Chapter 142: Capturing Walker Alive

However, the death of Leosser was not Qin Yang’s ultimate objective.

He had intentionally let one man escape—a subordinate of Zack’s. When Azarias discovered that his own right-hand man had been slaughtered by his own men, he was livid. What infuriated him even more was that the false intelligence leading to the death of his capable lieutenant had originated from Zack’s subordinates. This was not something Azarias could easily overlook. No one could swallow the indignation of having their own subordinate's negligence result in the death of a trusted officer, so Zack’s fate was destined to be tragic.

From the moment he infiltrated Zack’s ranks, Qin Yang had prepared for everything. He began by seizing opportunities, luring the snake out of its hole, then took a daring risk to deceive everyone, and finally employed a strategy of sowing discord. He had originally intended to watch the fire from across the river and reap the benefits, but despite all his calculations, there was one miscalculation: the sacrifice of Tang Li. He had even accounted for the possibility of someone tracking the enemy’s pursuit force and guessed it would be Tang Li, yet the outcome still exceeded his expectations.

Whether Zack and Azarias clashed in Kano was of no concern to him now. His current goal was to capture Walker alive and teach the wretch the true meaning of suffering. The Ghost Soldiers had transmitted his exact location; they had been tracking him since he retreated in the helicopter. Knowing Walker’s temperament, he certainly wouldn't return to Kano immediately, which provided Qin Yang with the perfect opportunity.

Deep in the night, the armed rebels in this vast jungle were nearing exhaustion. Three consecutive days of searching had worn them down, and they had mistakenly killed Leosser—heaven knows what punishment awaited them upon their return. As for those cursed hostages, they had vanished without a trace; the rebels could not fathom how they had escaped.

In a clearing within the jungle, a fire blazed. Seven or eight men were keeping watch nearby. With Leosser dead, they dared not let anything happen to Walker. Although they had failed to contact the other units, they were confident they could ensure his safety.

Walker, however, was in no mood to rest; he was busy beating a man by the fire. It was one of the bastards who had opened fire on Leosser. The constant, crisp sounds of the beating made the surrounding men tremble. Even though the poor wretch was already a bloody mess, no one dared to show any pity. Eventually, Walker seemed to tire. He threw his blood-stained gun aside and spat fiercely, "If I find the kid who shouted, I’ll be the first to put a bullet in him."

Just then, a whistling sound cut through the air. Before the man could react, a slender arrow pierced his chest. Immediately after, several more arrows followed, each finding its mark. Walker scrambled and grabbed the gun he had just thrown, firing wildly in the direction of the arrows while tossing a grenade—partly to attack, and partly to draw in the nearby armed rebels.

"Come out, you bastard!" Walker roared.

"Aren't you going to put a bullet in me? I’m giving you the chance." A voice like a phantom emerged from behind him. Walker’s eyes hardened as he spun to attack, but in that instant, a kick landed squarely on his face, sending him flying. His gun skidded away. As Walker lay on the ground, enduring the agonizing pain in his face, he caught sight of his assailant.

The man was dressed in black, holding a terrifying longbow, with a Tang sword strapped to his back that seemed to shimmer with the glint of blood. Various pistols and tactical grenades were hung across his body, and his quiver held more than twenty arrows.

"Who... who are you?" Walker asked, trembling with fear at the sight of such a formidable figure.

"Weren't you quite arrogant three days ago, bombarding me with mortars?" Qin Yang walked forward, stripped him of all his weapons, and toyed with a pure gold dagger. A cold smirk played on his lips. "And weren't you looking for the one who killed Leosser? I’m here. It’s a pity you’re such trash; it’s laughable that I was once pushed to the brink by someone like you."

"What... what do you want?" Walker realized his enemy had come for revenge, and a shiver ran through his entire body.

Qin Yang laughed. "My brother was blown to pieces by your mortars, so naturally, I’m here for revenge. Alright, the others are coming, so come with me." He paused, then suddenly swung the golden dagger, severing one of Walker’s fingers. Walker let out a heart-wrenching scream, his twisted, pained face a stark contrast to his earlier arrogance. But Qin Yang wasn't finished; he kicked him to the ground and proceeded to cut off his fingers one by one.

Walker was on the verge of fainting from the pain, but Qin Yang pressed a torch against the stumps. A crackling sound followed, accompanied by the scent of charred flesh. Walker writhed on the ground, howling in agony, soaked in sweat, and pleading, "Just kill me! Kill me!"

"It's too early for that," Qin Yang sneered.

He found a rope on a nearby helicopter, tied it to Walker’s arm, and secured the other end to the aircraft. Looking at the poster of Walker plastered on the chopper, he sneered, "If I fly your helicopter back, who would even notice?"

Walker was stunned.

Qin Yang stripped the clothes off a few of the corpses to wrap up Walker’s head, stuffing some rags into his mouth while leaving a small opening for him to breathe.

"Don't struggle too much," Qin Yang shouted as he sat in the pilot’s seat. "It wouldn't be any fun if you fell off and died."

"Mmph! Mmph!"

Walker struggled violently, but Qin Yang ignored him, started the engine, and headed toward Kano. High above the jungle, many saw the helicopter flying with a miserable figure dangling beneath it. Everyone knew Walker was a pervert, so they assumed this was just one of his sadistic games and paid no mind. Some of Azarias’s loyal followers even cheered at the sight.

By dawn, the helicopter was still flying slowly at an ultra-low altitude—less than a hundred meters—as if flaunting its power. However, when it reached a small village, gunfire erupted from below. Most unfortunately, some of the shots were aimed directly at the helicopter. Qin Yang, annoyed, looked down to see international mercenaries engaged in a battle with the Nili government forces. The government troops, spotting the arrogant helicopter, naturally opened fire.

"Dammit, I thought the government troops were all hiding in their holes," Qin Yang muttered. He maneuvered the helicopter to dodge the bullets, trying to find a way around.

Just then, a shell came flying toward them.