The machine guns and howitzers at the outpost immediately turned their guns on the rapidly approaching Thorn.
Seeing Gordon, Gordon immediately understood that the Thorn was a friend, not an enemy, and shouted, "The convoy on the flanks, make way for that uninvited guest!"
The Gordon convoy changed formation, revealing a passage on the side leading directly to the main gate of the Rose Armed Forces Base, making it easier for the Thorn to rush through.
Han Xiao was the only one on the Thorn at the moment. A few hours earlier, he had killed the Ghost Fox Squad and returned to the Farrian base to repair the Thorn. This time, he was going to take action alone. The other forces in the Somar Desert would not let go of the opportunity to take advantage of the Rose Armed Forces' weakness. He was the one who passed the news to Gordon, making it easier for them to fish in troubled waters.
The howitzers, heavy machine guns, and small missile launchers on the Thorn were all controlled by sights next to the instrument panel, requiring manual aiming, indicating that no fire control system was installed.
Many shells were fired. Dodge what you can, and use your external armor to withstand the damage if you can't. Han Xiao aimed at a gun emplacement on the wall of the stronghold and fired. The vehicle shook violently, and several small missiles and grenades, trailing white smoke, slammed into the wall of the stronghold, exploding in dazzling flashes.
The gun emplacement was blown into countless fragments, which spiraled upwards into the sky.
Inside the stronghold, Luo Qing's face was ashen. She had a premonition that the stronghold would be difficult to defend. She called Su Li over and whispered, "Take five men. We'll retreat through the secret passage and abandon the stronghold."
Su Li nodded, without any objection.
The mercenaries left behind at the outpost were expendable. The group left quietly through the secret passage without making a sound. As long as they survived, they could have as many mercenaries as they wanted, and their backers would send even more.
The mercenaries, who were fighting off the enemy, were unaware that they had been abandoned. They were diligently operating the gun emplacements to block the Gordon convoy and the Thorn. The sound of cannons filled their ears, and smoke and flames filled their vision. They could not hear their comrades' shouts at all. Each of them was like a reef under the waves, fighting alone.
"Boom--"
A dozen or so grenades and rockets were fired simultaneously, and the battered metal door finally gave way, being blasted away and leaving the door wide open!
"Charge in!" Gordon with delight.
The convoy filed in, Gordon's mercenaries, armed with submachine guns, swept through the stronghold. The Rose Armed Forces mercenaries were unable to mount an effective counterattack, and were often riddled with bullets the moment they hurriedly left the gun emplacements.
Han Xiao brought the Thorn into the cabin, took out the Wild Eagle Twin Pistols, and acted alone. Gordon's men glanced at him but did not stop him.
Han Xiao moved swiftly, his black trench coat billowing like a cloak as he moved, like a black phantom wandering the battlefield. He quickly surveyed the Rose Armed Forces' stronghold, and the two Rose Armed Forces mercenaries he encountered were both shot in the head with two preemptive shots. One of them was quite pretty; if she wore a bikini, she would probably be a beautiful sight on the beach. Han Xiao secretly regretted that he shouldn't have shot her in the head.
After searching around and not finding the leader of the Rose Armed Forces, Han Xiao frowned, realizing that things were not so simple.
There must be a secret passage.
With battles erupting daily in the Somar Desert, it's not surprising that the Rose Armed Forces would leave themselves a way out.
Han Xiao quickly noticed something amiss. Luo Qing and the others had left in a hurry, leaving behind footprints. He followed the footprints to a cellar hidden in the floorboards. It was dark and damp, with a fishy smell.
"Underground river?"
Han Xiao threw down a tinderbox, and after confirming there was no danger, jumped down into the water about five meters deep.
Beneath the Rose Armed Forces stronghold lies a massive rocky mountain. Below the cellar is a tunnel that has been excavated, resembling a mine shaft. Wooden frames support the rock walls, and the area ahead is pitch black with no light source. Clear footprints are visible in the dust on the ground, leading forward.
Han Xiao reached out and touched the rock wall; it felt damp and cold, suggesting there might be an underground river nearby.
