Mohandes looked at the weapons with immense satisfaction, laughing heartily. "With this shipment, the morale of our Taliban forces will surely be rekindled. Soon, we will unleash a tidal wave of attacks across all of Afghanistan, and then we'll send those damned Americans packing back home."

"General, these munitions match the manifest precisely, without any discrepancies," the expert inspecting the weapons reported to Mohandes.

"Hmm, good, very good. Still, they need a full inspection to ensure everything is absolutely perfect," Mohandes insisted, being a cautious man himself.

Liu Hui and Zhou Tengyun stood nearby, watching the inspection with confident smiles, entirely assured of the quality of their merchandise.

Several of the large wooden crates were quickly checked, and the weapons inside were flawless. The Taliban's weapons expert even took a few samples to test-fire them. The sheer power unleashed immediately filled Mohandes with elation, solidifying his faith in the future of the Taliban.

"General, you have received the weapons. When will you provide the narcotics?" Zhou Tengyun inquired from the side.

"Hahaha, my dear Brother Alibaba, you can go collect the drugs right now. I will have the guards at that location clear out immediately," Mohandes, overjoyed by the massive weapons haul, declared. He immediately contacted the Taliban fighters guarding the drugs via radio, ordering them to vacate the cave at once so Zhou Tengyun could transport the narcotics.

"Tell me, Brother Alibaba, do you truly not require our assistance? Can your people really transport all those drugs away by themselves?" Mohandes still harbored some doubt.

"General, my clandestine network is incredibly capable. If they could deliver these weapons here silently, they can certainly extract those narcotics from Afghanistan safely," Zhou Tengyun said, laughing as he gestured toward the weaponry before him.

"Hahaha, that is true enough," Mohandes boomed in agreement.

Liu Hui quickly returned to the recently vacated cave. As expected, the Taliban fighters inside were completely gone. He re-inspected the crates, confirming they were identical to how he first saw them. Only then did he confidently absorb the two hundred tons of narcotics into his Storage Dimension, which immediately consumed half of its available capacity. With the drugs secured, Liu Hui had achieved the ultimate objective of his journey to Afghanistan, and the tension that had been hanging over him finally dissipated, as no one could now wrest the narcotics from his grasp.

Emerging from the cave, Liu Hui heard a sound in the air ahead, a low 'buzzing' reminiscent of bees. He paused, sensing something was wrong. The sound was peculiar, oddly mixed with the faint thrum of engines—a low roar that would have escaped the notice of an ordinary ear, but not Liu Hui's enhanced, modified hearing.

As Liu Hui puzzled over the noise, a pinpoint of fire flared in the darkness directly ahead, rapidly approaching the cave where he stood.

"Attack! It's a helicopter again!" Liu Hui exclaimed in alarm, discerning the silhouette of an armed gunship hovering in the air from the light of its approach. The helicopter was painted completely black, blending seamlessly into the night; Liu Hui hadn't even noticed its presence initially. Sensing immediate danger, he sprinted at full speed into the nearby woods, taking cover behind a massive tree.

The pinpoint of fire plunged into the cave, culminating in a violent explosion, followed by a raging inferno. Liu Hui finally understood that the light was the tail flame of a missile. As that missile detonated, the helicopter fired another; it too slammed into the cave, resulting in another violent blast and fire that illuminated the surroundings as if it were daylight. As if unsatisfied, the helicopter unleashed several more high-explosive rounds. The cave's internal structure was compromised by the concentrated explosions, causing the entrance to collapse instantly, burying the entire cavern under countless tons of rubble.

Liu Hui, watching from the periphery, broke into a cold sweat. This bizarre aircraft, appearing from nowhere, had targeted the drug cache with such ferocity that it caused the mountain to cave in. Fortune favored him; he had secured the narcotics in his Storage Dimension and fled without delay. Had he lingered even a moment longer inside, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

"Damn it, Old Three is in danger," Liu Hui thought, his initial shock giving way to action. He ignored the burning cave and the helicopter, racing toward the clearing where Zhou Tengyun and Mohandes stood. He couldn't be sure if General Mohandes was attempting a double-cross or if another faction was attacking them, but if the cave was targeted, Mohandes’ position was certainly not safe. Zhou Tengyun’s proximity to the General placed them both in grave peril.

While Liu Hui had been securing the drugs, Zhou Tengyun stood with Mohandes, his heart swelling with jubilation. This trip to Afghanistan had been relatively smooth, lacking the twists and turns encountered in Yemen. The thousands of miles traveled and countless dangers braved had been worth it for this transaction.

As the weapons experts continued pulling the ordered munitions from the large wooden crates, Mohandes’ face was splitting with smiles. These weapons would swiftly reverse his troops' flagging morale, and his status within the Taliban hierarchy was set to skyrocket.

