“We are going to stay back to wait for his return,” Zhang Wei replied.
“Is there a need to do so?” Di Su Su was rather surprised.
“Because the truck key is with him!” Zhang Wei was gnashing his teeth in great anger, and the vein on his forehead was about to pop at any moment.
Everyone was rendered speechless, not sure whether they were lucky or unlucky to have such a member on their team.
Qi Bai Jia was very displeased as he hated any unexpected changes during a mission. Just when he thought Han Xiao had a clear understanding of the big picture, he caused trouble like this.
I must be blind! Any team member who acts on their own accord without following any order is a rascal!
If something went haywire, Qi Bai Jia would have to assume the responsibility!
Han Xiao was such a jackass!
…
The Hesla agents stationed on the other side discovered Division 13’s unusual behavior, and they started discussing secretly.
“Some of the Division 13’s agents are intending to stay behind.”
“I thought we agreed to move together?” Ye Fan frowned. He went to find Qi Bai Jia to get an answer on this. After which, he came back and explained the reason to the Hesla agents.
“Who is the agent missing?”
“It was the agent that was wearing the mask; his name is Han Xiao.”
“It’s him.” Winna’s face suddenly tensed up, and said, “Last night, when we received the intel, Han Xiao rejected it without any supporting evidence, and then he was gone for the whole night without leaving a message. This seems quite suspicious. Is it possible that he is a… spy?”
All the Hesla agents startled.
“Be careful of your words.” Ye Fan frowned. He did not buy that deduction, but Han Xiao’s actions definitely aroused his suspicion. “We will report all the facts to the commanding officer when we get back to the army camp.”
….
After all the other agents left, Zhang Wei and the other three teammates stayed back at the base.
Lin Yao could not help asking, “Where did Han Xiao go and what is he going to do exactly?”
“How would I know? He did not say anything to me last night.” Li Ya Lin rolled her eyes.
Zhang Wei shook his head as he felt irritated; that guy had zero respect for his team leader!
…
The other agents arrived at the border several hours later.
Winna and Ye Fan went to report to Colonel Carl immediately.
“A Division 13 agent was missing for the entire night?” Colonel Carl walked back and forth, and his brows furrowed.
“Is this 100% true?” he asked.
Winna nodded. “He left last night without telling anyone, and it was right after we uncovered the intel about the Dark Crow Valley base.”
“Although it seems suspicious, this does not mean that he is a spy,” Ye Fan added.
Colonel Carl nodded slowly. “I will go and clarify this with Stardragon a while later. Now, tell me more about the intel.”
“The captive that we brought in passed our lie detector test, which means that everything he said was true. Furthermore, Ye Fan personally hacked their network to gather all this intel. We can guarantee its authenticity!” said Winna.
Colonel Carl’s eyes turned sharp as he said decisively, “Then let’s attack immediately before anything changes!”
Ye Fan was hesitant. “The Division 13 agents left at the secret base will be in danger if the army attacks now.”
“To achieve our strategic objective, it is reasonable to sacrifice one or two people from Stardragon. Since they are not from our country, we need not care so much.” Colonel Carl did not give it a second thought.
At the same time, after taking a long, indirect route, Han Xiao finally brought the two captives to where he had hidden his toolbox, bypassing all the detectors and sentry posts. The whole journey had been arduous and onerous; he was so tired by then that he almost wanted to puke blood. The captives were not wearing camouflage suits, so he’d had to spend hours to bypass the alert areas.
Fortunately, they were the technical staff in charge of the testing detectors and landmines, so they provided much valuable information. Otherwise, he would not have left without alerting anyone.
However, the captives had tried to lure him into a high-alert area to expose him once, but he’d realized immediately. He had punished them harshly before they cooperated fully with him.
The Sun was shining brightly above the sky. Han Xiao calculated the time and sighed. “Crap, I went beyond the stipulated time. I guess all the other agents have already left.”
He dug out his toolbox and took out his radio equipment to contact Zhang Wei.
“Hello. Hello. Yangtze River. Yangtze River. This is Yellow River. Please reply if you can hear me.”
“Yellow your head!” Zhang Wei’s fury could be heard through the earpiece. “Where exactly did you go? You were missing for the whole night, and all the other agents left. We could only stay at the base and wait for you!”
“That’s right. You’d better make up for this. I want new equipment!” Li Ya Lin chimed in on the radio channel. One could hear the annoyance in her voice and imagine her pouting; it was actually a little cute.
Han Xiao shook his head and started acting more seriously. “I infiltrated the Dark Crow Valley base and discovered top-classified intel!”
“Let me get Officer Qi for you,” Zhang Wei said with a look of solemnity.
…
Qi Bai Jia received the radio message at the border army camp.
“Zhang Wei, what are you calling me for? Is Han Xiao back?” he asked.
“He wants to speak with you.”
“He’d better cook up a good explanation for his actions.” Qi Bai Jia was clearly displeased.
