Hidden Assassin 97

The night was desolate, with a melancholic harmonica melody emanating from the burning campfire. As the flames exploded on the surface of the sea, Ruan Zonggan emerged from his tent, his mind briefly going blank at the sight of a patrol boat being hit by another.

Instantly, the mercenaries in the entire camp sprang into action. They weren’t just rookies fresh out of training. The sound of the explosion was enough to send them scrambling for their weapons. Some scattered to find cover, others fired at the patrol boat, and still others charged towards the sea. The opposing patrol boat, meanwhile, slowly began to retreat into the deep sea.

With one patrol boat already destroyed, the remaining one, if captured, would leave their entire mercenary group of nearly one hundred stranded on the island for the rest of their lives. Knowing the severity of the situation, the mercenaries charging forward were extremely desperate. Fortunately, there was no attack from the ship, so there were no casualties. As the patrol boat retreated at an increasing speed, Ruan Zonggan finally retrieved a remote control from his tent and pressed the red button on top. The patrol boat immediately lost power and came to a standstill on the sea.

“Get that guy on the ship down for me! I want him to suffer!”

A gnashing voice crackled through the walkie-talkie. Inside the patrol boat’s cabin, a man clad in black was furiously hammering away at the keyboard, trying to unlock the system and restart the boat. He sighed, two mercenary corpses lay in a pool of blood behind him, their throats slashed, killed with a single blow. Looking up at the pursuers getting closer and closer from the water, he finally stood up and clapped his hands nonchalantly.

The SOS signal had been successfully transmitted. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be significantly affected by any storms. But before he could unlock the boat’s system, time was running out…

“Just borrowing your little boat, no need to make such a big fuss… Since you insist on me staying, then let’s go our separate ways…”

He shrugged, feigning innocence before walking into the rear of the cabin where the ammunition was stored…

On the beach, Ruan Zonggan’s eyes were red-rimmed as he issued orders. The cooperation in this operation to hijack the Star Dream was poor, but everyone could still recognize that the patrol boat belonged to a mercenary group called “Fire Eye.” The dilapidated ship they found on the island belonged to them. While everyone had fought for themselves on the boat, the news of the “Fire Eye” mercenary group leader’s death had still spread.

Ruan Zonggan had initially planned to take advantage of the “Fire Eye” group’s weakness, given their leaderless state. He wanted to lend a hand, not only to make a large profit but also to potentially absorb some of their excellent members, strengthening his own forces. However, to his surprise, instead of accepting his good intentions, they had tried to hijack his ship and escape. And before leaving, they had even blown up another ship. Such ruthlessness could be considered an official declaration of war.

“…Since they’ve left us no room for compromise, today we will show them what it means to regret their actions…”

He discussed the battle plan with the small team leaders within his mercenary group, while the first wave of men who had charged from the water had reached the patrol boat and were quickly scaling the side. Another massive explosion resonated, the remaining patrol boat was blown up, a huge fireball spreading outwards, sending several bodies high into the sky… Everyone was stunned for a moment.

There was no way to escape!

Realizing this, the sound of gunfire erupted on the surface of the sea, a series of light beams cutting through the dark water. Soon after, Jia Ming, cloaked in a black cape, emerged from a pile of rocks on the side of the beach, finding Ling Jing hiding among the rocks. At the same time, fueled by anger and despair, waves of mercenaries charged into the forest with an air of annihilation. The island night, before the storm, suddenly came alive.

The island might not be that large, and the forest, viewed from above, might not seem very extensive. But sometimes, even a small forest can become endless, and when you get lost, or to put it another way…

…You can never find your way out…

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The sudden turn of events forced the majority of the mercenaries into the forest, seemingly providing the Dongfang siblings with a better chance to escape. Compared to the nearly one hundred people who had previously surrounded their tent, only a dozen or so remained. Some were checking the sunken ship in the sea to see if it could be salvaged and repaired, while others patrolled the camp grounds. Their faces were all a bit anxious due to the loss of their ships.

According to Dongfang Lu’s analysis, they had no means of leaving the island. Before finding another way to get out to sea, they were more likely to be found by the navy. In that case, the safety of their three hostages would be even more secure. However, the ropes had been mostly worn through, and if they gave up now, they would be caught later, leaving them with no chance of escape. He increased his effort, and after about half an hour, finally managed to break the rope binding Dongfang Wan’s hands. He then helped his sister undo her own ropes, only to discover that the fat man across from them was staring at them with wide eyes.

