Chapter 8, Hostage Rescue Operation (II)

Upon checking the GPS, Shang Yi was astonished to find that there were actually over thirty people at the bandits' stronghold. He couldn't help but be taken aback, wondering how this could be. The GPS could only display the number of people, not their identities, leaving Shang Yi uncertain about who these individuals were. Could it be that Lin Chengye and the others had all been killed by the bandits? Or perhaps they were still engaged in battle, with no clear victor yet? Alternatively, it was possible that Lin Chengye and his group had defeated the bandits and rescued the captives, but were now waiting in place, concerned for their own safety.

In the jungle, there was naturally only Shang Yi alone, but he understood the principles of guerrilla warfare. Particularly in situations of one against many, one must never fire in the same location three times in a row, as this would only expose one's position. Instead, he resolutely adhered to the guerrilla warfare principle of firing an arrow and changing locations, always keeping the bandits uncertain of his movements.

The crowd was initially somewhat overwhelmed, but upon seeing his arrival, they could not help but feel invigorated, filled with courage to fight against the bandits.

After seeing that the robbers had all fled, Shang Yi took out the GPS to check the situation at the robbers' base. Earlier, after throwing the grenade, Shang Yi had observed that Lin Chengye and the others had indeed taken action. Shang Yi thought that there were only about ten robbers left at the base, and with the strength of Lin Chengye and his team, defeating these ten or so robbers should not be a problem. Later, he had to focus all his efforts on dealing with the robbers in the forest, so he did not pay attention to the situation at the base anymore. Now, nearly an hour had passed, and they should have long since rescued the people and retreated. Shang Yi still thought that there were only about ten robbers left at the base, and with the strength of Lin Chengye and his team, defeating these ten or so robbers should not be a problem. Later, he had to focus all his efforts on dealing with the robbers in the forest, so he did not pay attention to the situation at the base anymore. Now, nearly an hour had passed, and they should have long since rescued the people and retreated.

At this moment, Man Shanfei had already discarded his shield, wielding a saber in each hand, and was attacking Ye Yaotao at the forefront. He perceived Ye Yaotao as merely a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl and thought she would be easy to deal with. However, Ye Yaotao wielded an iron fork with exceptionally skillful techniques, and for a time, the two were evenly matched in their duel

It is quite fortunate that he was flying in the mountains; his position was far from the center of the explosion. Although he was knocked to the ground by the shockwave, he was not seriously harmed, only suffering minor abrasions from a few splintered branches and stones.

At this moment, a robber approached, trembling and said: "Master... what... what should we do now?"

Due to their fear of being attacked, the robbers always felt that standing close together would provide greater safety. Consequently, they positioned themselves very densely, which inadvertently allowed the grenade to achieve its maximum effect. Many robbers were struck by the tremendous shockwave, being thrown out and crashing into tree trunks, leaving them dazed and disoriented. Shang Yi estimated that this one grenade had eliminated at least thirty robbers

At that moment, a gunshot rang out with a "bang," and a blood flower blossomed on the forehead of the man flying through the mountains. He did not utter a sound and fell face down. Shang Yi rushed to Ye Yaozhao's side, raised his gun, and fired repeatedly, killing the other two bandits as well

Due to the lessons learned from the previous group, and upon entering the forest and seeing the corpses lying in the underbrush, this group of bandits was also very cautious. They did not dare to act separately and remained together, advancing carefully. In order to lure them further away, Shang Yi also refrained from taking action, only revealing himself within their line of sight, gradually drawing them deeper into the forest.

It was not until he had walked nearly 800 to 900 meters that Shang Yi felt it was enough, and he immediately threw a grenade into the group of robbers. He had also considered the surroundings; having recently experienced an autumn rain, the jungle was quite damp, so he was not worried about the grenade causing a forest fire after the explosion

With a spear in his left hand and a sword in his right, Shang Yi became unstoppable after joining the battle group. In the blink of an eye, he had already killed more than ten people and charged to the front of the defensive circle formed by Lin Chengye, Zhou Shaohuan, and others

With a lift of his left hand, Shang Yi fired two shots, "bang, bang," instantly killing two robbers. Seizing the moment while the third robber was momentarily stunned, he swung his knife fiercely, killing him as well

This was the first time Shang Yi used a gun after crossing into this time and space. The disparity in numbers between friend and foe was simply too great, and this face-to-face combat rendered Shang Yi's jungle warfare experience and tactics ineffective, forcing him to confront the bandits head-on. Although Shang Yi was not afraid, the longer the situation dragged on, the more precarious it became for Zhou Shaohuan, Ye Yaotao, and the others; being injured or even killed by the bandits was not out of the question. Therefore, Shang Yi had to adopt the most effective method to resolve the situation swiftly. Under these circumstances, he could only resort to using a handgun.

Naturally, the number of crossbow bolts that Shang Yi carried was limited, making it impossible to rely solely on them to eliminate the bandits. When encountering one or two isolated bandits, he would quietly approach and use his military knife or fists to take them down. The targeted areas were naturally chosen to be lethal, such as the heart, throat, temples, and the carotid artery at the back of the neck, aiming for a single strike to incapacitate the opponent. Consequently, in less than an hour, Shang Yi had already eliminated over fifty bandits. Including those killed earlier with grenades, he had nearly wiped out more than half of the bandits.

