The two monitors, having lost their image and dissolved into black and white static, flickered back to life, displaying the tropical rainforest once more. The black, knee-high military boots swayed faintly once again.

In this jungle, the appearance of two rats would scarcely draw attention. Who could possibly imagine that these seemingly wild rodents carried tiny pinhole cameras hidden within their fur?

Snap... Snap...

The screens, having just regained their picture, instantly went dead again, dissolving into static.

The two rats that had just emerged from their hole, preparing to circle the large tree, were now nothing more than two small piles of red pulp.

Qin Fen lifted his foot, not sparing a glance for the rodents he had stomped into paste, and quickly moved deeper into the rainforest.

As a team lacking sufficient intelligence, someone needed to conduct a swift, effective reconnaissance. Qin Fen, Du Zhanpeng, and Lin Ling were undoubtedly the most suitable candidates in the squad.

However, the team still required a commanding presence. Du Zhanpeng, hailing from a military family, naturally became the default choice for nearly every new recruit acting as interim leader.

Consequently, the heavy burden of scouting fell entirely upon Qin Fen and Lin Ling.

Snap-snap...

Two more screens flashed into black and white snow, but this time they appeared at a location some distance from where the previous static had shown up, clearly indicating that this wasn't the work of a single individual.

The two rats just deployed had met the same fate.

The black, knee-high military boots, which had begun to sway again, stopped their motion abruptly and were quickly retracted from the console.

The tall, black leather executive chair swung gently left and right, revealing thick arms protruding from the armrests on either side.

Screeeech...

The black leather seat emitted a groan of distress as the man seated upon it slowly rose.

At only 1.7 meters tall, he wasn't imposing in height, but his thick, solid frame easily brought to mind the image of a "tank"—a weapon long since rendered obsolete by mechanized armor.

His pale skin was covered everywhere in scorpion tattoos, as if every different species of scorpion from around the world had been permanently inked onto him.

If Qin Fen were present, seeing the man’s appearance would have sparked immediate excitement.

Scarlet Scorpion—a fierce warrior of the Divine Selection Nation, responsible for planning and executing over thirty terrorist incidents. If the executioner was stained with blood up to his hands, then Scarlet Scorpion was saturated with it from head to toe.

This purported six-star Meteor-level martial artist carried a high bounty of 150,000 offered by the Federation.

"Not bad. It seems I underestimated this rookie," Scarlet Scorpion said, lightly applauding. The black leather gloves he always wore emitted a dull puff-puff sound.

Scarlet Scorpion gently stretched his shoulders, then walked out of the monitoring room, muttering continuously, "Damn it! To avoid attracting too much attention from the Federation, they won't even let me bring heavy weapons, only giving me a pile for two mountain guns. Mortars would have been better! Since I already know who the opposition is, I'll send out the Swift Eagle to investigate and see how many people have arrived. As long as I hold out until the agreed-upon time, my mission will be complete."

Qin Fen had disabled dozens of surveillance points along the way and arrived near the first potential enemy ambush site marked on the map.

A massive boulder, one hundred meters in diameter, lay across the ground. On either side of it were pathways, not overly wide, but just spacious enough for five people to run abreast.

On the far side of this great stone was a clearing nearly a hundred meters across—no rocks, no weeds, just open ground where the rainforest ended.

Across the clearing stood a two-story building constructed of stone. Judging by the map alone, this location was perfectly suited for an ambush.

"Shhh..."

Lin Ling, thirty meters away, signaled Qin Fen and began to stealthily approach the side of the great stone facing the clearing.

Qin Fen understood perfectly and chose the opposite path, also creeping forward silently.

Moving along their separate routes, completely unable to see each other, and daring not to use radio communication for fear of detection, they stopped their advance at almost the exact moment they rounded the corner facing the building across the clearing.

"Killing intent," Qin Fen whispered, closing his eyes to rely on his superior martial sense to gauge the situation around the distant building.

Only one sniper, likely positioned on the second floor, though Qin Fen couldn't be entirely sure of the precise location, as he never fully trusted the military's provided maps. He suppressed his breath, striving to merge his presence more seamlessly with the surrounding natural atmosphere.

The intuition of a sniper was a terrifying force. Qin Fen knew that the slightest dissonance could expose him to the opponent's gaze.

He repeated warnings in his mind: This is not an exercise. This is a genuine battlefield of slaughter, a place where a single mistake leads to real death.

Readjusting his state, Qin Fen rapidly reviewed the covert instructions given by Instructor Gerile in his mind. His body’s vital energy flow was gradually sealed off entirely. He moved with agonizing slowness, like a mature, ancient tortoise, his head inching up from the ground.

