[Reconnaissance I] Completed. You have gained 3000 experience points.
Han Xiao was startled awake by the notification on the panel. He looked out the car window and saw that it was dawn. The sky was beginning to lighten, with blue and gray blending into a color that was not yet fully bright.
Han Xiao had only slept for two hours after staying up all night building new machinery. He took out a water bottle, splashed water on his face, and the cool sensation refreshed him. He stepped out of the cargo compartment and entered the base.
Lin Yao had been working all night and was feeling nauseous. Qi Baijia, who was taking a nap on the sofa next to him, was already awake.
"How was the harvest last night?" Han Xiao asked.
Lin Yao said weakly, "That bald, burly man revealed the other accomplices hiding in Crow Forest Town. We arrested a group of prisoners overnight and found out the exact location of the Dark Crow Valley Base. But they were all peripheral members and didn't know any highly classified information, so that's about all we got."
Han Xiao nodded. This was expected; otherwise, [Reconnaissance II] could have been completed directly.
Are they still lying in wait?
"Yes, I'm on standby in Crow Forest Town."
"There's nothing of value there anymore; we can withdraw," Han Xiao said.
Qi Baijia, who was munching on military rations for breakfast, rolled his eyes and couldn't help but say, "Have you forgotten that I'm the commander?"
Han Xiao asked in surprise, "Weren't you supposed to be the one to take the blame for us in crucial moments?"
Qi Baijia choked on a mouthful of dry food, coughing repeatedly, looking speechless. Just as he was about to retort, Ye Fan walked over.
"Gentlemen of the Thirteenth Bureau, our people have obtained detailed intelligence on the Dark Crow Valley Base. Mission accomplished."
Qi Baijia looked astonished. It hadn't even been a day, and the Hesla agents had already succeeded. Their efficiency was astonishing!
"Did you really obtain all the intelligence on the Dark Crow Valley Base?"
Ye Fan nodded. "Wenna and the others have captured a witness. Our mission is over. Withdraw your people, sort out and organize the intelligence, and then send it to the army."
Han Xiao frowned. There was no notification on the panel indicating [Reconnaissance II] was complete. He asked, "Are you sure the intelligence is accurate? Could you elaborate on the details of the operation?"
"Of course." Ye Fan briefly explained the actions of Wenna and the others, including the book.
Han Xiao pondered for a moment, then said, "Don't you think it's going too smoothly?"
"That's true, but there's nothing suspicious. It just shows that the enemy's vigilance was too low. Don't forget, we launched a surprise attack; they weren't prepared."
I don't think it's reliable.
"Being suspicious is a good thing, but being suspicious without evidence is going too far." Ye Fan frowned, then said decisively, "In any case, we plan to evacuate tomorrow morning, and we'll act together then."
Watching Ye Fan's departing the Sight of Father's Back, Han Xiao's face darkened. He was 100% certain that there was something fishy about the information Ye Fan had obtained.
But recalling Ye Fan's description of the operation, he realized that Wenna and the other agents were at most a bit aggressive, but didn't make many mistakes. So there was only one possibility: there was something else going on at the Dark Crow Valley Base.
Han Xiao has no evidence, and even if he voices his suspicions, others will not believe him, just like Ye Fan.
Speculation cannot be trusted.
"Looks like I'll have to go see for myself."
In the morning, Di Susu and Wenna's two groups returned to the stronghold together. Both sides brought back captured witnesses. Roman was an officer, and his value was higher than that of the group of peripheral members captured by Di Susu.
Wenna wore a victor's smile. In her view, this operation was a competition between the two sides' agents, and Hesla's results completely crushed the Thirteenth Bureau, making her feel triumphant.
The members of the Thirteenth Bureau were quite infuriated by the victorious attitude of the Hesla agents. Li Yalin said indignantly, "If our mission had been switched, you would have been the ones to lose."
Wenna scoffed, "The result is already decided; a loss is a loss, and a win is a win."
Han Xiao walked over and said, "Your information might be false."
Whether the other party believes it or not, the reminder still needs to be given.
Wenna's expression changed, and she questioned Han Xiao, "What evidence do you have?"
"Intuition."
As expected of the all-purpose excuse, everyone's face looked as if they had eaten a pound of excrement.
