Chapter 1, Never Retreat

The scattered mercenaries began to stealthily move in different directions under the cover of night, each awaiting their fate

Next, the abdomen was directly sliced open by shrapnel. I could not tell whether it was blood gushing out or the internal organs gasping for fresh air; I only felt as if something was continuously surging out from my abdomen. I pulled the combat belt tight, but there was simply no time to look down!

Qi Tianlin had not even a single grenade left, he could only run, continuously running

Traitor? ? ! High-frequency signal. ? ! Qi Tianlin felt that his mind could not process these words at all now

Up to now, Qi Tianlin still has not fired his gun; he does not dare to shoot, fearing that the flash of fire will attract the enemy. He prays that he is merely hit by a stray bullet and not targeted by some gunman in a good mood. ... Perhaps there is a one in ten thousand chance of escaping this death trap, which is said to be surrounded by two thousand people ...

The density of the projectile suddenly increased, and the air around me was filled with the sharp sound of whistling airflow. The grass at my feet was flying, and clods of earth were being thrown up! A powerful explosion occurred several dozen meters away; this was the effect of the rocket launcher. Was it really necessary to use this against the sixteen mercenaries, who were all basically injured?

The ground is slightly undulating, and in the distance towards the horizon, the lights of vehicles can be seen flickering, seemingly approaching this area from kilometers away

Qi Tianlin did not look back, remembering that the old demon was nearby just moments ago. Sure enough, the cold voice of that Irishman came through the earpiece: "BYE......" A dull sound of a gunshot echoed!

The slogan "Never..." echoed softly in various languages

My whole body was hit by bullets! It felt as if all my internal organs were being torn apart, yet there was no pain! Because my entire body was in a state of disintegration, where could the sensation of pain be?

Never retreat ... ... " Qi Tianlin replied softly in Chinese

It was as if he sensed his call; after running wildly for a few minutes, no specific enemy had yet appeared before him, nor were there any obvious tongues of fire spewing bullets. It seemed that his luck was good, ... he charged towards a direction where the encirclement was relatively weak ...

This is the sound of a grenade soaring through the night sky, a sound distinct from that of a bullet, much more muffled. When it strikes the ground, it bounces and explodes, sending countless shrapnel flying in all directions

The P226 pistol on my thigh is already on the last magazine, no need to check, there are still nine bullets left. I pulled the AK74U short assault rifle from my back, taking out the two spare magazines and holding them in my hands. In such a breakout, there is really no need for precise shooting; it is all about desperately escaping and firing wildly.

At the beginning, everyone was hunched over, moving in small steps. As the urgency of emotions increased, some began to quicken their pace and lengthen their strides, while others encountered the enemy!

Mercenary prisoners of war who participate in wars for money are not protected by the Geneva Conventions; surrender only brings various humiliations before death. Therefore, seeking death becomes the only choice for mercenaries who are on the brink of despair.

Qi Tianlin spat out a mouthful of blood and saliva while muttering to himself, raising his head to look into the darkness ahead. He ran in a perfectly straight line, completely unconcerned about whether he would be easily locked onto by someone else's scope. As the sniper of the team, he relished the hunt for such targets, calculating the lead time and experiencing a thrill that was incomparable to hitting a stationary target. While lost in thought and running silently, Qi Tianlin suddenly heard a loud explosion behind him!

He is not Sun Wukong; he was lifted by the shockwave of an exploding shell!

Like disturbing a hornet's nest, the gunfire around suddenly intensified, with various tracer rounds whizzing through the air, weaving a curtain of bullets from all directions.

A profound silence enveloped the surroundings, interrupted only by the increasingly near sound of gunfire, akin to the footsteps of death approaching

But in the end, this is merely a form of self-deception, a mental anesthetic. Just over ten seconds later, Qi Tianlin felt a chill in his right thigh, followed by a sharp, burning sensation. As he ran, he only felt intense pain, but since he could still run, it should mean that there was no muscle tear. He didn't even touch it, continuing to bend forward and sprint.

There is a slight feeling of heaviness in the thighs, as if the toes are stepping on cotton, resulting in a somewhat lackluster sensation

The wireless headset transmitted the intermittent voice of a Frenchman from Citroën: "Give ... ... me a ... ... break ... ..." On the way here, he was shot four times in total, and by the end, he was basically dragged over like a book, covered in blood

A few piercing howls echoed through the air, drawing forth a bright, smoke-laden light as the illumination flares ignited, slowly descending from the heights. It was as if a 1,000-watt incandescent bulb illuminated the gently undulating wasteland, instantly revealing a group of fleeing rats, leaving them nowhere to hide.

