Chapter 568 - 470: Have Officer Shen Contact Me

Chapter 568: Chapter 470: Have Officer Shen Contact Me

Back with Shen Xin, Song Zhi and his men were preparing to move out.

Shen Xin wasn’t in a hurry to recall Er Long.

That was also what Song Zhi had requested. It would be a waste not to use the god’s-eye view they had available.

They quickly drew up an operational plan. Everyone would move together.

One group would be responsible for taking out the hidden sentries on the perimeter.

Another group would cut through the jungle, circle around to the rear of Sangga Village, and form an encirclement.

Then, they would launch a direct assault.

The plan wasn’t perfect, but it was certainly by the book.

Song Zhi, who was personally commanding the battle on-site, even asked for suggestions from Shen Xin’s side.

Guan Baofeng looked toward Qian Feng, who just gave a slight nod.

’If it were me,’ Qian Feng thought, ’with a full view of the map, I would definitely attempt a special operations approach. For instance, I’d dispatch a small team to infiltrate the village.’

’One unit would blow up the armory, while the other would cut the head off the snake and go straight for Angdu.’

’After securing Angdu, they’d dig in and hold their position with support from perimeter snipers.’

’These aren’t regular soldiers, just a bunch of desperados. Once their boss is captured, it would be normal for them to scatter in chaos.’

Qian Feng had a very important reason for this line of thinking: there were innocent villagers at the scene.

A plan like Song Zhi’s, forming an encirclement and launching a direct assault, was problematic.

A heavy firefight would inevitably lead to civilian casualties.

Furthermore, it would make it easy for the enemy to organize, concentrate their forces, and break through at a weak point.

Two hundred against thirty. On paper, they had the advantage in numbers.

But if they completely surrounded the entire village, their forces would be spread thin. In some localized areas, they might even be outnumbered.

But Qian Feng was well aware of the combat capabilities of the Mianguang forces.

’Their regular army isn’t even up to snuff, let alone a group of police officers. It’s almost impossible to expect them to carry out special operations.’

So, for now, encirclement and a chaotic melee was the best option.

However, Qian Feng did offer a small suggestion.

They should proceed step-by-step. First, knock out the hidden perimeter sentries, then take out the checkpoint at the village entrance.

The main encirclement force would attack the village at the same moment the assault on the checkpoint began.

Five hidden sentries, plus six men at the checkpoint—that was eleven people already.

Fan Liping had said there were over thirty men in the village. Taking out these eleven would leave only twenty inside, greatly increasing their chances of a successful encirclement.

Song Zhi nodded, took note, and immediately ordered his men to move out.

Nearly two hundred men, carrying an assortment of weapons, set off in a great procession.

And very soon, Shen Xin witnessed the combat effectiveness of the Mianguang forces firsthand.

When taking out the hidden sentries, the plan was to avoid gunfire if possible. They were to sneak up, rush out suddenly, and overpower the enemy directly.

But they were spotted before they could even get close.

The enemy’s reaction wasn’t slow, but his military discipline was sorely lacking. After a cry of alarm, he just stood up with his gun raised.

Once discovered, the police immediately charged forward.

The sentry opened fire without hesitation.

Song Zhi’s men returned fire at once. In the chaotic exchange, the sentry was riddled with bullets, but one of their own men was unfortunately hit and wouldn’t stop screaming.

Qian Feng felt his vision go dark and slapped a hand to his forehead.

Fortunately, the sentry posts were spread out far apart, so the others didn’t hear the shots.

The five hidden sentries were dealt with one by one. Gunfire broke out at two of the locations, and the drug traffickers were killed on the spot.

The Mianguang police suffered one injury. The casualty ratio wasn’t bad.

In any case, Song Zhi was visibly excited, because from Er Long’s perspective, the village itself had not been alerted.

While Song Zhi was communicating with the forward commander, Guan Baofeng said, "It’s acceptable. You have to understand, out of all these men, the only ones who can fight are the two groups Song Zhi brought. The rest are just here to make up the numbers."

The two hundred men were composed of three factions.

The security forces directly under police headquarters were the most effective, but also the smallest group, with only twenty men.

The border police force was also decent, having at least seen some real combat. They numbered over forty.

The remaining hundred-plus men were just bodies pulled from various local police stations to pad the numbers. They were fine for patrolling with a gun, but in a real fight, they could only win when the odds were stacked in their favor, relying on numbers and ’spray and pray’ tactics.

