poaching people
At four in the morning, thick fog blanketed the banks of the Chira River.
Nonai, with bandages on his face, stood on the south side of Aplin, squinting at the birds soaring through the forest. He turned to Chatchai and reported, "Blaze gave a signal; he's alright for now."
Looking at the silent Chachai, Nonai spoke up: "So, you sent me and Blaise to Frostraven not to investigate the background of that Green Contract Company CEO, right? You had planned it all along, wanting to use Blaise as bait to lure Mengtuo out. You sent me there only because I have experience in forced landings and can save his life to the greatest extent possible."
Chacha remained silent.
Nonai couldn't help but sneer, "The old man is really ruthless, even scheming against Blaise. Is he trying to wipe out Mengtuo in one fell swoop? Without Mengtuo's power, we can dominate this area. But will General Zowin behind Pomlason agree to this? He hasn't been able to wipe out the drug lords in Mengsha for so many years, which is basically because he wants to keep an eye on Gangu. If things continue like this, Pomlason will definitely turn around and retaliate against us. Will he still approve the drug approval for Tiannv Lei?"
Chatchai interrupted Nonai, saying, "I shouldn't have let you pester Suma in the first place. Staying by her side corrupted your mind. Now that things are settled, just do it. Why ask so many questions?"
“If I couldn’t even read, I would have been tricked to death long ago.” Nonai chuckled disdainfully. “Ha, that’s true. Who can be like Blaze? Even if he came back today and found out that the old man set him up, he would forget about it the moment he turned around. There’s no dog as good as Blaze in the world, so everyone wants to be the one to leash him.” As she spoke, Nonai’s tone was tinged with contempt. “Once the old man passes away, with Blaze’s brain, it’s hard to say whether he can control Gan Gu. He doesn’t deserve to be Suma’s son.”
"Alright! Shut up!" Chatchai interrupted Nonai, glancing towards the riverbank. "You're going too far. Don't repeat yourself."
In the distance, Sigon sat quietly by the Chira River, closing his eyes to rest.
The Snakeskin Special Forces were divided into three teams. One team circled along the riverbank to block the retreat route, another team carried M4 carbines and climbed up the ridge of Chila Mountain to establish a firing point, and the remaining team infiltrated the south side of Aplin to lay anti-personnel mines on both sides of the dirt road.
At 5:17, the drone transmitted footage showing a modified pickup truck driving out of the Chira Mountain camp.
As the first vehicle rolled over the bridge, the Hersey sniper, lying in ambush on the ridge, pulled the trigger, and the bullet instantly pierced the driver's skull.
A waterfall of blood.
"Ha!" Hersey was very pleased with his shot.
A riot broke out at the checkpoint halfway up the mountain. Members dressed in snake-tassel uniforms infiltrated the forest and confronted drug traffickers who were walking through the mountains.
Hessé, assessing the situation, adjusted his headset and reported to Sigon on the other end: "Should we go and support Blaise now?"
Xigong slowly opened his eyes: "Has Mengtuo come down the mountain?"
Hersey answered definitively, "After their plane bombed Blaise's private jet, Mengtuo drove people down the mountain and they should be in Aplin by now."
Xigong adjusted the footage transmitted by the drone, frowning slightly: "This Wing Loong V76 can't possibly be Mengtuo's." After a pause, he twitched his fingers, "Chachai, come here."
Hersey was taken aback: "But how could anyone else dare to enter Aplin at this time?"
Chachai stepped forward, took the monitor from Sigon, and examined it carefully, looking it over from side to side. He said with certainty, "This is cargo from the north. Elion Thornton is here."
Xigong frowned, stood up and said, "Let's go into the woods."
*
A sudden explosion occurred on Mount Chila, seemingly the sound of a hand grenade, and soon, plumes of smoke rose into the air.
As Aoi was wondering, shadows darted through the bushes ahead.
Blaze reacted very quickly, grabbing Aoi's arm almost immediately and pulling him to her side.
The bushes rustled, and the tall, imposing Elion slowly emerged, clapping with a smile: "The Natawa family is indeed capable." He glanced at the corpse on the ground, "Quite skilled."
Milo stepped out from behind Elion.
The moment Blaze saw Milo, his gaze immediately fell on him.
That gaze fell on Elion's eyes. Elion looked at Milo, wanting to speak, but then frowned with a hint of worry: "That damn deaf-mute is such a nuisance. Come on, nephew, tell him to make sure his hand is steady. The people chasing him in this forest are almost here. He's fine on his own, but if his old man doesn't come to his aid in time, you'll be in danger."
