Qin Feng was incredibly displeased, even feeling an urge to storm out and beat up Fan Tianlei, Wen Changlin, and whoever else had come up with this idea.
However, he couldn't. In the army, insubordination was a grave offense. He was a soldier for a day and had to obey orders without the slightest hint of doubt.
Moreover, Tang Xinyi wasn't his to begin with, so he had no standing or right to object to this matter.
All he could do now was wait patiently for Tang Xinyi to inform them of the enemy situation, after which they could act.
Three hours later, they finally received the message from Tang Xinyi, and the battle commenced.
Seeing that the time was ripe, Fan Tianlei immediately issued the order: "Assault team, deploy!"
Qin Feng, He Chenguang, Li Erniu, Wang Yanbing, and over ten others sprang into action upon hearing the command. They were joined by the elite "Fierce Tiger" assault team from the special police unit.
Qin Feng and his group rode in the same truck they had arrived in, while the Fierce Tiger special police officers boarded police cars. In a massive convoy, the vehicles moved in an orderly formation along the road.
Everyone was on high alert, ready to enter combat preparations the moment they reached their destination. The large contingent advanced towards the Octopus's lair.
"Prepare for combat within ten minutes. Everyone stay sharp, don't let your guard down for a second. Follow orders and act when the opportunity arises, understand!" Fan Tianlei commanded over the comms to those in the vehicles.
"Yes!" the group responded in unison.
Qin Feng, meanwhile, was fully in the zone, his hands gripping his firearm tightly.
"I'm a little nervous, this is my first real time on the battlefield," Li Erniu confessed nervously, sitting beside Qin Feng.
After speaking, he couldn't help but glance at He Chenguang, Wang Yanbing, Xu Tianlong, and Song Kaifei to check their reactions.
The other men also showed a hint of apprehension in their eyes; after all, this was their first time facing a real battlefield.
At this moment, Fan Tianlei surveyed the group and said sternly, "I know some of you have reservations about sending Director Tang undercover. But this is an order, and it's the best plan we collectively devised. I don't care if you have personal issues with me, but during the operation, you must obey superior command, act as one, and this mission will only succeed, never fail. Remember, we'll discuss any issues after the operation, understood?"
"Understood!" everyone shouted in unison.
Concurrently, on the special police side, as they were in smaller police cars, the captain of the Fierce Tiger assault team sternly ordered his team members through his walkie-talkie.
"Listen up, no backing down later. Don't make me look bad in front of Fan Tianlei. Show them that we special police are no worse than special forces. Hear me?"
"Yes," the Fierce Tiger special police officers responded loudly.
Meanwhile, Tang Xinyi sat in a Rolls-Royce with the leader, Octopus, followed by a line of cars, one on each side, escorting them towards their hideout.
After a long period of thought, Tang Xinyi finally spoke, "Promise me one thing, don't hurt them."
The atmosphere in the car immediately became more complex.
After a moment, Octopus suddenly said, "What they need is the courage to face a real battlefield, to bravely face death and threats. A real battlefield is far more brutal than this."
From Octopus's last remark, it was evident that this entire capture operation was merely an exercise, a final assessment for Qin Feng and the others.
It was a test of their psychological resilience, practical abilities, and their conduct if captured. All those involved were merely playing their parts to cooperate with Fan Tianlei's staged event.
This charade was designed to keep Qin Feng and the others in the dark. They had no idea it was an exam, nor was there any real combat. It was simply an exercise orchestrated by Fan Tianlei to assess them.
Earlier, Fan Tianlei had taken Tang Xinyi aside in the lounge to reveal the truth and enlist her cooperation as a fake mole.
"But Qin Feng and the others don't know this is just an assessment for them. They'll fight you with all they've got," Tang Xinyi pleaded, her eyes red with concern.
"Hahaha, what are you afraid of? Don't forget, my men are elites among elites. They're not so easily defeated by these raw recruits," Octopus said dismissively in response to Tang Xinyi's worries.
Finally, as if sensing the unfolding situation, Octopus said mysteriously to Tang Xinyi, "The show has begun. Just watch."
...
On the other side, upon receiving Tang Xinyi's location, Fan Tianlei had pinpointed Octopus's lair.
Immediately, Fan Tianlei addressed his men, "The precise location has been found. Tulip has succeeded. It's time for us to act."
"Report, should we charge in directly?" Wang Yanbing asked Fan Tianlei.
"No! We go in quietly," Fan Tianlei flatly refused, then explained, "We still don't know how many men they have or their weaponry. Stay hidden and low-key. Each of them holds special significance to the police investigation."
"Remember, we need to take them alive!" Fan Tianlei emphasized solemnly at the end.
Hearing this, Song Kaifei directly retorted, "They want our lives, and we have to keep them alive?"
"Your summary is accurate!" Fan Tianlei first affirmed Song Kaifei's statement.
Upon hearing Fan Tianlei's words, Qin Feng vehemently disagreed with his demand, "What kind of game rule is this!"
"What game? This is a strict order from higher command," Fan Tianlei said unhappily. "Either follow the order, or I'll enforce battlefield discipline."
"This damn thing… couldn't it be an exercise, they're just playing us?" Hearing Fan Tianlei's denial, Qin Feng immediately recalled the plot and blurted out the premonition, analyzing with certainty.
Hearing Qin Feng's words, Fan Tianlei inwardly flustered but managed to compose himself, saying with a stern expression, "Exercise? What exercise? Are you tired of living, kid? Why so much nonsense? There's no exercise here, only live combat."
Qin Feng was speechless at Fan Tianlei's stubborn denial, but he quickly figured it out. Today, he was going to make a big impact, whether it was an exercise or real combat. Since he couldn't kill them, there were plenty of other ways to incapacitate them, like breaking their arms.
Since Fan Tianlei hadn't admitted it was an exercise, he might as well go for a hard approach and let them taste the bitter consequences themselves.
To have Director Tang, a woman, go undercover into the enemy's lair – wasn't that a slap in their face?
This was a great humiliation!
He was incredibly angry now and just needed an outlet for his frustration.
"Awooo!"