Both men were lost in their shared euphoria, failing to notice the faint 'buzzing' sound in the air overhead—a noise so soft it could easily be dismissed.

Suddenly, the buzzing noise rapidly closed in, and four strangely shaped helicopters materialized directly above Mohandes and his contingent. The searchlights on the helicopters snapped on, instantly exposing Mohandes' men on the ground. The gunners opened fire, and the Taliban experts and guards, still trying to comprehend the situation, were riddled with bullets.

Zhou Tengyun reacted instantly. He tackled Mohandes to the ground, then executed several frantic rolls, dragging the General clear of the machine gun fire. Saiyed and Moid scrambled after them in sheer panic.

"Allah is great! What in the blazes is happening?" Mohandes roared, watching his guards fall under the relentless aerial assault.

"General, this location is entirely insecure. We must vacate immediately! Once clear, we can call for reinforcements and wipe out these intruders," Moid shouted over the din.

"Why must we leave to call reinforcements? Can't we call them from here?" Mohandes demanded.

"General, the helicopters are jamming our signals! Our radios are useless until we exit this radius," Moid explained, his own radio crackling with static.

"General, let's move! It's too dangerous here," Zhou Tengyun urged. Though uncertain of the cause, he recognized the extreme peril, especially as he saw armed personnel beginning to rappel from the aircraft. At that moment, a massive explosion rocked the direction where Liu Hui was, sending flames soaring into the sky. Zhou Tengyun worried desperately about Liu Hui’s fate.

"My weapons!" Mohandes, a pragmatic leader capable of cutting his losses, lamented briefly over the weapons he never even got to warm up before deciding on a swift retreat.

However, as Mohandes turned to move, a gunshot cracked right beside him, and a bullet struck his thigh. He collapsed, blood pooling beneath him. Saiyed stood behind him, holding a pistol whose barrel was still faintly smoking.

"Saiyed, are you mad? Why shoot the General?" Moid yelled furiously, instantly placing himself between Saiyed and Mohandes.

Saiyed backed away, creating distance between himself and the fallen General. He aimed his gun at Moid and laughed maniacally. "I'm not mad; you are! Things are not as they were. Do you really believe you can drive out the Americans? Stop dreaming! You are destined to fail, and you certainly won't replicate the glory of driving out the Russians."

Mohandes, lying on the ground, understood instantly that Saiyed had betrayed him. He cried out in anger, "Saiyed, I always considered you a brother! Why this betrayal?"

"A brother? You just wanted us to die for you! When did you ever truly respect us? I had to stand while you ate! And haven't you seen? Even the leader of the base, Bin Laden, they killed him! Do you think you have a day of victory left? If the Americans want you dead, it’s a simple matter; their decapitation strikes are one hundred percent accurate. And you won't believe this: the men in those planes belong to the US Navy SEAL Team 171—the same unit that took out Bin Laden!" Saiyed bellowed. He then shouted to the SEALs who had just finished rappelling down, "I have captured Mohandes! Hurry over! Be careful around the large wooden crates on the ground—they're full of weapons, don't let friendly fire happen!"

Seeing Saiyed distracted, Zhou Tengyun exploded into action. He surged forward and, in a blur, snapped Saiyed's neck. Before Saiyed could react, he was off to face his judgment from Allah.

"General, let's get out of here!" Zhou Tengyun hoisted Mohandes up, slinging him onto his back, preparing to flee. At that moment, the SEAL team members charged forward, opening fire. A barrage of bullets filled the air, suppressing Zhou Tengyun and the two others, pinning them to the ground, unable to move.

The SEALs advanced under covering fire, rapidly closing in on Mohandes' position. Just as they were about to surround the trio, a violent explosion ripped through the air overhead. The SEALs looked up to see one of the hovering helicopters detonate spectacularly, becoming a fireball before plummeting to earth.

"Contact! Helicopters, evade immediately! All other personnel, secure the perimeter and find the attacker!" the SEAL commander bellowed. The three remaining helicopters immediately ascended to maneuver evasively. The ground troops quickly split, intensifying the search for the enemy who had fired the missile. But before they could properly organize their hunt, another deafening explosion echoed from above—a second helicopter was destroyed mid-air and began its descent.

"Find the enemy immediately!" the commander screamed in frustration.

The two remaining helicopters adjusted their heading and began strafing suspicious targets on the ground, hoping to eliminate the hidden assailant.

Liu Hui, having left the drug cave, swiftly returned to the arms cache area. He saw the men in US combat fatigues closing in on Zhou Tengyun and the others; the situation was critical. Without hesitation, he drew the Barrett rifle from his Storage Dimension, loaded a magazine full of Hellfire rounds, and brought down a helicopter with a single shot. Since Liu Hui was using Hellfire rounds instead of missiles, the projectile left almost no recognizable tail flame, making his source virtually invisible to the aircraft.