During the process of escaping from the forest, Shang Yi eliminated more than ten bandits and finally emerged from the jungle

Shang Yi was also unclear about what had transpired in the research. Clearly, there were no fewer people present, and those who had been captured had been rescued. Why had they not escaped in time? However, there was no time to ponder these matters now; it was essential to deal with the bandits first. Therefore, Shang Yi swung his military sword and joined the fray.

Fortunately, at this moment, the robbers were also solely focused on escaping from this jungle filled with death, disregarding everything else. Therefore, although Shang Yi revealed himself, no one paid him any attention, as they were all intent on running forward in a frenzy

He had just stood up when he heard a cry of "Ah!" A robber beside him let out a terrible scream as a crossbow bolt pierced through his left temple, collapsing to the ground, lifeless. Man Shanfei instinctively shrank his neck and hurriedly sought refuge behind a large tree. Before long, another scream echoed, and another robber was shot through the chest by an arrow from the side where he was hiding. Man Shanfei's heart tightened; it was evident that these two arrows had not been shot from the same direction. Although only one person had revealed themselves earlier, there were likely many more hidden in the forest.

Shang Yi delivered a swift stab from behind, piercing the heart of a robber. At that moment, several robbers, hearing the commotion from behind, turned around and swung their knives at Shang Yi

Man Shan Fei thought for a moment and said, "Let’s go, we will retreat, and first withdraw outside to discuss further." He then shielded himself securely with a shield and shouted, "Brothers, the wind is strong, let’s pull together. Everyone run back together."

Moreover, in jungle warfare, strikes are typically executed at very close distances, generally not exceeding twenty meters. Therefore, as long as one is hit, even if not struck in a vital area, it will still penetrate the body, rendering the individual largely incapacitated.

With great joy in his heart, he raised his twin blades high and struck down towards Ye Yaotang.

With a loud bang, before the robbers could comprehend what was happening, they were blown to pieces, resulting in numerous casualties. However, Shang Yi felt a deep pain in his heart, realizing that he had wasted a grenade that was more precious than bullets.

At this moment, he threw away the single-edged sword flying all over the mountain, holding a shield in one hand, covering himself completely from front to back, yet his legs trembled uncontrollably. He did not know when an arrow might suddenly appear or when a fist might swing towards him, threatening his life.

At this moment, the bandits' stronghold had already turned into a chaotic scene. Lin Chengye, Zhang Zhan, Yang He, Zhou Shaohuan, Tong Dayong, Cheng Jin, Cheng Gang, Duan Peng, and others were present, along with seven or eight individuals whom they did not recognize. They were leaning against a cart, forming a semicircle, fiercely battling the bandits. Even Ye Yaozhao was wielding a hunting fork, participating in the fight. In the center of the semicircle, there were about ten people, both men and women, who were clearly being protected by them.

Most of the bandits wore dark brown clothing, making them very conspicuous in the woods, while Shang Yi was dressed in camouflage and had deliberately placed a straw hat on his head, which was advantageous for hiding in the jungle. He could fully utilize the trees and bushes for cover, making it difficult to be discovered even when he was very close. This left the bandits unable to determine the enemy's exact location, and they could not even ascertain how many enemies there were, forcing them to act as live targets in the woods, providing Shang Yi with a training opportunity for live ammunition shooting. Moreover, he could fully utilize the trees and bushes for cover, making it difficult to be discovered even when he was very close. This left the bandits unable to determine the enemy's exact location, and they could not even ascertain how many enemies there were, forcing them to act as live targets in the woods, providing Shang Yi with a training opportunity for live ammunition shooting.

Man Shanfei was astonished to find that he could not defeat a little girl. He became increasingly anxious, and his dual blades danced more frantically as he shouted in anger. At that moment, two more bandits rushed over to assist him. Ye Yaozhao was merely a little girl, and facing three opponents at once, she was immediately at a disadvantage and could hardly defend herself. In a moment of carelessness, even the hunting fork in her hand was knocked away.

The other bandits, upon hearing this, also perked up, no longer fearing the possibility of being attacked, and swiftly fled into the woods like the wind.

At this moment, Shang Yi could no longer bother to pick up the crossbow arrows; he simply raised his saber and struck down anyone he caught up with from behind. The screams coming from behind only urged the bandits in front to run faster, not daring to look back even once

The sounds of screams continued to echo through the woods, as the bandits fell one after another.

However, this is also an unavoidable situation. This is the signal agreed upon by Shang Yi and Lin Chengye and others; as soon as they hear a thunderous roar, they will immediately take action. Although Lin Chengye and the others were confused and did not understand how it could thunder on a clear day, they had no choice but to listen, seeing that Shang Yi spoke with such certainty

The remaining bandits numbered around sixty or seventy, but as they watched their companions fall one by one with anguished cries, and realizing that they had not even managed to grasp a corner of the enemy's clothing, they had already become like startled birds. At the slightest rustle of the grass or a gust of wind, they were immediately terrified to the point of losing their senses. Those with bows and arrows shot wildly, while those without brandished their weapons, hacking and smashing indiscriminately, inadvertently injuring several of their own.

Although the bandits were killed off by Shang Yi in large numbers, there were still nearly fifty remaining, thus maintaining a significant advantage. The defensive line formed by Lin Chengye, Zhou Shaohuan, and others was also in a precarious situation

These thoughts only flashed through Shang Yi's mind, and then he could no longer bother to conceal his presence, immediately chasing after the rear of the robbers, running swiftly out of the woods