Chapter 99: Iron Warrior

  The team leader responsible for receiving the task was Wang Wei, a tall and strong Shandong man, who was the commander of the armed police detachment stationed in Kashgar.

  "...Captain Wang, on such a cold day, you still call us out to receive them. What kind of people are these? High-ranking officials?" A small warrior from the same hometown as Wang Wei asked, holding a miniature submachine gun.

  "Not a captain, but just like you, we're all privates. The highest military rank is just two lieutenants." Wang Wei stomped his frozen stiff feet and said, tomorrow is New Year's Eve, it's already past 10 o'clock at night, it's very cold.

  "Damn it! A big shot? So arrogant? And they send a mere battalion commander to receive us? Special forces? Gone crazy!" Little Warrior said, annoyed. "Damn it! Why didn't I get this treatment?"

  "...whether he is a special forces soldier or not, I don't know. He was borrowed from the outside military district and coordinated with our actions. I also don't know what kind of formidable guy he is." Wang Wei's face didn't have any smile either, no way, it was arranged by the higher-ups, actually he didn't think that these people who came were anything special, they were all just soldiers, could it be that foreign monks are better at chanting scriptures? His own soldiers weren't eating for free.

  “…Fur! Cooperating with their actions, what do they take our armed police for? Can they be the only ones to catch people? Last year's kidnapping case, wasn't it our squadron's sharpshooter who shot and killed the thugs, saving the hostages? Are these outsiders going to ring the bell on our turf? I think the higher-ups have a problem with their brains!” Little Soldier Egg also chimed in without restraint, anyway he could see that the Squadron Leader was not too pleased with these people. The other few little soldiers also echoed in agreement, clearly all feeling indignant for their unit's abilities being looked down upon by their superiors.

  Treading on moonlight and biting cold wind, two buses finally drove into the reception office...

  At the moment when Squad Leader Shi Yunbin led his team down from the first vehicle, Wang Wei knew that these people seemed to be somewhat different from his soldiers, yet he couldn't quite put his finger on what was different. It was an old soldier's intuition...

  After Shi Yunbin's three teams got off the bus, they didn't follow the usual routine and walk towards Wang Wei immediately. Instead, they started to sort out their equipment right away. The team members didn't say a word, but worked together seamlessly to take out one big package after another from the luggage compartment under the bus. Not a single person paid attention to the welcoming detachment commander Wang Wei and his men, leaving them feeling awkward and embarrassed.

  The second bus also opened, and Ye Yangjian led the way out. The members of the Wolf Pack team got off one after another. Shi Yunbin saw Ye Yangjian get off the bus and nodded to him in greeting. Ye Yangjian also nodded back knowingly. After that, they didn't say anything else. After a series of hand gestures, the Wolf Pack team began to tidy up their equipment.

  Three minutes later, the equipment of the two squads of twenty people was all unloaded from the vehicle. Still no one spoke, and the two squads of the 177th Special Forces Regiment took their own weapon packs, assembled on the spot, and the sound of loading and unloading weapons filled the air.

  "…Alright! Fire at will!"

  "…Alright! Fire at will!"

  "... Assembly complete..." The report echoed back and forth.

  "Reporting to captain, 177th Wolf Claw Squad, 3rd Class, weapon equipment check completed, ready to execute mission at any time!"

  "Report to the captain, 177th Wolf Pack Squad, weapons and equipment are complete, have been inspected, ready to engage in combat at any time!"

  "Whoa! Are these guys special forces?" The little warrior was intimidated by the professional formation and whispered to himself, sticking out his tongue. Although the voice was not loud, Ye Yangjian heard it and turned around, grinning at the SWAT team's little warrior: "Special forces? Cooks and animal feeders are considered special troops. We're field army." Ye Yangjian's tone was filled with strong confidence! That was the aura of a seasoned veteran who had seen blood, what is special forces? What is a special unit? No concept! The only distinction in the troops is between first-line, second-line and ace units.

