Chapter 586

Chapter 586: Racing Against Death

Yefim’s massive, polar bear-like body was gently lowered down, and the light of life gradually faded from his eyes. A man who regarded human life as worthless never imagined he would meet his end in such a way.

The eight girls, who were gorging on cold mineral water and dry bread, sensed that something was off.

The "kind-hearted" giant who enjoyed scaring them usually threw food into their tent and promptly chased them onto the truck, often taking the opportunity to pinch their bottoms and grope them before slamming the cargo door shut and locking them inside until the next campsite.

But now, they heard no disgusting voice from Yefim, and instead, there was a strong smell of blood in the air.

"Blood?"

One girl with inherited medical knowledge quickly identified the strange scent.

Just as the girls were about to scream, a figure pulled aside the tent flap, shining a flashlight inside.

“Hey! Girls! You are saved; hurry and come with me!” the person said repeatedly in Chinese and Russian.

Bang! A water bottle hit the person’s head, momentarily stunning him, though the girls lacked much strength.

“I’m here to rescue you.”

The person, illuminated by the flashlight, showed a painted face and impatiently reiterated his words, surprised that the rescuer was being attacked.

Although smeared with paint, his black eyes, black hair, and Asian features were still visible. He then pulled a small red cloth from his pocket, shook it open, and said, "See this? It’s the flag of China. I’m a Chinese soldier here to save you. Hurry, follow me, and don’t make a sound.”

The girls’ eyes widened, and even the three Russian girls displayed relieved smiles, finally realizing that it wasn’t a prank by Yefim.

Outside, they heard the sound of night owls; other operatives were urging them on. The Special Forces operative began to show signs of anxiety; he didn’t have much time left.

Outside were ruthless gangsters; to avoid unexpected incidents and maintain flexibility, they hadn’t sent too many elite soldiers inside.

If a shootout occurred, their numerical disadvantage would become apparent; even the kings of soldiers couldn’t withstand a concentrated barrage of bullets.

A suppressed cheer erupted from inside the tent as the girls covered their mouths and stood up without hesitation.

The Special Forces operative finally breathed a sigh of relief and began leading them out according to the planned route.

Pan Yun, the daughter of the Shanxi coal boss, felt weak from a low fever and had little strength. The other two girls, Miao Huayi and He Xiangling, supported her on each side as they stealthily followed the Chinese soldier out of the tent.

“Yefim, are you ready? We’re about to leave! Yegor? Why are you lying on the ground asleep, you lazy pig? What’s that smell? Oh no, someone is attacking! Uh…”

In the distance, as someone was checking the convoy before departure, they discovered the black market fighter Yegor Ivanovich dead in the corner, his neck twisted and a complete lack of life. The strong smell of blood filled the air, and he immediately sensed something was wrong. Just as he was about to shout, a dagger flew from the shadows and pierced his throat.

This was the work of another hidden Special Forces operative.

Yet the armed personnel still pulled the trigger of his gun. This was a cautious individual who had preemptively disengaged the safety and chambered a round, leading to an unexpected discharge.

Bang!

The crisp gunfire startled the entire convoy, as if an invisible command had been given; everyone quickly grabbed their weapons and moved toward the vehicles, realizing that something was off.

Even though the terrain was open grassland, there were still hills and large scattered rocks left from the Ice Age; it was not entirely clear. The convoy hadn’t forgotten to deploy sentinels, but all the sentinels in several directions were now silent.

Far overhead, a loud roar began to grow; the sound of jets grew louder and closer, casting a dark shadow over the armed personnel in the campsite.

Someone was targeting them.

“Enemy! Secure the cargo! Yamada, check if those women are still here, everyone be cautious.”

This armed organization even had Japanese members, clearly indicating a mixed multinational force.

“Team One, Team Two, spread out!”

“There’s an airplane to the east! Quickly, get the anti-air missiles!”

Various powerful weapons were brought out, even the ammo crates originally intended for sale were pried open.

Most of the armed personnel were seasoned veterans who had faced death many times; they did not fall into chaos but quickly formed a defensive formation, firing at several suspicious directions while launching mortars.

This was reconnaissance by fire; as long as the enemy fell for it, they could immediately use grenades or mortars to eliminate them.

Where is the enemy?

Who is the enemy?

How many enemies are there?

The tense atmosphere in the air became almost suffocating, and the people outside the camp clearly were not easily fooled.

This armed organization was putting on a one-man show.

“Helicopter! Helicopter! Get in the air now!”

The four sleepy helicopter pilots rushed toward the two French SA342 “Gazelle” armed helicopters.

