"Colonel!"
Rash burst in from the door outside, his shout briefly distracting Morins.
In that negligible moment, Morins's wrist suddenly suffered an impact, and he immediately realized the gun in his hand had fallen into Song Heping's hands.
Rash tried to draw his gun, but it was already too late.
"Don't move."
Song Heping issued the warning in a stern tone.
Rash had to lower his hand that had reached for the gun handle, gritting his teeth angrily, "Even if you kill the Colonel, you won't escape."
The skill to quickly disarm at close range is not something everyone can master. It requires not only courage but numerous practices.
Song Heping had taken a strong interest when he first learned it, so he spent a lot of time training. Unbelievably, this skill had saved his life several times after he left the forces.
Morins's face had turned pale, his eyes showing bits of despair.
He had led this organization for six years, evading multiple assassination attempts, but had never expected to fall here.
Just as he closed his eyes, waiting for death, he suddenly heard Song Heping say, "Anyone who doesn't want to die had better retreat. The people coming after you today are no ordinary foes."
Morins opened his eyes, discovering Song Heping had reversed the gun's muzzle and was handing it back to him.
After a moment of hesitation, Morins tentatively reached out his hand.
Song Heping said, "What are you waiting for? If I wanted to kill you, I would have shot you already. Killing you brings me no benefit. Think about it yourself."
Morins finally took the gun, quickly pondering Song Heping's words in his mind.
Once he had his pistol back, he no longer aimed it at Song Heping.
"Let's go, time to pull out."
Some matters didn't need to be questioned further.
Morins was not a man of indecision. To lead a guerrilla force successfully for years, he certainly possessed significant abilities.
Rash was somewhat at a loss, standing still, unsure whether or not to pull his gun on Song Heping. He had underestimated this Chinese man earlier when he first met him, not expecting him to be terrifyingly dangerous.
"There's a path on the north side of the camp, leading to the mountains. We'll take that route," Morins, an experienced figure, still kept his composure despite the enemy knocking on his door.
With that said, he quickly walked to a wooden cabinet, pulled open the door, revealing neatly arranged M4A1 assault rifles, ammunition, and hand grenades for individual soldiers.
"Hurry and take them!"
It looked like he had let go of any wariness towards Song Heping.
Sometimes, making judgments about things could be instantaneous.
What is, is; what isn't, isn't.
Don't employ doubtful people; don't doubt those you employ.
This breadth of mind impressed Song Heping; indeed, Morins was a man capable of great things.
It seemed partnering with him would be extremely pleasant.
Song Heping quickly equipped himself with ALICE gear, stuffed magazines and hand grenades, then hastened with Morins towards the door.
The three of them simultaneously stopped at the doorway, as gunshots erupted within the camp and mortars kept falling, exploding everywhere, lighting up the camp with bursts of fire; from the force, it looked like mortars 80mm or larger.
Screams of agony were incessant, and it was clear they were from their own men.
"You just mentioned today's attackers are not ordinary people?" Morins asked Song Heping, "How did you know?"
Song Heping pointed to his ears, "Listen to their gunfire. The rifles and machine guns aren't firing wildly but in controlled bursts."
Only extremely calm soldiers could manage such controlled shooting in such a sudden attack—a feat not many regular troops could achieve.
"Special Forces?" Morins asked.
Song Heping nodded, "Seems your head is quite valuable."
Morins picked up the walkie-talkie, already in chaos.
He called the captain in charge of the camp's security, only to find no response.
Even his own soldiers weren't reporting to him now; evidently, the captain responsible for the camp's security had been killed, and the rest of the soldiers had fallen into disarray, unable to organize effective command.
Morins seemed still willing to try to organize a defense.
But Song Heping stopped him, "It's useless. We won't have a chance if we don't leave now."
It was clear from his words that the three of them could only escape on their own.
Morins's men were beyond saving.
Song Heping knew well that on the battlefield, if a company commander was killed, the political officer would take over; if the political officer was killed, the deputy company commander would take over, then the deputy political officer, followed by platoon leaders, squad leaders, and experienced soldiers, in descending order.
Not just the PLA operates this way—any country's army should function the same.
However, few armies could execute this, taking over command step by step indicates a formidable fighting force.
If they could not manage it, like the situation now, where Morins had been calling for several minutes with no one reporting the combat situation, it meant the team had been thoroughly scattered.
Those capable of staying by Morins's side to guard him were definitely elite soldiers within the ELN. For them to be unable to withstand the attack, besides training issues, the only explanation was that their opponents were too fierce. This was the basis for Song Heping's judgment that those who attacked the camp were not ordinary military personnel.