At two-thirty in the morning, a secluded village near the border of Country Y.
Several military jeeps quietly arrived, stopping about ten miles from the village. Seven soldiers dressed in Special Forces uniforms swiftly got out, forming a line, and looked confidently toward another military officer approaching them.
The officer, with a solemn face, marched to the front of the seven men and said in a deep voice, "According to our intelligence, the major drug lord Kun Cuo is hiding in this village. These past years, Kun Cuo has mainly been responsible for trafficking drugs into our country and is one of the main drug suppliers domestically, making him a major fugitive in our national wanted list. His entry into our country this time presents us with the best opportunity to capture him. For safety, the higher-ups have specifically approved the Night Wolf Team to carry out this capture mission. This is a trust in us and also a test. Do you have the confidence to capture Kun Cuo?"
The seven did not reply but stood at attention, showing great determination.
"Very good!" the officer nodded and continued, "Everyone, pay attention, Kun Cuo is a top-level drug lord in Country Y, armed with heavy weapons. He is estimated to have at least twenty fully armed personal bodyguards, most of whom are seasoned soldiers with combat skills no less than yours. So, you must be cautious about your safety. Also, most of the houses in the village are inhabited by civilians, so unless absolutely necessary, do not escalate the gunfight to avoid harming the innocent!"
The men stood at attention again, and the officer nodded in satisfaction. He walked up to a man in the front and said, "Ye Qing, as the captain of the Night Wolf Squad, you are in full charge of this mission. This is the map of the village; the circled area is where Kun Cuo is hiding."
The officer handed the map to the captain named Ye Qing, took a step back, and said, "The next steps are up to you. I hope you all fight a brilliant battle. I will be waiting here for your victorious return!"
The seven saluted and then turned to disappear into the vast night.
The officer watched them fade into the distance and casually pulled a cigarette from his pocket, turning to a policeman standing on the other side.
This policeman had two flower insignias on his shoulder, indicating a high ranking in the police force. He looked somewhat worriedly at the seven men disappearing ahead and said in a low voice, "Commander Chen, Kun Cuo in Country Y is famously known as a ruthless demon king. According to my intelligence, those twenty or more bodyguards around him are not ex-soldiers but mercenaries specifically hired by Kun Cuo for a high price, highly capable in combat. Isn't it a bit risky just sending these seven to capture him?"
Commander Chen took a drag of his cigarette, smiled faintly, and said, "Director Zhou, do not worry about them. I'd advise you to pray for Kun Cuo instead. Whether he comes out in one piece after they reach there is yet to be seen!"
"Ah?" Director Zhou was startled, looking at Commander Chen in disbelief, thinking to himself that the commander was perhaps too overconfident.
Commander Chen continued to watch the distant village quietly, thinking to himself, "Kun Cuo, what sins did you commit in your past life to end up encountering the Night Wolf Squad? And to make matters worse, led by Ye Qing? Well, I hope you haven't done anything too outrageous this time!"
Meanwhile, the seven Special Forces took advantage of the night and the cover of bushes, quietly moving to a place about a mile away from the village. In the darkness, the seven soldiers were like seven silent Night Wolves. Despite being fully armed, they made no noise as they moved.
From a distance, when Captain Ye Qing raised his hand, all seven immediately stopped and quickly gathered around him.
On their way there, Ye Qing had studied the map repeatedly, memorizing its contents, quickly formulating an attack plan. Now, seeing the layout of the village from afar, his plan gradually became more refined.
Ye Qing spread the map on the ground, took out a pen from his pocket, and marked a few spots, saying softly, "These places might have guards on night watch. Gecko, Toad, these spots are for you."
"Yes!" the two called out, stood up - Gecko was slightly taller, while Toad was of average height with a face full of acne, matching his nickname perfectly.
Ye Qing marked another spot and said sternly, "This place is the highest point in the village. If Kun Cuo has snipers, they will definitely be hiding there. Eagle Eye, this spot is yours, also provide support to other areas throughout!"
"Yes!" Another man stood up, this one of ordinary appearance but with exceptionally bright eyes, as if he could see through everything.
Ye Qing pressed the pen on the spot on the map that he had marked the most significantly, and said in a stern voice, "This is where Kun Cuo is hiding, a two-story house with a courtyard. We must assume the worst, that if this is his hideout in our country, the house might have bunkers, making it hard to breach. Black Bear, Green Wolf, you two enter through the backdoor!"
"Yes!" Two more people stood up - one was tall and muscular with a fierce appearance, clearly Black Bear. The other one was slightly lean, but his eyes shone with an aggressive light; he was Green Wolf.
