Chen Jinzhao was stunned.
He then smiled and said, "You don't need to overthink it. We're still alive and well. As long as I'm alive, I won't let them hurt you."
Wu Lingyun's heart trembled a few times. She thought that Chen Jinzhao indeed had great charisma at this moment, no wonder he could become the youngest general in China.
"I hope we both survive," Wu Lingyun murmured to herself.
Chen Jinzhao continued to ponder a strategy.
Given the current situation, the sniper rifle in his hand was useless. Therefore, close combat was the only option, and in such a scenario, he still had a considerable chance of winning.
Moreover, there was only one narrow mountain path leading to the summit. Chen Jinzhao could prevent those people from reaching the top by firmly defending the end of that path.
But—
This was not what Chen Jinzhao wanted.
He wanted to take the initiative and annihilate the remaining enemies. Li Qiutao's injuries were severe, and Chen Jinzhao did not have much time to waste with these people.
With this thought, Chen Jinzhao made up his mind.
He turned to Wu Lingyun beside him and whispered, "You stay here and don't go anywhere. I'll come back for you after I've dealt with those people. Understand?"
Wu Lingyun suddenly reached out and grabbed Chen Jinzhao's arm, an instinctive action.
"No!"
"You can't go on the offensive. Those people have guns. If you rush out, you'll put yourself in danger. This is too risky."
Chen Jinzhao smiled and patted Wu Lingyun's hand, "Don't worry, these little ants can't do anything to me. Do you really think your cousin's rank was obtained through connections?"
This was glory earned through battle!
Wu Lingyun's heart was greatly shaken. She felt an invincible aura of determination radiating from Chen Jinzhao, once again broadening her perception of him.
However, her hand still didn't let go, fearing that if she did, Chen Jinzhao would be in danger.
"Be good," Chen Jinzhao said in a doting tone.
With that said.
He also used his other hand to ruffle Wu Lingyun's hair, causing Wu Lingyun to feel a strange sensation, even a hint of enjoyment.
"Then you must come back safely, or I won't be able to live with myself. Can you promise me?" Wu Lingyun asked, staring into Chen Jinzhao's eyes. Chen Jinzhao laughed heartily, "Okay, I promise I'll come back safely."
"I'm going."
Wu Lingyun nodded and watched Chen Jinzhao descend the mountain, her heart filled with anxiety.
This departure was fraught with danger.
Could he really return safely? Hopefully!
Chen Jinzhao followed the narrow mountain path down, planning to ambush the enemy halfway. This was also to protect Wu Lingyun, so she wouldn't get hurt in a shootout.
A few minutes later.
Chen Jinzhao found an excellent ambush spot and stood there quietly, waiting for the enemy.
However, this time the enemy seemed to have learned their lesson. They did not advance rashly but stopped every ten meters to carefully scout the surroundings before continuing. This slowed their progress but was generally safe.
"So cautious?" Chen Jinzhao thought to himself.
"It seems they know me quite well. They might have guessed I'd ambush them halfway. Perhaps they are old acquaintances."
This conjecture made Chen Jinzhao feel agitated. He murmured grimly, "If they are old acquaintances, I might be soft-hearted when killing them and unable to go through with it."
But since they had already done this, Chen Jinzhao had decided not to show any mercy.
They brought this upon themselves.
After waiting for another ten minutes or so, Chen Jinzhao heard a buzzing sound coming from above. He looked up at the night sky. Two drones were hovering in the distance, scanning the mountain forest for any signs of life inch by inch. It was likely that they would scan over Chen Jinzhao's head soon, leaving him with nowhere to hide.
"I underestimated them. They're quite cautious," Chen Jinzhao muttered.
He did not choose to continue hiding but raised his rifle and shot down both drones.
Bang!
The gunshot rang out, and the drones fell in response.
At this moment, Chen Jinzhao was less than two hundred meters away from the bearded man and his group. However, after the drones were shot down, the bearded man could only determine Chen Jinzhao's general direction, not his real-time location.
The bearded man made a swift decision, pulled out his walkie-talkie, and said, "You two, come and rendezvous with us immediately. Chen Jinzhao has come down the mountain; you don't need to provide covering fire anymore."
"Understood!"
The bearded man put away the walkie-talkie and whispered to the five men beside him, "Everyone spread out, but maintain a distance of no more than ten meters between you. Move out!"
The five men responded and immediately dispersed, forming a pentagon, with the bearded man at the center.
"Follow my command, advance step by step," the bearded man ordered again.
The six men moved forward together.
Chen Jinzhao could already hear the voice of the bearded man and quietly crept forward.
Both sides were cautious, fearing they would be the first to be spotted by the other.
This was a fatal danger.
Chen Jinzhao faintly heard the movements of the other party and judged the distance between them to be about seventy to eighty meters. So, he resorted to his old trick, throwing a stone about fifty meters to his front right.
On the other side.
The bearded man and his men were on high alert, their senses sharpened.
The stone Chen Jinzhao threw landed in the grass to their front left. One of them heard the sound and immediately fired in that direction. The bearded man frowned and shouted at him, "Don't shoot! This is a trap to lure the snake out of its hole!"
However—
His words were a half-step too late. The subordinate had already fired.
Seeing this, the bearded man quickly ducked into the grass on his right, muttering curses. The subordinate realized his mistake, his face changed, and he tried to duck down as well. Before he could even do so, a bullet pierced his head.
Chen Jinzhao fired in the direction of the gunshot and indeed killed one person.
He also immediately dodged from his original position. A mere half a second later, a bullet grazed his cheek. This meant that if Chen Jinzhao hadn't reacted, he would have been dead.
It was a close call.
Chen Jinzhao did not rush to fire again. Based on his judgment, the enemy had likely moved from their previous firing position, and firing now would be a pointless waste of ammunition.
The bearded man also quietly instructed his subordinate, "If you hear gunshots later, don't hesitate. Return fire immediately. Chen Jinzhao is very skilled, but he's not powerful enough to compete with firearms."
He was a human, not a god!
However, the bearded man underestimated Chen Jinzhao. Chen Jinzhao's night vision was extraordinary, and coupled with the distance between them being less than a hundred meters, Chen Jinzhao had already located the positions of several of them.
Before these men could react, Chen Jinzhao fired three shots in quick succession, killing three more!
It was important to note that this team consisted of only eight men in total, with two more on the way, making their fighting strength only six at most. Now, four of them had been killed by Chen Jinzhao, meaning only the bearded man and one remaining subordinate were left.
The bearded man also lost his composure and fired in the direction of the gunshots.
It had to be said.
The bearded man's marksmanship was exceptionally precise. After dodging three bullets, Chen Jinzhao almost failed to dodge the fourth, having to draw out his Tai Sui to block it.
Meanwhile.
Apart from the bearded man, the last remaining subordinate was so terrified he was wetting himself. He watched his four companions die before his eyes, and a sense of dread engulfed him.
His psychological defenses had crumbled. He threw down his pistol and knelt on the ground, shouting, "Spare me! We weren't trying to kill you. I've dropped my weapon. Can you spare my life?"
Bang!
A gunshot rang out.
But it wasn't Chen Jinzhao who fired. It was the bearded man. Looking at his subordinate lying in a pool of blood, the bearded man gritted his teeth and said, "What useless trash! Do you think begging will make him spare you?"
Chen Jinzhao seized the opportune moment and pulled the trigger.
Click—
No gunshot sounded, which made Chen Jinzhao's expression change.
Huh?
No bullets!