Compared to regular passenger planes, the height for airdrop planes is much lower. At this time, with the crescent moon still visible, the ground traffickers could see people parachuting down, not knowing who they were but knowing they were not friends.
The plane maneuvered in a U-turn, and team members jumped out of the cabin one after another. Wu Dongfang was the last one to jump. Although the ground traffickers fired at the plane, they did not cause substantial damage as rifle bullets lose effectiveness beyond eight hundred meters.
Bullets couldn't harm the plane, but they posed a threat to the airborne soldiers. To ensure safety, all team members delayed opening their parachutes as much as possible to reduce the time spent in the air.
The area along the China-Myanmar border is mostly primitive jungle, with tall and dense trees. After landing, Wu Dongfang's parachute got caught in the canopy of a large tree, leaving him suspended about five or six meters above the ground.
The light under the trees was exceptionally dim. Wu Dongfang quickly observed the surrounding environment through the scope of his rifle, determined the height from the ground, and then pressed the parachute release to land and roll several times to dissipate the force before quietly lying prone. He checked his approximate location through the positioning device on his wrist.
He was slightly west of his intended location, less than five li (about 2.5 kilometers) from the border. The area where the traffickers were engaged in intense gunfire was about two li (about 1 kilometer) to the east.
Instead of joining the encirclement, Wu Dongfang quickly got up and moved westward. After being attacked, the traffickers would likely retreat to Myanmar in a hurry. His goal was to quickly familiarize himself with the surrounding environment to prepare for a strong counterattack.
While observing the environment, Wu Dongfang also judged the enemy's strength based on the gunfire. The 95 rifles used by his team members and the 56 rifles used by the enemy had different bullet calibers, and the sounds were slightly different. Through the gunfire, he could tell that both sides were mostly firing in bursts. However, the enemy's bursts were not random but had a distinct rhythm, indicating that they were not a disorganized group but likely a group of trained mercenaries.
At this time, only three team members behind enemy lines had launched an attack. Their main goal was to delay the enemy, gaining time for their comrades on the left, right, and front to reach the combat positions. The six team members on the left and right were the main force for killing enemies. Their task was to ambush the retreating enemy. Snipers and crossbowmen were positioned on both flanks. Wu Dongfang was the last line of defense, responsible for intercepting any escapees.
As Wu Dongfang moved quickly westward, he heard a voice in his earpiece, "They're retreating quickly."
Although Wu Dongfang was anxious, he didn't rush. The communication devices worn by the team members were interconnected. The team members responsible for the flanks must be rushing to their combat positions.
Unlike regular hills or mounds, the deep mountains along the China-Myanmar border were true primitive forests—hot, humid, rarely visited by humans, with giant trees blocking the way and thorns entangling the legs. It was extremely difficult to traverse. However, what Wu Dongfang feared was not these obstacles but the presence of the most poisonous snakes in Asia, the king cobra.
Finally, gunshots came from both flanks, and the snipers and crossbowmen began to exert their power. While the team members with rifles faced the enemy head-on, the snipers and crossbowmen attacked covertly. Although the crossbows had a shorter range, they had their unique advantages. They made no sound when fired and produced no visible flash, making them especially suitable for jungle night battles.
Under siege, the enemy began to throw grenades to counterattack, while also accelerating their retreat.
Hundreds of meters later, Wu Dongfang finally found the winding path hidden in the woods. The gunfire behind him was still intense, indicating that there were still a large number of enemies not yet eliminated. After a brief moment of thought, Wu Dongfang ran west along the path. Intercepting them now would force the drug traffickers off the path. Once they entered the dense forest, it would be difficult to find them again.
Less than a kilometer from the border, Wu Dongfang ordered, "Report the count."
"Seems like seven." "Should be three." "Four or five."...
"We're almost at the border," Wu Dongfang interrupted the counting. It was difficult to determine the exact number of enemies killed in the dark jungle, making it impossible to estimate how many enemies remained.