As he was speaking, Shen Xin suddenly said, "Captain Guan, I noticed a problem. How come I haven’t seen that elephant in the village?"

Er Long had been wandering around the village for a while now, and Shen Xin, who had been watching intently, hadn’t noticed the young elephant’s presence at all.

The village was full of stilt houses; they couldn’t possibly herd an elephant onto the second floor.

But after circling for a long time, he really hadn’t seen any obvious place where an elephant could be penned.

Fan Liping had also said it would only be sent away on the 15th of next month, during the Festival of Lights, and that it was in the village right now.

’If I can’t see it, does that mean... he was lying?’

Jiang Wengang immediately chimed in, "Yeah, I was just about to say that. I don’t see the elephant either. Did Fan Liping not give us a full confession?"

Guan Baofeng’s brow furrowed instantly. He pulled out his satellite phone and said, "Alright, I’ll have Wang Feng ask."

He dialed the number, but no one answered.

His frown deepened. He tried dialing the number of one of his own subordinates.

Still no connection.

This time, his expression changed.

During a mission, maintaining smooth communication was a basic requirement.

Shen Xin asked urgently, "Is there a situation in Luopei?"

There had to be a reason he couldn’t get through.

Jiang Wengang said with a grave expression, "It can’t be that bad, can it? It’s a police station."

Although many officers had been transferred from Luopei for this operation, it was still a police station. What could possibly happen?

Guan Baofeng glanced hurriedly at Er Long’s camera feed. The situation in the village was unchanged.

But being unable to make contact left him feeling deeply uneasy.

He got up to find Song Zhi.

But before he could even say a few words, his satellite phone suddenly rang.

It was Wang Feng calling.

The moment the call connected, Guan Baofeng heard just two sentences, and his face changed dramatically.

Something really had happened!

「Over half an hour ago, inside the Luopei police station.」

Inside a room, the local officer with the pencil mustache had suddenly drawn his gun, shot his partner, and aimed it at everyone else in the room.

Li Niu had been left behind in Luopei.

His reactions were the fastest.

The instant the gunshot rang out from outside, he had instinctively reached for his weapon.

But before he could even draw it, the situation inside the room exploded, and he was a step too slow.

"I said, don’t move!"

The officer with the pencil mustache had noticed Li Niu’s movement and shouted urgently.

Li Niu immediately froze, staring daggers at him.

"Don’t move! I’ve already killed someone, I don’t mind killing another," the mustached officer said, his gun never wavering from the group.

Fan Liping, who had been sitting in a chair, immediately stood up, walked over to the mustached officer, and took the keys from his pocket.

Wang Feng’s face fell. It was obvious what was happening. He was both furious and frantic. "Li Ping, what do you think you’re doing?!"

Fan Liping took out the key, quickly unlocked his handcuffs, then knelt down and pulled a pistol from the corpse, aiming it at the others.

Wang Feng’s eyes burned with fury as he stared directly at Fan Liping and roared, "Fan Liping, think about the consequences!"

He silently took half a step to shield Ding Yuwei.

The gunfire outside grew more intense, punctuated by screams and shouts.

"Li Ping, think about your Uncle Pan! Is this how you repay him?" Wang Feng continued to rebuke him, his eyes glued to the gun in the mustached officer’s hand.

At the mention of Pan Wenhai, a flicker of emotion crossed Fan Liping’s eyes. He said in a low voice, "Uncle Wang, I’m sorry to have frightened you. Don’t worry, I’m not going to do anything to you."

He walked to the window, glanced outside, and continued, "I have no choice. I don’t want to go to prison. Don’t do anything stupid, and I’ll be gone soon."

"You go ahead and arrest your Angdu. This has nothing to do with you."

The gunfire outside remained intense.

Li Niu glared angrily, exchanging a look with Wang Feng.

Wang Feng’s mind raced. He shot back a look that said, ’Don’t make any rash moves.’

’Since the decision was made to hand Fan Liping over to Mianguang, the higher-ups’ stance was clear: they couldn’t deal with him, couldn’t control him.’

’So, from the moment they crossed the border, whether Fan Liping lived or died was up to him. It had nothing to do with them anymore.’

Weighing the options, as long as his own people weren’t hurt, Wang Feng could accept it if Fan Liping escaped.

He just felt it was a shame—a shame that the kid still hadn’t chosen the right path in the end.

Fan Liping and the mustached officer flanked the group, keeping the few people in the room under control.

They also confiscated their weapons.

