Chapter 928: Chapter 928

Although Captain Feng felt a little displeased, Zhao Chengshuang's father was after all their leader, so he didn't dare say anything. However, he didn't respond to Zhao Chengshuang's words and instead nodded at Ye Qing, considering it as a greeting.

Zhao Chengshuang knew Captain Feng's personality and understood that he was certainly dissatisfied with Ye Qing. Nonetheless, he couldn't say much and could only remind Captain Feng to make sure he helped Ye Qing properly.

"By the way, here's the equipment you wanted!" Zhao Chengshuang carried over a box, opened it, revealing an array of firearms, though all were pistols.

Upon seeing these guns, Ye Qing's eyes lit up instantly. He reached out and stroked the pistols with a nostalgic look in his eyes. He was so familiar with these weapons that they felt like old comrades. If it weren't for his brother Ye Jun's situation, he wouldn't have retired from the military. Perhaps, he would still be on the border fighting those drug lords.

To be honest, although life in Shenchuan City was far better than that in the military, Ye Qing still yearned for and favored the simple life in the army. To him, the societal darkness was something he could never quite adapt to. Life in the army was straightforward: black was black, and white was white, without so much complexity and moral conflict.

"These weapons are special-issue from the Shenchuan Military District. My dad sent them over," Zhao Chengshuang explained. "There are also some submachine guns. If you need them, I can deliver them as well!"

"No need!" Ye Qing immediately waved, replying, "This is more than enough!"

Captain Feng cast a glance at Ye Qing and warned, "Mr. Ye, let me remind you. Those mercenaries are heavily armed, possibly even better equipped than our Special Forces standard gear. If you're going to fight them, pistols alone might be insufficient. It's safer to have submachine guns so that, at least in terms of firepower, you won't be significantly outmatched!"

While Captain Feng was ostensibly reminding Ye Qing, his tone carried more of a lecturing air. Although he knew Ye Qing was a former Special Forces soldier, Captain Feng didn't take him seriously. As the most skilled Special Forces personnel in the Shenchuan Military District and ranked in the top five in the Eastern Province's Special Forces competitions, Captain Feng didn't usually hold average Special Forces members in high regard. Moreover, now being asked to follow Ye Qing's command made him even less happy about it.

"Thank you for the reminder, Captain Feng!" Ye Qing replied. "The most crucial thing now is understanding the enemy's position, whether there are civilians nearby, and the combat environment. Hastily choosing powerful submachine guns may harm innocents if civilians are present. Moreover, even if there are no civilians, the sharp firepower of submachine guns could injure the hostage, which would be undesirable."

Captain Feng frowned and said, "You want to rescue the hostage while considering all these factors? Isn't that overly complicated? The enemy are trained mercenaries with strong firepower; they won't give us any chances. To save the hostage, you must make compromises. Trying to save the hostage without harming innocents—that's too idealistic, isn't it?"

Ye Qing smiled faintly without arguing and lightly patted the box, raising his head to call, "Xiong Zi, King of Explosives!"

Black Bear and King of Explosives were waiting outside. Hearing Ye Qing's call, they immediately came in. Liu Mubai was also with Ye Qing all along, but Ye Qing didn't let him get involved in handling the mercenaries. After all, the opponent had firearms, and since Liu Mubai wasn't militarily trained, any mishap could be dangerous.

Pointing to the box, Ye Qing said, "Xiong Zi, King of Explosives, you two pick out some weapons for protection."

"Wow!" Black Bear rushed over, hugging the box with excitement. "So many guns! Haven't seen these since I left the army!"

Black Bear rummaged through the pistols excitedly, eventually selecting two to carry on him. King of Explosives merely glanced at the box without picking any weapons.

"What's wrong? Couldn't find anything that suits you?" Ye Qing asked him.

"No," King of Explosives shook his head. "I don't use these things."

Ye Qing looked at King of Explosives. The man was covered in all sorts of explosives; firearms truly weren't of much use to him.

Seeing King of Explosives' reaction, Captain Feng glanced at him, frowned, and asked Zhao Chengshuang, "Cheng Shuang, what's the situation tonight? Mr. Ye thinks pistols will work against machine guns and snipers, and here's someone who doesn't even want a pistol. Are we planning to go preach to these mercenaries and convert them through persuasion?"

Captain Feng's remark left Zhao Chengshuang awkward and embarrassed. He hastily replied, "Captain Feng, Ye Zi didn't mean that. They have their reasons for their choices."

"Reasons?" Captain Feng said, dissatisfied, glancing at Ye Qing and murmuring, "I don't care what reasons they may have, but Cheng Shuang, the opponent this time is a group of trained mercenaries. If they approach the situation this laxly, should danger arise, I can't guarantee their safety!"

