Chapter 137: Executing the Plan

"Old Qin, Old Qin, wake up. We have a situation."

I don't know how much time had passed, but Qin Yang was shaken awake by Xu Lai. When he opened his eyes, he saw a series of gunshots flashing below and was startled, asking, "Are we under attack?"

"Not us, the civilians," Xu Lai said. "The rebels must have found their location. The situation isn't good."

"Then let's land," Qin Yang said as a matter of course. "How many rebels are there?"

"Over twenty. There are four or five among the civilians fighting back, but it's not very effective." As Xu Lai spoke, he began to land the plane. There was a clearing in the jungle that was perfect for it.

Ironically, the rebels actually gathered around as if they were providing cover for the landing. This made Qin Yang and his team roar with laughter; there was no reason not to use free bodyguards. Hidden in a secret spot nearby, a Chinese man clenched his fists in anger and hissed, "Tell them to leave now. I'll cover the rear; enemy reinforcements are coming."

Two panicked individuals scrambled to retreat.

By then, the plane had landed. The rebels were still guarding the perimeter, oblivious. When the plane doors opened, all they saw were pitch-black gun barrels and merciless bullets. Yu Jian, who had been searching for a better position, froze at the sound of gunfire. He hid and peeked out, only to see a group of armed Chinese men emerging from the plane, wiping out the twenty-plus rebels without breaking a sweat.

"They should be a stray squad; we won't be discovered for now," Xu Lai said, examining the rebels' attire. "Based on Azalias' troop deployments, they won't realize these men have been slaughtered for at least an hour. We have plenty of time to pull out."

"Very good."

Qin Yang nodded in satisfaction. He walked forward a few dozen paces and shouted, "Yu Jian, right? I'm Qin Yang, commander of the War God Squad. You're safe for now. Come out."

After he shouted twice, a man cautiously emerged from behind a tree, holding an AK. The barrel was still pointed at Qin Yang, showing his lack of trust. He stepped forward and barked, "Don't move! Hands up!"

Qin Yang rolled his eyes and raised his hands, while the others watched this reckless Yu Jian with amusement. They also arranged for three hostages to disembark, as they had no intention of using this transport plane—which had served as a nearly perfect disguise—any longer. Just as Yu Jian was verifying their identities, a familiar figure ran out excitedly from the woods. Despite her slightly tattered clothes and stained face, her joy was undeniable.

"Qin Yang!"

Yang Yaxin threw herself into Qin Yang's arms, crying out excitedly, "I knew someone would come to save us! I knew it!"

"You knew, you knew—and yet you still came to this hellhole," Qin Yang said with feigned annoyance. "Do you have any idea how dangerous this place is?"

"I originally just planned to come here to acquire a batch of gemstones," Yang Yaxin pouted. "My father and I wanted to restart our business and open a new jewelry company, which is why I came. I had no idea I'd run into a civil war."

"Alright, alright, enough about that." Qin Yang patted her back. "You're safe for now."

"Officer Qin Yang."

Yu Jian walked up at this moment and gave a military salute.

Qin Yang glanced at him—the man looked to be in his thirties—and returned the salute. "You're quite something, aren't you? To hold off twenty people all by yourself."

"I served in the military for seven years. I have some experience," Yu Jian replied.

"Qin Yang, how did you become an officer?" Yang Yaxin asked curiously.

"I am currently Major Qin Yang, commander-in-chief of the War God Squad," Qin Yang said, tapping his chest proudly. "Look, I traveled thousands of miles to save you. You should thank me properly."

Yang Yaxin giggled, feeling incredibly happy. The tension of the past few days had left her exhausted, but now that she was with someone she could absolutely trust, how could she not be relieved? Xie Chengyang and Yu Jian called out the rest of the civilians. A few had injuries, but nothing serious. After a simple triage, Qin Yang checked his watch and said, "Forty minutes of rest, then we move out."

"Major Qin, how are we retreating?" Yu Jian asked. "The plane can't carry all of us."

"On foot," Qin Yang said. "The rescue team is already waiting at the bay. We have two days to reach the port. According to our calculations, that is just enough time."

He ordered everyone to rest in place.

Qin Yang and his team no longer hid their weapons. They opened their packs to equip their gear and handed a few guns to Yu Jian. When Yu Jian noticed the Tang sword strapped to Qin Yang's back, he couldn't help but swallow hard. He had heard the rumors about the War God Squad. It was said that a month ago, a member wielding a Tang sword had single-handedly taken down over a hundred insurgents, with a kill count exceeding two hundred—the highest in that battle. There had been no news of them since. Yu Jian had been hired to protect the merchants, never expecting to run into a war.