As she spoke, Elion's gaze swept over Aoi, and then she spoke to Milo with a hint of a smile: "Tell him to give me the person, and I'll guarantee you can get out."
Milo started making the gestures, but halfway through, he couldn't continue.
Because he saw Aoi's pale face.
That young, childlike face was staring at him, still unaware of what was happening, its round eyes like those of a startled fawn.
Milo suddenly understood why Aoi was so resistant to his relationship with Blaise. In Aoi's eyes, Blaise had broken his bones; Blaise was a completely oppressive force. If an abused person fell in love with their abuser, it was a betrayal.
Looking at Elion again, Milo could almost imagine Elion's domineering and vicious nature. What would become of a 19-year-old boy, frankly, a teenager whose mind was not yet mature, if he fell into Elion's hands?
Is he really going to do this? Make a deal with Ariel by trading a child? By doing so, he is almost repeating his past, pushing Theo Green into Miles' hands, a more vicious and cruel Miles.
When did he become like this?
Milo stopped signing.
Blaze's pupils dilated slightly, and he tightened his grip, desperately trying to understand what they were saying. But Milo didn't move, and he was cut off from the world. For the first time, he began to hate his own hearing impairment, which prevented him from making any sense.
Elion sized up Milo, then his gaze fell on Aoi, and his voice became irritable: "Have you had enough fun? If you have, get over here right now."
Aoi remained silent.
Milo didn't explain.
The two sides remained locked in a standoff.
Milo was momentarily surprised by Elion's apprehension. He couldn't tell if it was because he was wary of Blaise and dared not act rashly, or if he was afraid to take any risk of hurting Aoi.
Before they could remain locked in a stalemate for long, a sound rang out, and dozens of brown-skinned men carrying guns emerged from the bushes.
The leader, a man in his forties with dark yellow skin, dark circles under his eyes, and slightly bulging eyeballs, opened his mouth to reveal a mouthful of yellow teeth: "Fuck your mother, you've finally fallen into my hands. Today, I'm going to take your life!"
He was speaking the local dialect, which varies greatly from place to place and from the official language, even within a short distance.
“Mengtuo,” Elion said, “can’t you learn to be a gentleman?”
Meng Tuo turned around abruptly, saw Elion, recognized him, and immediately froze, a hint of apprehension in his voice: "Why are you here?"
"I caught these people first."
Meng Tuo shifted his position and warily surveyed his surroundings: "You know this person killed my older brother, right? I must avenge this."
"Wasn't it you who first tried to stop them from building the road? The anti-drug campaign in Pom La Song has been really intense lately, and instead of supporting Xigong and using him as a backer, you've gone against him. Who else are you going to target? If I were you, I wouldn't have come here in such a big way to seek my death today. Gangu is a remote, unsafe area, but don't forget that Xigong has real guns and an army. Do you really think he's a pushover? Do you really think you can kill Natawa's people today?"
Meng Tuo's tone was already quite harsh: "What do you mean by that?"
"So you're stupid, you've been tricked," Elion said impatiently. "So, you might as well go back to the mountains. Don't ask me to do anything, I really don't want to get involved with your kind."
"You're kidding me! I'm going to kill him today!" Meng Tuo pushed with both hands, scraping the gun barrel, and fired at Blaise.
Blaze gripped Aoi tightly and dodged the bullet, which flew at high speed, narrowly missing Milo's ear and almost hitting Elion's feet.
This shot broke the stalemate; in an instant, countless gun barrels were pointed at their respective opponents.
"What a stupid stray dog." Elion grabbed the wrist of the man behind him who was holding the gun, and looked at Meng Tuo. "How dare you touch my family?"
Meng Tuo looked at Milo, his nostrils flaring slightly. Ailien was only twenty-eight; how could he have such a grown son? His only cousin on the Thornton side of the family had died a violent death in Gan Valley recently. Where did this guy come from?
Before Meng Tuo could figure it out, Elion twisted his wrist and snatched the gun from his subordinate in a flash.
The bullet was fired and struck Meng Tuo in the groin.
Mengtuo clutched his groin, bleeding profusely, and screamed in agony.
Elion fired three more shots without expression. The first shot killed the drug dealer who tried to help, the second shot pierced Meng Tuo's foot, and the third shot, with a playful aim, was aimed at Meng Tuo's head, slightly swayed, and then deliberately missed.
This stunned everyone present.
Almost simultaneously, mercenaries who jumped from the fighter jets began to quickly wipe out drug dealers from all directions.
"Matsuhara Aoi, get over here." Elion slowly loaded the bullets.
Aoi Tai broke free from Blaise's gradually loosening grip and shuffled toward Elion.
