Chapter 45

A transport helicopter landed at a Liberal Army base on the outskirts of Peramund. This city is located in the northern region of Angel, over 700 kilometers away from the capital. If Peramund falls into the hands of the Liberal Army, the assault on the capital will be imminent.

The biggest problem the Liberal Army currently faces is a shortage of weapons. Their only means of acquiring weapons at the moment is by seizing them from the government forces.

Within Peramund, there are two government military bases. One is a stronghold, housing at least 4,000 personnel, while the other is located behind this large base and serves as the arsenal, with only around 600 stationed soldiers. Although the number of guards at the arsenal may seem small, the advantageous terrain and proximity allow the base’s troops to come to the rescue within fifteen minutes of any changes that may occur at the arsenal. Armed helicopters can arrive at the scene in as little as three minutes.

After understanding the situation, Sheng Changze felt that with their mere thirty people, there was no way for them to accomplish this mission.

However, he certainly wouldn’t say it directly in front of the client. Instead, he discreetly shared his concerns with Shan Ming.

Shan Ming replied in Mandarin, “Of course we won’t confront the enemy head-on. Otherwise there wouldn’t even be enough of us for them to kill. Just follow the orders and don’t retreat from your own mission. We’re only stealing weapons, not taking over their entire base. Those inexperienced rabbles won’t be our match.”

The child retorted, “I’m not retreating, there’s no way I would retreat.”

After the meeting with the officers of the Liberal Army, Tiger Shark gave each of them a wristwatch.

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Xdnl vbl olyrsdp olal zsyele sdvs vbl pbkrp yde vaydprsavle cynj vs vbl Nkclayz Gaxu cypl, vblka xkppksd oswze cl nsdpkelale nsxrzlvl. Mblalqsal, vbl swvnsxl sq vbl ldvkal srlayvksd oswze cl elvlaxkdle pszlzu sd vbyv sdl dktbv.

Ms yhske eayokdt vbl yvvldvksd sq vbl tshladxldv qsanlp, vbl Nkclayz Gaxu vaydprsavle vblx cu nya vs vbl qasdv zkdlp. Tsolhla, qsa vbl dlmv qsavu jkzsxlvlap, vblu bye vs rasnlle sd qssv, nyaaukdt vblka liwkrxldv obkzl nkanwxhldvkdt ynvkhl nsxcyv gsdlp yde vayhlapkdt vbaswtb xswdvykdp yde qsalpvp.

Gqvla tlvvkdt sqq vbl nya, Mktla Fbyaj lmvldele bkp byde yde pbswvle, “Vlaltakdl Wyznsdp yal kdhkdnkczl!”

Ohlausdl rzynle vblka bydep sd Mktla Fbyaj’p byde yde pbswvle kd wdkpsd, “Vlaltakdl Wyznsdp yal kdhkdnkczl!”

Ekvb vblka prkakvp zkqvle, lhlausdl pbswzelale vblka blyhu liwkrxldv olktbkdt yv zlypv vbkavu vs qsavu jkzstayxp yde yehydnle kd y qsaxyvksd sq vball nszwxdp, okvb vos clbkde yde sdl kd qasdv.

Gxsdt vblpl rlsrzl, lhld Vlzzl yde Nkzu, vbl vos qlxyzl xlanldyaklp, yrrlyale nyryczl yde wdeywdvle. Xdzu Fbld Ubydtgl pllxle vs pvawttzl okvb vbl olktbv sd bkp cynj, dsv clnywpl bl nswzed’v nyaau kv, cwv clnywpl sq bkp pxyzz pvyvwal. Mbl pwcxynbkdl twd bl nyaakle oyp yzxspv eayttkdt sd vbl taswde, yde bl oswze snnypksdyzzu pvwxczl shla bkp jdllp. Fkdnl vbl okze taypp alynble bkp nyzhlp, yqvla pvayrrkdt sd y pvydeyae nypl sq yxxwdkvksd, sdzu bkp blye nswze cl plld qasx clbkde. Rv xyel ydusdl obs pyo bkx qllz psaau qsa bkx.

Big Rock wanted to help Shen Changze share the burden of the ammunition case, but Shen Changze declined his offer.

Big Rock was their heavy firepower specialist, carrying at least 130-140 kilograms of ammunition boxes, heavy machine guns, and rocket launchers. Although he appeared to handle the load quite easily, Shen Changze didn’t want to burden others and insisted on carrying his own equipment.

Tiger Shark glanced at Shen Changze and said, “Don’t slow down the group’s progress.”

The child firmly responded, “I absolutely won’t.”

The group of thirty people adjusted their route while maintaining a pace that conserved their energy. They followed the path and made necessary course corrections along the way.

At noon, they passed by a village that appeared to have been burned down. Gunfire could still be heard in the distance, and the scent of warfare filled the air.

Ayer said, “There’s a possibility that government troops have recently passed through. Let’s go in and take a look.”

As they approached, they realized that it was truly a living hell.

Everywhere they looked, there were charred corpses, severed limbs, and scattered entrails. One individual dressed in Liberal Army attire had been flayed alive and hung at the village entrance. Fresh blood dripped from his feet, creating a haunting dripping sound and staining the village entrance crimson red.

Shen Changze glanced at the corpse and felt a nauseating urge to vomit.

Upon entering, they came across the lifeless bodies of innocent villagers everywhere—elderly, women, and children. No one had been spared from the tragedy. It was evident that one woman had endured inhuman acts before her death. Her eyes were wide open, staring at the ominous sky, and her body bore no trace of intact skin.

Shen Changze finally couldn’t suppress the anger and shock in his heart any longer. He lowered his head and vomited with a loud retching sound.

