Chapter 177 A Chance Encounter

Southern border, primeval jungle.

Lu Jingyan, like a stone sculpture blending into the night, lay motionless behind a moss-covered slope, holding binoculars.

Sweat dripped down his sharply defined jawline and into the soil, without him even blinking.

Behind him, members of an elite squad, with equally superhuman endurance, lay hidden beneath their camouflage, blending seamlessly into the perilous jungle.

Their target was an abandoned signal station a kilometer ahead.

According to intelligence, Eagle's Nest's contact in the southern region, codenamed "Viper," will be making a deal with a group of people from outside the country here tonight.

This was a "snake-catching" operation.

The atmosphere was equally somber at the temporary command post a few hundred meters away.

Wearing headphones, Chu Yunfei's fingers flew across the sophisticated telecommunications equipment. This time, the command didn't assign her to be a sniper.

She wore a well-fitting military uniform that accentuated her waist and legs, making her look heroic and spirited. A few strands of hair, damp with sweat, clung to her smooth forehead, adding a touch of fragility rarely seen on her usual face.

Her gaze would always drift uncontrollably toward the man strategizing in the command tent.

Lu Jingyan.

Even though he wasn't in the tent at the moment, his deep, calm, and powerful voice seemed to still echo in the air.

"Three groups, advance 300 meters and establish the first line of defense."

"Sniper has taken the high ground, vision report."

"Chu Yunfei, within three minutes, I need all possible communication frequencies of the other party."

Not a single word wasted; every word was like a bullet striking a drumbeat—precise and powerful.

Chu Yunfei's cheeks flushed slightly. She admitted that she had feelings for this man that went beyond those of comrades-in-arms.

This feeling stemmed from the purest form of admiration for strength. She had seen countless talented young men, but none of them possessed the same iron-blooded aura that Lu Jingyan had cultivated through countless battles, a quality that inspired willing submission.

He is like a sharpened blade, a national treasure, his brilliance fully revealed, inspiring awe yet compelling one to draw near.

...

At the same time, in Beijing.

Su Wantang had just come out of the Begonia Space, and her body was still covered with the cool moisture from the spiritual spring.

The courtyard was quiet; Lu Jingyan had been gone for almost several days.

She sat at her desk, opening an ancient medical case she had taken from the Heritage Library, but her mind was restless.

I have a feeling that something is about to happen.

The telephone on the table suddenly rang shrilly, shattering the silence of the night.

Su Wantang picked up the receiver, and Qin Zheng's low voice came through, tinged with urgency.

"Miss, it's Jerky Head. He has something urgent to discuss with you."

"Take it."

There was static on the other end of the phone, followed by the bald-headed man's obsequious and terrified voice: "Chairman Bai... Chairman Bai! Something's happened! Something terrible has happened!"

Su Wantang's eyes instantly turned cold, switching to "white atractylodes" mode, her voice devoid of any emotion: "Speak."

“I have a brother under me named Monkey Three, the one who put on a show in front of Renxin Clinic last time! He… he was in charge of keeping watch on the outside these past two days, but today… today he’s gone!”

The man with the scabby head was trembling, “I’ve searched everywhere he might have gone, but I can’t find him! He’s nowhere to be found, neither alive nor dead!”

"I suspect... I suspect it was those people at the clinic! Have they discovered us? Are they planning to attack us?"

Bai Zhu's fingertips tapped lightly on the rosewood tabletop.

"Thump, thump, thump..."

Each blow felt like a blow to the heart of a scalp.

Renxin Clinic has begun a reverse cleanup.

Their actions were faster and more ruthless than she had anticipated.

The bait, the "miracle drug," was both too potent and too dangerous. While the fish took the bait, it also enraged the venomous snakes lurking beneath the water.

"Chairman Bai, what... what do we do now? Those people are ruthless killers!" The bald-headed man was about to cry.

"What's the panic?" Bai Shu's voice remained calm.

“From this moment on, withdraw all your people, send them all underground, sever all ties with the ‘miracle drug,’ and pretend this never happened.”

