go back
Speeding, changing cars, changing clothes, disguising themselves, they blended into the city's crowds. Steve, with his T13125 Dries, moved relentlessly without stopping. They were racing against time; they needed to return home before being found in Baya.
While on the train, Steve keenly noticed plainclothes officers, and the train conductor began checking tickets.
He discreetly led Driss to the back of the carriage, blending into the flow of people preparing to disembark. As the train rounded a bend in the mountain valley, Steve skillfully opened the train door and jumped off with Driss.
Steve shielded Driss in his arms, taking the brunt of the impact as they rolled about 200 meters before the force of the fall was completely absorbed. Ignoring the pain from the stones hitting his body, Steve pulled Driss to his feet.
"Run!" Steve commanded.
Driss did manage to keep up with Steve's speed, even though his breathing was a complete mess.
To shake off his pursuers, Steve ventured deeper into the dense forest. He focused intently on clearing a path ahead with his dagger, climbing and treading as he went.
Because Steve was leading the way, Driss didn't expend too much energy following behind Steve, and he finally got a little space to get his disordered breathing back.
"Have you learned any counter-tracking techniques?" Steve asked him as he cleared the way.
"I've studied it, a little," Dries replied hesitantly.
"Follow behind me and try to clean up any traces without affecting your speed," Steve said, handing Driss a pair of tactical gloves.
Steve didn't expect Driss to be able to do a truly professional cleanup, and they didn't have the time right now. But cleaning up the traces was better than leaving them untouched; it could slow down the enemy's pursuit as much as it could.
Time is always bought bit by bit. Agents whose names begin with Z are used to doing everything to the best of their ability.
They weren't yet in the completely electromagnetically blank deep forest; active positioning was still usable, but communication required extreme caution, as there was a risk of being detected. Steve roughly adjusted his route based on the positioning signal, emerged from the other side of the dense forest, and then robbed a passing car on the mountain road.
They managed to steal a small van, the kind villagers usually use for hauling goods; it couldn't go very fast, but it was sturdy. Steve held the steering wheel with one hand and rummaged through his gear bag with the other, pulling out some energy bars and water. He ate some himself and then shared some with Driss.
Dries was starving and wolfed down his food without any manners.
"For a T-class, your stamina is still pretty good." Steve glanced at Dries out of the corner of his eye, his tone slightly more relaxed.
"Before I went to university, the principal was a runner." The tension that had been building in Dries' mind finally eased a little at this moment.
The oppressive atmosphere of two weeks of intense interrogation made him want to speak out: "But I really ran so hard I almost vomited blood. I've never been this tired before."
Steve turned to look at Dries and reminded him, "Don't relax too much, it's not over yet. You're holding on by sheer willpower right now. If you really let your guard down, you won't be able to get back together later, and that'll be the end of you."
Upon hearing this, Driss immediately composed himself and gathered his scattered thoughts back together.
Steve couldn't help but chuckle when he saw Dries's expression. Although his skills were lacking, he was obedient and would do whatever he was told, so he wasn't too much of a burden.
They had been driving on the highway for about an hour and were very close to the border. Suddenly, without any warning, Steve slammed on the brakes, and a heavy sniper bullet exploded on the road in front of them.
Driss's face immediately turned pale.
Steve unbuckled his seatbelt, pulled Driss to his side, and jumped out of the car, crouching low. The center console and gearshift scraped painfully against Driss's skin, but the tense situation made him disregard that and he could only endure the pain as he and Steve once again ventured into the dense forest.
Gunfire quickly followed, and a bullet grazed their sleeve and embedded itself in a tree trunk. Steve dug out the bullet and examined it, realizing that the gun was neither standard issue from Baya nor Migal.
A guess formed in his mind. He suddenly pushed Driss aside and ran out on his own. Sure enough, bullets followed him, and no one paid any attention to Driss.
They weren't pursuers from the Kingdom of Baya; they were after a black market bounty.
Another bullet whizzed past his trajectory and embedded itself in the tree trunk. Steve saw that the other man had switched from live ammunition to tranquilizer darts. Seriously, does the bounty require the victim to be captured alive? What exactly is Karim Moor trying to do?
After confirming the situation, Steve quickly circled back to where Dries was hiding, picked him up, and left.
He took a smoke grenade from his gear bag and detonated it. Then he took out an infrared-protective blanket, and he and Driss each grabbed a corner of the blanket so that it could cover both of them. They then sprinted through the woods. After reaching a bend in the road where they could take temporary cover, Steve put away the blanket and began to redistribute the equipment.
He separated most of the food, water, and auxiliary equipment, packed them up, and handed them over to Dries.
“We’re near the border. The electromagnetic environment of this primeval jungle is clean. From now until you cross the Nutag border, you must maintain electromagnetic silence.” Steve then handed Driss a palm-sized device. “This is a passive positioning device. It’s not as accurate as an active one, but it won’t be detected. Retreat along this route, and don’t stop as long as you can still move. I’ll try to get someone to cross the border to pick you up.”
"And you?" Dries asked, panting.
“These people are after me. I’ll go out and draw their fire, then we’ll split up.” Steve’s tone was completely calm and even. “After I run a short distance, I’ll contact headquarters and deliberately expose my electromagnetic signal to attract the pursuers from Baya. As long as you maintain electromagnetic silence and move around in your infrared protective suit, you’ll be safe.”