The situation ahead was unclear. After thinking for a moment, he took out the spider detector he carried with him from his trench coat, placed it on the ground, and activated it through his tablet. The small mechanical spider snapped to attention, like a soldier awaiting orders.
"I'll call you Unit-01 Spider."
As usual, he gave it a great name, and then Han Xiao controlled the Unit-01 Spider to go deep into the tunnel. The images captured by the camera appeared on the computer. The Unit-01 Spider's camera had night vision capabilities.
After piloting the Unit-01 Spider for a while, it suddenly crashed into a rock wall, reaching the end of the passage.
After confirming that the passage was safe, Han Xiao took out his flashlight and quickly walked to the end of the passage. Sure enough, there was a hidden door above him. After lifting it, a pile of sand fell out.
Han Xiao peeked out and saw that outside the cellar was a sloping cave. Sunlight streamed in from the cave entrance on the slope, and there were tire tracks on the ground.
Stepping out of the cave in two quick steps, a breathtaking view unfolded before me: a landscape of weathered rocks. In the distance, the outline of a stronghold could be seen, and two cart tracks, heading in another direction, left their mark on the desert.
"The rest of the Rose Armed Forces escaped by car; we need to catch up quickly."
With this in mind, Han Xiao put away the Unit-01 Spider and hurriedly returned to the base through the passage, preparing to pilot the Thorn to track it down.
Inside the stronghold, Gordon had already wiped out all the Rose Armed Forces mercenaries and was dismantling various supplies to take away. When they saw Han Xiao come out, they all slowed down and focused their gazes on him with wariness, which made Han Xiao's heart sink.
Gordon and a group of mercenaries surrounded the Thorn. Han Xiao quietly touched his gun, walked over, and said in a deep voice, "Excuse me."
"Who are you?" Gordon looked Han Xiao up and down, seemingly lost in thought.
"It's not important, please move aside from my car."
"Your car?"
Gordon glanced at the Thorn, a playful smile on his face. He gave a signal, and the mercenaries subtly surrounded them, as if ready to draw their guns at any moment.
Gordon chuckled, staring at Han Xiao as he repeated, "Is this your car?"
The threat was palpable.
It seemed that if Han Xiao didn't know his place, he would take advantage of his numbers to gang up on him.
"Whoosh--" Han Xiao made his move without saying a word, instantly sliding forward three meters. The Wild Eagle was like a long sword drawn from its Gordon's brow, as fast as a petrel, a streak of black lightning.
"So fast!" The mercenaries around were taken aback and hurriedly raised their guns to aim at Han Xiao. Han Xiao's ghostly speed made them very nervous, and with their leader having a gun pointed at his head, the mercenaries dared not fire, and the situation suddenly became deadlocked.
With a gun pointed at his head, Gordon showed no panic or fear. He was a ruthless man who had lived a life of danger, and he sneered, "If you think you can threaten me into making my men put down their guns, you can save your breath."
Han Xiao ignored the gun barrels around him and calmly said, "You can guess who I am. Your backer won't want things to fall Dragon King."
These words caused Gordon's expression to change slightly. He frowned and pondered for nearly a minute. As the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, he suddenly waved his hand, signaling his men to lower their guns. He forced a smile and said, "It seems this really is your car."
Han Xiao held up the Wild Eagle, unmoved.
Seeing Gordon, Gordon stepped aside to make way for him.
Han Xiao then moved, brushing past Gordon, boarding the Thorn, and raising an eyebrow, saying, "Not bad, good shot."
He stepped on the gas and sped away.
Gordon watched the car disappear into the distance, his smile fading. He turned to see his men staring at him expectantly and said irritably, "What are you looking at? Hurry up and move the stuff."
Although he coveted the Thorn, he was unwilling to risk angering his employer. Gordon guessed that Han Xiao was a bounty hunter, practically one of his own. Since Han Xiao had revealed this, he couldn't make a move. If he ruined his employer's plans, his fate would be dire.
Moreover, Han Xiao himself was an assassin of unknown skill. After considering it for a moment, Gordon decided to curb his greed and settle the matter peacefully.