“You… you…”

“Don’t be afraid. They’re not guarding carefully now. We can escape…”

Just as he was about to go over and untie the fat man, Dongfang Wan suddenly pulled on her brother’s arm in a panic. “Brother, something’s wrong…ah—” Before she could finish her sentence, someone pulled open the tent flap, grabbed her hair, and dragged her out. It was the Wild Bull, whose wounds had been bandaged. His personality was reckless, and he had harbored a long-held lust for Dongfang Wan. Seeing the two ships explode, he had been filled with frustration, and when he saw Ruan Zonggan leading his men away, he decided to take advantage of the situation. But as soon as he pulled Dongfang Wan out, he realized the ropes on her hands and feet had already been untied.

Before he could react, he was tackled to the ground by another figure. Despite his serious injuries, Dongfang Lu was surprisingly agile. In a flash, he drew the Wild Bull’s handgun and pointed it at his head.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment. Dongfang Lu took the Wild Bull’s assault rifle and handed it to his sister before giving the tent a knowing look. Dongfang Wan quickly returned to the tent and untied the fat man’s ropes.

Most of the mercenaries were outside the camp at this point, so they hadn’t noticed what was happening. Of course, Dongfang Lu didn’t dare to fire. If he lost the hostage, all three of them would be shot on the spot. On the other hand, the mercenaries were hesitant to shoot and kill, as the three hostages were still useful. As for the few mercenaries who were searching the water in the distance, they just seemed to find the situation amusing and didn’t even think about coming to help.

While Dongfang Lu possessed profound martial arts skills, his real-life combat experience, especially in life-or-death situations, was far inferior to that of these mercenaries. Finally reaching the edge of the forest, the Wild Bull suddenly lunged forward. A bullet pierced through Dongfang Lu’s wrist. Two mercenaries rushed forward. As Dongfang Wan pulled the trigger, the assault rifle in her hand was snatched away. A volley of bullets flew “bang bang bang bang” into the night sky.

The fat man beside them was kicked to the ground. Meanwhile, Dongfang Lu was hit on the forehead with a gun butt and then kicked away. Including the Wild Bull, a total of five mercenaries surrounded the three of them, raining blows on Dongfang Lu. If the previous beating had been somewhat restrained, this time they were truly going all out. Dongfang Wan was grabbed by one of the mercenaries and cried out. Then, she saw the Wild Bull walking towards her again, his eyes burning with rage.

“Ah—!” She was dragged towards the bushes not far from the forest edge by the man. One of the mercenaries beside them spoke in Vietnamese, but it didn’t change the Wild Bull’s intentions. Knowing that there was no chance of escape this time, she struggled with all her might, but her screams and kicks had no effect. Her long hair was torn out in clumps as she struggled, burning with pain. Seeing his sister about to be violated, Dongfang Lu struggled to get up several times, but each attempt resulted in even heavier beatings that knocked him down.

With a bang, Dongfang Wan was thrown into the bushes. The man’s body pressed down on her.

No matter how hard she cried, it made no difference. Her outer clothes were ripped off. The man pressed her hands above her head and tore off her second layer of clothing. Her white bra was exposed beneath her frantically struggling body. When he saw the man’s ugly face coming down, Dongfang Wan closed her eyes and cried out, “Ah—!” Then, a disgusting feeling invaded her face and neck.

The despair in her heart almost made her want to bite off her tongue to avoid further humiliation. At some point, the man’s disgusting mouth finally left her body, followed by the sensation of her bra being torn apart. Then… warm, sticky, gooey… It was hard to comprehend, but Dongfang Wan knew the man had probably spit on her, a lot of saliva.

The body suddenly pressed down, causing a tightness in her chest. She couldn’t help but open her eyes. A ghostly black robe flashed before her.

From Dongfang Wan’s perspective, the next moment was a blur. The figure charged into the midst of the four mercenaries standing at the edge of the forest. They tangled together, gunfire rang out, and flames danced like paintbrushes in the black background. The figure in the black cloak danced almost close enough to the four mercenaries’ assault rifles to be touching them. The gunfire paused, and the four mercenaries, riddled with bullet wounds from their own weapons, collapsed. The figure, wielding two assault rifles, began firing towards the people on the sea.

Amidst the gunfire, Dongfang Lu struggled to drag the fat man into the forest. Dongfang Wan’s body was still trembling. Another figure emerged from the grass beside her and pushed the corpse off her. The Wild Bull’s neck had been slit with a sharp blade, leaving Dongfang Wan covered in his blood. In the dim light, the figure waved anxiously. “Follow me…”

The beautiful young face was familiar to Dongfang Wan. Her name was Ye Lingjing.

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