“You…” Driss suddenly felt a lump in his throat and couldn’t speak. Steve was about to…
"You don't need to worry about me. It'll probably be easier for me to act alone than with you. Your task is to bring back the structural blueprints. Remember that. Don't stray from the route, remain electromagnetically silent, and stay completely infrared protected. Understand?"
Dries nodded emphatically.
“Okay.” Steve checked his equipment again, and after confirming that everything was in order, he darted away like a cat and quickly disappeared from Driss’s sight.
As the intense gunfire faded into the distance, Driss took a deep breath and forced his exhausted body to move.
Steve gave him almost all the water and food, carrying only weapons, communication equipment, a first-aid kit, and medicine.
Driss knew he couldn't let Steve down; he had to bring the blueprints in his mind back.
Without Driss and a whole host of survival gear to weigh him down, Steve moved with increasing agility. He traversed the mountains and fields as if they were flat ground, a communication headset clipped to his ear, attempting to contact Chen Chao while moving at high speed. At the same time, a sniper rifle gradually took shape in his hands.
He was preparing to fight back.
"Steve, Minister Chen is in a meeting. I can assist if there's anything urgent," Trott's voice came through the earpiece.
Steve frowned imperceptibly. His communications with Chen Chao were a higher priority than most matters, but now the communication had been switched to Trot's side. This meant that Chen Chao might be holding an emergency ministerial meeting, and there was something important to deal with.
"Please send an assistance request to Yunxiao and patrol along the evacuation route RT06 of mission number MT0095 to recover Agent T13125 as soon as possible."
“Okay, is there anything else?” Trott asked.
“No more,” Steve replied.
"It will be dealt with immediately."
Yunxiao is a top-tier special forces unit deployed on the southwestern border, and occasionally they are assigned missions such as border raids or hostage rescues.
However, the military and the special security system are different, and their working styles are also very different. Under normal circumstances, the two sides will not cooperate with each other.
However, requesting the retrieval of a capable agent along the border is not too excessive and falls within the scope of negotiation.
With communications cut off, Steve secured himself in the tree and fired a shot in the direction from which the bullet had come.
A soft groan came from the woods, and Steve turned and left without hesitation.
He wanted to go back; he had promised Chen Chao.
He must go back.
In the private conference room on the top floor of the Special Security Building, Chen Fei sat with three deputy ministers.
Chen Chao sat to Chen Fei's left. His face was as calm as ever, revealing no emotion whatsoever. But only he knew that his heart was in turmoil.
Meetings of this level are never easy, and everyone's expressions are serious. Under Chen Fei's chairmanship, the three vice ministers occasionally offered key suggestions and supplementary points.
Chen Chao's speech was also very simple and clear, hitting the nail on the head. His voice was steady, his gaze sharp, and he still had that perfect demeanor that left no room for criticism. But Chen Fei's eyes held a hint of barely perceptible worry as he looked at him.
The plan gradually took shape, and everyone finally reached a consensus, leaving no further issues for discussion. Chen Fei ended the meeting and, at the end, said to Chen Chao, "Chen Chao, stay behind for a moment."
Upon hearing this, the other two vice ministers immediately understood and quickly left the meeting room, closing the door behind them.
"What do you think of this plan?" Chen Fei asked Chen Chao again, repeating the question that had just been confirmed at the meeting.
Chen Chao hesitated for a moment, seemingly to calm himself down. After a long pause, he repeated his answer from the meeting: "I have no objection. This is indeed the best solution."
Chen Fei looked at Chen Chao with a deep, unfathomable gaze. He tapped the table with his finger and said seriously, "Your man, this order should be signed by you. But if you can't sign it, I can. You don't need to force yourself."
Chen Chao unconsciously clenched his teeth. His gaze towards Chen Fei was no longer calm, but filled with intense struggle: "Dad..."
“I am the Minister of Special Security, so it is only natural for me to sign the order. The level of this mission is high enough for me to sign it directly, so you don’t need to worry,” Chen Fei tried to reassure him.
Chen Chao shook his head.
“Dad, I’ll sign it. I have to sign his orders.”
Chen Fei sighed softly and said with a sigh, "Why did you have to do that?"
"Dad, I'll eventually take your place. I can pass it on to you now, but what about afterwards? Who can you pass it on to when you're in your position?"
"But Chen Chao, I've made mistakes too, I'm not perfect either. In our position, we can't push ourselves too hard." Chen Fei seemed to recall something, speaking earnestly.
"Dad, I won't shirk my responsibilities." Chen Chao said these words with difficulty, feeling as if a thousand needles were piercing his heart. But no matter how painful it was, he knew he couldn't back down.
"Suit yourself." Chen Fei stood up helplessly and left the conference room.
In the dense forests on the border of Baya, Steve was bleeding from injuries to his shoulder and side, and at the same time, he heard the sound of armed helicopters approaching.
The regular army of the Kingdom of Baya has arrived.
There are only 20 bullets left.
Steve opened the first-aid kit, applied the hemostatic gel to the wound, and closed his eyes briefly. He gave himself 30 seconds to rest, then began moving quickly again.
He will go back.
He promised Chen Chao that he would definitely go back!
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