Volume 1: Fierce Tiger Leaves Its Leash Chapter 9: Bomb Trap (Part 1)

  Listening to the noise of the helicopter hovering above, Ling Tianxiang really hoped he had an anti-aircraft missile in his hand, even if it was just an RPG rocket launcher. However, facing the US military's "Black Hawk" helicopter, he could only lie on the ground and wrap himself tightly in his camouflage uniform, lest he be discovered by the enemy above him.

  At the foot of the mountain, at least one reinforced platoon of US infantry was coming up the mountain under the guidance of several villagers. The distance was still far away, and with the steep slope, it would take this group of US troops at least two to three hours to climb up, even if they called in a helicopter for airlift, it would take nearly an hour. Ling Tianxiang assessed the situation and determined that there was no way to take out so many well-prepared US troops, and the remaining ammunition was not much either.

  The helicopter was flying back and forth above the mountain slope, but none of the US soldiers on board discovered Ling Tianxiang hiding in a pile of rocks. Under the guidance of several villagers who provided clues, the US military went straight to where Ling Tianxiang and Wei Daming had previously hidden. It was clear that the US military did not know the specific location, only knowing a general range. A reinforced platoon of US soldiers divided into three echelons, with an interval of no more than 100 meters between each pair of echelons. Three US soldiers formed a search team, and the interval between each pair was over 20 meters, advancing while covering each other.

  Looking at the way the US military is searching, Ling Tianxiang basically judges that this is a well-trained unit, although they are wearing the uniforms of the 10th Mountain Division, but it is very likely that they belong to some special forces that do not want to expose their identity. The US has deployed a large number of special forces in Afghanistan, and it's not a big problem to dispatch several special forces units over here. This further dispels Ling Tianxiang's idea of making a sneak attack, with more than a dozen helicopters above his head and dozens of fully armed American soldiers below, he can't gain any advantage.

  As the US military gradually approached the hiding place, Ling Tianxiang looked towards the mountain slope above the wolf's den. Before the US military unfolded their search, he had already left some traces of retreating south to Mount Noshak. If those US soldiers were truly well-trained special forces, they should be able to discover those traces. But the question was, could he deceive the US special forces? Ling Tianxiang didn't have much confidence in his heart.

  In previous missions, Ling Tianxiang had also encountered the US military's special forces, but never had a head-on encounter, let alone engage in mortal combat. Although Gu Dui said that the US military was a force that relied on advanced technology to fight, and its special forces' solo combat capabilities were not strong, Ling Tianxiang did not think there was anything wrong with relying on advanced technology to fight. For example, now there were over a dozen helicopters pressing down on him, making it hard for him to lift his head. If one day, there were also that many helicopters supporting the "Snow Leopard" team, would he still need to risk his life dodging enemy pursuit?

  A sudden noise brought Ling Tian back to his senses, and the villager who had led the way stood outside the wolf's den, pointing at the hole that only exposed a small opening. It was clear that it was this villager who had brought the American soldiers here.

  Soon, a US military officer walked up to the front, and when Ling Tianxiang saw the girl brought by the officer, he immediately widened his eyes. It was the girl he met last night, the one who took him into the village and gave him medicine and food.

  Damn it! Ling Tianxiang gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the sniper rifle.

  "To those inside, you are surrounded! Come out immediately and surrender, we can offer you favorable treatment!" The officer shouted loudly, then repeated it in English.

  The sound echoed through the mountains, and when he saw the US military officer using the girl as a hostage in front of him, his eyes were about to pop out. Although from this angle, he could still guarantee that one shot would kill the officer, but he didn't fire because he knew that if he killed the US military officer at this time, it would definitely expose himself and harm the girl who had helped him before. Damn it, what to do? Ling Tianxiang's thinking turned several hundred times in an instant, and the most appropriate solution was still to continue observing, absolutely not making any rash moves.

  After the echo disappeared, the officer beckoned to the scattered soldiers to shrink the encirclement. At this time, a US soldier suddenly ran up from behind and whispered something in the officer's ear. The officer immediately turned his head to look down at the foot of the mountain. Ling Tianxiang also shifted his gaze to look down at the foot of the mountain.

  Two middle-aged men, clearly officers or officials, without rifles, were coming up the mountain accompanied by several mercenaries in plain clothes with armed belts. Ling Tianxiang quickly adjusted the magnification of his monocular telescope and soon saw that one of them was a middle-aged man wearing only an undershirt, who was obviously not a soldier and might be an intelligence officer. What surprised Ling Tianxiang even more was that this man had an oriental face, but he immediately felt that there was nothing to be surprised about, as there were tens of millions of Asian immigrants in the United States.

  The US military surrounding the wolf's den stopped, apparently waiting for the two people behind to come up. Due to the steep slope of the mountain, the helicopter could not land at all, so the two "VIPs" had to walk up. Ling Tianxiang sneered, perhaps this was a good opportunity for the out-of-shape "VIPs" to exercise. At the same time, Ling Tianxiang also realized that the intelligence officer was very important and should not be shot even if there was an opportunity, but instead should be captured alive and get more useful information from his mouth.

  More than an hour had passed, and the sun was already halfway down when the two finally climbed up. At this time, several helicopters flew closer, with the machine gunners on board vigilantly gazing at the ground, posing as if a great enemy was in front of them, which made Ling Tianxiang feel that the identities of those two "key figures" were not ordinary.

  "Sir, it's over here."

  "Have you searched inside?"

  "Just about to start."

  Ling Tianxiang sneered, and it was clear that the lieutenant who led the team had not told the truth.

  "Let's get started then, and confirm the situation as soon as possible." At this time, Ling Tianxiang also saw clearly that the speaker was a senior military officer. He looked around and said, "Damn it, this is my newly bought leather boots!"

  The captain pretended he hadn't heard and waved his hand at his subordinates, then pointed to the villager who had brought them up, indicating that the villager should go in first.

  Ling Tianxiang slightly furrowed his brow, this group of American soldiers wasn't stupid, it seemed the first trap wouldn't be of much use. Chapter 9: Explosive Trap (Part 1)