Milo grabbed Aoi's arm, unsure of his own thoughts. Two conflicting emotions clashed in his mind, one moment compelling him to reluctantly sell Aoi in exchange for a favor, the next despising himself for becoming a monster he loathed, devoid of humanity.
Brown eyes, soft brown curly hair. This face doesn't actually resemble Yuuma, but it seems to resemble Yuuma in every way.
Seeing that Milo was holding onto him tightly, Aoi Tai subconsciously looked at Elion, immediately pushed Milo's hand away, created some distance, and whispered, "Don't hold my hand."
"Are you deaf too? How many times do I have to call you?" Elion said with a smile.
Aoi continued walking forward with his head down.
Milo, frozen in place, was about to step forward when suddenly, he felt a warmth in his palm. Looking down, he saw Blaise had already rushed forward, grabbed his hand, and pulled him into a hug, deflecting the flying bullets.
Ariel glanced at Aoi as he walked to his side, grabbed the back of his neck, and said affectionately, "You're really something, getting me into this kind of trouble. You've really grown wings, haven't you?"
The mercenaries' bullets struck the rainforest with incredible speed. Elion, with his arm around Aoi's shoulder, silently turned away.
Aoi grabbed Elion's hand and turned to look at Milo: "Take him away."
"Are you begging me?" Elion's eyes flashed as he gripped Aoi's nape, forcing him to look up. "Do you even know how to beg someone?"
Aoi immediately replied, "I beg you," but his tone was completely insincere.
Elion chuckled, released his grip, then pinched Aoi's cheek and twisted it: "You heartless little beast, you'd rather be sold out than help yourself. Who asked you to save them?"
Aoi was surprised and looked back.
Suddenly, groups of armed soldiers surrounded a group of people from all sides of the rainforest, and a deafening roar of thunder and fire filled the air—the sound of heavy tanks.
The team, dressed in standard uniforms with snake-shaped tassels, attacked like a knife through wheat. Meng Tuo was shocked. Looking at the black smoke on Qila Mountain, he immediately endured the excruciating pain and waved for retreat.
The procession parted like a tidal wave, and Chachai stepped forward: "Mr. Elion, barging into someone's home without permission is simply unacceptable."
Elion turned his head and gave a signal, and soon someone pulled Aoi onto the plane.
“I was indeed in the wrong, but there was nothing I could do. The kid was running around all over the world, causing trouble everywhere, and I had to clean up his messes. So, I’ll send two airplanes to Mr. Natawa later, hoping he will forgive me this time.” Elion adopted an extremely humble posture.
On the strangler fig tree, several meters high, Hessé lay prone on a thick branch, maneuvering a machine gun. He adjusted his position several times, but it was difficult to aim the gun at Elion's head.
The opponent was constantly changing positions, clearly very experienced, and was also testing the potential ambush locations of snipers.
"Arien actually bowed his head? I thought he came to provoke us." Hessai was baffled. But what he couldn't understand even more was that Arien had parachuted into Gan Valley just for a teenager? And a boy at that? Not some stunning beauty. These days, there were more than just one person as insane as Blaise.
Sigon silently watched Elion's retreating figure: "He sounds like he's talking softly, but every word he says is a threat."
"Then what do we do? We're not really going to kill him, are we?" Although Hersey was a bit slow-witted, he still understood some things. "He's not someone to be trifled with."
"Let him go," Xigong said. "This man will return to Lanman sooner or later. We can't afford to have a falling out with him since we're too close."
Hessé nodded, then asked, "What about Milo? Should we bring him back with Blaise?"
Xigong was silent for a moment, just about to speak, when someone rushed over and said, "The International Office called and said that a high-ranking official from Lanman has arrived regarding today's raid. Ponglasong has already contacted General Zowin to temporarily hold them off. Although they have no reason to forcibly enter the country, we can't hold out for long, since the Lanman Royal Police have also come."
Upon hearing this, Xigong frowned: "Lanman Royal Police Station? Who's in charge?"
"Barton."
Xigong mentally reviewed the man's identity and asked with displeasure, "Didn't he retire?"
The messenger couldn't answer, but Nonai, seeing this, added, "He's retired but not stripped of his power; he's still a powerful advisor with connections to the Lanman military and political departments. His return to public life is most likely related to his son. I know he has a young son who works as a detective at the Lanman Wudong Port Police Station, investigating the Steven Thornton murder case, but he's kept a low profile, and not many people know his father's identity. It's said that this young policeman has a good relationship with Milo."
A cold smile crept across Sigon's face: "He's really got some skills, managing to climb up to this powerful backer. What's Barton up to?"
“Barton said,” the messenger’s voice was barely audible, “that he has come to ask you for someone.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