After Han Xiao was connected to the channel, he said, “I just received the intel saying that the Dark Crow Valley base has two sectors: the outer sector and the inner sector. The outer sector is where all the low-ranking personnel work, while the inner sector is where the core members stationed themselves. The inner sector is hidden deeper in the mountainous valley, and the low-ranking personnel outside are not even aware of its existence. The information about the inner sector is classified for all the low-ranking personnel, and the path connecting the two sectors is always blocked…”
The two captives had told him that the base was divided into two sectors. The inner sector was hidden deeper in the mountains, where all the important supplies were stored. It was the real core of the base. The higher ups in the base did not tell the periphery personnel anything about the inner base. So, it was a secret to many of the Germinal Organization personnel. In their previous lives, the ‘real’ players did not even know the existence of the inner base.
The inner base had many evacuation routes. The core members could leave without leaving a trace. They were very cunning in the sense that each of these roads was classified. Nobody knew which path they would take before the actual evacuation was decided by the top leadership of the base.
Qi Bai Jia understood the importance of this information immediately. If Hesla did not know about the existence of the inner sector of the base and the army went ahead to attack the outer base, they would simply retreat when they took down the outer base, declaring it a military success. In that case, the core force of the enemy would be entirely unharmed, and the inner base would remain safe. The enemy could move back secretly in the future, ensuring that hideout was secure from the enemies.
Qi Bai Jia was dumbfounded. He could not believe that Han Xiao’s solo act could bear such critical intel!
“Cough, cough. Even though it was a move well played, I still have to emphasize that it is unacceptable to act on your own without any orders.
“Hold on for a while. I will report this to the commanding officer immediately!”
Qi Bai Jia was stopped by the deputy officer when he requested to meet Co
lonel Carl. He waited anxiously for five minutes before was allowed to go into the office. He realized Ye Fan and Winna were there too.
Colonel Carl looked at Qi Bai Jia and asked, “What do you have for me?”
“One of my team members just discovered some critical information that needs to be reported to you.”
“Han Xiao?”
“Yes.”
Qi Bai Jia nodded, but he did not realize that the other three started having a weird look.
Colonel Carl’s eyes flickered. “Speak.”
Han Xiao repeated what he said before, and at the end, he added, “If we attack brashly, we will only take down an empty shell. I hope we can pause the operation until our guys get hold of the enemy’s evacuation time, evacuation route, and the detailed structure of the inner base. By doing so, we can directly kill their evacuating troops and prevent a direct attack against their fortification. This will greatly reduce our casualties.”
Colonel Carl was expressionless after he heard everything.
“Where did you get this intel from?” he suddenly asked.
“I infiltrated the base by disguising my face, and I managed to capture two personnel from the inner base…”
All of a sudden, Colonel Carl yelled, “You are lying!”
To Colonel Carl, it was impossible for Han Xiao to infiltrate, even if he said he could disguise his face. It would take at least tens of minutes to make a legitimate face mask. During that time frame, Han Xiao would have faced all kinds of danger. At the same time, he could not predict which enemy he would encounter next, so it was impossible for him to make the face mask beforehand. So, it was an impossible situation that Han Xiao could never achieve.
Han Xiao was startled. He realized that these people did not know the capability of his Facial Simulator.
The function of the Facial Simulator was his trump card. He would not divulge such information. However, without exposing it, he could not explain the details of his infiltration.
“I have the capability to do so.” Han Xiao had to give an ambiguous answer.
“Unless you can demonstrate, there is no way we can believe you.”
Colonel Carl was still expressionless, but he was more untrusting of Han Xiao’s words.
This person… is really suspicious!
Chapter 80 - Bold Move
Chapter 80: Bold Move
Translator: chickenpau Editor: Millman97
Han Xiao’s brows furrowed.
“Do you have any evidence to support your claim?” Qi Bai Jia quickly provided a solution as he trusted Han Xiao. However, Hesla had a different position. Both parties were mutually untrusting toward each other.
Han Xiao paused and said, “I have two captives with me. You can test them with a lie detector to confirm that I am not lying.”
Colonel Carl squinted. “Well then, you can bring them over.”
Qi Bai Jia heaved a sigh of relief. Although he was skeptical of how Han Xiao had managed to infiltrate the base, he chose to believe that Han Xiao had his own ways.
Fortunately, he had captives to prove to them that what he said was true.
However, after the radio connection was cut off, Colonel Carl told his deputy, “Order the troops to move out. Our target will be the Dark Crow Valley.”
Qi Bai Jia was stunned—it was the complete opposite of what was previously promised.
Colonel Carl was reluctant to explain his rationale. It would take Han Xiao a few hours to bring the so-called captives in, and if Han Xiao was to play tricks and delay further, the enemies from the Dark Crow Valley base might seize the opportunity to evacuate completely before his troops could reach the target. As the commanding officer, he would not simply alter his decision based on certain unverified intel.
He was more inclined to trust Ye Fan’s intel; it had witnesses, evidence, and originated from reliable sources.
Colonel Carl believed that he would not risk any damage for moving out earlier even if Han Xiao was right. Han Xiao could still bring the captives to him. The only difference was that the base would be on high alert earlier, and that would cause danger to Han Xiao’s team.
