"How are we going to handle this?"
Hunter seemed somewhat troubled.
He was a sniper with only an SVD in hand.
Song Heping had an M4A1 assault rifle.
The Vanguard Team that passed by just now had at least a dozen people. They probably saw the scene at the crossroads and knew that their few men were tough to provoke, so the Vanguard sent over ten people, exceeding the usual size of a 2-4 man Vanguard Group.
"They definitely have a large force behind them, and I estimate they'll arrive soon. Maybe we should change directions and retreat. If they can't find us, that's good enough."
Hunter's idea wasn't bad.
After all, with only two of them, evading was the safest choice.
Only Song Heping felt uncomfortable inside.
Grey Wolf was severely wounded, and Song Heping had a grievance he couldn't swallow, unable to pass up making the enemy pay.
"Let's go!"
Seeing him bow his head in silence, Hunter checked his watch and urged, "The main force behind us will probably arrive soon. If we start fighting with the Vanguard Team and get stuck, we are certain to die."
Hearing this, Song Heping's eyes suddenly sparkled, "I've got a plan."
...
Within less than twenty minutes, Harold followed the "Cobra" squad to the location where Song Heping was previously reading the map.
They were moving at a forced march all the way.
He had to admit that these locals from Myanmar were far more familiar with the mountainous area than he was; he couldn't have kept up if it were him.
The mountain roads were difficult to navigate at night.
The temperature in the mountains dropped sharply, and with the frantic chase, Harold felt hot inside but his skin was ice-cold, experiencing a sensation of both fire and ice.
More unsettling than heavy rain were the poisonous snakes and insects hidden in dark corners. These creatures were masters of camouflage, virtually invisible at first glance, but a single step might land directly on a poison snake, or while walking, one might feel a chilling touch on their neck and pull off a colorfully patterned snake.
If you see a sickly big tree, it's best to avoid it because there are vampire-like tree locusts waiting eagerly—these disgusting little creatures live on the tree, sustaining themselves by sucking sap, and if any beast or person passes under the tree, they would drop onto them like unnoticed paratroopers.
Don't underestimate the combat ability of tree locusts; even if they are fully fed and plump, they will cling onto your body and refuse to let go.
Boom—
Suddenly, a muffled explosion sounded.
Then a scream.
"Ow—"
Someone went down.
Everyone was startled, sporadically taking out their guns and seeking cover.
They all thought they were under attack.
But scattering only made it worse, and then they heard another explosion.
Boom—
Boom—
The sounds were low.
Not gunfire.
"Butterfly Mines!"
Harold realized and shouted, "Don't run! This place is mined! Watch your feet for Butterfly Mines, those things are tiny!"
Butterfly Mines.
This word entered Wu Shengwen's ears, making his scalp tingle.
In the jungle, he'd rather face a Tripwire Mine than these minuscule, toy-like Butterfly Mines.
"Nobody move!"
Following Wu Shengwen's loud warning, all members of the "Cobra" squad stopped in their tracks, each crouching awkwardly on the spot like they were constipated, daring not to move.
"What's going on?!" Harold demanded, "Didn't you have Vanguard up ahead? They just passed by less than half an hour ago, how could there be mines here!?"
Wu Shengwen was full of question marks right now.
He couldn't understand it either.
Could it be they took the wrong path?
But they had been keeping in contact with the Vanguard Team, and it was indeed this path. Wu Shengwen was very familiar with this area of the road, and the Vanguard knew it even better. No one would make such a basic mistake.
He then turned around, took the radio from the signal soldier, and began to call out to the Vanguard Team.
"Wen Nai, Wen Nai, respond if you hear me."
The channel was silent.
No response.