The intense gunfire outside lasted for nearly ten minutes.

Only then did they hear someone shouting in the Mianguang language.

Fan Liping immediately responded.

Soon, the door was kicked open.

A young man holding a carbine burst in, immediately aiming his weapon at Wang Feng and the others.

Several more people followed behind him.

"Boss."

The young man came forward, greeted him, and said that everyone left in the police station had been "dealt with."

Wang Feng understood the Mianguang language. His heart went cold as he mentally replayed the entire trip to Mianguang, trying to figure out when Fan Liping could have contacted his own people.

’Not yesterday.’

’It must have been after he was detained at the police station. He must have passed the information out through the mole, the officer with the pencil mustache.’

’Then who are these people?’

’Angdu’s men?’

’Or... are they Fan Liping’s own men?’

’Probably not the former.’

’If they were, Fan Liping would have had every opportunity to notify Angdu.’

’In that case, when Er Long was scouting the village just now, it wouldn’t have been so quiet. They would have been on high alert, as if facing a great enemy.’

The young man glanced at Wang Feng’s group of four and asked Fan Liping what to do with them, whether they should be killed.

Fan Liping suddenly raised his hand and fired.

Ding Yuwei trembled violently.

Beside her, the officer sent over from Song Zhi’s side—the one responsible for communications—was shot in the chest by Fan Liping.

The scream drilled straight into Ding Yuwei’s ears.

It was the first time Ding Yuwei realized a person’s scream could be that loud, truly like a pig being slaughtered.

Fan Liping coldly fired two more shots.

The man went completely still, save for one leg that continued to twitch.

The mustached officer’s face changed drastically. He looked nervously at Fan Liping, afraid he would be next.

Fan Liping guessed what he was thinking and patted his shoulder. "Relax. I’ll make good on everything I promised you."

He nodded to the young man, signaling for him to cuff all four of them, including Wang Feng.

Li Niu started to struggle but stopped when a gun barrel was pressed to his forehead.

He wasn’t afraid, and he stared at his captor with murderous intent until a warning look from Wang Feng made him relent and allow himself to be cuffed.

"Fan Liping, I’ll say it again: think about the consequences. If anything happens to any one of us, you won’t be able to escape, even if you run to the ends of the earth."

Wang Feng stared directly at Fan Liping.

The young man understood him and immediately jammed the muzzle of his gun against Wang Feng’s head.

Fan Liping quickly stepped forward and pushed the young man’s gun down.

Then he said, "Uncle Wang, I told you, I’m not going to do anything to you."

"I’m only doing this because I don’t want to go to prison. Don’t worry. Like I said, I’m still me. Angdu won’t be the last. If another situation comes up here, I’ll still cooperate with you."

"Besides, think about it. You sent me back here. Do you really think your superiors didn’t know that after all the years I’ve spent making a name for myself here, I could actually be locked up in prison by the local police?"

Wang Feng didn’t speak, only watched Fan Liping coldly.

Just then, the mustached officer reminded Fan Liping that it was time to go.

After all, this was a police station. They had made too much of a commotion.

Fan Liping nodded, then suddenly reached out and grabbed Ding Yuwei’s arm.

"Fan Liping, what are you doing!?"

Wang Feng immediately shot to his feet and yelled.

Ding Yuwei struggled, but Fan Liping’s hand was like an iron clamp; she couldn’t break free.

She wasn’t afraid either, only glaring at Fan Liping in fury.

Wang Feng was pulled away by Fan Liping’s men.

"Fan Liping, if you need a hostage, take me! I’ll go with you! Is this what your Uncle Pan taught you? To bully a woman!?" He struggled with all his might but was pinned firmly to the floor.

Fan Liping didn’t explain. He just picked up a pen and paper from the table and hastily scribbled down a number.

"I don’t need a hostage. Don’t worry. I can swear on my father’s life that I will guarantee this female officer’s safety."

"I have only one demand: have that Officer Shen of yours contact me."

With that, he forcibly dragged Ding Yuwei outside.

Wang Feng’s eyes looked ready to split with rage. The moment his captors loosened their grip, he charged forward.

The young man turned and swung the butt of his rifle.

Li Niu let out a roar, executed a perfect leg sweep that took one man down, and charged out, still yelling.

But in the end, they were outnumbered and were pinned firmly to the ground.

Fan Liping stopped a subordinate who was about to open fire. He gave Wang Feng one last look, then dragged Ding Yuwei away and left quickly.