The armored jeeps started to flee from the scene by turning in the opposite direction.
Carl's eyes lit up, and he ordered, "Provide fire support and blast everything in the vicinity!"
Carl's assistant understood the hidden agenda behind Carl's order. He was shocked but still carried out the order. The area of attack was locked in.
The team of vehicles equipped with missile launchers moved forward, and in an instant, the rockets were launched.
The truck fell inside the radius of the missile strike!
The agents from Division 13 were sharp-eyed and figured out what Carl was trying to do. They were enraged and astonished.
The assistant officer explained, "Damn it, we miscalculated the radius of the attack."
Such words were only sufficient to fool little kids. The agents from Division 13 were not convinced, and the enraged Qi Bai Jia shouted, "Carl, what do you think you are doing‽"
Carl did not reply. His face was expressionless, and his eyes were cold as ice.
Too bad! You guys do not belong to Hesla.
Li Ya Lin could clearly see the flaming exhaust of the rockets, which also signified the impending destruction their team was going to face. She screamed, "They want to send us up to heaven too!"
"Hesla's commanders did it on purpose!" Zhang Wei was furious.
Even though tension was bound to occur during joint operations involving different countries, nobody expected the commanding officer from Hesla to make such a brutal move. Also, he could shirk off the responsibility by conveniently claiming that it was an accident.
Only radicals would result to such despicable measures—the killing of their allies and the neglecting of consequences!
The Germinal Organization was a common enemy of the Six Nations. All the parties agreed on counter-terrorism efforts. However, the different parties involved were not allies, and some even had conflicts with one another. The higher-ups of the nations were pretentious and hypocritical. They were also willing to sacrifice those beneath them to attain their goals.
Han Xiao focused and shouted, "Nitro boost!"
Li Ya Lin immediately pressed the button. Blue flames emerged from the exhaust of the truck. The acceleration of the truck was exponentially increased, charging forward like a wild rhinoceros. Li Ya Lin was pressed hard onto her seat by the surging momentum.
The rockets began to descend quickly. Three hundred, two hundred, one hundred, fifty meters.
Boom!
Finally, the blast arrived and created a wave of heat that resulted in a mushroom cloud of dust. The flaming smoke rose on the plains. At that instant, everyone lost their senses. The sound of the blast exceeded the audible range of the human ear. It was as if the whole world had fallen silent. All that was left was a rising glow, which illuminated the night sky.
Everything within the radius of the strike, regardless of vehicles or humans, had been demolished.
After three seconds, an incessant ringing became audible.
Rage and fury were written on the faces of the agents from Division 13.
Grief could be observed from the killer eyes of Di Su Su; a green flame was burning silently in her heart.
Whoosh!
The wind started howling.
The heavy-duty truck emerged out of the thick dark smoke. Only a small section of the container had been blown apart. Some of the machinery and accessories had been reduced to scrap metal.
"They are still alive!"
The agents from Division 13 were surprised. Li Ya Lin was not yet out of her state of shock. It had really just been a matter of a few meters. They were really lucky to have escaped the radius of the strike in time. If not for the nitro boost, all of them would have vanished into thin air.
Han Xiao coughed out the blood from his throat. He'd suffered from injuries due to the shockwave of the blast. Almost 200 HP had been lost due to the blast. The second blast had sent him crashing into the hard wall of the container, costing him another 50 HP. Han Xiao was still feeling giddy from the aftershock of the blast.
After the nitro boost, the engine was overheating, but it still managed move forward till it reached the Hesla soldiers.
After seeing countless bullet holes on the container, the soldiers of Hesla could feel the chills up their spines.
What a tough battle they'd had.
"What a pity. They managed to survive." Carl frowned in disappointment.
After Han Xiao alighted from the truck, the agents from Division 13 started to crowd before him. Qi Bai Jia, who broke out into cold sweat, heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing that Han Xiao was alive and well.
Carl walked toward the agents.
Instantly, the agents from Division 13 glowered furiously at him. Zhang Wei, clad in his armor, gritted his teeth and moved toward Carl. The soldiers at the side immediately raised their weapon and pointed at the agents. The assistant officer bellowed, "What do you want? Back off!"
"I want an explanation!" Zhang Wei yelled.
Explanation? How childish.
Carl ignored Zhang Wei and glanced at Han Xiao. He asked flippantly, "Where are the captured enemies?"
"…Dead."
Carl's order to strike ahead of the stipulated time had caused immense danger for them. The two captured enemies had also been killed. More importantly, Carl had tried to kill them. It was obvious that he had done these things on purpose.
Han Xiao shut his eyes to conceal the ice-cold chill in them.
"No more evidence, I suppose?" Carl frowned with a look of discontent. His poor attitude angered the agents from Division 13 even more. However, they were rational enough to keep their cool as they were, ultimately, in a foreign land surrounded by soldiers from Hesla.
