Volume 1: The Fierce Tiger Leaves Its Leash Chapter 20: Comprehensive Manhunt (Part 1)

  Helicopters were flying back and forth on the mountain top, hundreds to thousands of armored vehicles and military vehicles were driving back and forth on the highway in the mountains, and more US troops were conducting ground searches deep into the mountains in platoon units. After watching the US helicopter fly away above his head, Ling Tianxiang put away his monocular telescope and slid down from the slope.

  Many times, Ling Tianxiang envied the wealthy and powerful US military. A "Black Hawk" helicopter costs nearly $20 million, a "Chinook" helicopter exceeds $40 million, and to suppress resistance organizations, the US military deployed more than 2,000 helicopters in Afghanistan at once. The price of armored vehicles and military trucks on the ground is not low either. The US military has deployed thousands of "Strykers" and tens of thousands of "Humvees" in Afghanistan. Not to mention the value of these equipment themselves, just moving them for one day requires burning a lot of fuel worth a lot of money. If one day the Republic's army also had so much equipment and could use it freely, then Ling Tianxiang and his fellow special forces fighting on the front lines wouldn't have to traverse hundreds of kilometers of mountainous terrain on foot alone.

  Maidi was awakened by Ling Tianxiang who had slipped down. He rubbed his eyes and got up.

  "There are still four hours until nightfall." Ling Tianxiang glanced at his watch, "I'll take a nap, you pay attention to the surroundings."

  "It's okay, no one can find their way here." Maddy glanced up at the skylight on the ceiling, "I'll go get some food, I'll be right back."

  Ling Tianxiang nodded and leaned against the rock wall with his carbine in his arms, still highly vigilant even when he was sleeping.

  With Maddy's help, the two of them walked about 150 kilometers east in three days, or rather, in three nights. The actual distance was over 250 kilometers, which means they had to walk more than 80 kilometers per night, almost running. Ling Tianxiang roughly estimated the distance and now they were probably still two days away from Buzai Jabal. According to Maddy's words, after tonight, they would leave the US military's search area and could continue advancing during the day without having to hide in caves and wait for nightfall to set out again.

  The Sangin Helmand ambush was like a needle stuck in the butt of the US military, nearly 30,000 US troops stationed in eastern and northeastern Afghanistan were mobilized to conduct continuous day-and-night searches. More than 500 helicopters participated in the search operation, and there were thousands of armored vehicles and military vehicles on the ground. For three consecutive days, Ling Tianxiang observed that the US military's search forces not only did not decrease but also increased significantly. Perhaps General David Petraeus, the commander of the US troops in Afghanistan, was about to go crazy, whipping those soldiers who usually hid in the camp onto helicopters and armored vehicles, kicking their butts, and making them participate in the search operation.

  As he thought about it, Ling Tianxiang suddenly laughed and felt something hit him, instinctively slapping his palm outwards while pulling out his gun.

  "It's me! The sky is almost dark!"

  Ling Tianxiang was shocked and found out it was Maidi De shaking him, and it all started as just a dream.

  "Let's eat something first, it's almost dark, we're about to hit the road." Maidade handed over a piece of dried mutton.

  Ling Tianxiang let out a sigh of relief and began to devour his food wolfishly, fortunately the first palm strike didn't land on Maidede, otherwise he would have lost his guide.

  After eating and drinking enough, the two left the hiding cave. The outside sky had completely darkened, although the US military's search was still ongoing, but due to concerns about being suddenly attacked by the resistance organization, the search range had shrunk a lot, and the search density had also decreased a lot. The two continued to move east, almost all running along the way, only stopping every two hours to drink some water and check if the direction was correct.

  For Ling Tianxiang, running continuously for several days and nights was not a problem. What surprised him was that Maidi's physical strength seemed to be even more abundant than his. Every time Ling Tianxiang stopped to drink water, Maidi would judge the direction without showing any signs of thirst. After one night, Ling Tianxiang had already started panting heavily, but Maidi's breathing remained normal.

  "Shouldn't we find a place to hide?" Ling Tianxiang quickened his pace and caught up with Maitide.

  "It's unnecessary, we're almost out of the US military's search range." Maide pointed to the mountain ridge ahead, "Once we cross that mountain, we'll be in a safe zone, the US military won't search eastward."

  "Why?" Ling Tianxiang glanced at the mountain ridge in front of him, it was dark and only a row of gray shadows could be seen.

  "The Wakhan Corridor is a buffer zone, the US military will not easily enter the Wakhan Corridor. After crossing that mountain, we entered the Wakhan Corridor and ran quickly, probably two hours later we crossed over."

  Ling Tianxiang hesitated for a moment, understanding what Maidede meant. The Wakhan Corridor is an area on the border of Afghanistan and the Republic, formed by the erosion of the Pamir River over millions of years, creating a mountain plain. To the north of the corridor lies the Pamir Plateau, to the south lies the Hindu Kush mountain range, and the upper reaches of the Pamir River flow through it. Because this place is close to the Republic and has sparse population, since the US military entered Afghanistan, no troops have been sent to occupy it, setting it as a buffer zone to avoid direct military confrontation with the Republic, or even worse military conflicts. This is also an unspoken understanding between the two major powers, but this narrow corridor did not fulfill its intended purpose.

  As they crested the ridge, the sun had already risen. The two were still sprinting along when the sound of a helicopter came from behind. Ling Tianxiang and Maddy immediately took cover.

  Three "Black Hawk" helicopters appeared in the sky above the mountain ridge, circling for a while before flying westward. As Mai De expected, the US military did not enter the Wakhan Corridor. Ling Tianxiang also felt slightly relieved, but during the day, the two still had to hide when the US helicopter appeared in the sky above the mountain ridge, and no one could guarantee that if they were discovered, the US military would not come after them.

  It wasn't until dusk that the two of them stopped. After running for almost a whole day, even Mai De, who was as tough as iron, was getting exhausted, and Ling Tian Xiang had long been on the verge of collapse. If they were in a plain, this wouldn't be a big deal, but at an altitude of nearly 4,000 meters, continuous running was extremely strenuous for anyone. Because they had advanced dozens of kilometers during the day, Ling Tian Xiang estimated that probably by the next night, they would arrive at Buzhai Jia Bad and then could find a way to contact their troops.