Chapter 1 The Mountain

Up on the mountain.

Su Tianyu, along with Gui Mengjun's two bodyguards, formed a triangular formation, hiding in the woods.

Around them, faint footsteps approached from three directions, creating a cacophony of noise.

Su Tianyu listened intently to the sounds coming from the front. Leaning against a large tree, he gestured to Gui Mengjun's bodyguard on the left, asking how many people were over there.

The bodyguard wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and held up three fingers. Su Tianyu turned to the other side, where the burly bodyguard held up two fingers.

Su Tianyu roughly estimated the numbers in his head and realized that at least eight people were chasing them.

"Damn it." Su Tianyu pointed to the bodyguard wearing Gui Mengjun's clothes, signaling him to run first. The bodyguard nodded in understanding.

Su Tianyu took a deep breath and slowly raised his automatic rifle, switching it to single-shot mode.

"Whoosh!"

The burly man on the left suddenly rose and ran diagonally to the side.

"Ta-ta-ta...!"

The movement clearly intensified the sound of footsteps in the woods as the pursuers converged.

Su Tianyu remained behind the tree trunk, peering through the dense branches. With his vision obstructed, he could only discern the enemy's position by the sound of their footsteps.

"Bang, bang, bang...!"

Several gunshots rang out. About twenty meters away, he heard two thuds – the sound of bodies hitting the ground.

After firing two shots, Su Tianyu started running.

"Bang!"

A gunshot exploded. Su Tianyu, while running, felt a burning pain in his left leg. He stumbled and fell onto an embankment, rolling over twice.

"Clang, clang, clang...!"

Immediately afterward, the chaotic sound of grenades hitting the ground echoed. It sounded like more than one.

Su Tianyu didn't dare to get up. Looking disheveled, he grabbed his gun and rolled down the embankment twice more, quickly hiding behind a tree trunk.

"Bang, bang, bang, boom!"

Explosions shook the air. A thick sapling was blown apart, falling on Su Tianyu's back. Shaking the dust from his head, he realized that the sound of footsteps was very close.

"Damn!"

There was no time to get up. Su Tianyu dropped his rifle, drew a dagger with his left hand, and held the short gun in his right, preparing to fight for his life.

Behind a rock diagonally across from him, a burly young man suddenly stood up, aimed his gun at Su Tianyu, and pulled the trigger.

"Bang!"

A shot rang out, and one of the armed men who was about to rush down and capture Su Tianyu was hit in the right leg and fell to the ground.

The shooter was none other than Hou Guoyu, who was afraid of his boss getting killed. After escorting the others to safety, he had returned with Lao Hei to reinforce Su Tianyu.

"Go!"

After firing the shot, Hou Guoyu immediately shouted at Lao Hei beside him.

What are brothers for?! At the moment when Gou Liuzi (Su Tianyu) was in danger, Lao Hei remembered the promise Su Tianyu had made him, as well as the "Elder's dividend" he was owed, and charged forward without hesitation.

Under Hou Guoyu's cover, Lao Hei bent over and rushed to Su Tianyu's side. He grabbed Su Tianyu's wrist with his left hand and threw two grenades upward with his right.

"Damn it, don't you die on me! Who the hell am I going to get my money from if you die?!" Lao Hei pulled Su Tianyu. "Talk to me! Are you conscious? If you're not, I'll carry you!"

Su Tianyu regained his senses and immediately crawled backward along the embankment. "I can walk. Let's go."

"Da-da...!"

Lao Hei got up to provide cover, and Su Tianyu retreated from below in a disheveled state.

"Bring a person! Bring a person!" Hou Guoyu shouted from a distance, providing cover fire.

Lao Hei instantly understood what Hou Guoyu meant. He immediately turned his head and said to Su Tianyu, "Hold them back for a moment."

After speaking, Lao Hei climbed to the edge of the embankment. Su Tianyu shook his head again, picked up the rifle lying beside him, and suddenly stood up. "Damn you! I am your Sixth Brother! Come on, try to take me down!"

"Da-da-da...!"

Automatic fire sprayed wildly, causing splinters to fly in the woods.

Under their cover, Lao Hei took the opportunity to climb up the embankment and grabbed the man Hou Guoyu had shot down earlier, pulling him back.

"Damn it!"

The man had been hiding well behind a tree. Seeing Lao Hei grab his leg, he immediately tried to raise his gun to fight back.

"Bang, bang!"

Lao Hei dragged him to the edge of the embankment and smashed the butt of his gun twice on the man's temple, knocking him unconscious.

"You retreat first!" Su Tianyu shouted.

Lao Hei picked up the man and waved for Gui Mengjun's bodyguard to come over and help. The two of them worked together to carry the unfortunate armed man away.

Gunfire echoed for more than ten seconds.

Su Tianyu and Hou Guoyu threw all their grenades into the woods, then fled in two directions.

In the woods, Su Tianyu looked back and saw the bodyguard wearing Gui Mengjun's clothes had been cornered behind some rubble by three men. He had been shot twice and couldn't move.

Su Tianyu hesitated for a moment, not foolishly rushing over to rescue him, because if he delayed any longer, none of them would escape.

Moreover, Su Tianyu had already given him the best chance to escape by letting him run first and covering him with gunfire. At this time, the closeness of the relationship determined a person's willingness to risk their life. After all, that person wasn't Yu Mingyuan, nor was he Da Bai.

Su Tianyu gritted his teeth and ran wildly through the woods, gradually disappearing.

Two minutes later, the group reunited by a stream. They instinctively took off their belts, tied them to each other's arms, and, with the "hostage" in tow, waded into the water to swim across.

...

Inside Hualei Living Town.

Several military vehicles sped along the town's main road. The leading Chivalrous Army officer roared, "There's fighting! There's fighting! Everyone stay in your rooms! Those with air-raid shelters, go to the air-raid shelters! Those without air-raid shelters, find sturdy buildings to hide in!"

The shout echoed throughout the town. The Chivalrous Army officer led a garrison company to the town entrance.

Zhao Weihu's decision to invest the surplus resources of his troops into this town was a wise choice, hinting at the long-held unease in his heart.

As mentioned before, the Hualei Living Town was surrounded by mountains on three sides. The town entrance was a narrow pass, making it a strategically defensible location.

After the company of soldiers took their positions, a large number of military vehicles were pulled out of the warehouse. The Chivalrous Army's strategic fire weapons, including medium and long-range artillery, short-range heavy artillery, and portable mortars, grenade launchers, RPGs, and other important weapons, were all retrieved.

While the company commander was directing the men to enter the concrete fortifications and set up minefields, the first batch of Chivalrous Army troops retreating from the front line finally returned.

Cries of agony filled the air from the military vehicles. The First Regiment commander almost cried as he roared, "Call… call the medical personnel! We need a lot of beds… We need medicine! Quick, save people…!"

At the same time.

A number of off-road vehicles, damaged to varying degrees, also arrived. The Chivalrous Army commander, Zhao Weihu, was in the lead vehicle.