Just as Zhao Chengshuang was about to speak, Black Bear patted the pistol at his waist and said, "You don't need to worry about our safety—just take care of yourselves!"

With the gun now in hand, Black Bear's confidence surged, and he felt as though he'd returned to the military, becoming the indomitable soldier who followed Ye Qing into countless victories!

Captain Feng's face turned cold, ready to snap at him, but Zhao Chengshuang quickly mediated, saying, "Alright, let's leave it at that for now. By the way, Ye Zi, we've already investigated the West Suburb. It seems to have been a hideout for that batch of mercenaries. However, they've completely retreated, and we couldn't find any useful clues there!"

Ye Qing nodded slowly without speaking, then sat down on a chair casually.

"Ye Zi, what should we do now?" Zhao Chengshuang asked quietly.

"Wait," Ye Qing responded.

"Wait? Wait for what?" Zhao Chengshuang asked, puzzled.

Ye Qing replied, "Wait for them to contact me."

"Contact you?" Zhao Chengshuang stared at Ye Qing in surprise. "They…will they really contact you?"

Ye Qing glanced at King of Explosives, who nodded and said, "They absolutely will. Toxic Eel Mercenary Corps members have incredibly strong vengeful tendencies. Ye Zi killed two of them and captured two more; these guys would sacrifice everything to take revenge on Ye Zi. They seized those Xiangjiang police officers for no other reason but to bait Ye Zi into coming to them. But we must tread carefully. They've definitely set a trap waiting for us!"

"That…that sounds very dangerous!" Zhao Chengshuang exclaimed in alarm.

Ye Qing sighed. He was all too aware of the danger. This operation was unlike his earlier battle with Wang Tian'an's group, where only melee weapons were involved, allowing for an escape in dire circumstances. This time, they were facing a squad of trained mercenaries. The enemy might have snipers hidden in the shadows or explosives planted, both posing lethal threats. So, this operation was far more dangerous than anything Ye Qing had previously encountered.

But no matter how perilous, Ye Qing was committed to rescuing Ou Keren!

The group settled down at Tian Sheng, where Zhao Chengshuang let Captain Feng and his team rest in preparation for deployment at any time while he stayed with Ye Qing, waiting in the office. They waited until after 9 p.m. when Ye Qing finally received a phone call from the mercenaries.

"Mr. Ye, I'm sure you're already aware of the situation with Ou Keren. Considering your close relationship with her, you wouldn't want to see her die by my hand, would you?" On the other end of the call, the mercenary squad leader spoke in a chilling, sinister tone. "We'll be waiting for you at Dongjiao Wangyue Pavilion. I hope you'll arrive on time. Oh, and tell Director Zhao that it would be best for him and Shenchuan City's police not to involve themselves. I'm not particularly keen on meeting them. If they do come, they might want to prepare coffins for those Xiangjiang police officers first!"

Without waiting for Ye Qing's response, the squad leader hung up directly.

"How is it?" Zhao Chengshuang asked Ye Qing anxiously.

"Dongjiao Wangyue Pavilion!" Ye Qing replied grimly. "Where's the map? I need the most detailed military operations map!"

"I brought it over early!" Zhao Chengshuang quickly unfolded a map and also went to call Captain Feng and the others back.

At this moment, Ye Qing pinpointed the precise location of Dongjiao Wangyue Pavilion on the map. Seeing the terrain marked, Ye Qing couldn't help but frown—the layout was even more complex than he had anticipated.

Dongjiao Wangyue Pavilion was situated on a hillside in the Eastern Suburb. The mountain was covered with bizarre rock formations, providing plenty of places to hide. Yet, the pavilion itself was surrounded by open ground, devoid of rocks or cover. This specific trait was why the ancients built a pavilion there to admire the moon.

On the opposite side of the pavilion lay a cliff, about thirty meters above ground level. The pavilion itself jutted out from a massive boulder, making the site perilously positioned.

Surrounding the pavilion were seven to eight small hilltops, none too far apart. From any of those hilltops, the pavilion was clearly visible. This meant snipers could be stationed at any one of these hilltops, making it nearly impossible to deduce their positions or defend effectively against them.

The enemy specifically chose the pavilion as the meeting location to force Ye Qing and his team into the open, turning them into easy targets. The pavilion had no cover to block bullets, while the surroundings offered ample hiding spots for mercenaries. If Ye Qing stepped into the pavilion, bullets from all directions could rain down upon them, and not even Ye Qing's skills would guarantee survival against such overwhelming firepower!

Seeing Ye Qing continuously frowning, Zhao Chengshuang couldn't help but ask, "Ye Zi, what do you think? Is there any good way to break through?"