Chapter 355: Meeting on a Narrow Road
Xia Lili felt her face getting a little hot, and the touch and herbal smell of the mosquito repellent bracelet on her wrist were unusually clear.
She quickly shook her head, her voice a little nervous. "No, it's okay, Captain Li. I don't like beds, as long as I can rest. It's already good, thank you."
Li Qihan nodded, his eyes lingering on her for a moment, then he turned sideways and pointed to a relatively independent corner near the door of the wooden house but within his sight.
"You sleep here." He paused, then added in a reassuringly calm tone, "I'll be watching over there."
The place he pointed to was an observation point near the door, which allowed him to keep an eye on the movements outside the house while keeping most areas inside the house, especially Xia Lili's position, within his sight.
"Just sleep peacefully."
This sentence was like a promise, carrying a heavy weight, and instantly dispelled the uneasiness in Xia Lili's heart caused by the unfamiliar environment and the gazes of her teammates.
Xia Lili watched Li Qihan walk to the corner and sit down neatly against the wall, with his long legs slightly bent and his back straight, like a silent rock in the dark night.
He no longer looked at her, but at the dark night outside the door, and returned to his alert and resolute captain's appearance.
The cabin was completely quiet, with only the faint sounds of breathing and clothes rubbing against each other as the team members lay down.
Qingyan turned over in his sleeping bag and murmured with contentment; Bat was still staring at the dimly lit communicator screen in the darkness; Blade had his eyes closed, holding the dagger within reach; Camel seemed to have blended into the shadows of the corner; Su Ye adjusted himself into a comfortable position, as if resting with his eyes closed.
Xia Lili crawled into the sleeping bag that smelled of new fabric, and the faint medicinal scent of the mosquito repellent bracelet lingered at her nose.
She turned her head and could see the tall and silent silhouette of Li Qihan in the corner of the doorway, sleeping in a daze.
A dreamless night.
The next day, at ten o'clock in the morning.
The miasma disappeared beneath the dense tree canopy like the receding tide, leaving behind air so damp and sweltering that it seemed as if water could be wrung out of it.
The sunlight struggled to penetrate the layers of branches and leaves, casting broken and swaying spots of light on the ground covered with rotten leaves.
The team led by Li Qihan arrived at the starting point of the original infiltration route code-named "Line A" on time.
Before my eyes was a path cut by tree roots, submerged in suffocating green, and only traces of human cleaning could be barely made out.
The air was filled with the strong smell of earth, humus and unknown plants.
Li Qihan squatted behind a moss-covered rock and quickly checked the topographic map on the tactical tablet one last time. His voice was steady and powerful: "The target point is 20.9 kilometers away as the straight line. As planned, we will enter along 'Line A'."
"Bat, maintain communication silence and passively monitor environmental signals. Qingyan, advance 50 meters and set up a sonic trap. Blade, guard the left wing. Camel, scout the right wing and pay attention to traces on the ground. Su Ye, check the status of all personnel. Advisor Xia..."
He paused, then turned his gaze to Xia Lili, with an unspoken understanding, "'Safety Check' begins now."
Xia Lili looked at the six team members, including Li Qihan, one by one.
I scanned them one by one and found nothing unusual.
Xia Lili's gaze swept across everyone and finally fell on the assaulter code-named "Blade".
Following Li Qihan's instructions, Daofeng raised his head.
There was no emotion in his signature slanted eyes, only an indifference as he waited for his mission.
At the moment their eyes met, a clear foresighted image suddenly flashed into Xia Lili's mind:
In the narrow pass, there were steep rock walls on both sides. As soon as the team turned the corner, they ran into a well-equipped enemy team head-on!
A fierce light flashed in the opponent's eyes, and he raised the weapon in his hand almost at the moment of meeting, and the dense sound of breaking wind came like a torrential rain.
"Get cover!" Li Qihan's roar was drowned out.
In a flash, Blade rushed to the front of the team, throwing several smoke bombs forward to create a barrier, while using his broad back to block his teammates behind him.
"Retreat quickly! Go along the gravel slope on the right!" He shouted hoarsely, not retreating an inch to cover the team's retreat.
However, several deadly cold rays penetrated the smoke and accurately hit his right shoulder and abdomen.
His body suddenly stopped, and blood quickly stained his combat uniform.
Blade gritted his teeth and tried to stand firm, but eventually he knelt on one knee weakly and fell down.
The picture ends here.
Xia Lili's face turned pale, her breathing stagnated, and she blurted out almost at the same moment: "Wait! We can't take the original route!"
Everyone's eyes instantly focused on her. Li Qihan didn't hesitate, not even asking "why?" He immediately turned to the map and said firmly, "Speak."
"Intuition tells me... there are heavy troops ahead, and people will be sacrificed." Xia Lili pointed to the other side of the map, "We must go around Route B."
Li Qihan's eyes flashed, and he immediately made the decision: "Abandon Line A, and the entire team will march quickly along Line B!"
The order was given crisply, but the atmosphere in the team instantly became tense.
Line B is a more hidden but more complex and unpredictable alternative route.
Choosing it means that the danger ahead has changed from the muzzle of a gun in the open to all possibilities in the dark.
The team silently immersed themselves in the thick, hot and humid green barrier of Line B.
The vegetation here is several times more pristine than that on Line A, with aerial roots hanging down like curtains and rotten leaves reaching above the ankles, sinking into slippery mud with every step.
The surroundings were so quiet that only the suppressed breathing of the team members and the occasional startled bird calls could be heard.
Just as the team was about to cross a relatively open woodland, the leading "camel" suddenly raised his fist and made a gesture of absolute stillness.
Everyone froze in that instant, even holding their breath.
Not far ahead, a "dead tree" as thick as an adult man's thigh and covered with dark brown cloud-like markings lay across the road.
But Xia Lili, who had excellent eyesight, could see clearly that the thing was wriggling extremely slowly, and its scales were shining with a cold, oily luster in the sparse light.
It's a large Burmese python.
There is a distinct bulge in the middle of its huge body, which shows that it has just finished hunting and is in a lazy state after being full.
But even so, its slowly sweeping tongue and huge body still exude a chilling sense of primitive oppression.
This Burmese python was blocking the path.
Li Qihan's eyes were sharp as he quickly made a series of tactical hand signals: detour, keep distance, and avoid disturbing.
However, with dense thorn bushes and slippery steep slopes on both sides, it was extremely risky to force a passage.
Just as everyone was thinking about countermeasures, Xia Lili gently touched Li Qihan's arm and pointed to the thick branches intertwined above his head.
Li Qihan understood her intention instantly, a hint of consideration flashed in his eyes, and then he nodded decisively.
Xia Lili took a deep breath and tightened her equipment, her movements as light as a cat.
She chose a huge eucalyptus tree growing next to a boulder, used the rock as a jumping-off point, and climbed up silently using her hands and feet.
Xia Lili has good eyesight and can provide her teammates with a broad field of vision.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com