Chapter 102 04

Chapter 102.04

Shortly after falling asleep, He Lin found himself dreaming again.

In his dream, he was inside a tactical vehicle, the cramped space filled with palpable tension.

Everyone, clad in black tactical gear and masks, methodically checked their equipment.

Outside, the night was thick and dark. The vehicle sped through the darkness, but the rough road made the ride quite bumpy.

They were near the border.

News had just come in: a nearby company was being held hostage by an armed terrorist group from another country, and all personnel inside had been taken captive.

The terrorists were demanding a hefty ransom—three million per life. With twenty-three hostages inside, their lives hung in the balance.

This group had a history of similar operations. In previous incidents, delayed alarms or the police’s inability to arrive in time had resulted in casualties among the hostages and financial losses for the companies involved.

Tianning Base command had issued a clear directive: this time, the group must be completely neutralized, no matter the cost.

Inside the vehicle, Dragon Flame meticulously reviewed the documents and crime scene photos, methodically outlining the tactical plan: "Based on current intelligence, there are more than ten assailants. The challenge of this mission is to swiftly eliminate all terrorists while ensuring the hostages’ safety."

Zhu Xiaonian whispered, "Captain Rong, isn’t this a routine operation? Why so tense?"

He Yuan nudged him, "Since when do routine operations require Dragon Flame’s involvement?"

Dragon Flame elaborated, "This armed group is fully equipped—they’re wearing bulletproof vests, and some have helmets. This means we must aim for the face or neck to effectively neutralize them. Furthermore, they possess firearms and ample ammunition, and all have undergone professional training."

Upon hearing these challenging details, Zhu Xiaonian immediately fell silent.

"Also, their positioning is strategic—they can cover each other," Dragon Flame’s slender fingers traced paths on the map, simulating various scenarios.

"First, the sniper will take out their leader. Then, the assault team will eliminate the two guards on each side... The rest..."

Dragon Flame’s finger lightly tapped a specific location: "The most difficult one is the terrorist at this position. His angle is extremely tricky—standard sniper techniques won’t reach him, and an assault from below won’t work either."

He Lin asked, "Can we deal with him last?"

Dragon Flame shook his head, "He’s strapped with explosives. If we don’t neutralize him and he detonates, it could cause casualties and make it impossible to breach their defenses."

Everyone frowned, lost in thought, considering countermeasures.

After a moment, Dragon Flame made a decisive call: "We might be able to fast-rope from the adjacent building and engage from above."

A brief silence fell over the vehicle, after which Zhu Xiaonian timidly said, "That approach is far too difficult..."

The building Dragon Flame mentioned was very close to the incident site—seven stories high.

It stood at a ninety-degree angle to the three-story building where the hostages were held.

If they descended from the side nearest the incident to around the fourth floor, it might indeed be possible to hit that spot.

However, the courtyard below was guarded, making it impossible to enter the building unnoticed through conventional means to find a suitable sniper’s nest. If discovered by the enemy, the consequences would be dire.

Dragon Flame’s plan—to first reach the roof and shoot during the rope descent—was indeed a swift and feasible solution.

The advantage was the element of surprise, making it hard for the enemy to defend against.

But it was also an extremely risky and dangerous move. Not only was it difficult to reach the precise position, but it would also fully expose them to enemy fire.

If a single shot missed, there would be no chance for a follow-up; once engaged in a firefight, he would become a sitting duck.

Moreover, the path to the rooftop of that building was treacherous. The only way was to jump across from the adjacent eight-story building.

With several meters between the buildings, carrying heavy rappelling equipment silently without being detected by the enemy, and having to aim and shoot while descending—the difficulty and danger were easy to imagine.

Dragon Flame’s voice remained steady: "Don’t worry about this, I’ll go."

For some reason, He Lin’s anxious heart suddenly calmed upon hearing these words.

He recalled that it had been the same in other missions. Almost every time, Dragon Flame took on the most challenging part, and he had never failed.

The team fell silent.

Then, based on the map, Dragon Flame assigned detailed tasks to each person, specifying every position and step. The entry sequence, attack targets—everything was clear and concise.

When it was He Lin’s turn, Dragon Flame said, "You’ll assault from below, prioritize neutralizing the two on the lower left, then cover my attack from above."

He Lin nodded and replied briefly, "Understood."

Time was urgent. As soon as the car stopped, they quickly disembarked.

Each of them wore night vision goggles to ensure they could see the enemy’s every move in the darkness.

The sniper assumed the predetermined position first.

Dragon Flame climbed to the rooftop of the eight-story building from the rear.

