Chen Fan called Xiang Jingzhu.
"The target is Mount Yaozi in Dawei Town, specifics unknown. Get Owl Squad and Leopard Squad to follow, fully armed, to provide external support," he instructed. "As for the others, they'll stand by in town upon arrival."
Owl was Zhang Yi, and Leopard was Guan Wentao. Chen Fan trusted these two squads, both comprised of military elites. The others, he felt, were not needed for this particular excursion.
After hanging up, Chen Fan quickly arrived at Dawei Town. He parked his car by the roadside, observed his surroundings, and then entered a small convenience store. He bought a pack of cigarettes and asked the shopkeeper for directions to Mount Yaozi.
"You're going to Mount Yaozi?" the shopkeeper asked, sizing Chen Fan up. "Do you have a way up there? Ordinary people can't get in."
"What do you mean?" Chen Fan inquired.
"Ah, well, they initially said it was going to be a tourist spot. They developed it, but it's never been opened to the public," the shopkeeper explained. "Word has it, the development was funded by Fan Bancheng. He's well-connected and turned it into his private villa and resort. It's considered a restricted area in Yuzhou. Unless you're someone of status with considerable influence, there's no chance of visiting."
"What's there to see?" Chen Fan asked.
"Plenty! Mount Yaozi has beautiful scenery. Besides the sights, there are also many beautiful women," the shopkeeper said with a lecherous grin. "Rumor has it Fan Bancheng has a clubhouse there, with all the top escorts from Yuzhou's finest establishments. Guests there are surrounded by them, tsk tsk... there's nothing they can't do, as long as they have the money!"
Fan Bancheng, of course, was Fan Songnian, who controlled half of Yuzhou. Mount Yaozi had not been on Chen Fan's radar before, but it now appeared to be Fan Songnian's stronghold.
"How do I get there?" Chen Fan, uninterested in further gossip, pressed.
"Exit the town, turn left at the fork in the road. It's not far, about a ten-minute drive," the shopkeeper gestured. "Once, some of the beautiful women from the mountain came down to town. They were stunning, like fairies..."
Chen Fan left the convenience store and drove towards Mount Yaozi. Ten minutes later, he indeed arrived at the foot of a mountain. It wasn't particularly tall, appearing quite picturesque nestled among the surrounding peaks. The maple leaves were a vibrant red, painting the mountain ablaze. A road led up the mountain, and at the entrance, two sturdy guard posts stood, but they were unmanned at the moment.
*Ring, ring.* Chen Fan's phone rang. It was Spider.
"I see your car," Spider chuckled. "Drive through the mountain gate. The game officially begins. Mount Yaozi is a fine place, fitting for burying a War God like you. I'd advise your subordinates not to show up, or they won't be as lucky as those two last night."
Chen Fan replied calmly, "The feng shui here is too good to be wasted on burying you."
"Empty words are meaningless. Let me send you a gift first!"
Chen Fan heard the roar of a helicopter. He looked up and saw a helicopter descending from the mountain peak. It wasn't an armed one, but men sat on either side of the cabin, holding large guns. The helicopter rapidly lowered its altitude, its guns rotating.
Chen Fan floored the accelerator, his car roaring as it ascended the mountain.
*Bang! Bang!* Two deafening gunshots echoed. The spot where Chen Fan's car had been was now riddled with two large holes. These were not ordinary firearms but anti-materiel rifles, firing armor-piercing rounds. For an ordinary car like Chen Fan's, let alone an armored vehicle, a single shot would be fatal. If wielded by a skilled marksman, it could disable a tank's tracks. The presence of such weapons indicated that Spider had brought in substantial reinforcements. The Northern Brotherhood's reach was truly terrifying, as even some regular armies lacked such armaments.
The car sped through the gate and onto the mountain road. The helicopter maintained a leisurely pace, descending along the southern face of the mountain. *Bang!* An armor-piercing round whizzed past, striking the roadside and causing Chen Fan's entire car to vibrate. The helicopter, with its two gunmen, continued to track Chen Fan.
After ascending three hundred meters, Chen Fan made a sharp left turn. He then reached behind him and grasped a spear. He pushed open the car door, landed steadily, and crouched low. His car continued to roll forward, but its speed rapidly decreased due to the incline.
Gripping the spear, Chen Fan rolled on the ground. The helicopter continued its sideways movement. *Bang!* An armor-piercing round pierced the car window, causing the vehicle to jolt violently. Chen Fan remained unfazed. He raised his spear, disengaged the safety, knelt on one knee, and aimed at the sky. The distance was about six hundred meters, towards the southeast, with strong winds... With a blank expression, Chen Fan squeezed the trigger.
*Bang!* Another armor-piercing round whistled through the air, penetrating the car's roof, swerving the vehicle and sending it tumbling into a ditch. *Da...* The sound of Chen Fan's rifle was incomparably weaker than that of the anti-materiel sniper rifle. Simultaneously, the rifle in Chen Fan's hand gave a slight jolt.
After a full two seconds, the gunman on the left side of the helicopter cabin shuddered and plummeted from the sky.
"Damn it, he got out of the car!" the other gunman shouted, his heart tightening. "Pull up! Pull up!" He moved his gun, spotting Chen Fan on the inside of the road, who had just avoided his line of sight. But his heart suddenly clenched, and he hastily ducked back into the cabin. He knew what had happened at the checkpoint and understood the terrifying nature of Chen Fan. He retreated quickly, but at that moment, he heard a *clang* of impact. Then, the ascending helicopter suddenly lost control and began to fall sideways like a kite with a broken string.
"Damn it!" the gunman cursed, dropping his gun and rushing to control the helicopter. He saw that the pilot's head had lolled to one side, a bloody hole in his forehead. It was unbelievable: from a distance of six or seven meters, a regular rifle had pierced the front window of the helicopter and killed the pilot? Fortunately, the gunman was no ordinary individual; he managed to stabilize the aircraft. Just then, he saw a figure appear on the outermost edge of the road, aiming his gun towards them.
"Not good!" the gunman cried out, trembling. In his sight, sparks erupted from the gun in Chen Fan's hand, followed by a second spark, then a third... Each was a single shot. The gunman heard the sound of impact. The helicopter was completely out of control; the gunman couldn't pull it up, and it began to descend towards the ground. Twenty-odd seconds later, with a *boom*, a mushroom cloud erupted, followed by a surge of flames. The helicopter crashed.
Chen Fan's expression remained calm as he walked with his gun towards his car, which had fallen into the ditch on the inner side of the mountain road. He got into the car, restarted it. The car, with its two large holes, emitted a grating sound as it stubbornly started, backed out of the ditch, and roared along the mountain road.
Meanwhile, at the summit, several figures stood on the roof of a tall building. From this vantage point, they couldn't see the foot of the mountain, but they could still see the rising fire and smoke.
"We failed!" someone declared. A man in camouflage uniform, his face painted with oil, resembling a spider, chuckled. "This is the Undefeated Heavenly King. You thought one helicopter and two sniper rifles could kill him? You overestimate yourselves."