Chapter One: The Tiger's Shadow Looms Large

  The sky is low and the air is humid, these signs foretell the prelude to a storm. A figure in camouflage clothing moves quickly through the forest, occasionally stopping to rest for a moment, with eyes like a leopard's vigilantly scanning the surroundings, as sweat drips down his resolute face.

  Yang Wenfeng confirmed the location of the meeting point on his electronic navigation map and proceeded with even more caution. His excessive caution paid off, as he discovered two hidden sentries, one hiding in a tree and the other in a clump of grass. It seemed that this area was being guarded by the enemy. As a secret infiltration mission, Yang Wenfeng had the right to terminate the task if such a situation arose. However, thinking about the safety of his comrade at the meeting point, he felt a sense of responsibility and decided to notify them instead. After making up his mind, Yang Wenfeng skillfully avoided the two sentries and continued forward, crossing a small stream before arriving at a mountain ridge. The civilian residence below was the designated meeting point. Due to the construction of a high-level military base by the army in the nearby area, all residents had been relocated downhill. Looking down, the residence appeared desolate and abandoned. Yang Wenfeng took out his binoculars and carefully searched the residence, discovering two armed soldiers guarding a man sitting in a wheelchair in the courtyard. His heart tightened - had the meeting point been exposed? He used his binoculars to survey the surroundings, confirming that there were no hidden sentries on the mountain ridge before selecting an angle where he could sneak down without being seen by the soldiers.

  The house had been uninhabited for many years, and it was already in a state of disrepair. The tiles on the roof were almost all fallen off, leaving only the ridge beam and rafters exposed. The windows on the window sill were almost completely rotten. Yang Wenfeng climbed into the house through a window at the back, and was immediately hit with a strong smell of rot and decay. He pushed aside the annoying cobwebs and took out a climbing rope from his backpack. He carefully tied one end of the rope to the already damaged door handle, then slowly backed away while letting out the rope, retreating to the kitchen in the corner. Yang Wenfeng took out his P99 pistol, fitted it with a silencer, and peeked out the window sideways. Two soldiers and the man in the wheelchair were standing sideways in front of him. He suddenly pulled on the rope, causing the rusty door hinge to creak loudly and the damaged door to shatter into pieces. The strange mixture of sounds echoed through the dilapidated house, creating an eerie atmosphere.

  Two soldiers were startled, they looked at each other and made a gesture to each other, then walked towards the two ends of the front door... Yang Wenfeng seized the opportunity to jump out of the window, when the two soldiers became slightly alert, he raised his gun and pulled the trigger, and the two soldiers fell to the ground. The man in the wheelchair desperately shouted: "Don't kill me, don't kill me! I'm just a poor man..."

  "Who are you? Why were you taken by them?"

  "I came camping with my family... " The fat man in the wheelchair shook his body, "The three of us came here to rest and were planning to spend the night. Before long, someone entered the courtyard, we thought it was a bad guy, so we hid in the house and didn't dare come out. That person seemed to be waiting for someone, constantly walking back and forth in the courtyard, looking tense and afraid. Seeing this person's strange behavior, we were even more afraid to make a sound while hiding in the house. After a while, that person became impatient and was about to leave when suddenly a group of soldiers rushed in. That person was shocked, pulled out a gun to defend himself, but those soldiers reacted faster than him. The man was shot multiple times and fell to the ground... At this time, an officer rushed into the courtyard, scolding the soldiers while pointing at them, 'You should capture him alive! Why did you open fire?!' The officer came to the side of the person who had been shot, checked his pulse, confirmed that he was dead, then scolded the soldiers again. Only then did he order people to carry the body into the house. At this time, my daughter-in-law was probably too tense, her body leaned against a cabinet, but that cabinet had long since rotted and immediately collapsed with a loud noise. My son and I looked at each other and were exposed, so we could only go out to accept the investigation. After our repeated explanations, they finally believed that we were tourists. The officer reported to his superior and said that he would take my son and daughter-in-law to the camp for military interrogation. As for how to deal with me, two soldiers were left to guard me until your arrival..."

  "The person who was shot and taken into the house by them......" Yang Wenfeng's heart sank, "Where is his body?"

  "In the main house's corner. They covered his corpse with a tattered quilt...... The man in the wheelchair panted, sweat rolling down his forehead."

  Yang Wenfeng re-entered the main house and, as expected, found the person shot in a corner of the room under a broken blanket. The person had been shot three times, with all three bullets hitting their liver and lungs, making it impossible for them to survive. He stretched out his hand and pressed his fingers against the person's neck, feeling that their body temperature was extremely weak. Just as he was about to give up hope, a faint pulse suddenly made him overjoyed. He took out a dose of adrenaline from his backpack and injected it into the person's body using a disposable syringe. Then, he used water from a canteen to clean the person's face before gently grasping their hand and calling out: "Comrade, wake up! Comrade..."

