Chapter 33: Zhao Wu in Distress

“Boss! Someone’s coming from below!” The underling rushed up in a panic.

At that moment, Zhang Haojie was furious, right at a critical juncture. He spun around and slapped the underling across the face.

“Damn it, can’t you see I’m busy with something important? Stupid dog, I’ll beat you to death!”

Having his plans ruined, Zhang Haojie chased after the underling, fueled by the jeers of his gang.

“Please, boss, stop hitting me! There really are people coming! They have lots of guns! And one huge machine gun!” The underling cried out in terror.

Hearing this, Zhang Haojie paused for a moment, then quickly pulled on his pants, grabbed his weapon, and barked, “You watch her! The rest of you, come with me!”

With loud shouts, the gang followed Zhang Haojie outside. Out there, they saw a group led by Uncle Zhao Wu. Zhang Haojie’s eyes swept over the heavy machine gun slung on Zhao Wu’s shoulder and the AK rifles in the hands of the others. The group numbered less than thirty, but nearly every one of them was armed.

It was like a feast for the taking. Zhang Haojie cheered inwardly, though his expression remained unchanged. Instead, he put on what he thought was a warm smile and stepped forward.

“Which heroes do I have the honor of meeting? I’m Zhang Haojie from F City!”

Uncle Zhao Wu and Liu Shanye exchanged a glance, their eyes making it clear this kid was nobody important.

Uncle Zhao Wu made a subtle gesture and stepped forward.

“Hello, I’m Zhao Wu. I’m travelling with my family and just passing through. We’re trying to find our way—do you know how to get to the camping base near F City?”

Intimidated by their firepower, Zhang Haojie’s eyes flickered, but he replied with a laugh, “Brother Zhao, haha, I know the camping base! I’ve heard it’s big. It’s about a hundred kilometers south from here.”

A hundred kilometers!

Uncle Zhao Wu stared at Zhang Haojie in disbelief.

Liu Shanye, dissatisfied, moved beside Zhao Wu and whispered, “See, Uncle Zhao, I told you we took the wrong road, but you wouldn’t believe me!”

Uncle Zhao Wu replied awkwardly, “Ah, everyone makes mistakes. At least we’ve finally found someone who knows the way.”

Zhang Haojie glanced at the elderly and children in Zhao Wu’s group. Each looked exhausted, their clothes ragged, little better than beggars. He grinned and said, “Brother Zhao, you don’t have a vehicle and you need to rest. Our base is nearby—why not come over? Our leader is generous, and maybe he’ll even give you fuel and vehicles.”

Liu Shanye smiled at this, about to accept.

Uncle Zhao Wu, however, eyed the rough crowd warily and whispered, “Shanye, be careful—it could be a trap!”

Liu Shanye protested anxiously, “Uncle Zhao, look how long we’ve been out here, and how many days we’ve gone hungry. If we don’t find supplies soon, I’m afraid the group won’t make it.”

Uncle Zhao Wu glanced back at his family. The young could manage, but most of the elderly and children’s eyes showed longing for rest and food.

He gritted his teeth and said, “Then we’ll trouble you, Brother Zhang! Rest assured, when we reach your base, we’ll trade supplies with you.”

Zhang Haojie was delighted. Once at the base, there’d be no question of trading.

“That’s right, Brother Zhao, don’t worry, you’ll be well taken care of at the base. Bring our vehicles—let’s escort our guests back.”

A dozen gang members, Zhao Wu’s group of twenty or so, and the captive Lin Xuezhu all squeezed into several vehicles and soon arrived at the fuel storage base.

Upon arrival, Zhang Haojie actually had hearty food prepared and warmly greeted them.

Both Zhao Wu and Liu Shanye slowly let their guard down as Zhang Haojie’s hospitality seemed genuine. After confirming the food was safe, the entire group abandoned caution and began eating ravenously.

Ye Rongsheng arrived, catching sight of their meal and exchanged a look with Zhang Haojie.

Zhang Haojie gave a slight smile, conveying his meaning. Ye Rongsheng’s eyes lit up with understanding, and he began introducing himself to Zhao Wu and the others.

“Brother Zhao, Brother Liu, this is the leader of our base, our revered leader.”

Zhao Wu and Liu Shanye quickly set down their bowls, showing respect to the head of the base.

The two sides chatted cheerfully, and Ye Rongsheng warmly inquired about their health, offering to exchange a small amount of ammunition for plentiful fuel and vehicles.

Ye Rongsheng glanced at Zhang Haojie, preparing to leave.

“Enjoy your meal, everyone. I have business to attend to.”

Zhang Haojie rose as well. “I’ll see the leader out.”

Soon, only Zhao Wu’s group remained in the room, eating and praising the leader’s generosity.

“See, Uncle Zhao, I told you! You worry too much, always fearing this and that, even poisoning.” Liu Shanye joked.

Zhao Wu thought for a moment, finally letting his worries go. “Better safe than sorry,” he said as he ate.

