Chapter 725: Concentrated Fire

“I don’t need an escort; I can walk by myself.”

Luo Yang was unwilling to drag Lin Mo into the fight with the government army, and Lin Mo had no intention of getting involved either. He set down his tea cup and stood up, brushing off the dust.

After all, Lin Mo represented the Chinese military. Taking initiative to attack the Syrian government army would mean China’s interference in the Syrian civil war, something only the Americans would do, which doesn’t align with China’s diplomatic policy.

Luo Yang anxiously held his AK-74, watching the direction of the incoming shells without looking back. “Morin, be careful! Remember the email I gave you last time. If you want to interview or report anything, feel free to contact me. I can find a place to access the internet here. Don’t worry; I’ll save that picture for you. Haha, this is fate, so make sure to treat me to a meal when the time comes.” He seemed convinced of Lin Mo’s identity as a Xinhua News Agency reporter.

The shells landed not far from them, indicating they were within the government army’s artillery range.

At this moment, he couldn’t worry about Lin Mo; shells didn’t have eyes, and who knew if one would drop on them.

Following that, several more shells came flying in. Some identified them as from a howitzer. The Freedom Army soldiers, after a brief panic, regained their composure. Some warriors, armed with rocket bombs, moved toward the direction from which the projectiles had come, intending to eliminate the mortar that posed a significant threat to them.

“Alright, it’s settled! You take care, and get back soon. Don’t push yourself too hard. Thank you for your hospitality.”

Lin Mo strapped on his military pack again. Suddenly, the sound of intense gunfire erupted nearby—the Freedom Army was engaging in fierce combat with the government army.

In a little while, this place would likely turn into a hail of gunfire.

Luo Yang turned back to give a few more instructions but suddenly noticed Lin Mo had vanished.

Huh?! Where did he go?

Luo Yang rubbed his head and widened his eyes, displaying a look of disbelief.

In those brief seconds, it felt as if Lin Mo had never been there, silently disappearing from his side. Looking around, Luo Yang blinked several times, unable to spot Lin Mo anywhere.

Was the other person’s speed of departure too quick?

“Damn it, I can’t be seeing things, can I?” Luo Yang shivered, having heard stories of strange occurrences on the battlefield. What if the reporter’s ghost was haunting him?

However, he saw the tea cup on the blanket, still steaming with traces of tea. A long sigh of relief escaped him; it couldn’t be a ghost, ghosts don’t drink tea.

“Scared me to death! These reporters really are elusive!”

Luo Yang shook his head, and suddenly, he heard his team leader, Captain Hijab, calling him to enter the defense position. A fierce battle was about to commence.

…

“Report, ‘Black Fox Number One,’ I am ‘Black Fox Number Two.’ The ‘Dragon Knight’ has safely disengaged.”

In a corner, a grayish-black digital scope slowly retracted, beside it rested a large-caliber sniper rifle.

“Confirmed. ‘Black Fox Number Four’ is responsible for following up. ‘Black Fox Number Two,’ return and stay safe!”

A faint response came through the earpiece of the yellowish camo helmet worn by the scope holder.

“‘Black Fox Number Four’ received. Begin operation now.”

“Report, ‘Black Fox Number One.’ ‘Black Fox Number Five’ has spotted a group of rats, numbering fifteen.”

“Copy that. ‘Black Fox Number Two,’ you and ‘Black Fox Number Five’ take down those rats.”

“Confirmed the new order, ‘Black Fox Number Two’ will carry out the mission now!”

“‘Black Fox Number Five’ begins execution!”

In the suburb filled with unending gunfire, several action teams from the same squad sprang into action once again.

Lin Mo held a 10-inch tablet in his hand, clearly marked with a Gold Coin logo.

The tablet was truly the best disguise for the Light Mirror Technique. By slightly altering its shape and applying it to a tablet with the image of a gold giant dragon, it saved a lot of trouble, and there was no fear of being spotted by others.

While with Luo Yang, Lin Mo sensed that someone was watching him from a distance; it was the instinct of a Dragon Knight in battle.

The journey felt somewhat unsettled, and Lin Mo couldn’t blame himself for getting into trouble, as being a Dragon Knight was itself a major source of trouble.

Switching through several images with the Light Mirror Technique, Lin Mo saw a sniper observing him, along with some well-equipped armed personnel closing in on him.

In Syria, there were two main armed organizations: the government army and the Anti-Government Forces. Neither side would deploy armed personnel to track Lin Mo without a significant reason.

Thus, the only possibility was that an enemy was after him.

But it was hard to tell which faction was seeking revenge.

Vietnamese, British, Japanese, Americans—the list of organizations or powers with a grudge against Lin Mo seemed endless.