  Whether it was the effect of the stimulant or his call, the man opened his eyes with difficulty, his mouth trembling, and after a long time, he finally spat out a sentence: "You... who are you?"

  Yang Wenfeng took down a steel plate from his neck, on which was engraved an eagle soaring in the sky. "You should know it?"

  "Are you... Are you Eagle One?"

  "Is me. Are you Comrade Luo Mingsheng?"

  "It's... me... what a pity... I... didn't complete... the mission..."

  "No, you are very strong! Our conversation at this moment is the best proof."

  "To prevent... intelligence... from falling into their hands, I... I had no choice but to destroy it..."

  "You did a great job, and it was the right decision to destroy it in that situation."

  "But... I left a trump card..." Luo Mingsheng's mouth moved with difficulty, and he spat out an SD card. Yang Wenfeng quickly took the SD card, "Inside... there is a Trojan horse virus that I secretly created. As long as... you upload the virus program to the control center computer at the base, you can... obtain the coordinates of the second radar..."

  "Comrade Luo Mingsheng, thank you! What you have done for the country will never be forgotten by the people."

  "Do you know? My ancestral home is in a small town in southern Anhui, and now it's spring, the rapeseed flowers in my hometown must be blooming... so radiant; In my dreams, the Huishui River flows quietly, that's the mother river of my hometown, she's always been so clear and warm, only unfortunately... I left my hometown at the age of 10 and never went back..."

  "Don't worry." Yang Wenfeng's eyes sparkled, "We will definitely move you back!"

  "That's...fine. My wife has been gone for several years, and I have no children, so returning to my beloved hometown is the best thing that could happen..."

  Lu Ming's face was stiff, but his dull pupils flowed with a warm and gentle emotion.

  At this time, the sound of a wheelchair man's cough came from outside the door. Yang Wenfeng felt that Luo Mingsheng's weak palm was grasping him tightly, and the tenderness in his pupils turned into fear: "Be careful! The door...the door...outside..." As he said this, Luo Mingsheng's head suddenly tilted back, and his words abruptly stopped.

  "Comrade Luo Mingsheng! Comrade Luo Mingsheng..." Seeing that Luo Mingsheng didn't respond, Yang Wenfeng gently closed his wide-open eyes.

  What made Luo Ming's heart filled with fear?

  Is it awe in the face of death?

  Yang Wenfeng carefully covered Luo Mingsheng's body with a broken quilt and saluted him solemnly.

  This made the frequency of coughing outside more urgent, Yang Wenfeng walked out of the main house and saw the wheelchair man's hands shaking as he held a medicine bottle, while seven or eight medicine bottles were scattered under him. The wheelchair man probably had an attack, his weak hands couldn't even open the medicine bottle, he looked at Yang Wenfeng with pleading eyes, "Save me..."

  Yang Wenfeng walked over to open the medicine bottle for him, "Are two pills enough?" The man in the wheelchair shook his head with difficulty. "How about four? ... What about eight? ... Ten?!" The man in the wheelchair nodded this time.

  Yang Wenfeng fed the medicine to the man in the wheelchair and gave him two sips of water from his canteen. After a while, the man in the wheelchair finally came to and thanked Yang repeatedly. However, Yang was drawn to the two soldiers who had fallen to the ground because they were using G36C automatic rifles, which only a select few on the island used... Yang examined their shoulder badges, which featured the faces of two animals: half wolf, half fox. It wasn't until then that he understood why Luo Mingshan was so terrified before his death, as these two soldiers belonged to the DTA's Wolf Fox Squad!

  "Why is it DTA's Wolf Fox Squad?" Yang Wenfeng was somewhat puzzled. If this incident was a strong intervention by the DTA, then that would mean the severity of the situation. At this time, someone outside the door shouted:

  "Attention, people inside! You are surrounded, if you want to live, surrendering your arms is the only option!"

  Yang Wenfeng made a gesture to the man in the wheelchair, and the man in the wheelchair immediately shouted: "All officers, I'm just an unarmed civilian, I'll come out to show my identity to all of you, please don't shoot!" The man in the wheelchair nodded at Yang Wenfeng and pushed his wheelchair out of the courtyard. Yang Wenfeng then removed the G36C and magazine from the bodies of the two dead soldiers, preparing for a breakout with firepower.