"Huh? Then...that Monkey Three, he..."

“I’ll have Qin Zheng go find him,” Bai Shu interrupted him. “What you need to do now is protect yourself and the rest of your people. Don’t let me down.”

"Yes! Yes! I understand! I'll do it right away!" The bald-headed man felt as if he had been granted a pardon.

After hanging up the phone, Su Wantang immediately dialed Qin Zheng again.

"Use all available resources, whether they're from the black or white world, to find that thug named Monkey Three."

There was a hint of coldness in her voice.

"I want to see him alive, or... I want to see his body."

She can't just disappear without a trace.

...

Southern border, jungle.

"Target spotted!"

The urgent sound of the observation post came through the earpiece.

Lu Jingyan picked up the night vision binoculars. Through the lens, several sneaky figures emerged from the depths of the forest and approached the abandoned signal station.

The leader was a small, thin man who walked in a serpentine manner; he was none other than "Viper".

"Attention all units, prepare for action," Lu Jingyan ordered.

However, just as the encirclement was about to close in, "Viper" seemed to sense something, suddenly turned around, and roared into the darkness in a strange language!

The next second, intense gunfire shattered the silence of the jungle!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Da da da da!"

The enemy was clearly well-prepared, and their firepower was exceptionally fierce. Bullets rained down like a storm, sending tree trunks and wood chips flying everywhere.

"Damn it! There's an ambush!" one of the team members cursed, hiding behind a big tree to return fire.

"Sniper!" another team member shouted over the communications channel, his voice filled with terror.

Lu Jingyan's pupils suddenly contracted.

His worst fears came true.

"Chu Yunfei! Take cover!" he growled into the communicator, his body already running towards the command post on higher ground.

The temporary communication point where Chu Yunfei was located was a slightly elevated earthen slope with a wide view, but it was also the easiest place to be spotted.

She was nervously operating the equipment, trying to track the enemy's signal source, completely unaware that a red dot from a sniper scope had silently landed on her smooth forehead.

Deep in the jungle, a sniper, camouflaged to blend seamlessly into his surroundings, curled a cruel smile at the corner of his mouth as his finger slowly pulled the trigger.

He saw the woman in the technical officer's uniform; taking her out would render this Chinese squad deaf and blind.

Just a fraction of a second before he was about to fire!

A dark shadow, like a cheetah pouncing on its prey, suddenly pounced out from the shadows on the flank!

"Bang!"

The sniper rifle emitted a muffled roar.

Chu Yunfei felt a tremendous force slam into her, and she was knocked to the ground, with deafening gunshots ringing in her ears.

Her mind went blank.

The bullet grazed her scalp, leaving a scorching blast of air, and smashed a piece of equipment behind her into pieces!

She and Lu Jingyan rolled over and hid behind a recessed bunker.

Chu Yunfei, still shaken, lay on the ground and realized that she was pressed against Lu Jingyan's firm, hot chest.

Through his thin vest, she could clearly feel his heart pounding like a drum in his chest and his muscles as hard as steel.

The strong smell of sweat mixed with the stench of gunpowder filled her nostrils.

This is a highly aggressive scent, unique to this man.

Her face flushed red instantly, and her heart, pounding with relief after surviving the ordeal, sank completely into despair.

He saved her!

He descended from the heavens like a god and saved her life!

However, Lu Jingyan seemed completely oblivious to the soft body in his arms.

Without even glancing at her, he shoved her aside, picked up the rifle that had fallen to the side, and coldly observed the battle situation before calmly issuing the counterattack order over the communication channel.

"Sniper, 11 o'clock position, 30 degrees elevation, take him out!"

"Second and third groups, flank them from both sides! Suppress their firepower!"

"Team One! Lead your men and charge in from the front! Capture them alive!"

His voice was completely calm, as if the life-or-death rescue just now was merely swatting a mosquito.

Chu Yunfei stared blankly at him, at his cold, hard profile that flickered in and out of the firelight. In her heart, there was both disappointment and an even stronger surge of admiration and love.

This man's heart is filled with nothing but fighting.