As Liu Hui downed a second helicopter, the final two aircraft began firing blindly. One of them directed its heavy fire straight toward Liu Hui's position.

Liu Hui did not attempt to dodge. Round after round of large-caliber bullets slammed into his Hongguang Armor, but they were repelled by the red energy shield emitted by the armor, causing him no damage. Seizing the opportunity, he fired another Hellfire round, cleanly taking down the helicopter that was targeting him.

"Withdraw! The enemy had an ambush prepared—this is a trap! We were all fooled by that damned Saiyed!" the commander realized after losing three aircraft in quick succession. The anti-air fire was too intense; he couldn't tell how many people were hidden there. He immediately issued the retreat order.

Liu Hui, unwilling to leave loose ends, shifted his rifle's aim and fired again, destroying the last helicopter as it attempted to flee. In the fiery blast, Liu Hui saw a figure fall from the chopper, but the person quickly vanished into the dense jungle upon hitting the ground; whether they survived the fall was unknown.

Since he was deep within Taliban territory, Liu Hui felt no restraint, unleashing a torrent of Hellfire rounds and showcasing his might, wiping out every single helicopter in the sky. This rapid destruction led the SEAL commander to misjudge the overall situation and order a withdrawal.

Hearing the command, the SEAL team immediately ceased their encirclement of Zhou Tengyun's group and began a swift, orderly retreat. Their movements were practiced and synchronized, providing mutual cover, and within moments, they had all melted back into the thick forest.

Zhou Tengyun, Mohandes, and Moid stared in stunned silence as the tide of battle reversed, unable to process what they had witnessed. However, the sheer joy of survival quickly swept over them. Apart from Zhou Tengyun, who sensed a deeper layer to the unfolding events, the other two were utterly bewildered as to why the SEALs had retreated when they held the clear advantage.

Liu Hui tucked his rifle back into his Storage Dimension, then purposefully rushed out of the woods, panting dramatically as he approached Mohandes. "General, the American forces that just appeared have been driven off by our covert contacts. You need to recall your soldiers quickly; I fear the Americans might return."

"Moid, contact our men immediately! Have them surround this location!" Mohandes finally snapped out of his daze, instructing Moid to rally his troops. The near loss and subsequent recovery of the weapons filled him with unexpected delight, and he had completely forgotten about Saiyed.

The fact that none of the stray bullets during the intense firefight near the pile of munitions had struck the arms cache was a testament to Mohandes’ luck—or perhaps, at that moment, Allah was truly on his side.

Moid turned on his radio and began contacting Mohandes' forces, ordering them to converge immediately. The signal jammers had been on the helicopters, but since Liu Hui had vaporized them, the radios were now functional again.

"What happened on your end?" Zhou Tengyun asked Liu Hui once they were momentarily alone.

"I was just approaching that cave, before I even entered, I saw a single armed helicopter attacking it. The assault was relentless; the cave collapsed within moments," Liu Hui explained, carefully omitting the fact that he had already secured the narcotics while speaking in front of Mohandes.

"What? Where are the drugs inside? Did you manage to get them?" Mohandes demanded anxiously.

"It happened so fast, we couldn't retrieve them before the cave caved in. The narcotics are now buried under tons of rock," Liu Hui stated, feigning deep disappointment.

Zhou Tengyun gasped, his vision momentarily darkening; he felt all his efforts had been wasted. Then, he caught the significant glance from Liu Hui, remembered the existence of the Storage Dimension, and instantly understood.

The group stood near the munitions site as footsteps began echoing from the perimeter. Soon, lines of Taliban soldiers appeared, quickly surrounding the entire area.

Seeing his forces arrive, Mohandes finally relaxed. He sat on the ground, his leg wound throbbing painfully, but the immediate fear of losing the weapons had vanished.

"General, you must order your soldiers to move these weapons out immediately," Liu Hui urged. "I worry the escaping Americans might contact their headquarters and call in a missile strike."

Mohandes started, grasping the seriousness of the situation. He ordered his soldiers to mobilize at once to transport the weaponry away from the dangerous site. Despite the sheer volume, Mohandes had sufficient manpower, and they quickly moved and concealed all the arms. Mohandes himself, supported by several soldiers, was led away from the volatile location.

Just as Liu Hui had feared, shortly after the weapons were relocated, three streaks of fire appeared in the night sky—Liu Hui clearly saw the telltale tail flames of incoming missiles this time. These three missiles sped toward the now-empty clearing, striking the location precisely. They erupted into three bloody, poisonous-looking toadstools of fire in the darkness. The blast radius instantly annihilated all life within five hundred meters; there was no possibility of survival.

Thank you to the reader: Blood-Red Starlight for the tip.