As the sun sets and night deepens, the darkness of night grows ever stronger.

As dusk fell, the mountains were gradually shrouded in darkness.

Ping'an Village has no modern lighting equipment. After dark, the people in the camp start to build bonfires and set up torches around the camp.

Under the cover of night, our group descended down a rope to the bottom of a cliff several meters high.

The moment my feet touched the ground, I felt like my legs weren't even mine anymore. I lost my balance and stumbled, falling to the ground. My feet and calves were in excruciating pain.

“Everyone has been hanging up there for so long, and their physical functions have all declined. Let’s rest for half an hour to recover our strength before we move on.”

After giving the order, Xue Dong untied the rope that was suspending our equipment, lowered the two travel bags, and began distributing dinner to everyone.

I sat on the ground and drank a large bottle of water, then ate two pieces of chocolate. Only then did the dizziness subside a bit. I took out a stab-proof vest from my backpack and put it on, then took out a gas mask: "The people of Ping'an Village are skilled in using Gu poison, which can cause strange reactions and illnesses in people without them realizing it. When we enter the camp, we must remain highly vigilant. Under no circumstances should we take off our gas masks, and we must wear gloves to ensure that our skin is not exposed."

Xue Dong put on the monocular thermal imaging device and held a simple-looking "gun" with an air cylinder in his hand: "We're good at infiltration, just follow closely behind."

I pointed to what he was holding: "What is this?"

"A tranquilizer gun."

Xue Dong gestured: "The anesthetic inside is the most advanced product in the world. It can take effect within ten seconds after hitting the human body. Because it is pneumatically launched, it can be almost silent. Moreover, the needle inside is very small. After being hit, it feels almost like being bitten by a mosquito... By the way, this is for you."

As Xue Dong spoke, he handed me several plastic packages that looked like wet wipes: "These contain handkerchiefs with anesthetic added. Cover a person's mouth and nose, and it will take effect very quickly."

I took the things Xue Dong handed me, turned on the monocular thermal imaging, and looked towards the camp.

Just then, two men came out to set up torches. At the edge of the camp, two men were patrolling in shifts. Not far behind them, in the bushes, there were flashes of light, which were hidden sentries concealed by branches and leaves.

Xue Dong was also observing the terrain and said, "The two people patrolling the edge of the camp are moving relative to each other. After they reach the other side, they will turn back. When they turn around, that's when the blind spot appears! Let's split up. I'll take care of the hidden sentries in the trees. Who will deal with the two visible sentries?"

A special forces soldier in the team raised his hand and said, "I'll do it!"

I picked up a small stone and weighed it in my hand: "Give me the last one."

Xue Dong snapped his fingers: "Now check the time, 7:25:35...40 seconds...36 minutes! I'll sneak over first, you guys make your move at 38 minutes."

As soon as we finished speaking, the three of us set off at the same time, heading around towards the camp.

Because our location was a blind spot inside the valley, there weren't many people guarding it. In addition, the torches couldn't provide much illumination, so I easily approached the camp along the edge of the cliff and lay down in the knee-deep grass.

At this moment, I was about thirteen or fourteen meters away from the patrolman. When he reached the end of the patrol route, the straight-line distance between us was about three meters.

I lay prone in the grass, glanced at the screen of my digital watch which had been dimmed to its lowest setting, and saw that the appointed time had arrived. I held my breath and gripped the stone tightly in my hand.

Soon, the patrolman walked right in front of me. As I saw him approach, I flicked my wrist and threw the small stone to the ground behind him.

Upon hearing the sound, the man instinctively turned around to check. I seized the opportunity, suddenly leaping out of the bushes and rushing over, before smashing my head against his cheek with all my might.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, the unsuspecting man was knocked to the ground by my punch, his eyes rolling back in his head, looking somewhat bewildered.

To prevent him from screaming, I pressed down on his face and slammed the back of his head against the ground to make sure he was really unconscious. I dragged him into the bushes and then opened the handkerchief Xue Dong had given me and covered his face with it.

When I finished dealing with the sentries and arrived at the edge of the camp, Xue Dong was already waiting there: "I've taken out the three hidden sentries around here. As long as we're not discovered by the mobile sentries, we'll be safe."

I nodded: "Our target is the shack in the very center. Once we get the loot, we'll retreat immediately. Everyone be careful."

Xue Dong thought for a moment: "You come in with me to get the things. Two people follow behind to keep watch, and the other two keep a distance. If we are exposed, have them make some noise to attract the attention of the villagers. What do you think?"

"Can!"

I quickly adopted Xue Dong's plan, then drew the dagger from my waist and whispered, "We're here to retrieve something. Miao Xiaoxian is willing to cooperate with us to protect her people, so please try not to hurt anyone. But if they really threaten your personal safety, don't hesitate."

They exchanged glances, nodded, and then dispersed and sneaked into the camp.

After I entered the camp, I found that these huts were all triangular, like a rice dumpling. The building materials were branches and leaves, and none of them had doors. They were just arranged in a circle, with the exits all facing the center.

The purpose of these people living here is to guard the bull's head, so they take turns guarding it. During our visit, we heard talking and snoring from many of the shacks. These people living in the mountains have very regular schedules; they basically go to sleep as soon as it gets dark.

With the help of the thermal imager, our group was like ghosts in the middle of the night, evading sentries in the darkness and moving nimbly.

Three minutes later, I went around behind a sentry, covered his face with a handkerchief, knocked him unconscious, dragged him into a shack, and looked towards the council chamber in front.

All the huts in this camp were triangular, while the large one in the very center was rectangular. The keel was not made of tree branches, but of felled trees.

The small shacks around the large shack were all some distance away, maintaining an open space of about ten meters around it.

Xue Dong quietly appeared beside me, looked at the four burly men standing guard at the four corners of the council chamber, and the two men patrolling in front of the door, sniffed and said, "The terrain here is complicated, if we rush through, we will definitely be exposed."

"Um."

Looking at the impenetrable defensive formation ahead, I nodded in agreement: "We've done our best to get this far. Now, all we can do is wait for Miao Xiaoxian to distract them."