  Shi Yunbin then looked at Wang Wei, who was standing there with a gloomy face, and thought that ignoring him would be somewhat impolite. He took a step forward, saluted, and said: "Deputy Regiment Commander Comrade! Hello. According to the order from above, A3 Special Brigade 177 Special Operations Company 3rd Platoon, 10th Platoon, all personnel are present, weapons and equipment are complete, please inspect. As ordered, my unit has made preparations for battle readiness at any time, 24-hour standby! Please instruct, Deputy Regiment Commander!" One sentence completely dispelled Wang Wei's dissatisfaction...

  Wang Wei didn't know that this was Shi Yunbin's rhetoric, but he couldn't help feeling a little impressed. As a soldier, his duty was to obey orders, and these people were resolutely executing their superior's commands. Although they seemed uncouth, Wang Wei secretly admired them. Nowadays, the army was full of sycophants who only knew how to flatter their superiors. Soldiers like these, who were straightforward and honest, were hard to come by. In his heart, he couldn't help but envy the commander of these soldiers: "Damn it! If I had a group of soldiers like this under my command, I'd definitely be able to make general!"

  "By order. We don't engage in intelligence gathering, we're only responsible for eliminating the target! Brief us on the situation and we'll set out immediately!"... Shi Yunbin's tone was full of tenacity and disregard for life.

  "Comrades from the intelligence unit have identified a hideout of East Turkestan armed elements, located here..." Wang Wei pointed to an area on the map and said to Shi Yunbin and Ye Yangjian. "The situation is not good, that area is a mix of dragons and snakes, surrounded by residential areas. The armed elements' hideout is right in the middle, just 10 meters away from a small hotel. I'm worried that if they take hostages, it will be troublesome!" Wang Wei sighed heavily. This mission was very difficult, requiring both the capture of East Turkestan armed rebels and the protection of local residents and tourists' lives. The situation was very severe, and he had already dispatched a large number of personnel to secretly evacuate, but he didn't dare move against the enemy who was under their noses. He was afraid of startling the snake by hitting the grass. "I don't know how these two groups will break this deadlock," Wang Wei muttered to himself.

  Shi Yunbin smiled and didn't say a word.* Huang Se turned his head and instructed his teammates to prepare...

  "Big bear! Tank! Bring more guys!" Yayang Jian also turned back and shouted.

  "...Alright!" Big Bear smiled and took his stuff away. Tank nodded slightly and followed him too.

  "Hey, you two, do you have any plans? Let's discuss it." Wang Wei asked tentatively. These soldiers were not easy to mess with, he had secretly inquired about them and found out that they all seemed to have seen blood before. No wonder, the A3 warriors looked like they all had a serious tendency towards violence deep down.

  "No need to discuss it anymore. We'll just carry out our tasks according to orders!" Shi Yunbin said calmly.

  "How can that be? There are still so many people around, and tourists, we must hold a detailed meeting to study it carefully, come up with several battle plans, repeatedly weigh the pros and cons, and then call on public security, fire department, and hospital to take joint action! Moreover, the enemy has heavy firepower! Our weapons can't suppress them." Wang Wei became displeased and his attitude turned tough.

  "Don't bother." Shi Yunbin was good-tempered, with a smile that seemed like a refined scholar's. But his tone carried a hint of impatience.

  "No way! I'm the commander-in-chief here, and this matter must be decided by me. I am responsible for the safety of people's lives and property! You are dispatched to assist me, and you must listen to my orders!" Wang Wei was about to lose his temper, as a deputy regimental commander of the armed police force, he had been repeatedly refused by a lieutenant colonel in front of his subordinates, and his face couldn't take it anymore.

  "Comrade squadron leader, do you know why our A3's 177 was borrowed to come here? Instead of letting your armed police complete this task?" Night Yang Jian said weakly while looking harmless at the almost furious squadron leader.

  "Hmm, this...this..." Wang Wei stuttered and couldn't get the words out. It was an order from above, how could a mere squad leader like himself possibly guess the reasoning behind it?