“Haha, that’s right—you never go wrong following Uncle Zhao!” Liu Shanye and the young men joked as their spirits lifted, having found a base and supplies.

After a while, Zhao Wu asked, puzzled, “Hey, why hasn’t Brother Zhang returned after so long?”

“He’s probably busy, or maybe didn’t want to make us uncomfortable, so he left early,” Liu Shanye said carelessly.

“No—”

“Hmm? Uncle Zhao, do you smell something fragrant?”

“Fragrant? It’s like—”

As the sound of bodies hitting the floor echoed in the room, Zhao Wu was horrified to see his companions collapsing, unable to move. He too felt dizzy and weak.

His heart sank—he realized they’d fallen into a trap.

“Poison…” Zhao Wu’s eyes widened as he slumped to the floor, filled with regret.

After a while, Zhang Haojie entered, covering his mouth and nose with a cloth, fanning the air with a triumphant smile.

“Haha! As naive as pigs! In times like this, you dare trust strangers—what a joke!”

“Boss, your knockout smoke is really something,” his underling flattered.

Zhang Haojie proudly picked up the heavy machine gun from Zhao Wu’s side and posed with it.

“Of course. You don’t even know how many girls this knockout smoke got for me back then. All right—collect all their weapons and drag them to the cell with that woman!”

“What nonsense! That brat is using a chicken feather as a command stick!” Meanwhile, Lin Xue had just parted ways with Cui Dazhou after reaching their strategic position.

With Cui Dazhou gone, he didn’t fear the local gang leader reporting him, so he started badmouthing Wang Ji.

But the gang leader was a fickle sort; seeing Lin Xue as the biggest presence here, he quickly switched to flattery.

“Boss Lin, you’re different—your troops are strong, your strategy is impressive. I think you could be a company commander!”

Cui Dazhou puffed up with pride from the compliment. Though he’d thrown his lot in with Cao Muhua, he still commanded nearly five hundred men, second only to Cui Dazhou in influence at the base.

“Hmph! If the chance comes, I’ll show him what I can do.” Cui Dazhou recalled Wang Ji’s lukewarm attitude toward him, clearly different from how he treated Lin Xue.

“Boss Lin, we’re almost at the location. We should keep a low profile, in case people from inside spot us,” the gang leader said nervously, glancing around.

Lin Xue’s tiger eyes flashed, still buoyed by flattery. He straightened and declared, “Just a bunch of clowns—bring a hundred, I won’t fear them!”

“Haha, Boss Lin, you’re fierce!” The gang leader wiped sweat quietly, hoping he wouldn’t bolt when the time came.

Their group drove boldly around the fuel station, nearing the northern road.

The teams hadn’t yet split when the leading vehicles suddenly stopped.

Lin Xue cursed, raised his hand, and looked ahead. Two vehicles approached them; their occupants got out, weapons drawn, tense.

A man at the front saw Lin Xue’s fully armed group disembark and shouted in fear, “Who are you?! This is the territory of the Muli Divine Sect!”

“We’re in trouble! Captain Wang told us to keep hidden and not alert anyone inside. We haven’t reached the operation time, and now we’ve been discovered—what do we do?” the gang leader exclaimed in panic.

Lin Xue recalled Cao Muhua’s words, a wicked thought flashing through his mind. He shouted, “We’re soldiers! Your evil cult has plagued the region—we’re here by order to eliminate you!”

He raised his AK and charged behind the lead vehicles, opening fire on the stunned members of the Muli Divine Sect.

His ten best men raised their weapons and joined in. Within moments, two of the enemy fell dead, the others fled in terror, scrambling into their vehicles to escape.

Lin Xue chased for a dozen meters, saw the fleeing cars, and gave a sly smile. He waved his hand, “Stop chasing! Let’s head to our strategic position and finish our mission.”

The gang leader stared in shock at the retreating vehicles, remembering Wang Ji’s command, cold sweat pouring as he muttered, What now…

Lin Xue strode past him, snorting, “Deal with it! Move already!”

Wang Ji stood on the rooftop of a derelict building, over three hundred meters from the fuel storage station, hidden in the shadows with binoculars trained on the sentry posts and defensive towers. Figures moved back and forth.

This was Wang Ji’s temporary command post. A few female soldiers from the infantry company had set up makeshift beds inside, preparing first aid supplies.

“Report, Captain! Lieutenant Zhang sent word—the reconnaissance platoon is in position and awaiting orders!”

A soldier rushed upstairs, sweating profusely.

Wang Ji checked his watch, his face expressionless. “Maintain concealment. Await further instructions.”

“Yes, Captain!” The soldier hurried down, crouching as he moved forward.

Wang Ji watched the messenger disappear into the shadows and sighed, “Real-time communications… I hope it gets sorted soon.”

After a while, Wang Ji peered through the binoculars, his body tensing.

He turned to his soldiers.

“Transmit orders! Infantry platoon, move to combat positions!”

“Transmit to the reconnaissance platoon—initiate the attack!”