Chapter 140: Blood for Blood

Sarah continued to protest against Qin Yang’s decision to abandon the villagers, but Qin Yang, weary of the argument, ignored her. Irritated by his indifference, Sarah lashed out and bit him hard on the arm.

"Can you stop being so stubborn?" Qin Yang said, restraining his temper. "Sarah, I need you all to survive, and I am responsible for my team. I’ve already given them the maps and routes to the UN-controlled territory. The more people we have, the more pressure we face. If you could pick up a gun and fight, I wouldn't mind taking them with us, but if you’re just going to be a burden, I’ll overlook it for the sake of our relationship. But I am flatly rejecting your proposal. If you waste any more breath on this, I will knock you out."

With that, Qin Yang walked away to collect the arrows he had carved the night before.

Tang Li stepped forward, looking at the furious Sarah, and couldn't help but say, "This is a battlefield. Your ideals don't work here."

"We are here to stop the war!" Sarah protested. "We can save people from being slaughtered. Fighting violence with violence like you do only serves to escalate the war without limit."

"Believe what you want," Tang Li shrugged. "But you need to realize that while you can reason with people, Azalias won't. His soldiers are fanatics who would die for him. His orders are like imperial edicts. You need to have some self-awareness and understand the limits of your own obligations and responsibilities. If you force yourself to take on missions beyond your capability, you aren't spreading peace—you're getting people killed. You’ve walked into a blind spot of peace; simply put, you are stubborn and rigid. This near-pathological madness is a weapon that is more hateful than any other, killing you, killing them, and killing us."

"But we cannot kill people who have already surrendered," Sarah said, pointing at the three men, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "They had already laid down their weapons. Why did you have to kill them?"

"Because they were rigged with explosives. Qin Yang had us kill them before they could detonate them to save your lives," Tang Li sneered. "Go look at their corpses."

Sarah hesitated, then walked over, only to see one of the men’s fingers still hooked around the pin of a grenade. Had they been a second later, she dared not imagine the outcome. Tang Li spoke softly, "That was an offensive grenade. The shrapnel inside has a lethal radius of a hundred meters. If it had detonated, we would all have died gruesome deaths, riddled with holes."

Sarah fell silent.

Tang Li continued, "Spreading peace doesn't mean blindly taking on responsibilities that far exceed your ability. A civil war like this cannot be solved by a few people with nothing but words. You might save dozens, but you must realize that your presence is the reason Azalias is willing to slaughter entire villages just to track you down. You keep talking about saving innocent people caught in the war, but you need to understand that your arrival is like a shot of adrenaline to Azalias."

"We are from a peace organization. We have the right to demand fair treatment."

Before she could finish her sentence, a distant, low rumble echoed through the air. Qin Yang narrowed his eyes, spotting three attack helicopters screaming toward them, the terrifying barrels of their Vulcan cannons clearly visible.

"Take cover, now!" Qin Yang roared.

He grabbed Sophie, the closest to him, and dove behind a massive boulder. Tang Li did the same, shielding Sophie as they scrambled for cover. Zhao Wu, Zhou Kehai, and Wei Dao also quickly took refuge. In the chaos, they had no time to worry about Arthur and his group, though those few had developed enough reflexes over the past few days to scramble into hiding as well. The high-pitched whine of the rotary cannons followed, bullets tearing into the surroundings, accompanied by a hateful, mocking laughter—Qin Yang recognized it immediately as that bastard Walker.

"Damn it!"

Qin Yang cursed, raising his machine gun to fire back at the aircraft from behind cover. The others joined the defensive fire. Sensing the bullets hitting the fuselage, Walker pulled back, but with a sinister grin, he tossed seven or eight grenades from the helicopter. Explosions rocked the area, forcing Qin Yang and his team to keep their heads down.

"Cover me!" Qin Yang shouted.

Tang Li and the others laid down heavy fire on the three helicopters. Qin Yang aimed his sniper rifle—far from a top-tier weapon—with cold precision. He took a deep breath. *Bang! Bang! Bang!* Three shots rang out. The front glass of one helicopter shattered, the craft began to shake violently, and moments later, it spiraled down and crashed in the distance.

***

Seizing the opportunity, Qin Yang shouted, "Zhao Wu, Zhou Kehai, Wei Dao! Get them to the jungle! Tang Li and I will provide cover!"

The men nodded. They knew hiding behind a few rocks was no longer an option; if the Vulcan cannons opened up again, these rocks wouldn't hold. Besides, if the enemy used more explosives, they would be wiped out. Qin Yang kept firing at Walker’s helicopter, the bastard laughing as he ordered the pilot to dodge, mocking their futile resistance. Zhao Wu and the others were not far from the jungle, but it was a dangerous trek, especially for Sarah and her friends.