"Captain, what about me?" the last man asked anxiously, "Am I going with you through the front door?"
"No need!" Ye Qing waved his hand, "I'll go through the front door alone. Once we infiltrate, Cheetah, you go near the courtyard and disable all their vehicles, ensuring they can't escape by car!"
Several people immediately looked at Ye Qing, and the man known as Cheetah urgently said, "Captain, it's too dangerous for you to go through the main gate alone. If there really is a bunker, there must be a machine gun facing the main gate, you..."
"No more talk, that's an order!" Ye Qing extended his hand and said in a deep voice, "Action begins one minute from now, Gecko, Toad, you must take out all the guards within five minutes. Eagle Eye, once Gecko and Toad have cleared the guards, you have one minute to take the high ground. The rest will be up to us—a few of us, Black Bear, Green Wolf, you have one minute to prepare. One minute after receiving Eagle Eye's signal, move immediately. Remember, unless absolutely necessary, try not to fire your weapons!"
"Yes!" The six men saluted in unison, Ye Qing nodded and waved his hand, "Move out!"
The seven immediately dispersed, each sneaking toward the village from different positions. Among them, Gecko and Toad were leading, neither of them taking the main road but instead flanking the village from both sides.
Eagle Eye also stepped out directly from the formation and walked toward the village from another direction. On this side, only Ye Qing and the four others were taking the main road, rushing towards the village under the cover of night.
As they approached the village entrance, two faint lights arose from within the village. While not bright, they were enough for everyone to see clearly.
"Gecko and Toad have succeeded!" Ye Qing nodded and said, "Black Bear, Green Wolf, circle to the back!"
The two men were already prepared and headed toward the small pavilion by taking paths on either side. On this side, only Ye Qing and Cheetah remained.
Less than a minute later, another dark red light rose in the village—it was Eagle Eye's signal.
"Eagle Eye has also succeeded!" Ye Qing gave Cheetah a meaningful look, and Cheetah, understanding, turned and took a detour on a side path.
The courtyard already appeared in front of Ye Qing; the walls were three to four meters high and very smooth, seemingly specially designed to prevent people from climbing over.
Ye Qing stood at the gate, looking at his watch, and when he estimated it was about fifty-five seconds, he suddenly sprinted forward a few steps, rushed to the edge of the courtyard wall, and leaped about a meter high. Seeing he was not reaching the top, Ye Qing suddenly kicked off the wall, propelling himself a further foot high, his right hand directly hooking over the wall top.
Ye Qing pulled hard, leveraging himself up and flipping onto the wall top.
In the courtyard, three men were patrolling back and forth, but in the darkness, they hadn't noticed the movement at the wall top. The distant building was bright with lights, and inside there were many shadows; it seemed many people were still awake.
Ye Qing furrowed his eyebrows, lying on the wall top watching the three men patrol. When all three turned simultaneously, he immediately leapt down from the wall top, landed with a roll, and made no sound at all; the three men felt nothing.
In the middle of the courtyard was a sedan; Ye Qing used it as cover to sneak close to the doorway. The three men were patrolling here, but, noticeably, they seemed a bit tired and were smoking to stay alert.
Ye Qing crouched and hid, watching as two walked in one direction, and one came towards him. Ye Qing immediately darted from behind the car, covered the man's mouth, and knocked him out with a hit to the back of his head, then swiftly laid him on the ground—a process executed with extreme cleanliness, the other two men less than five meters away completely unaware of the disturbance.
Having knocked this man down, Ye Qing quickly stepped forward two paces, ghost-like, rushing up behind the two men. He struck one on the back of the head with a punch; the man collapsed to the ground instantly. The second man turned his head, about to cry out, but Ye Qing quickly freed his hands, covered his mouth, and knocked him down, his right knee forcefully Ramming into the man's temple, and he too collapsed unconscious like his companions.
Ye Qing knocked down three men and immediately headed towards the small building. The door of the building wasn't shut tightly; Ye Qing could still see inside through the door gap.
In the living room, there were about seven or eight people, amidst a mess of bottles, food, and cigarette butts. The room was filled with men's unrestrained laughter, interspersed with the cries of some women.
Following the cries, Ye Qing saw that a table not far away actually had a badly dressed young girl lying on it. An ugly-looking man was on the top of her, savagely beating her, and her immature cries confirmed that she was quite young.
Next to this table, another girl in the same situation lay unconscious, her body covered in scars, foaming at the mouth, with numerous bloody wounds—it was unclear whether she was alive or dead.
Upon seeing this scene, Ye Qing's fists immediately clenched tight, his eyes transitioning from solemnity to a piercing bone-chilling cold.
That was a sudden surge of killing intent!