Feeling exhausted, he quickly found a spot to rest.

Qin Yang sat nearby with Yang Yaxin in his arms. The girl refused to let go of his arm; clearly, she had been through too much psychological trauma.

"Will we make it out alive?" Yang Yaxin whispered.

"Don't be silly, of course we will," Qin Yang said with a smile. "This mission might be a bit harder, but it's much better than the time we were surrounded by insurgents."

"Where have you actually been?" Yang Yaxin couldn't help but ask. "Qin Wu told me you disappeared after appearing in Fengyang County. I couldn't find you anywhere. How did you end up in the army?"

"Bullshit," Qin Yang couldn't help but curse. "I was 'volunteered.' Anyway, we'll talk about that later. Get some rest. The journey ahead is long, and you need to keep your strength up."

Forty minutes is neither long nor short. For the exhausted civilians, it was far too brief, but for Qin Yang and his team, it was an eternity, as every minute wasted increased the risk of running into danger. The enemy wouldn't be resting. Qin Yang was more concerned that once Azalias figured out their retreat route, he might dispatch the troops stationed in the south to encircle them. Trying to escort these people while caught in a pincer movement would be a nightmare.

Carefully laying down the sleeping Yang Yaxin, Qin Yang went to the plane, where his men were huddled together discussing the retreat plan. They were clearly considering the possibility of an encirclement. Yu Jian pointed to a city south of the Nili map and said, "This is also Azalias' territory. There are nearly a thousand armed rebels there. Azalias won't let us go; even if they have to hold the city against guerrilla forces, they will still send large numbers of troops to hunt us down."

"Old Qin, Tang Li ran into a little trouble. They ran into a group of peace volunteers who were under attack and saved them, so our pace might be delayed. Also, Sophie and Sarah are quite emotional; they're probably planning to give you a lecture on peace," Xie Chengyang shrugged. "This is all Tang Li's fault. That guy couldn't handle their nagging and revealed your background. Once they found out you once slaughtered over two hundred people, they've been deeply shaken. You're going to have a rough time."

"Don't add to my stress," Qin Yang glared at him, silently cursing Tang Li for his lack of loyalty.

"What do you mean?" Yu Jian frowned. "Are there potential enemies among us?"

"It's his fault. If he hadn't insisted on acting as the leader of some human rights organization and a public welfare foundation, we wouldn't have this trouble," Yang Guang said with a laugh.

Qin Yang replied indignantly, "If I hadn't bluffed them, could we have gotten in so easily? Could we have infiltrated Kano so effortlessly? Damn, if Azalias knew a special operations unit had slipped into his territory, he'd be searching like a madman."

"Alright, this isn't the time for bickering. Let's figure out how to retreat," Xie Chengyang said gloomily.

Qin Yang nodded, took a pen, and drew several lines on the map. "I have a plan: we split up."

"But if we do that, we'll be picked off one by one. Our firepower is already weak; this will be even more dangerous," Yang Guang frowned.

"Hear me out," Qin Yang said. "I will provide rear-guard cover and fake the appearance of the entire group of hostages retreating toward the Melong border to lure Azalias' search teams away. Xie Chengyang, you and Dian Jiang take Zhu Wu, Tan Long, Shui Wuyai, and Dou Bai—the six of you—to cover twenty hostages and leave via the left route. Yang Guang, you take Yu Jian, Chu Dongtian, Wang Yang, Wei Feng, and Xu Lai to cover the remaining civilians and retreat via the right route. Remember, eliminate all traces."

"No, you can't fake a retreat for fifty-plus people by yourself," Yang Guang refused.

Qin Yang smiled mysteriously. "I have help; it's my secret weapon. Now, as your commander, I order you to retreat according to the plan."

Seeing Qin Yang's resolve, they couldn't refuse. They also trusted his survival skills; if he were to wage a guerrilla war alone, he wouldn't be captured even if he fought to the death. Once the plan was confirmed, they woke the civilians. When Yang Yaxin learned that Qin Yang was staying behind to cover the rear, she was on the verge of tears and refused to accept it.

After much persuasion, she finally gave in. Qin Yang brought her to Yang Guang and said, "If I find out she's been hurt in the slightest, you'll answer to me."

"Don't worry. She'll be alive even if I'm dead," Yang Guang said confidently.

After ordering everyone to split into two groups, Qin Yang began to set a trap on the plane. After all, it was a lethal weapon in its own right.