the freight car emitted a soft, constant white glow, illuminating the surrounding space. As far as his eyes could see, there were cold, metallic machines of various shapes, yet they gave him a sense of security.

Han Xiao pinched and rubbed the space between his eyebrows a few times to clear his head. Then, he opened the freight car door and found himself on a speeding train. The wind rushed at him, tossing his messy hair. The metal floor vibrated under his feet as the train raced forward, the rumbling sound of the train filling his ears. The military train advanced along the tracks.

Stars filled the sky, and the moonlight was hazy.

In the distance, hills overlapped, and wild grasses grew lushly.

"Did I sleep for an entire day?"

Han Xiao paused for a moment. Then, following the lights, he walked into the carriage in front. Before doing so, he put on his simulation mask, adjusting it to the appearance of an ordinary young man from the first memory slot. He thought for a moment and then added a face mask. *Gotta* have layers of caution.

As he entered the carriage, the sound of the wind immediately disappeared, and the noise of chattering voices rushed at him, giving him the illusion of returning to civilization from a barbaric age.

When Han Xiao walked in, everyone immediately stopped talking, their eyes converging on him with curiosity and scrutiny.

Di Susu was the first to stand up, swaying her slender waist as she gracefully approached Han Xiao, breathing softly with curiosity, and asked, "Are you Han Xiao?"

"You've got the wrong person," Han Xiao replied casually. If you ask me something, I'll just answer it? Wouldn’t I lose face?

The expressions of the others froze. Who was he trying to fool? Everyone was in the carriage; who else could he be?!

Di Susu's expression stiffened. She had only wanted to start a conversation, but she hadn't expected Han Xiao to answer like that. She didn't know how to respond.

Seeing the cunning Susu at a loss, Li Yalin immediately felt delighted and waved vigorously. "Xiao, come and sit over here."

Han Xiao nodded and sat next to Zhang Wei and the others. Li Yalin immediately whispered into Han Xiao's ear, "Well done! You embarrassed the scheming Susu!"

"Sex hormones?" Han Xiao was stunned. What kind of girl had such a provocative name?

"It's her, Di Susu! A despicable, shameless, and unreasonable woman!" Li Yalin said through gritted teeth.

Han Xiao squinted. "I get the feeling that you're describing yourself."

Lin Yao wholeheartedly agreed, but he didn't dare to speak up, afraid of being beaten. He secretly looked at Han Xiao with admiration. *As expected of Brother Xiao, he doesn't hold back at all. He says whatever he wants, how cool.*

Di Susu's expression changed as she noticed the seemingly intimate behavior between Li Yalin and Han Xiao. A hint of anger flashed in her eyes.

Ma Qingyang extended his hand and smiled. "Brother, first time meeting you. I'm Ma Qingyang."

Han Xiao endured Li Yalin's enraged 360-degree waist twist and shook his hand naturally. "Strictly speaking, we haven't met."

Ma Qingyang was taken aback, his gaze drifting to Han Xiao's mask before he chuckled. "You're right."

Qi Baijia clapped his hands. "Alright, everyone's here. I'll explain the details of this operation. Field personnel, please excuse us for a moment."

The field personnel knew this was the rule and left the carriage, leaving only the three secret operation teams and Qi Baijia.

Qi Baijia cleared his throat and took out several documents and intelligence reports, spreading a map on the table.

"This operation is a joint effort between us and the Hesla Special Intelligence Division. Hesla's forces are stationed at the border and are ready to move at any time. Our mission is to infiltrate and reconnoiter the enemy's defenses, providing intelligence support to the army."

"This is the map data provided by Hesla. The Dark Crow Valley is a strategically important area that is easy to defend but difficult to attack. The dense forests make it impossible to discover the base's location through aerial reconnaissance. The enemy's military strength is unknown, and the actual location is unknown. We can only attempt a ground infiltration."

As the topic shifted to the mission, everyone immediately became serious. Di Susu tapped her brow with her finger, frowning as she asked, "It sounds like a heavily guarded fortress. Can't Hesla's forces launch a direct ground assault?"

Qi Baijia shook his head. "They are unwilling."

Everyone understood. Hesla's style was to prioritize profit. They would never expend three units of effort if two would suffice. Before the situation was clear, they would not allow their troops to easily venture into unexplored areas, preventing any unexpected losses. The Secret Operations Division was tasked with precisely this type of high-risk mission: being the first to venture deep into enemy territory and take risks.

Li Yalin snorted softly, unwilling to be outdone, and quickly asked, "Then what's the breakthrough point?"

Qi Baijia pointed to the map. "To the west of Dark Crow Valley, there is a large settlement of Wanderers called Crow Forest. The fact that Crow Forest dares to establish itself near the Germination base proves that there is a secret connection between the two, possibly harboring scouts from the Dark Crow Valley base. Therefore, this is our breakthrough point, where we have a chance to obtain intelligence."

"According to information from above, there are three figures of interest at the Dark Crow Valley base."

Qi Baijia took out the documents and distributed them. Seeing everyone reading, he concisely stated, "Chief Supervisor Pan Kuang, male, thirty-five years old, of Asian descent, a Grade E+ Martial Artist, and a Germination executive officer. His weapon is a saber, and he is nicknamed 'Blade Soul.' His most recent achievement was three years ago, when he single-handedly killed twelve Thilesian agents on the Thilesian border, four of whom were also Superhumans."

The document showed a man with a blank expression, of average appearance, yet exuding an aura of ferocity.

*A tough customer,* everyone thought simultaneously.

"Deputy Supervisor Ji Jie, male, twenty-nine years old, of mixed Asian and Caucasian descent. There is very little information about him, only that he seems to be related to Jino, the leader of the Wind Eye organization."

"Chief of Security, Duomeng, forty-three years old, a Sanu native, proficient in the use of various firearms, and a Super Elite-grade agent. He once commanded a Night Owl squad."

Ma Qingyang asked in confusion, "Didn't you say that the internal situation of the Dark Crow Valley base is unclear? Where did this detailed information come from?"

Everyone else had the same question.

Qi Baijia shook his head. "I don't know. The superiors say it's classified."

Everyone responded with a nod and didn't press the issue further.

Han Xiao picked at his ear. *The source of the classified information is sitting right next to you, comrades.*

Qi Baijia mentioned a few more precautions, then changed the topic. "For this joint operation, Hesla has also sent a Special Intelligence Division team. They will work with us when we reach the location."

Zhang Wei's face twitched. "Two intelligence agencies working together?"

Qi Baijia coughed awkwardly. "Yes."

*Isn't this just asking for trouble?!*

Hesla wasn't satisfied with obtaining information from Star-Long. They clearly didn't want to exert themselves, so they demanded that the Thirteenth Bureau also send people to participate in the operation.

Everyone exchanged glances. Relations between the two countries weren't particularly good, and the agents were even more hostile toward each other. They had a feeling that this mission would be a complete disaster.

This information was useless to Han Xiao. Han Xiao yawned and looked out the window, suddenly narrowing his eyes as he interrupted the discussion, shouting in a deep voice, "Monster attack!"

Everyone was stunned, not yet reacting, when the train suddenly jolted violently, almost causing them to fall. At the same time, the field personnel in the rear carriage erupted in agonizing screams!