Grey Wolf adjusted the rear-view mirror and shifted the gear into reverse.
At this moment, none of them had weapons on them.
It was a situation that rendered them helpless.
Sometimes during a mission in special circumstances, without weaponry for defense, all they could rely on was to improvise.
If the others made any sudden move, like reaching for a gun, he would immediately slam on the gas and use the vehicle to ram through these uninvited guests before seizing the opportunity to make a break for it.
Song Heping was, of course, well aware of what Grey Wolf would do.
Having worked together for so long, these core members of the company could understand each other with just a glance. This was the tacit understanding of tactics.
"Could these be the arms dealers' men?" Grey Wolf asked.
Song Heping replied with a grave expression, "Not sure, let's wait and see, and if something feels off, we'll run for it."
Grey Wolf cursed, "Without a gun in hand, nowhere feels safe."
Song Heping heard this and gave a bitter smile.
Those accustomed to risking their lives with a gun felt insecure without one.
Indeed, that was the case.
Which goes to say, a gun is a soldier's second life.
The saying couldn't be truer.
The Toyota stopped about five meters away from the Land Rover Defender.
Song Heping still kept his eyes on the rear-view mirror.
"Hunter, check if it's our contact. What did he say over the phone?" Song Heping asked, turning to Hunter in the back seat.
Hunter looked back through the rear window at the car that had just arrived. When he saw a guy in his twenties wearing red jeans descend from the Toyota—yes, red jeans, with a garishly colored top, he seemed more ludicrous than a fiercely wicked man, more like a hip-hop enthusiast than anything else.
"It's the contact..." Hunter covered his mouth to suppress a laugh.
"This guy... he said he'd wear red pants to meet... but I never pictured this kind of red..."
The man in the red pants, in his twenties, walked directly to the Land Rover Defender and knocked on the window.
Hunter rolled down the window and began to speak with him in Spanish.
After exchanging a few words, Red Pants glanced at the people inside the car, then strutted back to his own vehicle with an air of absurd confidence.
The Toyota soon left the roadside, passing by the two Land Rover Defenders and driving ahead.
"Follow him," Hunter said. "Their arms cache isn't here; it's in the jungle."
Song Heping lifted his gaze to the distance.
A range of high mountains spread before them.
He remembered two peaks nearby, one nearly six thousand meters in elevation.
The three vehicles silently traversed the mountainous road.
The road conditions here were far from ideal, full of rugged mountain paths that were tough to navigate.
After about an hour of driving, the Toyota made a right turn, venturing into the adjacent woods.
Grey Wolf had no choice but to follow.
Upon entering the woods, they found a narrow path only wide enough for one vehicle, about two meters across.
Another fifteen minutes passed, and the Toyota pickup finally came to a stop.
Red Pants emerged once more, shouting loudly in Spanish and gesturing for everyone to leave their vehicles and follow him.
"This damn place is such a time sink..." Grey Wolf muttered his complaints while asking Song Heping, "Shall I stay here?"
"Yes, you stay. Have Queen stay behind in the other car, and everyone else will follow me. If anything happens, you drive up and break through," Song Heping instructed.
Once out of the car, they were surprised to find themselves at the foot of the mountain.
They continued to follow Red Pants deeper into the mountainside.
Hunter couldn't help but catch up with Red Pants and ask, "How much farther?"
Red Pants pointed ahead, "Just up ahead! Can you see it?!"
Following the direction of his finger, Song Heping began to discern the situation.
It seemed like there were two people standing at the base of the mountain, possibly guards.
As they drew closer, they realized the spot was actually a cave entrance.
Indeed, the two men were guards, stationed at the mouth of the cave.
Upon entering the cave, they were greeted by the deep rumble of engines, reminiscent of generators.
Setting up an arms cache in a cave was actually a clever idea.
Looking at the walls of the cave, it appeared naturally formed rather than man-made.
Walking thirty meters further inside, they found themselves in a spacious cavern. Looking up, the ceiling was more than ten meters above them, with dim light filtering in, making this stretch of the cave much roomier and brighter than the previous section.