But, he didn’t care about the lives of a bunch of Stardragon agents. Even if they were killed, the Hesla top-level officers would not look into it. Someone from Hesla would naturally block the protests from Division 13.
Furthermore, Han Xiao had already provided the information about the inner base. Colonel Carl did not give a hoot whether or not Han Xiao could prove his story. He could verify this information himself after he took down the base.
“My men are still stationed near the base. Your rash attack will put them in great danger!” Qi Bai Jia was clearly enraged.
“Such a great opportunity may pass at any moment. We cannot risk a delay because of one or two agents. Since they are agents themselves, I am sure they can understand the bigger picture,” Carl replied calmly.
“Objection!”
Qi Bai Jia’s face was filled with anger.
“It’s not your place to disagree.” Carl pressed on an electric bell to summon a section of troopers; they pointed their rifles at Qi Bai Jia. “Send our ‘friends’ from Stardragon to the vehicles. We will move out together later. I do not want them to communicate with anyone else as that may leak our plan, so remove all of their communication devices.”
Carl emphasized the word ‘friends’ to stress his point.
Qi Bai Jia was so furious that his body started shaking vigorously.
“Sigh. How did things come to this stage?” Ye Fan was bereft of words. Han Xiao had suggested a conservative method, while Carl was more radical. Neither was wrong, but Carl was the commanding officer, and Han Xiao was only a subordinate. Furthermore, they were not from Hesla.
Winna watched coldly from the side.
….
After the connection was cut off, Han Xiao’s face blackened.
He had a hunch; Carl was a radical commanding officer, so he would most likely attack in advance.
This guy is eager for a quick success. Han Xiao was clearly irked. It seemed like he had to complete the mission by himself since time was running out.
However, he only knew about the existence of inner base but not the enemy’s evacuation route and time. He needed to infiltrate again to gather more information.
This time, Han Xiao did not plan to accomplish it himself. To achieve his plan, infiltrating alone was not the optimal option.
The best option for a partner was actually Lin Yao, a hacker that could be planted inside the base. Like a computer virus, he could cut the enemy’s communication network at the critical junctures, rendering them blind and deaf.
Therefore, he had to make two facial masks based on the two captives. There were molds and make-up tools in the truck storage. Thus, he could craft the masks in an hour or so.
Han Xiao forced his mind to focus and used his remaining energy to drag the two captives toward their secret base. He reached it in the afternoon, and his teammates came out to welcome him.
“Are you alright?” Lin Yao quickly came forward to support the exhausted Han Xiao.
Han Xiao shook his head and said, “There is not much time left. We need to make two facial masks based on the captives. Lin Yao and Lambert will use their identity cards to infiltrate the inner base. I will explain the details later.”
“Brother Xiao…Brother Xiao, I have no experience in spying. Can you give the job to another person? ” Lin Yao’s face turned pale due to the overwhelming fear.
“You are our only hacker, so it has got to be you.”
Lin Yao looked petrified.
“I will take the other slot.” Li Ya Lin volunteered herself.
Han Xiao peeked at her and shook his head without any hesitation.
“What are you trying imply? Are you looking down on me?” Li Ya Lin was infuriated.
“These things are too big, making them hard to conceal.” Han Xiao pointed at her breasts.
Li Ya Lin was
speechless.
Lin Yao anxiously grabbed onto Han Xiao’s sleeve and said in a hopeful voice, “Brother Xiao, are you going in with me then?”
“Nah. I won’t. This mission is too dange… cough… too simple for me. It is not challenging enough for me!”
You definitely said something fishy there! Lin Yao and Li Ya Lin were screaming in their hearts.
“I shall do it then,” Zhang Wei said.
Han Xiao shook his head again. “No, you can’t. No one else can operate the armored suit. And, you are the team leader.”
” Oh , so you still know that I’m the team leader?” Zhang Wei gave a bitter smile. Ever since the appearance of Han Xiao, he had become a mere figurehead.
There was only one possible candidate left.
“It has been decided that it will be you!” Han Xiao pointed at Lambert.
“…” Lambert.
“Oh my god. I am definitely going to die.” Lin Yao was exasperated.
Lambert slapped the back of Lin Yao’s head with an expressionless look as he was unhappy with Lin Yao’s attitude at the decision; he made it seem so much worse than choosing Han Xiao.
…
One of the team members drove the truck closer toward Dark Crow Valley so that they didn’t need to walk so far, while the rest were busy putting on make-up to disguise the two unlucky souls. They parked the truck right outside the alert zone.
After more than an hour, Lambert and Lin Yao’s disguises were completed. They looked exactly like the two captives. After putting on micro-earphones, they held the access cards and entered the Dark Crow Valley base from the side gate.
“Brother Xiao, how concrete is this plan?” Lin Yao asked Han Xiao softly.
“If you dream of its success with sincerity, you will make it.”
Lin Yao felt a clot of blood stuck in his throat as he was made speechless by that answer. He turned to Lambert for more assurance.
“Are you not afraid?” Lin Yao asked Lambert in a quiet voice.
“To accomplish the mission, we must try even if there was only a slight possibility of success,” Lambert said calmly.
The Legendary Mechanic c1-1385 Page 43