One pilot stumbled just before reaching the helicopter and collapsed to the ground, the grass beneath him quickly soaked in blood, and he made no further movement.

Perhaps it was a bullet fired from a thousand meters away; the shooting distance was quite alarming.

“There’s a sniper! Get the infrared detector and bring the vehicle over to protect the helicopter.”

The leader of the group, Captain Heim, immediately moved closer to his bulletproof jeep. Most of the vehicles in the convoy had been specially modified, and the windows had been replaced with bulletproof glass, making it nearly impossible for ordinary small-caliber rifle bullets to penetrate.

Captain Heim’s commands were like royal decrees, and the slightly chaotic situation was quickly brought under control.

This group mostly consisted of veterans who armed themselves immediately. The vehicles quickly formed a defensive perimeter, surrounding the precious French “Gazelle” in the center to ensure its takeoff.

They divided into several small teams, spreading out to search for the enemy ambushed in unknown locations, creating a safe distance for the camp and avoiding the enemy’s lethal firepower range.

The surviving helicopter pilots dashed into the helicopter, successfully starting the engine for an emergency takeoff.

As long as they had air superiority, they would dominate the grasslands.

“Captain, Captain! Over there! Someone is kidnapping those women!”

“Stop! If you don’t stop, we’ll shoot!”

Gunfire erupted from behind, and bullets ricocheted off the ground, kicking up dirt and grass. Concerned for their “cargo,” they couldn’t bring themselves to fire at full power but fired to suppress the rolling and scrambling girls’ escape routes.

“Quickly, don’t hesitate! Run south, don’t look back! Hurry, there are our people waiting ahead.”

The Special Forces operative who had sneaked in and slit the throat of the Russian Yefim ignored the rain of bullets, pulled out his handgun, and shot repeatedly behind him, the screams of the enemies ringing out as they were hit.

Another withdrawing operative pressed a remote control that was the size of a phone, and suddenly, a fireball erupted from under the truck that had been transporting the girls, launching the truck into the sky.

As it ignited, the truck disintegrated into countless fragments, just like scattering fireworks.

A 2-kilogram C4 bomb had been placed on the axle, instantly turning the multi-ton truck into a pile of scrap metal, and the explosion sent nearby armed militants tumbling over.

Captain Heim, noticing that someone was trying to snatch the girls, immediately organized his men to chase after the direction they fled.

At this point, the sky began to lighten, and the time when the enemy was most careless was over; delaying further would make visibility clearer and put the group covering the girls’ escape at a disadvantage.

The battle had fully erupted, with continuous sounds of gunfire and explosions.

Gunfire suddenly erupted from several directions outside the camp, and clouds of smoke shot towards the armed organization’s base. Intense explosions rattled the camp as the outer Special Forces teams initiated attacks to attract the armed personnel’s attention, buying time for the rescue team.

The armed militants, fearing for their beautiful “cargo,” continuously fired around them but showed no mercy to the two hidden Special Forces operatives, firing at them without hesitation.

The operatives had to constantly evade, relying on instinct to dodge the lethal bullets, refusing to use the girls as human shields.

They weren’t as fortunate as the Night Special Forces, who obtained the Dragon Guard tactical armor through Lin Mo’s connections; although their bulletproof vests could protect vital areas, being shot in the legs would still be dangerous.

In the distance, the sniper from the Special Operations Team fired repeatedly, taking down one enemy after another, yet four unyielding bulletproof jeeps rushed out from the camp, forming a classic combined attack formation of infantry and armored vehicles, forcing the sniper to dodge grenades and fierce machine gun fire, constantly changing position, significantly weakening their ability to intercept.

The stale bread and water that served as breakfast provided the escaped girls with a bit of valuable strength. Though they shrieked in fear from the bullets flying from behind, they dared not slow down, pushing themselves to their limits to escape, preferring to be shot than to return to those nightmarish grips.

The two girls supporting Pan Yun staggered and fell, causing them to tumble together. At that moment, two Special Forces operatives rushed in; one of them picked up Pan Yun, while the other kept running, effortlessly supporting a girl on each side, not reducing their speed.

Not only that, but they also had to look after the other fragile girls. Though they initially ran well, their lack of food made their stamina quickly fade.

“Run! Don’t stop! You can do it! Just run another hundred meters! As long as it’s a hundred meters, you’ll be safe. Don’t stop!”

The slowing pace of the girls caused the two Special Forces operatives to yell in urgency.

The pursuers were already less than fifty meters behind.

Suddenly, trails of white smoke streaked down from the sky with a screech, heading directly towards the fleeing operatives and girls.