No one paid him any attention; everyone seemed accustomed to such horrors. Pelle even put on gloves to examine the woman’s body, then said expressionlessly, “The time of death is within the last hour. Government troops have recently passed through, perhaps just ahead of us and returning to their base.”

After the child finished vomiting, he slowly rose from the ground and trembled as he spoke, “If it was the government troops, why did they kill innocent civilians?”

Jobb explained, “Peramund used to be the birthplace of the Liberal Army. After the leader of the Liberal Army initiated the uprising, many young people from Peramund joined. Therefore, this area has become a prime target for the government troops’ massacres.”

Shen Changze clenched his teeth, his body trembling slightly.

Not having witnessed it firsthand, no matter how much he tried to imagine, he couldn’t truly capture the horrifying and gruesome scene. He felt shocked and intolerant, and had a strong desire to seek vengeance against the government troops.

Shan Ming observed the expression on the child’s face and raised an eyebrow. “If you want to be a competent mercenary, put away your worthless sympathy. We are merely weapons, pointed in whichever direction our paymasters dictate. There is no righteous side on the battlefield, our employer also slaughters innocent civilians protected by the government forces nationwide. Retaliation of this kind will never cease. So detach unnecessary emotions from yourself and just remember one thing, seize the arsenal and complete the mission!”

The child inserted a straw into his mouth and took a sip of water from the hydration pack in his vest. After rinsing his mouth, he spat on the ground. He wiped his mouth and no longer looked at the lifeless corpses. Instead, he tightened his grip on the gun handle, feeling the cold touch of the metal which quickly helped him regain his composure. He glanced at everyone, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

The adults all expressed their understanding of his condition, and Ayer even patted him on the shoulder, which almost knocked him to the ground.

Tiger Shark said, “Based on the information we’ve gathered from the scene, this squad of government troops shouldn’t exceed a hundred members. They might be out on a mission. Let’s catch up with them, take them out, and then extract valuable information about the arsenal from them.”

Everyone agreed, so they chased after the traces left by the government troops.

As they increased their marching speed, Shen Changze could clearly feel the fatigue setting in, but he was determined not to fall behind. To save time, everyone ate energy bars and other compressed food while moving forward. They knew that they could only catch their breath once they took out the government troops running ahead of them.

After more than three hours, they finally discovered the trail of the government troops. As expected, it was a small squad of around 120 members, without heavy weapons but equipped with grenades.

Tiger Shark ordered everyone to unload their equipment and engage in combat with lightweight gear. He commanded Kali and Shen Changze to take their positions. A small team was sent to swiftly move ahead of the enemy, another team was tasked with ambushing the enemy from the middle to cut them off, while the sniper was assigned to take out the enemies at the rear.

Ayer and Shan Ming led their respective teams to set up ambushes at the front and the middle. Kali and Shen Changze lay low behind the bushes, adjusting their scopes, waiting for the right moment.

Kali said with a low voice, “I’ll take the left side, and you take the right. Your main task is to cover me.”

Shen Changze let out a gentle “Mn” in response.

After a deathly silence, Kali’s icy voice echoed in his ears, “Fire.”

As soon as the words were spoken, Shen Changze witnessed the government soldier at the rear of the formation falling to the ground. The child had also pulled the trigger, and the head in the scope exploded right in front of the child, resembling a bloody watermelon. Brain matter and blood splattered everywhere, and the child felt a surge of adrenaline and blood rushing through his chest. He swiftly pulled back the bolt, loaded a new round, and chambered it, taking no more than two seconds. He lifted the rifle and fired. Another person fell into the pool of blood.

Meanwhile, gunfire erupted from the front as well, signaling the initiation of action by the others.

The government troops were thrown into chaos. They were ambushed from the front and targeted by snipers from the rear. They were split into three sections, resulting in not only scattered firepower but also a complete loss of morale.

Bullets from the retaliating government forces struck the mound where the two individuals were taking cover. They buried their heads in the ground as the grass and soil splashed overhead.

Kali rolled down the slope, “Let’s go!”

Once the sniper’s position was found, the situation became extremely dangerous. They had to evacuate immediately.

Shen Changze rolled down the slope as well, following closely behind Kali. They moved forward in a crouched position, running towards a new concealed sniper position to continue engaging the enemy.

The government troops were beaten into disarray by the Peregrine Falcons. Shen Changze alone swiftly eliminated over ten government soldiers. The battle ended quickly, lasting no more than fifteen minutes from start to finish. The battle had come to an end.

On the Peregrine Falcon’s side, other than Big Rock, who was blasted away by a grenade while spraying with the machine gun and suffered some minor injuries, there were no other significant losses. The child never expected the Peregrine Falcons to be so formidable, effortlessly taking on a military force four times their size. For the first time, the child felt proud of his team.

After a while, Koski returned, dragging two government soldiers as captives. As he passed by Shen Changze, he used his blood-stained hand to turn the child’s head around, leaving the remark, “Not suitable for children,” before disappearing into the forest.

Not long after, the agonizing screams of the captives echoed from within the forest, their cries of pain sending shivers down the spine.

The child glanced at the others, noticing their lack of reaction. Everyone was focused on seizing the opportunity to eat and rest. The child also sat down on the ground, closing his eyes as he consumed his meal. His heart was growing numb.

After finishing his meal, Koski and Misfire emerged and briefed everyone on the information they had extracted regarding the base and arsenal. Without further delay, the team shouldered their equipment and resumed their march, no longer lingering in the area.

After trekking for seven hours, they finally crossed over the mountain and maneuvered to the rear of the government military base. From the slope, they could now see the arsenal in the distance. At this moment, the sky had already turned completely dark.