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"Hmph..."

Upon hearing this, the woman named Ruan just slightly furrowed her brows, not refuting anything, merely giving a light hum.

Whether that hum was sarcastic, mocking, or simply an acknowledgment, only she would know...

Unfortunately, Qin Fang wasn't here at this moment, otherwise, he could have heard what the white man was saying and understood just how troublesome the opponent they were facing this time was.

The Hand of the Devil Mercenary Corps — just from its formidable name, one could imagine how powerful this mercenary group is, ranking within the top ten even among the Mercenary Alliance.

The Mercenary Alliance, unlike the Assassin's Alliance, is an organization composed of many mercenary groups. Specifically, this alliance is centered around thirteen large mercenary groups and encompasses over eighty mid-sized and nearly a thousand small mercenary groups, forming a massive organization...

In the entire underground world, there are only these thirteen large mercenary groups, which are the core and foundation of the Mercenary Alliance and are the most powerful teams...

Offending someone in the Mercenary Alliance, as long as it's not one of these thirteen large mercenary groups, is not a significant issue; even clashing with those mid-sized mercenary groups presents no problem.

But once you go head-to-head with these thirteen large mercenary groups, it's akin to stirring up a hornet's nest. These thirteen large mercenary groups are the core of the Mercenary Alliance and can issue some simple mercenary tasks... similar to the cleanup tasks in the assassin community.

The Hand of the Devil Mercenary Corps is one of these thirteen large mercenary groups. Although it ranks lower in overall strength, around ninth or tenth among the thirteen, that ranking alone speaks to the group's power, which even some smaller countries can't match even with all their might.

Tang Cheng and his team are up against it this time, truly a daunting and challenging opponent.

Even although the Hand of the Devil isn't deploying its absolute main force this time, only a small team of a few hundred members, just a fraction of their total power.

It's worth noting that each of the thirteen large mercenary groups has three to five times more members, wielding such formidable strength that it's no wonder they hold a significant position in the underground world.

Of course, the Hand of the Devil was employed by certain people on Anlang's side to carry out this task. While it's part of the underground world, it's a typical anarchist group, commonly referred to as "terrorists."

For the Hand of the Devil, national concepts mean nothing to them, so they have no qualms about executing such tasks.

Of course, even for large mercenary groups like the Hand of the Devil, they mostly take on relatively simple tasks.

If they were tasked with attacking a city in the Dragon Country, firstly, no one could afford it, and secondly, they wouldn't dare to accept it...

They've attacked many lesser countries without much foundation; several national coups and military coups have seen the involvement of such mercenary groups.

But facing a major country like the Dragon Country, the Hand of the Devil wouldn't dare for a moment, as temporary benefits would only lead to endless trouble later on.

For example, with this task, if not for Anlang's side offering an extremely enticing bounty, plus the many benefits contained within this task, the Hand of the Devil would definitely not have accepted it.

...

Qin Fang and his team cautiously approached, carefully watching the group, but didn't dare get too close, knowing this group was just as formidable as their own small team.

"Brother Cheng, it looks like our trouble has grown..."

Coldly eyeing the gradually receding team, although Qin Fang couldn't hear their conversations, when he used the mini-map function of his Scouting Skill and discovered the prominent man and woman in the group, he immediately used his Scouting Skill to gather some information as well.

"What did you discover?"

Tang Cheng also gazed at the departing team, his brows furrowed, clearly hesitating.

"The people we're up against aren't ordinary mercenaries..."

Qin Fang said with a wry smile.

He wasn't exactly sure about the identity of the woman named Ruan, only that her background was likely not simple, but he had managed to scout the identity of the white man, who turned out to be a captain under the Hand of the Devil...

Although Qin Fang wasn't particularly familiar with the name of the Hand of the Devil Mercenary Corps, as a member of the underground world, he was naturally not a stranger to the core mercenary groups of the thirteen main mercenary alliances.

"Brother Cheng, be honest with me, is there something I don't know about this situation behind the scenes?"

But having uncovered the identity of the white man, the identity of the mercenaries killed by Qin Fang became clear as well, revealing they were from the Hand of the Devil.

This explained why these mercenaries' weapons and equipment were so formidable, almost more powerful than regular military forces.

If the terrain in Anlang wasn't unsuitable for tanks and fighter planes, such weapons would likely have been deployed.

Mercenary groups are the main hire organizations, but they're also one of the largest arms smugglers in the underground world, operating an extensive weapons network.

But knowing this private military was from the Hand of the Devil, Qin Fang noticed something odd — there was no reason for the Hand of the Devil to strike at the Dragon Country's border.

Even if someone on Anlang's side hired them to do so, usually a lesser-known small mercenary group might take such a mission, but not a large group like the Hand of the Devil.

Though strong, with a vast organization and many members, they're the easiest target for retaliation. A small country can't move such a behemoth, but against the Dragon Country's vastness, the Hand of the Devil is insignificantly small...

This is why underground forces, despite their size, always remain low-key to avoid major uproars.

Also, with powerhouse countries like the United States, Dragon Country, and Russia at the helm, if they unite in crackdown efforts, the underground world would undoubtedly suffer heavily.

That's normal; while the underground world is powerful, it's not mainstream. When all members are counted, the total is maybe only a few million.

Amongst them, mercenaries make up the most significant numbers — large mercenary groups have tens of thousands of members, whereas mid-sized ones have several thousand to tens of thousands, with small groups numbering from hundreds to mere tens...

These are the underground world's most populated groups. The Black Fist Alliance has extremely limited numbers and high attrition. As for the Assassin's Alliance, counting all, having ten thousand at their height is considered strong...

Precisely because of their limited numbers, these underground forces do not have any foolish leaders, meaning such reckless actions are almost non-existent.

Unless...

The expected benefits far outweigh the potential costs, then these major forces might be tempted.

With this in mind, Qin Fang felt that Tang Cheng's operation was highly unusual, seemingly more than a simple contest between two major military region's special ops squads.

Even the sudden joint exercise by the two major military regions held many hidden motives...

Tang Cheng was slightly taken aback, then gave a wry smile and shook his head, not expecting Qin Fang to grasp the key moments, or to figure these things out despite not having much experience with the matter, catching him completely off guard.

"Qin Fang, it's better that you don't know about this, it's not beneficial for you..."

Some things can be spoken about, but others can't, like the underlying elements of this operation, which Qin Fang can't know.

Truth be told, even Tang Cheng himself had only a vague idea of certain rumors. Whether his guesses were accurate or not, he wasn't entirely sure.

"Fine, if you won't say, don't then..."

Qin Fang wasn't someone hell-bent on uncovering the secrets behind this, initially just feeling the matter was very complex and didn't want to remain completely in the dark.

But seeing Tang Cheng's reaction, he realized the stakes were high, likely involving state secrets.

For the sake of his future freedom, Qin Fang decided not to wade into these murky waters; even with the support from the Tang family's background, he might face severe constraints in the future.

Qin Fang still had many matters at hand, and safeguarding his freedom was critical, so it was best not to get involved...

As for the present task, he couldn't evade it — ensuring Tang Cheng's safety was reason enough for him to persevere.

Other matters were best left untouched...

"Let's go, we'll follow them..."

Tang Cheng didn't say much more. Since Qin Fang already realized the complexity of the matters at hand, smart as he was, he naturally wouldn't meddle further.

The rest were active-duty military personnel, always tight-lipped about their missions, bound by military rules and regulations, and wouldn't spill any secrets...(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian （qidian.com）to cast your recommendations and monthly tickets; your support is my greatest motivation.)

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