Gunfire at Dawn

After a long run, no one had any strength left. Aside from heavy breathing, only the distant thunder of explosions broke the darkness.

Perhaps deliberately keeping his distance from the Griffin Mercenary Group, Li Changjiang did not sit close to them. Instead, he stayed on the periphery, his eyes fixed on the distant, reddening sky.

That was the direction of Benghazi.

"Hey!"

Williams unbuckled his backpack, pulled out a bottle of mineral water, and tossed it to Li Changjiang.

The group then lapsed into another round of silence.

Only the sound of water being gulped down could be heard.

In the distance, the battle between the Libyan government forces and the rebels seemed to have reached a stalemate. Yet, surprisingly, after two hours of fierce fighting, not only had the government troops not retreated, but their assault was growing ever more ferocious.

"Report!"

"Go ahead."

Inside the Special Intelligence Center in the northwest region of China, Xiang Guofang and Hu Dayou had been staring at the large screen in front of them for over three hours. It was now three in the morning, but neither showed any intent to rest.

The persistent hum of electronics and the clatter of keyboards filled the air, creating an incessant din.

"Calling Jiangzhou, calling Jiangzhou!"

"Hello, this is China Telecom."

"Please use the correct password!"

"Alright, transmitting the latest data now."

The entire intelligence center was a hive of activity, its rhythm undiminished by the late hour.

"As of 3 a.m., the Libyan government forces have not withdrawn. Half an hour ago, they reinforced their numbers again—exact figures unknown. Intelligence indicates no detection of any heavy weapons. Report complete."

With a wave, Xiang Guofang dismissed the young officer. Yet he was deeply puzzled.

It wasn't just him; Hu Dayou was perplexed as well. Both were seasoned veterans, naturally sensitive to the nuances of war, but the Libyan civil conflict, manipulated by several Western nations, had become increasingly inscrutable.

"Old Hu, have you figured it out? What is Gaddafi trying to do? Capture Benghazi and break up the opposition? That's wildly ambitious, don't you think?"

"Not necessarily," Hu Dayou replied succinctly.

Yet his face showed hesitation. The situation was becoming more and more baffling.

"I wonder how Li Changjiang is doing?"

"Him? I doubt he'll die so easily."

"Look here—I'm sure there's something more to this place. It's been over two hours and nothing has happened. There must be something amiss."

He glanced at his watch. Hu Dayou appeared certain.

Xiang Guofang followed the direction Hu Dayou was pointing, squinting at the screen for a moment before suddenly turning away.

"Get in touch with Lu Qian immediately. Tell him, at all costs, center the search on this area and comb every target within a two-hundred-kilometer radius."

"Yes, sir."

The young officer, having received his orders, quickly pushed open the glass door and hurried out.

"Brilliant move, Old Xiang!"

"Spare me the flattery. If there's nothing wrong with this place, I'll never set foot through this door again," Xiang Guofang retorted.

On the Mediterranean near the Gulf of Sirte, the blackness of night blanketed the sea. The Jiangzhou, its massive silvery-grey hull like a war beast, lay silently on the waves. But even with its 7,500-ton displacement, the warship seemed insignificant in the vast ocean.

"Release Falcon-2 immediately."

"Captain, Falcon-1 has already been launched. If we deploy Falcon-2—"

"Is there a problem with my order?"

"No, sir."

At the command, a burst of fire erupted from the Jiangzhou's stern deck and a blazing arc shot into the sky.

No sooner had Falcon-2 been launched than the radars of neighboring warships—some belonging to other powers—captured the anomaly.

"Quickly, find out which nation is in action."

"Understood, investigating now."

"Report: it's a Chinese drone taking off."

"A Chinese drone? When was their last drone deployed?"

The Jiangzhou's sudden move perplexed all the other navies patrolling the Mediterranean, including those from the United States and Russia.

What were the Chinese up to?

Launching drones one after another—had something happened in Benghazi?

Within five minutes, the Jiangzhou's radar detected six more anomalous signals suddenly appearing within the search area.

Clearly, everyone was growing restless.

Above, a sharp whine approached from the distance.

Li Changjiang, ever alert, raised his weapon, scanning the shrouded sky for any threat, his body tense. With what he'd already endured, he dared not be careless.

On the dark green targeting screen, a black dot grew steadily larger, soon resolving into the shape of an aircraft. Li Changjiang tensed further.

"Take cover—it's a reconnaissance drone."

Had Li Changjiang managed to steady himself even ten seconds longer, he might have seen the Chinese script and bright red star painted on Falcon-1's fuselage.

At his warning, everyone immediately flattened themselves against the ground, hardly daring to breathe. Even the calm stranger who had escaped with them seemed tense.

The drone roared overhead, fading into the distance before they finally dared to move.

"William, it's not safe here. We have to leave at once. At first light, the rebels could easily track us down."

These were the first words Li Changjiang had spoken to Williams since their escape from the tunnel.

"—"

The speaker was Bob.

Though his face was obscured, Li Changjiang could sense the anger in Bob's eyes as he looked at him.

Despite his fury, Bob did not argue. He wasn't a fool—he knew that without Li Changjiang's timely intervention, they would have been overtaken by the rebels.

If they’d tried to carry all that cash and gold, they’d never have outrun their pursuers. The thought stung; that was a fortune—enough to buy a villa anywhere in the world. If only they’d managed to bring out a suitcase, who would still want to work as a mercenary?

Such a pity.

But then, a new thought occurred to him.

"Hey, did you manage to bring out that bag?"

Bob was clearly patting someone’s shoulder. Li Changjiang didn’t even need to look to know it was Jin, for only Jin had brought along a cloth bag, and it definitely wasn’t filled with water.

"rs—"

Jin had barely spoken when the droning sound swept over them again, forcing everyone back to the ground.

This happened four or five more times, and by the time they finally dared get up again, a faint glimmer of white was visible in the eastern sky.

Dawn was approaching.

Bang!

Bob had just stood up when a gunshot shattered the silence of the wilderness.

"Ah—"

"!"

"Down! Get down!"

Damn it—they were rebels. They’d been tracked.

"William, you and Jin take Bob and Tim—go!"

Li Changjiang was dazed; he’d been too careless.

The bullet had struck Bob’s left shoulder. He wouldn’t die quickly, but he was in no condition to fight. Along with Tim, whose arm was already wounded, they would only await death if they didn’t move.

"—I’ll stay. You go."

But Williams didn’t agree, and Li Changjiang ignored him, rolling to one side and firing off two shots.

Bang! Bang!

Stretch your legs, roll your neck, drink some coffee—don’t leave; fight until dawn. I beg for your recommendations!