  Outside the courtyard, someone was shouting, and Yang Wenfeng responded with bullets. The other side saw that shouting was ineffective and could only counterattack with force. After a round of probing fire, Yang Wenfeng drew the following conclusions: the enemy's numbers were not many, but their marksmanship was precise, it was undoubtedly DTA soldiers; although the opponent's numbers were not many, it did not mean they couldn't organize an effective counterattack, the only explanation was that they wanted to take prisoners alive; since the opponent wanted to take prisoners alive and didn't conduct accurate warning shots, it meant they had no snipers, which was very advantageous for him. The calm analysis made him make a quick decision, if the opponent's reinforcements arrived, he wouldn't be able to fly out of the courtyard even with wings.

  The house had been turned into an L-shape, with the short vertical section being a kitchen and the long horizontal section being four rooms. The room closest to the kitchen was a dining room, and on the other side of the dining room was a living room. On either side of the living room were two bedrooms that shared a door. Both the dining room and the two bedrooms had windows for ventilation. To prevent enemies from sneaking up from behind, Yang Wenfeng guarded the living room, which allowed him to keep an eye on both sides. After making some preparations, Yang Wenfeng replaced his G36C's magazine with a 100-round C-magazine drum. He wanted to focus on sustained firepower to attract the enemy's attention. When he had fired all the bullets in the drum, the enemies outside were indeed fully attracted and their counterattack intensified. Yang Wenfeng threw two smoke grenades into the courtyard, and instantly the entire area was shrouded in a thick fog, blocking visibility. As both sides became more cautious... Suddenly, there was a noise from the dining room on the left. Yang Wenfeng, who had been prepared, fired two shots at the soldier who was launching a surprise attack from the window behind the dining room. He then quickly moved to the right and found another soldier jumping into the house through the window, supporting himself with one hand. Yang Wenfeng raised his gun and fired two more shots, and this soldier fell heavily outside the window. At this time, there was another noise from the inner room. Yang Wenfeng rushed forward and threw a stun grenade into the inner room. After a loud explosion and a flash of strong light, he rushed in and fired two shots at the soldiers who were stunned by the light.

  Yang Wenfeng switched to the C-type drum again, he jumped out of the rear window, turned around the corner and started counterattacking the soldiers outside the courtyard with strong firepower. The enemy outside the courtyard was caught off guard, and they were knocked down one by one. A soldier was shocked and immediately hid behind a man in a wheelchair, taking the man in the wheelchair as a hostage, preparing to make a desperate last stand.

  "Put down your gun quickly, or I'll take his life!" The soldier said with a dagger pressed against the throat of the man in the wheelchair.

  "...Save...save...me..."

  Yang Wenfeng looked at the man in the wheelchair, hesitated for a moment, then put down the G36C in his hand. "Hand over all your weapons!"

  Yang Wenfeng took out the P99 and weighed it in his hand, reluctantly throwing the gun under the wheelchair. The soldier still carefully held a knife to the throat of the man in the wheelchair with one hand, while bending down to pick up the P99 thrown by Yang Wenfeng with the other hand. Just as the soldier's body was exposed for an instant, Yang Wenfeng made his move. A cold light flashed by, and a CD-5 military knife had already been inserted into the soldier's chest.

  "Your timing is just right..." The man in the wheelchair panted and wiped away the sweat from his forehead.

  "He is cautious but too greedy. He has his own pistol yet still wants to pick up others'."

  Yang Wenfeng walked over, pulling out his own military knife as he spoke calmly.

  "Well said!"

  A man spoke in a low voice, and immediately Yang Wenfeng's upper body was tightly wrapped by a pair of sturdy arms. The arms suddenly exerted force, and Yang Wenfeng felt his body being clamped like a giant iron clip. Since his hands were tied up, he couldn't make any resistance. The man behind him breathed heavily, like a wild beast salivating over its prey. As the arms tightened further, Yang Wenfeng felt suffocated. If he didn't counterattack, he would never have another chance. Taking advantage of his last bit of consciousness, Yang Wenfeng used all his strength to struggle free, and his legs kicked downwards fiercely. The man behind him let out a mournful cry, and the arms that had been holding him finally loosened. Yang Wenfeng bent over, panting heavily, and only then did he see clearly the person who had ambushed him - a tall, robust man about two meters high. But now this man was lying on the ground, rubbing his feet with both hands, tears and snot covering his face.

  The severe blow seemed to infuriate the burly man, who let out a loud roar and charged at Yang Wenfeng. The burly man's attack was not to be underestimated, and Yang Wenfeng took a hit to his abdomen and another to his back. If he hadn't undergone rigorous special training to develop his superhuman physique, he might have already passed out from the pain.