They probably thought Lin Mo was alone and unprotected, believing they had a chance to strike. This plan would surely fall flat.

Hmph! If he were that easy to deal with, the “Demon Hunter” squad and “Bai Qi” squad wouldn’t have so confidently let Lin Mo travel alone.

If the people from “Night” were truly that easy to bully, they wouldn’t be called “Night.” Even if he faced losses, it wouldn’t be up to “Demon Hunter” and “Bai Qi” to help him reclaim his honor.

Even so, the Military High-ups secretly provided Lin Mo with double insurance.

Perhaps he would encounter that Fudan University student seeking thrills on the Syrian battlefield again in the future.

Though he faced some minor troubles, Lin Mo had no intention of abandoning his journey.

“Oh? Interesting!”

Lin Mo was astonished as he watched the images on the faux tablet with the Light Mirror Technique.

The ones following him were not even from the same group; one faction split into two teams, sniping the other group one by one.

Could it be that they were protecting him?

That would be great; it would save him some energy.

Lin Mo adjusted the Light Mirror Technique, spotting a sniper with yellowish-brown camouflage on his face, making it hard to distinguish if he was East Asian or Central Asian.

As the mantis stalks the cicada, the Yellow Sparrow lies in wait; perhaps completing this personal task wouldn’t be too boring.

An ordinary person would have been scared out of their wits by now, but the Dragon Knight remained unfazed, instead finding amusement in it as a diversion during his journey.

Every time this guy appeared on foreign ground, it had always caused chaos, without exception.

In the night,

Two hundred kilometers east of Damascus.

“‘Frog,’ we’ve lost the target; he must have noticed us.”

“If that guy were really easy, the employer wouldn’t offer such a high bounty. I heard that the ‘great white shark’ team was completely wiped out before they even made contact with the target.”

“Hmph, I suspect someone is breaking the rules, trying to pocket the bounty alone. I want to see who has the guts to do that; don’t they fear being attacked by everyone else? The target is still alive, and before even making a move, they’re starting to infight. The mercenary teams these days are becoming increasingly shortsighted.”

“‘White Camel,’ in this day and age, the bold get fat, and the timid starve. Only those without scruples can eat; isn’t that what the ‘great white shark’ often does?”

“We need to be careful and not let those black eaters wipe us out.”

“Relax; tonight, we’ll double the watch and use infrared detectors for the night shift. There won’t be any issues.”

Around three or four dim campfires, about ten mercenaries holding guns sat together, lowering their voices as they talked.

The standard combustion blocks made from materials like charcoal can provide a large amount of heat to dispel the cold of the night, producing neither heavy smoke nor bright flames.

The mercenary team codenamed "Hyena" had just accepted a lucrative bounty mission. Although the target was alone, he was not as easy to deal with as expected.

It wasn’t that the target had strong combat abilities; in fact, up until now, no one had made contact with him. Instead, a series of very strange events had occurred.

They hung back at a distance, unable to find an opportunity to approach because they discovered that a previous mercenary team that had tried to get close had been mysteriously wiped out.

Could it be someone was declaring to everyone that this bounty mission was a must-complete?

This raised dissatisfaction and apprehension among the "Hyena" mercenaries.

“I say, are you looking for me?”

A man’s voice drifted over on the night wind.

“Who’s there?”

“Who?!”

“Why hasn’t ‘Piranha’ sounded the alarm? Damn, he’s slacking off.”

“Damn, I think he’s already dead, and the others probably are too.”

The mercenaries of "Hyena" made a cacophony of clicking sounds as they chambered their weapons, aligning their gun barrels uniformly towards the source of the voice.

A dark figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

“Stop! Who are you?”

A mercenary shouted, his finger tightening near the trigger, his palm slightly damp with sweat.

“Aren’t you the ones looking for me?!”

With no reflective surfaces on his matte tactical armor and his face concealed by a helmet, only two dim blue lights glimmered where his eyes should be. His striking design made him blend seamlessly with the surrounding darkness. Almost all the mercenaries thought he was a star soldier from the future.

Anyone who saw the “Dragon General” at first glance was astonished by his heavy science fiction style design.

He held no weapon, but the invisible pressure he exuded felt no different from that of a demon from hell.

“What?!”

“How is that possible?”

The mercenaries gasped, their eyes nearly popping out.

“What are you staring at? Fire!” The leader of the "Hyena" mercenaries, known as “One-Eye,” reacted first. It was ridiculous; the employer required them to take down the target, and since he had come to them, there was no reason to hold back.

After the first gunshot, as if acting on instinct, gunfire erupted like popcorn popping, a barrage of shots followed close behind.

In the darkness, dark red projectiles intertwined into lines of red light heading towards their target, and the "Hyena" mercenaries unleashed their firepower without holding back.