The building was not constructed like a bunker, foolishly designed with heavily fortified firing points.

In this era, a bunker was the stupidest target imaginable. A single armor-piercing mortar round could reduce even reinforced concrete structures to rubble, and anyone inside, even if not killed outright, would be concussed to death by the shockwave.

This was the exterior of the house, featuring a vast rooftop covered in a haphazard pile of branches, through which slivers of light managed to peek.

Qin Fen identified one sniper among them and approximately fifteen men armed with AK-47s. Judging by their chosen positions and their skill at masking their presence, they were all excellent candidates worthy of Special Forces selection.

Confirming that there appeared to be no heavy weaponry on the surface, Qin Fen quietly retreated back to the large boulder.

Upon returning to the rendezvous point with Lin Ling, the cold, expressionless, yet perfectly formed woman spoke first, a rare occurrence: "One sniper, fifteen men armed with AK-47s. They likely all possess Special Forces capabilities."

Qin Fen nodded in agreement but was simultaneously startled. How could this woman have moved so quickly? And her intelligence gathering was just as precise.

Watching Lin Ling, who had already moved ahead, Qin Fen grew increasingly curious about who this woman's master might be. If Instructor Gerile knew he was outmatched, would he torture Qin Fen relentlessly, like the Gun King used to?

On the beach, nearly a hundred soldiers stood quietly on the sand closest to the jungle. Du Peng’s eyes showed a growing anxiety, and he occasionally shot glances filled with hatred toward Du Zhanpeng.

If only Du Zhanpeng hadn't stopped him... Du Peng recalled requesting to scout ahead, only to be refused and restrained by Du Zhanpeng, citing his temporary command role.

The reason given: Qin Fen and Lin Ling were the truly suitable candidates.

While everyone praised Du Zhanpeng’s wise and fair decision, as he walked past Du Peng, a quiet sneer was transmitted: "Waste. How could I let you have an opportunity to gain merit through reconnaissance? A bastard has no right to earn commendations. When the mission rewards are distributed, I will stand beside you—that would be the greatest insult to me."

Qin Fen and Lin Ling finally returned to the main group.

Du Zhanpeng immediately moved to meet them. Following his lead, the other recruits gathered around under Du Zhanpeng’s direction.

"What's the situation? Everyone, don't rush. Let's hear what Qin Fen has to say."

Compared to the habitually silent Lin Ling, who never cooperated with anyone during training, Du Zhanpeng placed more trust in Qin Fen, who often helped others during drills.

"I could only scout the first ambush point; I don't yet have the capacity to push further," Qin Fen stated calmly. "I cleared all the traps and obstacles on the road. There is a sniper on the top floor of the stone building, likely with formidable skills. There are also fifteen thugs carrying AK-47s, and potentially more enemies hidden that I haven't detected yet."

As Qin Fen finished speaking, he was nearing completion of a terrain map drawn with his finger in the sand.

Du Zhanpeng studied the map with a grim expression. Whoever designed this structure must have been a master tactician regarding small-area engagements; they had even factored in the surrounding mountains when planning the construction.

Flanking the mountain range to attack the building from the rear was not impossible, but—

Du Zhanpeng knew that the moment their group began traversing the ridges, they would become targets. On this island, the few clear areas included the peaks of the small mountains.

In such terrain, even if not a hundred soldiers passed through, the movement of even a slightly larger ant would be detected.

"So, we are left with following the military's order—to attack head-on with these P308s?"

Du Zhanpeng gnawed on his chin, unwilling to accept it. This was hardly a good decision.

Qin Fen exhaled deeply, nodding slowly. "Indeed."

Attack head-on? Du Zhanpeng managed a weak, humorless smile. Or perhaps he genuinely didn't feel like smiling, but the decision itself struck him as deeply farcical.

Never mind the lack of grenade launchers or mortars for heavy fire support.

Just fifteen AK-47s holding superior geographical positions would cause immense headaches.

To reiterate: this wasn't an exercise; it was a naked battlefield of slaughter, where a single misstep meant death.

"Is there no other way around?" Du Zhanpeng persisted, unwilling to accept leading so many people into a deathtrap when they trusted him.

"There is, there is," Qin Fen replied, pointing toward the sea behind them: "Swim over there."

Du Zhanpeng's smile became even more bitter. Having everyone swim across the ocean while carrying heavy weaponry? Even if they successfully bypassed the position, their strength would likely be insufficient to fight a tough engagement afterward.

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