  "Hahaha... now you know who's awesome?! You remember, your opponent is none other than the renowned DTA Investigation Team's Lieutenant Zhou Xihǔ!"

  After witnessing Zhou Xihu's ferocity, Yang Wenfeng hastily changed his strategy. Although Zhou Xihu had a strong attacking power, his large and cumbersome physique restricted his speed. Yang Wenfeng dodged and weaved around Zhou Xihu with agile steps. After several rounds, Zhou Xihu was like a bull in a bullfighting arena, exhausted and powerless, his massive body now just an empty shell. Yang Wenfeng began to counterattack, and under a flurry of swift and fierce blows, Zhou Xihu's sturdy body finally crashed to the ground.

  "You despicable little man! If you have the ability, let's have a fair and square showdown. What kind of skill is it to launch a sneak attack?!"

  Zhou Xihu fell to the ground and cursed loudly.

  "Sneak attack? Underhanded tactics? Do you think this is a duel between knights in the era of cold weapons?! Yang Wenfeng said disdainfully, "As a warrior, you should know that what we are engaging in is a fair fight. The difference is, you're using your body, while I'm using my wits. To attribute one's own defeat to the opponent's strength, this is the excuse of a cowardly deserter! Don't try to deny it. Even if you haven't done so yet, your heart has already fled in disarray."

  "Son of a bitch! What else can you have besides a sharp tongue?!"

  Zhou Xihu glared with his eyes wide open and panted heavily.

  "A person lying on the ground has no right to criticize others?"

  Zhou Xihu was no match for Yang Wenfeng in a battle of wits, nor could he win an argument. He let out a loud roar, and his anger suddenly got the better of him, causing him to faint.

  "You are indeed a hero with both wisdom and bravery!" the man in the wheelchair praised, "With your own strength, you annihilated these people. You special agents with extraordinary missions are truly amazing and breathtaking!"

  "How did you know I'm a special agent with a special mission?" Yang Wenfeng's eyes shone as he gathered his weapons.

  "Don't get me wrong..." The man in the wheelchair smiled somewhat awkwardly, "If you're a fugitive, those chasing you would be police, not these soldiers. Although the fugitives on this island are fierce, they wouldn't have skills as good as yours. I may be disabled, but my eyes and heart are clear, I won't misjudge."

  "Is this flattery?"

  "Not flattery, it's fact!"

  "Great!" Yang Wenfeng couldn't help but take another look at the man in the wheelchair. "How can I arrange for you?"

  "Just send me to the highway ahead. The highway leads down the mountain, and at the foot of the mountain there is a rural office, where I will find a way to rescue my son and daughter-in-law."

  "Will one person going down the mountain be in danger?"

  The man in the wheelchair laughed loudly and said: "Give people with disabilities some confidence!"

  Yang Wenfeng checked the brakes of the wheelchair and said, "When going downhill, pay attention to braking according to road conditions."

  "I can... " Suddenly, the man in the wheelchair shouted in horror, "Watch out behind you! Zhou Xihou..."

  The moment Yang Wenfeng turned around, he felt a strong electric current surging through his entire body, and then he fell to the ground. He struggled hard, but in vain, a pair of eyes that could see everything saw only a greedy face sneering at him.

  "Who would have thought it would end up like this?" The man in the wheelchair fiddled with an electric baton, "What has enabled humans to evolve into the masters of the earth? It's intelligence! When human-like apes first evolved, they faced a harsh natural environment, with saber-toothed tigers and mammoths roaming the continent. Human-like apes were just low-level animal species on this continent. However, looking at the history of human civilization, those ferocious beasts became fossils and private collections for humans, while the descendants of human-like apes became the masters of this continent. Humans weren't swallowed up by these ferocious beasts not because of their physical bodies, but because of their intelligent brains. I completely agree with your point of view on this. However, since humans dominated this planet, they also gave birth to their own arrogance and pride - the price of arrogance is that intelligence becomes obscured; the result of pride is to throw away one's own life! You're very special, from you, I can smell the stench of rot accumulated over thousands of years on the yellow earth..."

  ……

  "You are very brave, but you have come to the wrong place and should not slaughter my children! Do you know how much heart and soul I've put into raising these kids? Years of hard work were destroyed in an instant by you. You will pay for this! You must pay for this!! Don't think this is just the ranting of a crippled old man, you'll find out soon enough... For now, take a rest and conserve your energy to face the trials ahead!"

  The man in a wheelchair stretched out an electric baton again, and the powerful electric shock made Yang Wenfeng faint.

  The man in a wheelchair furrowed his brow and said in a low voice: "Sending such a strong agent to this island, what exactly do they want to do?"