Chapter 841

Chapter 841: Submit? Or Not?

In response to Colonel Huangfu’s challenge, Lin Mo proudly declared, “Of course, I am a pilot, a nationally registered ACE!”

That’s right—he was a legitimate Air Knight and would never compete with the ground troops for their role.

Colonel Huangfu felt as if he had been struck hard, gasping for breath.

He had been slapped in the face!

The power of his opponent was simply terrifying; Colonel Huangfu felt as if he had been tricked. What should have been an easy task now almost cost him his hand.

It all stemmed from his earlier words: “You also don’t have the ability to protect it!”

And now!

Who truly lacked the ability to safeguard something like that spear?

Colonel Huangfu felt a burning heat flush across his face.

Like Lin Mo, he was a poor soul without the clearance to know about highly classified matters. He didn’t even know the name Longinus; he only had a brief physical description and size as the defining features of the mission item.

Understanding the higher-ups’ reasons for demanding a thing from an American Air Force major was equally baffling. The only reason for this special operation was supposedly to acquire some unique free energy technology.

The enormous funds moving through the radar detection accounts didn’t seem like a fraud at all; that technology was high-tech and completely legitimate, without any flaws.

But in the end, no one knew why a commanding figure would go to such lengths, disregarding rules and risking offense to snatch a coveted item.

Confusion aside, the orders still had to be executed without question.

However, no one anticipated that the variable would not be the mission item itself but rather its owner.

After having just obtained it for less than five minutes, the mission item returned to its original owner, all at the cost of a seasoned special forces unit facing utter defeat—and that was only because the original owner had shown mercy.

Although dozens of special forces soldiers remained near the container truck, their presence made little difference to the outcome.

“Good, very good! You have some skills; I, Huangfu Murong, admit defeat. But…”

Colonel Huangfu gasped for breath, straightened his body again, and quickly moved his hand. The Type 95 automatic rifle that had been slung over his shoulder fell into his hands, pointing it at Lin Mo, he said apologetically, “Sorry, I don’t want to do this, but it’s an order from above. I have to follow through; please hand over what you have.”

He had lost all sense of integrity, but the orders still had to be carried out. Even though he had no idea about the true value of the item in Lin Mo’s hands, he felt compelled to use the automatic rifle to force him to surrender the mission item.

No matter how skilled someone was, they couldn’t necessarily withstand a barrage of automatic weapons.

As the squad leader of a special forces unit, Colonel Huangfu was confident in his shooting; once he locked onto his target at close range, there was basically no chance of escape.

An unearned victory! Even Huangfu felt embarrassed by the situation.

Nonetheless, his finger rested on the trigger, and the safety of the automatic rifle was still engaged. This was merely a further warning from him.

After all, pointing a gun at one of his own in the military was a serious taboo; who knew if a big player would come down hard on him afterward for such an act? He aimed to avoid offending anyone, and even if he did, he tried not to make it too serious.

“Buddy, just step back! It’s just a spear; it’s not worth much at all. I promise I’ll find you the best craftsman to make a new one using the finest materials after this.”

Colonel Huangfu mentally groaned but had no choice but to carry out the orders.

The desire was beautiful, but reality was cruel. Just as he hoped Lin Mo would yield, an unexpected event occurred…

Swish!

A strange, soft whistle seemed to echo through the air.

Huangfu Murong suddenly noticed that the long gun-like weapon in Lin Mo’s hands inexplicably began to blur. A subconscious feeling alerted him to an invisible force rushing toward him like a flash of lightning. His hands trembled violently, and the body of the automatic rifle seemed to vibrate with a shocking intensity, causing him to grasp at nothing.

What was happening? Huangfu Murong looked down, his eyes widening as if he had seen a ghost.

His Type 95 automatic rifle had vanished without a trace, leaving only the slings dangling awkwardly from his wrists.

Nearby, a clattering sound caught his attention. When he followed the sound, he saw gun barrels, magazines, and other parts scattered on the ground.

All these parts shared a common feature; they were all severely twisted.

What just happened? Huangfu Murong couldn’t fully comprehend it.

“You have no chance of winning!”

A voice with no hint of emotion echoed in his ears, causing Huangfu Murong to shudder, his hair standing on end.

At some point, Major Lin Mo had appeared behind him.

This meant that even with an automatic assault rifle in hand, he could not threaten his opponent. He had clearly underestimated the power of the mission item in Lin Mo’s possession.

Colonel Huangfu had to admit that in close combat, with the right skills, cold weapons could be more fearsome than hot ones.

