Volume 1: The Fierce Tiger Goes Down the Mountain Chapter 10: Going Downhill on a Donkey (Part 2)

  Watching the sunrise rising in the east, Ling Tianxiang wished for the first time that the sun would not rise, at least not so early.

  "Tianxiang, where are we?" Wei Daming panted heavily, although he had been supported by Ling Tianxiang all along, but after walking continuously for a whole night, he was almost unable to hold on.

  "We're almost there, just a few kilometers left, and we'll be at our outpost." Ling Tianxiang lied, but they had to keep going, had to cover more distance before the US military resumed their search and they had to hide again.

  "I can't go on, I'm exhausted!"

  "Old Wei, grit your teeth and hold on a bit longer, we're almost there." Ling Tianxiang grabbed Wei Daming's arm, "Do you still remember what I told you when I first arrived at 'Snow Leopard'? Hold on, hold on, just hold on. We're only a few kilometers away from the end, Old Wei, you can't fall before me."

  "Tianxiang, don't lie to me." Although Wei Daming's body was very weak, his mind had not become so blurred that he could not distinguish between time and distance. "We are still far from the national border, we have only walked for one day, it is impossible to arrive."

  "No, we've been walking for five days, no, ten days, and we're almost there." Ling Tianxiang was practically dragging Wei Daming forward.

  "Yes, five days, ten days." Wei Daming suddenly felt his legs go soft and fell to the ground.

  "Lao Wei, get up for me!" Ling Tianxiang desperately tried to lift Wei Daming up, but he was also on the verge of fainting and didn't have much strength. "Get up, you get up for me."

  "Tian Xiang, don't bother me anymore..."

  "Don't spout nonsense, I didn't abandon you before and I won't abandon you now!" Ling Tianxiang desperately pulled at Wei Daming, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pull him up.

  "Tianshang, listen to me." Wei Daming grabbed Ling Tianshang's hand that was grasping his collar, "Don't worry about me, go back and tell Captain Gu about the traitor. Also, we didn't get our hands on the goods, our mission failed, we..."

  "The mission isn't over yet, Wei Daming! Our mission isn't over yet!" Ling Tianxiang shouted recklessly. "What did you tell me back then? 'Snow Leopard' will never fall before the mission is over. Get up for me, our mission isn't over yet, Wei Daming, get up for me!"

  "Tian Xiang......" Wei Daming coughed violently several times, "Right, the mission isn't over yet, and you can't bring me, this burden. You have to go complete the mission, remember, you have to go complete the mission."

  "No, you're not a burden, we're partners!" Ling Tianxiang's legs softened and he suddenly knelt beside Wei Daming. "We're partners, I still need you to provide me with shooting data, without your help, I won't be able to hit the target, I really can't hit it... Do you know? Without your help, I really can't hit it..."

  Wei Daming had closed his eyes, and Ling Tianxiang wiped away tears. Suddenly, he was shocked and hugged Wei Daming's body tightly. "Old Wei, don't leave me behind! I told you, even if you're gone, I'll carry you back on my shoulders. I won't leave you here. Don't pretend to be dead, I won't abandon you, absolutely not..."

  Suddenly, a faint footstep sound entered Ling Tianxiang's ears. He reflexively turned around and pulled out his gun, but before he could raise it, the gun was snatched away from him. Ling Tianxiang didn't even have time to think about it; his left hand had already grasped the dagger, but before he could pull it out, his left hand was also controlled. As Ling Tianxiang stretched out his right hand to take the gun on Wei Daming's body, he was pressed to the ground.

  "Let me go, damn it, let me go!" Ling Tianxiang struggled desperately, although he knew that struggling was of little use, but he would not give up resisting, as long as he still had a breath, he would not give up resisting.

  "Tianshang, stop messing around, it's us!"

  Upon hearing this familiar voice, Ling Tianxiang's heart skipped a beat, and then he saw a familiar face, which was the face of Captain Gu Weimin.

  "Let him go!" Gu Weimin waved his hand at the two team members who were holding down Ling Tianxiang, then squatted beside him. "You little rascal, this time you've gotten me to personally take action!"

  "Captain Gu!!?" The look of surprise froze on Ling Tianxiang's face for a few seconds, then he burst out laughing.

  "Alright!" Gu Weimin knew that Ling Tianxiang was fine, and he looked over at the team member who was currently examining Wei Daming.

  "He's breathing weakly, but he's still alive. We need to get him back as soon as possible." The team member turned around, "The wound is severely infected. If we can't get him to the hospital in time, I'm afraid..."

  "Get in touch with the helicopter as soon as possible and stabilize the situation first." Gu Weimin said while standing up.

  "Captain Gu, there are only ten minutes left, the US military helicopter is coming." The communication soldier carrying a long-distance radio ran over.

  "Retreat to the hideout immediately!" Gu Weimin kicked Ling Tianxiang, who was still smiling foolishly, "Can you walk on your own?"

  Ling Tianxiang didn't know where he got the strength from, but he immediately got up. "No problem, I can carry someone on my back and run without issue."

  "Alright, I thought you were done for! Here, take this chocolate and water bottle," said Gu Weimin as he handed them to Ling Tianxiang. "Now let's head to the extraction point. We'll do our best to stabilize Wei Daming's condition. Once the US military withdraws, we'll call in a helicopter to extract us. Got it?"

  Ling Tianxiang swallowed the chocolate wolfishly and then nodded his head, almost choking in the process.

  Under the leadership of Gu Weimin, more than a dozen special soldiers quickly headed towards the hiding point, which was actually just a relatively large cave. The entrance to the cave was very narrow and could only accommodate one person at a time. Inside, it was bottomless, and perhaps no one had ever reached the deepest part of the cave before. Such caves were everywhere in the Khindu Kush mountain range, and most of the anti-American armed forces were hiding in them, forcing the US military to deploy heavy bombers with heavy bombs to deal with the resistance fighters inside the caves.

  Ling Tianxiang was sandwiched in the middle of the team, and after entering the cave, a teammate handed him a night vision device. Less than 50 meters into the cave, it was pitch black, making it impossible to walk without using flashlights or torches, especially without night vision devices. This was probably one of the main reasons why Gu Weimin chose this place. Ling Tianxiang also knew that there must be another exit somewhere far away in the cave.