Wenna laughed in exasperation, "Then shut up. What weight can your conjectures carry?"
Han Xiao remained unperturbed and instead asked, "Then do you have any evidence?"
Wenna patted Roman, who was trembling like a quail. "This is my evidence."
Han Xiao squatted down and carefully examined Roman with the book, then suddenly nodded, stood up, and walked away.
Wenna thought he had given in, and felt a surge of satisfaction.
"Looks like there's a formidable guy at the Dark Crow Valley Base."
Han Xiao's expression was solemn. Roman's fear and will to survive seemed genuine, proving that this person was not a suicide soldier who deliberately provided false information. Therefore, there was only one reasonable guess: the Dark Crow Valley Base had not told these junior officers the real information from the beginning. The sentries patrolling the perimeter were not only sentries, but also bait!
The intelligence Ye Fan obtained was likely manipulated!
To uncover the truth, the only option is to personally infiltrate the Dark Crow Valley Base.
A plan formed in Han Xiao's mind, but he would have to wait until nightfall.
The group is interrogating prisoners and organizing intelligence. They won't leave until tomorrow morning, so I still have one night.
The night was dark, with a bright moon and few stars.
Han Xiao said to his colleagues, "I'm going to wait in the car for a while."
No one answered him. Hesla ignored him, and the Thirteenth Bureau and the others didn't bother to reply. Only Zhang Wei said helplessly, "If you want to go, then go. We're not stopping you."
Han Xiao nodded, walked out of the stronghold, returned to the cargo box, slung Lambert's heavy sniper rifle over his shoulder, gathered all the necessary mechanical equipment, locked the cargo box door, looked around to make sure no one was outside the stronghold, then turned and walked into the woods, his the Sight of Father's Back disappearing into the darkness.
He didn't intend to inform his teammates, but Qi Baijia would definitely disagree, which would only cause trouble for his operation.
After trekking for most of the night, Han Xiao finally arrived at his destination.
Equipped with thermal imaging night vision goggles and an environmental concealment suit, he quietly dug a pit, large enough to accommodate about one person, after confirming that there were no enemies around.
After digging the hole, Han Xiao took out four mechanical spiders, each about half the size of his palm, from his toolbox, placed them on the ground, and turned them on. The mechanical spiders stood up and stood in front of Han Xiao, like a group of small scouts standing tall and waiting to be ordered.
[Miniature arthropod detector (spider): Miniature insect-like detector.]
This is a blueprint that Han Xiao has recently integrated, a practical little tool designed to act as a spy network. It's small, discreet, and can be remotely controlled. Equipped with a heat sensor, it automatically avoids heat sources and living beings when not in use, making it a walking surveillance device. With the spider detector, he doesn't need to get close to the sentries, reducing the chances of being discovered.
Han Xiao took out his tablet computer and used it to remotely control the camera. By cross-referencing the images from the four spider detectors, he quickly confirmed the locations of several sentries, most of whom were hidden near trees. He then quickly sketched out a map of the sentries' distribution in his mind and devised the most suitable assassination route.
In the dark forest, Han Xiao crawled forward with a heavy Sniping rifle in hand, bringing the target within range.
Lambert's heavy Sniping rifle was silenced; when it unleashed its powerful kinetic energy, the sound was barely loud enough to make the sound of a finger striking wood. In this quiet, dark forest, an elite agent could detect such a sound from within a hundred meters. However, Lambert's heavy sniper rifle had a range of eight hundred meters, which was why Han Xiao borrowed this weapon. Compared to eliminating sentries one by one at close range, long-range Sniping was more convenient and safer, making his investment in the [Sniping] branch worthwhile.
Han Xiao held his breath and focused, aiming at the target through the scope. The distance of several hundred meters seemed to disappear in his eyes, and a feeling of ease washed over him.
Crosshair, head!
Wind direction, 8 o'clock!
Wind speed 1.3, deviation 43mm!
The elevation angle, advance angle, and scale adjustment are complete.
Han Xiao suddenly pulled the trigger. The recoil from the butt of the rifle made his body tremble slightly. He controlled the heavy sniper rifle with immense strength, without the slightest deviation.
In the thermal imaging scope, a human target hundreds of meters away loses its head in the blink of an eye, the splattered hot blood appearing in orange-red on the image.