With so many special forces soldiers, even wielding weapons wouldn’t give him an advantage; Major Lin Mo should not be a pilot but an assassin.

With such assassination skills, there were probably very few in the world who could escape his grasp.

As a member of the Army’s special forces, Huangfu Murong didn’t fully understand the Air Force. In fact, the tactical philosophy of most main battle fighters was to execute a deadly strike, much like a fleeing assassin.

“Sorry, it’s an order! And I am a soldier!”

Huangfu Murong reached for the tactical dagger at his waist. Even though he was reluctant, he had to carry out the orders.

With a soft clink, he managed to pull out the dagger’s hilt, but for some unknown reason, the blade slipped away from it and returned to the sheath.

The special alloy steel of Earth’s civilization proved utterly helpless against the mythical weapon from an alternate realm. The outcome was no surprise—he suffered a complete defeat!

“Snipers, take aim!”

Frustrated and gritting his teeth, Huangfu Murong declared fiercely. He was a special soldier, not just another Little Chicken waiting to be slaughtered. No sooner had he spoken than a cold sensation pressed against his neck.

His sharp vision detected at least three sniper rifles targeting him and Colonel Huangfu. Lin Mo, gripping the back of Longinus, held the hostage’s vital point.

Both sides found themselves trapped in a situation that could lead to mutual destruction.

Lin Mo would not yield, accepting no explanations, while Colonel Huangfu’s determination to execute his superior’s orders added to the tension, escalating the conflict rapidly.

It must be said that the higher-ups could never have anticipated such a turn of events. No matter who got hurt, it would be a loss the country could not afford.

Colonel Huangfu smiled wryly, realizing he had indeed brought this upon himself. After all this time trying to catch the goose, he let the goose peck his eye—he deserved it.

Lin Mo remained alert, quickly pinpointing the snipers’ locations and carefully turned his body, using Huangfu Murong as a human shield.

Others in the distance hesitated, shocked to see their squad leader in the hands of the enemy. They rushed to his aid with wheeled light armored vehicles and military jeeps armed with dual-purpose anti-aircraft machine guns, forming a encirclement.

“What happened to Colonel Huangfu? How did things get so messy?”

From a distance, an irritated voice came from a shuttle bus at the airport.

Colonel Yang Zuo, one of the commanding officers, observed the increasingly tense standoff between the special forces and the Air Force major through binoculars. He had never seen a situation spiral out of control like this before.

A group of fierce special forces soldiers seemed no different than a bunch of Little Chickens in front of an Air Force major. He wondered where the decisiveness from their past missions had gone.

Moreover, this wasn’t the time or place for the special forces to be bickering amongst themselves; they should have been focused on their armed escort mission to prevent unexpected attacks.

“This can’t continue; we need to make them stop.”

Another officer from a high-ranking department in the capital, Director Niu, lowered his binoculars. The situation had spiraled out of control, and if they followed the original plan, it would lead to disaster. No one could take responsibility for the consequences.

Even this planner beside him might spend the rest of his life in prison because neither the Air Force nor the Special Operations Team could be offended.

Colonel Yang Zuo nodded, agreeing with the plan. “Alright, it has to be this way. It’s absurd. We can’t even explain the truth to that Air Force major. All we’re doing is creating misunderstandings.”

Hoping to prevent further escalation, they would leave both sides an avenue for retreat, which was certainly better than having their squad leader held hostage by an Air Force major.

“Do you think I want this? Some things are too highly classified to be disclosed. Misunderstanding? I’d prefer a misunderstanding; after all, how many unjust accusations does someone in our line of work face? Ugh, forget it. There’s no point in talking; I might make it worse!”

Director Niu sighed, having taken the fall for many situations in the past, some at the cost of lives. To protect larger secrets, countless things had been twisted and manipulated, more than he could count.

From another perspective, Director Niu’s department was generally tasked with spreading falsehoods when necessary.

“Cease the operation! Everyone retreat. Yes, the mission is canceled! Forget everything else.”

When Yang Zuo, holding the radio intercom, issued the order, he made a complete concession.

“What? Colonel Yang, have you come to your senses?” Director Niu looked at Yang Zuo in surprise as he delivered the command, which sounded almost like a plea for mercy.

A squad of special forces had suffered complete defeat against an Air Force major; if word got out, it would not only shame the special forces but also tarnish the Army’s reputation.

“Do you think it’s safe for this item to be with Colonel Huangfu or with Major Lin Mo?”

Yang Zuo smiled bitterly, filled with helplessness as he recognized the reality of the situation.