The mouth seems to have a rusty taste, likely due to an injury to the right rib affecting the lung. I can feel blood bubbles oozing from the corner of my mouth. Blood has already started to flow out along the throat.

In the end, I was still surrounded

The sporadic gunfire has not ceased, and occasionally one can hear the sound of bullets slicing through the air nearby, with intermittent explosions from incoming grenades.

He also saw bursts of cross-shaped sparks blooming in the darkness ahead, a distinctive muzzle flash of a machine gun

The Bodhisattva Guanyin signals the Almighty God, the traitor...! ... Sun Wukong! I turn over in somersaults!

Face down, it crashed heavily onto the ground, as if the forehead had exploded!

Never retreat

No arrangements, no discussions, a low voice in the walkie-talkie: "GO!"

Having entered a state of running, Qi Tianlin, despite the deafening sounds of gunfire surrounding him, could still hear the air being forcefully drawn into his lungs. The pain from the right rib that had been hit in the morning seemed to be completely absent. His blood was being pumped by his heart, sending waves of impact to his head. At this moment, his hearing was in a heightened state of sensitivity, as if he could perceive the trajectory of every bullet around him, and it felt as though he could evade every shard of shrapnel that splintered from the ground where the shells landed

While shouting, he got up and continued to run, completely unable to pay attention to the injuries he had just sustained, as he constantly tried to discern the gunfire around him

Fortunately, it was merely a cacophony of sporadic gunfire, chaotic and disordered, lacking the clear and rhythmic sound of precise shots. Qi Tianlin began to silently recite the names of Guanyin Bodhisattva, God, Allah, and Tang Seng in his heart, hoping for any form of protection.

Night has fallen, and there is still no wind in the desert at dusk. The half-man-high wild grass remains still, having been sunbaked all day, leaning lazily in disarray

At last, the team leader's hoarse voice echoed through the walkie-talkie: "The assembly point is at the village from the day before yesterday! If we can survive..." There was a moment of silence on the channel before continuing: "... never retreat!"

绝不退缩

Only one thought surged through Qi Tianlin's mind: "Damn... what kind of traitor could execute such a precise assassination on me!"

Looking from a different direction, a small village with white walls can be seen in the blur, and it seems that some figures are swaying.

The last time I heard a sound from the intercom, it was the keyboard, that communication soldier who always carried a portable computer on his forearm: "Damn! There is actually a high-frequency transmission positioning signal on the screen! We have traitors, we have spies! I ... ... " The voice abruptly cut off

In the next moment, Qi Tianlin truly turned over

With a skilled yet slow motion, he pulled back the bolt of the sniper rifle, removed the bolt carrier, and casually tossed it far away. He then discarded the rifle itself. His backpack and books had long been lost during the escape, and the tactical vest, which offered no ballistic protection, was also thrown away. Only a single tactical belt remained around his waist, and in the collection pouch on his back were the last two AK magazines. It was as if this mercenary group, originally composed of sixty-two individuals, had been reduced to just these sixteen.

At first, the sound of the bear was heard, followed by the habitual roar of the African black man, who had never seen a bear in his life: "I will cover you!" Then his mini machine gun began to roar rapidly!

Qi Tianlin, clad in tattered desert camouflage, knelt on the ground, raising the SSG69 sniper rifle in his hands. Through the optical sight, it seemed he could see countless muzzles aimed at this location. If those pickup trucks equipped with quad-mounted anti-aircraft machine guns approached this area and occupied a high point, a single horizontal shot would turn the seventeen individuals, who had managed to survive until now, into a pile of flesh and blood.

Damn shrapnel! Qi Tianlin had no choice but to roll forward, burying his head with all his might. He rolled several times in succession, yet still felt a sharp bite on his back. A wave of searing pain surged through the rushing blood, reaching the crown of his head. This made Qi Tianlin unable to suppress a low growl, "Ah... ah..." as he struggled to vent the indescribable anger.

A voice came through the headset: "Blow it up!" It was the voice of that Czech fellow with the tail. Then, two loud explosions were heard not far away. He always liked to hang two small grenades on his chest, and in the end, he used them on himself