305 Fierce Battle (1/2)

Ji Siying made her way to the adjacent hill, as instructed by Xiao Luo. She was a Grade C soldier and had undergone intensive special combat training, therefore negotiating the climb across the mountain terrain in the night posed no challenge to her. She reached the first location without much effort, then unscrewed the flare's cap and pulled hard on the firing cord to discharge the device. It shot out with a muffled burst and rose high into the air, emitting a dazzling light as it slowly floated down to the ground. For half a minute, it illuminated the ground below over a radius of several hundred meters. As Ji Siying headed for the second location, she couldn't help thinking how the parachute flare resembled the Golden Crow[1] of legend.

The Cobra Mercenaries were positioned halfway up Mount Luo, and seeing the flare go off, they immediately tried to work out the point from where it was discharged. Despite staying hidden, Xiao Luo was able to detect their subtle movements.

”Three confirmed.”

Xiao Luo's eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, being fortified by the abilities of the King of Mercenaries and the Yi Jinjing.

Then, as suddenly as the flare illuminated the surrounding area, the ground fell into darkness. At this point, Xiao Luo began to advance under cover of darkness toward the halfway point of Mount Luo.

Soon, Ji Siying arrived at her second location, and she quickly launched another flare.

Seeing another flare shot from a different direction, the Cobra Mercenaries shifted in their positions once again to make an assessment.

”Five confirmed.”

As soon as the second flare was fired, Xiao Luo hit the ground and lay prone, hidden by the tall grass. As he scanned the area, the corners of his mouth lifting to form a smile.

When the last flare was fired, the positions of two more mercenaries were confirmed. Xiao Luo had now located seven of them, but he knew they had eight men. He pondered his next course of action if he should wait for the next flare to establish the eighth man's position or strike.

It was time to make his move!

Moving stealthily like a phantom, Xiao Luo crept toward the Cobra Mercenaries unseen.

The seven Cobra mercenaries were deployed in two-man fireteams, with one of the teams carrying an additional man. After about ten minutes, Xiao Luo had quietly crawl through the tall grass and was now positioned not far away from the first team. This was the team with the additional man, and they were well camouflaged, scanning the surroundings through their night-vision goggles. Xiao Luo kept still, only his eyes moved as he stared at the soldiers, like a stalking predator waiting for the right time to strike.

”Have you spotted the target?”

”No, nothing over here.”

”Damn, I'm getting goosebumps. Something's wrong.”

Then, without warning, two black daggers came from behind two soldiers and were quickly pressed against their throats. They were highly-trained Grade B mercenaries, with well-honed skills and heightened senses beyond ordinary men's limits. But before either of them could even react, the blades slashed across their throats.

”Croak...”

There was no scream, but just a faint wheezing sound as the daggers sliced deeply and severed their windpipes. Their glazed eyes stared blankly, and they died without another sound.

The third mercenary, a burly man, hissed in shock when he realized his two companions had been attacked. Instinctively, he turned around and fired off continuous bursts with his submachine gun, spraying the area with an indiscriminate hail of bullets.

RAT-TA-TAT… RAT-TA-TAT

Flames flashed from the muzzle, and the piercing sound broke the silence of Mount Luo.

The burly man panicked, horrified to find nothing behind him, except for the two dead bodies of his comrades lying still on the ground. He gathered his nerves and composed himself.

He immediately contacted the other fireteams over the headset. ”No. 3 to Cobra, target located, target located!”

”Where's the target now?” A cold voice responded.

”I don't know!”

”What do you mean?”

No. 3, the burly man, broke out in a cold sweat as he scanned the immediate area with his night-vision goggles. There was no sign of the target at all—where was he? ”He's a phantom, incredibly quick. He's just disappeared after taking down No. 1 and No. 2.”

”B*stard!”

A voice cursed over the headset and immediately ordered the others to head toward No. 3's position with haste.

The burly man stayed alert, but he was becoming very nervous and jumpy, imagining every blade of grass and tree to be his enemy. He felt the strong presence, an overwhelming aura of a predator waiting to strike. He was sweating profusely, and suddenly, his hair stood on end as he felt a chilling presence right behind him. He swung around and pulled the trigger, sweeping the area in an arch.

Then, he caught a glimpse of Xiao Luo!