Without knowing the remaining number of enemies, a direct interception couldn't be executed. If there were only a few enemies left, he was confident he could eliminate them before they entered the dense forest. However, if their numbers were greater, it would be inevitable that some would slip through the net.
After consideration, Wu Dongfang left the winding path and hid about fifty meters away.
After a moment, the enemy hurriedly arrived. The people in the front were all wearing vests made of coarse cloth, bulging as if they were hiding drugs inside. Behind them were more than a dozen mercenaries in camouflage uniforms, providing cover fire for the drug traffickers to retreat.
Wu Dongfang waited until they had all passed before the mercenaries who had just rushed forward opened fire, using continuous shooting.
Compared to single shots, continuous shooting had greater power and could kill more enemies, but it also carried greater risk. During continuous shooting, the shooter had to maintain the firing position, and the muzzle flash would continue, making it completely unhidden and vulnerable to enemy attacks at any time.
The longer the continuous shooting, the more enemies would be killed, but the more dangerous it would be for oneself. This was a test of courage and judgment. Wu Dongfang's continuous shooting lasted for five seconds. In these five seconds, only the first second was safe. The following four seconds could result in being shot at any time.
After five seconds, Wu Dongfang immediately lay down. The enemy's gunfire followed, bullets whistling past him. Wu Dongfang lay close to the ground. When the gunfire stopped, he immediately rolled southwest, knowing that the enemy knew his position. To ensure his death, they would likely throw grenades after shooting.
Wu Dongfang guessed right. The enemy did want to throw grenades, but at the moment of throwing, they were shot dead by a sniper from a distance. The remaining two mercenaries were in a panic, scrambling to escape.
The grenade exploded with a muffled sound and a brief flash. Wu Dongfang quickly got up, raised his gun, and shot the last two mercenaries, then turned and chased after the drug traffickers who had already run far ahead.
"Boss, damn it, I'm with him." A teammate's voice came over the headset.
"I thought he was dead." Wu Dongfang let out a sigh of relief.
"Boss, you're five hundred meters from the border." The communication officer carrying the global positioning device urgently reminded through the intercom.
At this point, the other teammates were all falling behind, with only Wu Dongfang in a forward position. Since he hadn't participated in the fierce battle before, Wu Dongfang was full of energy and rushed forward rapidly from the woods.
One of the drug traffickers, hearing the noise from the jungle behind him, hastily turned back and fired indiscriminately with his pistol. Instead of hitting Wu Dongfang, he exposed his position and was shot down by Wu Dongfang.
The path taken by the traffickers was narrow and winding, surrounded by dense vegetation. However, the remaining three traffickers did not hide in the vegetation but fled westward, knowing that they would be safe once they crossed the border.
Under normal circumstances, traffickers could not outrun soldiers who had received special training. But when their lives were threatened, it was a different story. Several traffickers abandoned their gear and fled for their lives. They were very familiar with the terrain, while Wu Dongfang could not accelerate to full speed on the winding mountain road, missing both of his burst shots.
"Boss, we can't go any further!" The communication officer's voice came over the headset.
By now, it was already bright, and Wu Dongfang could clearly see the national border marker on the ground. Similar markers were placed every few kilometers as a sign of the border.
Wu Dongfang was regretful that he couldn't catch up with the remaining three traffickers. However, with the border marker right in front of him, crossing the border for ordinary people would at most be considered illegal border crossing. But for an active-duty soldier, crossing the border would be considered an invasion of another country's territory.
The other team members arrived soon after. Wu Dongfang had already begun to turn back. The team members approached and tried to console him, saying, "Boss, we did our best." "Didn't expect them to be interested in civilian flights." "It's my fault, I was too late."
"We let them escape, but at least we killed a few." Wu Dongfang handed his rifle to one of the team members, pulled out a knife, squatted down, and opened up one of the vests the traffickers had discarded in the grass, taking out a black object and sniffing it.