"Run!" Tang Li roared.

The group sprinted toward the jungle while Tang Li and Qin Yang stayed behind, firing coolly despite the hail of lead. With precise shots, they took out a gunner operating a Vulcan cannon, severing his right arm. Tang Li kept up the pressure, while Qin Yang switched to precision strikes, ensuring the enemy pilots couldn't expose themselves.

"Withdraw."

Once he confirmed Zhao Wu’s group had reached the tree line, Qin Yang stood up, retreating while firing. Tang Li did the same, using tactical maneuvers to evade enemy fire. They sprinted into the jungle and didn't stop, pushing deeper into the dense foliage. However, they soon discovered over thirty rebel soldiers ahead, forcing them to scramble for cover and return fire.

"RPG! Take cover!" Zhou Kehai screamed.

Everyone threw themselves to the ground. An explosion rocked the area, leaving their ears ringing and their bodies battered. High above, Walker watched the scene with a cold sneer. He pulled out a crate of over twenty grenades, pulled the pins, and rained them down.

Zhao Wu and the others had sensed the danger early and found cover, but the others were not as lucky. Qin Yang grabbed Sarah and dove behind a thick tree. Seeing Sophie moving slowly, Tang Li gritted his teeth and lunged toward her.

"Old Tang, are you crazy!" Zhao Wu shouted from his position.

But the explosions had already begun. Powerful shockwaves rolled through, and balls of flame erupted, felling trees one by one. Sarah, huddled under Qin Yang, watched in horror as two of her friends were shredded by the blasts, and the approaching rebels were wiped out, having had no time to take cover or even imagine Walker would resort to such indiscriminate, brutal tactics.

Qin Yang didn't know how long the bombardment lasted. He only knew the tree he was hiding behind had collapsed, though he had wisely sheltered at the base of the roots. He waited until he heard Walker’s deranged, arrogant laughter and the sound of the helicopters flying off into the distance before he carefully crawled out, the back of his shirt scorched black.

"Damn it," Qin Yang cursed, pulling Sarah up.

"Qin... Qin..." Sarah wept, collapsing into his arms.

Qin Yang patted her shoulder, signaling that it was safe.

Zhao Wu and the others emerged from their hiding spots, sustaining only minor injuries. As for Sarah’s friends, besides Arthur and one other man, the rest were dead. Just as they began to look for Tang Li, they heard Sophie sobbing, "Come here! Please, come here!"

Qin Yang felt a sudden, ominous chill and raced over. He found Tang Li lying beside Sophie, his body riddled with severe wounds, pieces of shrapnel embedded deep within him.

"Old Tang! Old Tang!"

Qin Yang rushed to check him, but he could see that Tang Li’s life was fading fast.

"Old Tang, wake up! Wake up!" Zhao Wu lifted his head, shaking him, desperately searching for the medical kit they had brought, only to find it lost in the chaos.

Tang Li coughed, his face deathly pale. He opened his eyes weakly. "How... how is she?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Sophie crawled over, sobbing, "Don't die, please, don't die."

"I haven't forgotten that I'm a soldier... I went to Black Prison because I killed three billionaires," Tang Li whispered weakly. "But they deserved it... You’re Chinese... I had a duty to protect you..."

"Old Tang, listen to me, you're not going to die," Qin Yang said firmly. "I haven't treated you yet. You aren't dying."

Tang Li shook his head weakly. "My heart was pierced. I have thirty-two seconds left. Qin Yang... listen to me... before this mission, I found out my little sister was getting married... I was planning to attend... but it looks like I won't make it... Promise me, attend her wedding in my place. I failed as a brother. Help me... take care of her."

"Don't worry," Qin Yang said, his voice cold and murderous. "Whoever touches a hair on her head, I will wipe out their entire family."

Tang Li nodded slowly, then went still.

"Old Tang!" Zhao Wu gritted his teeth, kicking a tree in a fit of rage.

Qin Yang didn't move the body. He said coldly, "Zhao Wu, Zhou Kehai, Wei Dao—take his body back to China. Even if you have to die doing it, you get him home!"

"Understood."

"Take them and leave. If anyone says another word, I’ll kill them," Qin Yang stood up, gripping his Tang sword. "I will stall all the pursuers. Go straight to the southern port and meet up with Yang Guang and the others. Tell them I will return to the country on my own."

"What are you going to do?"

"A debt of blood must be paid in blood. I am going to make everyone under Azalias pay with their lives."