Qi Bai Jia could not contain his anger and lashed out, "Prepare to be questioned by Division 13!"
Carl couldn't care less. Division 13 had no jurisdiction over him. Moreover, what happened just was an 'accident'; there was no evidence to justify that he had done it on purpose. At most, he would be reprimanded by the foreign diplomats. He would not have to face any real punishment.
If he managed to destroy the Dark Crow Valley base, it would truly be a great achievement. With the help of his backers, he was highly likely to be promoted to the leading figure for the radicals in the government. No matter how Division 13 complained about him, the higher-ups in Hesla would be there to fend off these complaints.
Carl thought to himself. After which he pointed at Han Xiao and said, "Take him to the medic. Let them check his injuries."
Han Xiao had no expression on his face. He followed the medic to the logistics vehicle. All his injuries were due to the shock on his soft body. With his endurance, he would recover quickly with a sufficient amount of rest. Therefore, he dismissed the medic.
The logistics vehicle started its engine. Hesla's troops continued their advance.
Han Xiao shook his head, closed his eyes, and then proceeded to lie on his bed.
He had not slept since yesterday. Now was the right time for him to catch up on his sleep.
…
The sounds of gunshots could be heard. Han Xiao was a light sleeper, and he opened his eyes. He alighted from the vehicle and realized it was midnight, around 3 to 4 am.
At this point of time, Hesla's troops had arrived at the border of the high-alert sectors of the Dark Crow Valley base. The six high-alert sectors comprised not only of sentry guards and patrolling troopers, there were also large defense mechanisms put in place like ramparts and guardhouses that were fortified with enemy troops. In the event of war, Hesla's army would have to go past the six high-alert sectors before they closed in on the actual base itself.
Han Xiao, who was now with the logistics division, was far from the battlefront.
Han Xiao asked the two soldiers guarding by his side, "What's the situation of the battlefront?"
One of the soldiers replied, "Everything is proceeding smoothly. Our troops have successfully reached the fourth sector."
Han Xiao nodded, and just when he was about to proceed out, the two soldiers blocked his path.
"The Colonel wants you to rest and recover from your injuries here."
Upon hearing that, Han Xiao realized that he had been intentionally imprisoned here by the Colonel. Han Xiao frowned and asked, "Where are my friends?"
"Your officer also tasked us to look after you and ensure that you have sufficient rest."
Han Xiao understood the intentions of Qi Bai Jia. He did not want Han Xiao to risk his life anymore. Ultimately, Han Xiao had almost been killed by the flaming missiles. Qi Bai Jia wanted to keep Han Xiao away from the battlefront.
Such a move is better for my plan, Han Xiao thought.
Han Xiao turned his head and saw the truck being towed away. The escape mission had almost destroyed the entire truck. Without a full repair, the truck would surely be not usable.
Han Xiao's eyes suddenly lit up before he proceeded toward the heavy-duty truck.
The two soldiers guarding him allowed him to do so. Han Xiao was free to go anywhere as long as he stayed away from the battlefront in the logistics zone.
He entered the container and discovered that all the important equipment was still around. Only the bodies of the two captured soldiers had been disposed of. Han Xiao took out the communication set from the box and adjusted it to Lin Yao's frequency.
"Lin Yao, are you still alive?"
"Of course, I am, but don't jinx it! " Lin Yao's unfriendly voice blared out from the earpiece.
"What's the situation now?"
"We are preparing for the retreat. Apparently, according to the higher-ups in the base, the troops stationed around the base were all deployed to fight Hesla's army. I have yet to discover their path of retreat. Seems like I'll have to follow the order to locate the exact route. Oh, I also managed to find out the false information that Ye Fan collected. The defense mechanism and deployment between the third and sixth sectors were true. However, the first and second sectors were different. If Hesla's troops attack according to the information Ye Fan provided, they are bound to suffer heavy losses."
"Have you told them yet?"
"Nope, you are the first guy that contacted me."
"That's good. Don't tell that to Hesla's people."
Lin Yao was confused and asked, "Why so?"
Han Xiao told him the series of events that had happened previously. Upon hearing the incident of the misfire of the missiles, Lin Yao's blood started boiling with rage. "That is just too much!"
Carl revealed his intention to wipe out his allies, so it was no longer logical for Division 13 to continue assisting him in the operation and minimize his losses.
The intelligence that Han Xiao provided was all aimed at eliminating Pan Kuang and Ji Jie, who were high-value members of the Germinal Organization. Only the successful elimination of them would ensure the mission's success. Carl treated them like they were merely tools. Now it was time for Han Xiao to reciprocate. They wanted his intelligence reports, and he wanted their troops. Both parties were merely using each other to their advantage.
As long as Hesla's army accomplished the mission using his intelligence, he could not have cared less about the number of troops they lost.
What Han Xiao had not expected was Carl's intention to kill them.
"It is time for a change of plan."
Han Xiao's eyes sparkled brightly.