Completely unprepared, the mercenaries had lost their previously fortified defensive positions. It was now impossible for them to stop the escape—it really seemed these men had managed to survive against all odds…

"That was way too close…"

After successfully breaking through and retreating to a safer area, this team of warriors couldn't help but let out a deep breath of relief.

Trapped in that cave, their supplies had almost completely run out. If rescue had come any later, they wouldn't even need enemies to take action; they'd have walked out to their own deaths willingly.

No one anticipated that reinforcements would suddenly arrive, throwing the mercenary group into complete disarray. Only then did they manage to seize the opportunity for a breakout…

Even though the losses were still significant, it was far better than being annihilated entirely.

"By the way, who on earth saved us? Could it have been Captain Tang's team?"

Before long, one of the team members murmured thoughtfully.

"Captain Tang?"

Hearing this name, Qin Fang was momentarily stunned. He immediately moved toward the direction of the voice.

He had been resting at a secure spot for some time, recovering enough Energy Points to ensure his personal safety. Now he decided to check out the situation nearby.

Unexpectedly, as he approached, he overheard someone speaking Chinese. Instantly, he perked up his ears, and the mention of "Captain Tang" made him tremble with anticipation. Without hesitation, he moved closer to investigate.

Wasn't this entire mission for saving Captain Tang?

Now that there was some clue, how could he possibly give it up…

Sure enough, as Qin Fang followed the voices, he caught a faint glimpse of a group of soldiers. Their clothes were tattered and stained with blood.

"It's them…"

Upon spotting their uniforms, Qin Fang immediately recognized them. They appeared to be the ones who had been trapped in the cave earlier—during their last breakout attempt, Qin Fang had caught a brief glimpse of them, so he naturally remembered.

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

As Qin Fang was about to hail them, the soldier on guard duty noticed his presence.

Click-click-click-click~~

Within a split second, over a dozen soldiers reacted—they took cover, drew their guns, and were fully ready to fire!

"I'm one of you…"

Qin Fang immediately shouted loudly and stepped out from behind the tree, throwing down his weapon as a gesture of goodwill.

These people were, after all, the ones he had just rescued, and furthermore, they were fellow countrymen, so they were indeed on the same side.

Seeing that Qin Fang had discarded his weapon and raised his hands in an unthreatening manner, their apparent leader—a man in his early thirties—stepped forward cautiously. However, the other soldiers kept their guns pointed at Qin Fang, ready to shoot if he made any suspicious moves.

"You are…? Were you the one who saved us?"

The leader approached and examined Qin Fang carefully. He could distinctly smell the thick scent of gunpowder on Qin Fang's body.

This gunpowder smell was different from the scent left by bullets; it was the unmistakable odor from bomb explosions—a heavy, choking smell that was instantly recognizable.

Thinking back to everything that had happened earlier, there was no doubt Qin Fang was the one behind the explosive ambush on the mercenary camp…

After all, the bombs couldn't have been set off by the mercenaries themselves—no one would be foolish enough to blow up their own base. That left only Qin Fang as the culprit.

By this logic, Qin Fang was undeniably one of them.

If Qin Fang hadn't targeted the mercenaries' camp, and the terrifying Gatling gunner hadn't launched his assault, the breakout attempt wouldn't have succeeded.

"Are you… from the Jincheng Military Region?"

Faced with this question, Qin Fang neither confirmed nor denied it. The answer didn't seem worth debating at this point.

Instead, he glanced around at the group of a dozen people before him. None of the faces were familiar—not even one…

Although Qin Fang couldn't claim to know every single special forces soldier in the Ninghai Military District, he had at least met most of them. He would have some vague recollection of their faces.

But these individuals didn't match any of them, leaving only one possibility: they were from the Jincheng Military Region.

This operation had been a joint effort between the two military regions—essentially a competitive exercise. However, complications arose when they encountered this international mercenary group, whose firepower and skills were overwhelmingly strong. Their misfortune had been immense...

"That's right. We're from the Jincheng Military Region. I'm Captain Jiao, their team leader."

Confirming Qin Fang's guess, the leader nodded and introduced himself.

Upon realizing the truth, Qin Fang felt utterly frustrated. After enduring so much effort, he still hadn't managed to rescue his brother-in-law, Tang Cheng. How could he not be disheartened? He was so annoyed that he didn't even feel like joking with Captain Jiao.

"Captain Jiao, do you know Captain Tang's whereabouts?"

After some thought, Qin Fang decided these people were likely on his side. If he wanted to locate Tang Cheng, they might have some clues.

"Captain Tang? He's not on the same route as us…"

Captain Jiao was taken aback. He had already wondered why Qin Fang had come to save them, considering they were complete strangers beforehand. It turned out to be a case of mistaken rescue...

Of course, it wasn't entirely a mistake. They were all countrymen, and Qin Fang had close ties with Li Yang from the Jincheng Military Region. In such circumstances, he couldn't just stand by idly.

"Hmm… If Captain Tang's team encountered the same mercenary group as us, they should now be in the southwest direction…"

Noticing Qin Fang's expression darken with concern, Captain Jiao paused and then speculated out loud to provide some guidance.

Although the two teams were in a competitive exercise, they had a rough understanding of each other's movements. Otherwise, one team might finish a mission while the other was still pursuing objectives, resulting in unnecessary wasted effort.

"Southwest? Thanks, Captain Jiao… I need to move quickly. The rescue team should be arriving soon—stay alert!"

Even though this was just a guess, Qin Fang had no choice but to act on it. After giving the group a brief farewell, he disappeared into the dense forest in an instant.

"Damn, what a master…"

These special forces soldiers, often proud and confident, were considered the best the Jincheng Military Region had to offer. Simply representing their military district in this competition was proof of their exceptional capabilities.

They were able to survive encounters with such elite mercenaries—a testament to their own strength. Yet, witnessing Qin Fang's prowess left no room for arrogance. They could only laugh bitterly in the face of his overwhelming skill.

"Truly a master…"

Even Captain Jiao couldn't help but smile wryly.

It was entirely thanks to Qin Fang's intervention—causing chaos in the mercenary camp—that they had been able to escape from such a dangerous situation. He had essentially created the perfect window for their breakout.

The contrast was all too clear: where they bore wounds and scars, Qin Fang had appeared unscathed, save for the heavy gunpowder odor clinging to him. The gap in their abilities was unmistakable.

But Qin Fang had no time to dwell on what these soldiers thought. Every second spent here made Tang Cheng's situation more perilous.

The Jincheng Military Region group had at least found refuge in a cave. Whether Tang Cheng's team had anything like that remained uncertain… (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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