Suddenly, thunder rumbled in the sky.
Raindrops began to fall through the sultry air.
In the darkness, Song Heping and the hunter were weaving through the jungle.
"Boss, why aren't we heading directly north?"
"We can't! We have to make it back on our own!"
Actually, Song Heping still had his own agenda up to now.
Asking Duke of Thunder for help to catch Grey Wolf was a last resort.
But he also knew that if he ran north and the pursuing forces caught up, clashing with Duke of Thunder's men—who would surely win—it would still bring them trouble.
Duke of Thunder took a huge risk tonight to rescue Grey Wolf, and although Song Heping cursed and ranted on the phone, he was aware.
If anything went wrong, Duke of Thunder's career was probably finished.
Now that Grey Wolf and his team were out of danger, there was no need to trouble Duke of Thunder further.
He contacted Duke of Thunder, asking him to evacuate immediately after picking up Grey Wolf and not to wait for him.
Duke of Thunder was silent on the other end of the phone for a few seconds.
Song Heping started to mock his instructor for being overly cautious.
Finally, Duke of Thunder said three words—"Be careful."
Then he hung up the phone.
Between men...
Between soldiers...
It seems they never need to say much.
A few words outweigh a myriad of expressions.
Why say so much?
He knew that Harold's reinforcements had arrived by now, but what he didn't know was that at this very moment, as they were retreating to the northeast, a Vanguard unit seven to eight times their number had already set out, hot on their heels.
These people were not only trained under the guidance of the Seal Team, but they were also the elite picked from local mountain hunters and youths.
Their pace was no slower than that of Song Heping and his companion, even faster; they were quite familiar with the terrain, not even needing to check the map.
Luckily, Song Heping and the hunter hadn't encountered much trouble, so they wouldn't be caught up with too soon.
At the moment, they were on a path rarely trodden, but not too difficult to navigate.
This was thanks to the smugglers and armed members of drug syndicates, who had actually created these trails.
Otherwise, in the unfamiliar jungle during a rainy night, covering a kilometer in an hour would be a reason to be grateful.
These paths were dangerous too, with traps often seen, and sometimes even skeletons already bleached white.
All of these served as reminders to Song Heping and the hunter of the lawless nature of this no-man's-land; if they didn't want their corpses lying there, soaked and rotting in the runoff, they'd better stay sharp!
After running ten kilometers, it was now two in the morning.
Song Heping found a spot, donned his raincoat, crawled inside, turned on his flashlight and GPS, and checked the map to confirm their bearings.
Not too bad, they were only sixty kilometers from China's border.
Once they entered China's border and made contact with Duke of Thunder, both the hunter and himself would be safe.
Song Heping had a habit.
Whenever he needed to check the map and verify his position at night, he would find a place that was quiet and hidden enough.
So this time, he left the path and crawled into the nearby woods with the hunter.
He never imagined this good habit would save his life.
Just as he finished looking at the map and confirmed his position, ready to leave the shelter of the raincoat to return to the path, the hunter, concealed behind a tree ahead, suddenly gestured a "cautious enemy situation" tactical hand signal toward him.
Song Heping immediately hid behind a large tree.
Down the path they had been traveling just before, several dark figures appeared, running quickly in this direction.
Song Heping stood quietly behind the tree, his hand already gripping the handle of his M4A1.
If the enemy opened fire first, then it would be best to strike first and strike hard.
If they didn't notice him, he could hold off a bit longer.
After all, going head-to-head would expose his tracks.
Right now, he was retreating, not picking a fight to the death.
No one knew how many more people were tailing behind these guys.
Several black shadows quickly ran past.
They didn't seem to notice Song Heping and his companion.
After they left, Song Heping emerged from behind a tree and approached Hunter.