"Boss, is it opium?" a team member asked.
"I don't know, but it's definitely not gelatin. Damn it, let him come and confirm." Wu Dongfang said casually.
After Wu Dongfang finished speaking, a middle-aged man in an outer camouflage suit walked out from the crowd. Wu Dongfang turned to look at him, but at that moment, a gunshot rang out from the west side of the jungle. Accompanied by the gunshot, the man's left eye burst, and a spray of blood mist splattered from the back of his head.
Upon hearing the gunshot, the crowd immediately dispersed and took cover, while at the same time, they unlocked the safety of their weapons in preparation to fire.
"F*cking looking for death!" Before the man could fall, Wu Dongfang rushed out. He knew exactly what had happened. Drug traffickers hated nothing more than undercover agents. This was why they risked coming back after fleeing the country.
Seeing Wu Dongfang rushing out, the other team members dared not open fire. They locked their safeties and hurriedly followed behind.
Several tens of meters later, the shooting trafficker fled back into Myanmar territory. This time, Wu Dongfang did not stop but chased after him directly.
A team member rushed over and held him back, shaking his head repeatedly while pointing at the positioning device on his wrist. The positioning devices on everyone were connected to headquarters. If they crossed the border, headquarters would know immediately.
Wu Dongfang pushed away the team member holding him back and bent down to continue forward.
Seeing this, everyone followed suit. Wu Dongfang turned back and waved, "You can't risk punishment, go back!"
Stopping everyone, Wu Dongfang slowed down his pace, alert for a possible ambush while searching for the enemy's whereabouts.
After sneaking for several hundred meters without finding any trace of the enemy, he discovered the winding path hidden in the woods.
After advancing westward through the jungle beside the path for about ten minutes, Wu Dongfang heard footsteps coming from the opposite jungle. A moment later, a dark-faced drug trafficker emerged onto the path.
Seeing the opponent within range, Wu Dongfang drew his pistol and began shooting, hitting the vital points with three consecutive shots.
After the gunfire, there was a hurried sound of footsteps not far to the west. It was clear that the other two drug traffickers resting nearby had heard the gunfire and started to flee.
Wu Dongfang quickly followed the footsteps. However, due to the dense foliage, he couldn't see them even though they were not far ahead. He had to rely on the sound of their footsteps to determine their position and shoot.
The traffickers started firing back. Most of the bullets from both sides were blocked by the trees in the forest, and neither side was able to hit the other after several rounds of exchange.
As the chase continued, the traffickers turned south, and the trees in the forest began to thin out. Wu Dongfang finally caught sight of them and quickly aimed, killing one of the traffickers.
The last trafficker fled south, with Wu Dongfang in hot pursuit. As they ran southward and the trees became fewer, neither side fired again. After several rounds of shooting, both of them had run out of bullets.
After chasing for five or six minutes, the trafficker in front suddenly stopped beside a giant rock. Just as Wu Dongfang thought he might be hiding a firearm here, the trafficker pulled out an old-fashioned umbrella bag from under the rock, slung it over his back, and rushed towards the southern cliff.
"What a cunning move!" Wu Dongfang sneered inwardly. These traffickers were in the business of killing, using every trick to save their own lives.
When the trafficker reached the edge of the cliff, he stopped, turned around, and spat at Wu Dongfang, raising his right middle finger up and down.
This insulting gesture did not anger Wu Dongfang. Although he didn't know what was below the cliff, he had been trained in skydiving.
The trafficker humiliated Wu Dongfang, then calmly deployed his parachute and jumped off the cliff. Wu Dongfang followed closely, leaping out and grabbing him from behind, then pulling out his knife and stabbing the trafficker in the left chest.
The trafficker began to struggle violently, but Wu Dongfang used both hands and feet to tightly restrain him. Just then, a chilling discovery made him shudder: something inside the parachute bag was moving...