He Lin looked up and saw a black figure appear atop the building not far away. Dragon Flame first swung his arm and threw a lighter pack across. Then he took several steps back, sprinted forward, and launched himself, his body tracing a parabola through the air.

The two buildings were several meters apart, making the jump appear incredibly perilous. He Lin, watching from below, felt his heart clench, holding his breath.

Fortunately, half a second later, the figure landed steadily on the rooftop diagonally below.

Under the cover of night, Dragon Flame landed with cat-like quietness, making almost no sound. The nearby robbers remained completely unaware.

Only when the figure disappeared onto the rooftop did He Lin let out a sigh of relief and look away.

Everyone was in position, and soon a crisp command came through the earpiece: "All units in position, operation begins!"

With a sharp crack, Liu Fengsheng’s precise sniper fire from a distance sent a bullet into the gang leader’s head.

Immediately after, He Lin and Zhu Xiaonian rushed toward the building like bolts from a crossbow.

He Lin raised his gun, aimed, and fired—the entire motion executed seamlessly.

Countless hours of intense training had made these actions muscle memory for him.

Almost instantly, two shots rang out, and the two thugs on the left fell to the ground.

Zhu Xiaonian, following suit, his gun delivered precise fire, five bullets cleanly taking out the two on the right.

At that moment, Dragon Flame, dressed in black with a rappelling device attached to his waist, stood at the edge of the thirty-meter-high building.

Without hesitation, he leaped, descending rapidly along the suspended rope.

His speed was like a freefall.

Mid-descent, his slender right leg wrapped around the rope with serpentine speed, his powerful core strength allowing him to stabilize his body firmly.

Then, he released his hands from the rope, dangling by his legs alone. From that tricky angle, he raised his gun and fired several shots in rapid succession, accurately striking the enemies hidden within the building.

Immediately after, amidst the hail of bullets, he straightened his body into a line and rapidly descended upside-down.

In the final stretch, Dragon Flame nimbly twisted his body in mid-air, flipping from an inverted position to land lightly, rolling into a defensive crouch.

At the same time, he swiftly unclipped the carabiner and stormed into the building, raising his gun to fire continuous shots.

The few remaining hostiles, like maddened cornered animals, tried to break free.

The air was acrid with the smell of cordite, and the staccato crackle of gunfire echoed.

Bullets flew at high speed, sparks flying in all directions.

Amid the hail of bullets, He Lin raised his gun, firing with precision while maneuvering agilely, quickly making his way to Dragon Flame's side.

On this dangerous battlefield, they pressed their backs together.

Their coordination was flawless, nearly telepathic.

When one focused their fire on one side, the other automatically covered their blind spots.

After emptying a magazine, Dragon Flame swiftly reloaded with one hand; the interruption in firing was barely perceptible.

A leg-wounded hostile tried to aim in their direction. Before he could pull the trigger, He Lin had already read his intent and put a bullet in his forehead.

The operation's planning had been meticulous, so all that remained was to execute with maximum efficiency.

Countless hours of brutal training now proved their worth—not a single drop of sweat was wasted.

The success of the raid hinged on surprise, hitting them where they least expected.

Every second of delay could cost the life of a hostage or a teammate.

But they moved fast enough and with enough precision.

This was the elite special ops unit—Dragon Flame.

They advanced steadily, and several more hostiles dropped.

The last hostile attempted a last-ditch effort, trying to use a hostage as a human shield, but Dragon Flame gave him no chance. He fired decisively, a bullet whizzing past the hostage's ear and accurately punching through the man's throat.

Finally, as that man fell, the entire operation concluded in just two minutes and fifty-three seconds.

"Clear!"

"Clear here too!"

"Twelve hostiles neutralized, hostages safe, no casualties on our side... preparing to mop up..." Dragon Flame reported calmly to the command center.

They quickly moved into action, first checking the status of the hostiles, confiscating their weapons, and then releasing the hostages one by one.

The hostages, now free, embraced each other and wept, rejoicing at their narrow escape.

This was the first time He Lin had dreamed of this battle. As he looked at Dragon Flame fighting alongside him, a ripple of emotion stirred in his chest.

Had they ever been this close before?

He tried to recall more, but those memories seemed veiled in a hazy mist.

After the operation, the team boarded the vehicle again.

The earlier tension had melted away, replaced by the joy of a successful mission.

He Lin dug through his backpack in the vehicle and pulled out a pack of chocolate, tossing one to each person. Dragon Flame was unusually agreeable, surprisingly not scolding him for it.

Everyone was in high spirits, tossing the candy into their mouths.

Zhu Xiaonian let out a long sigh of relief and said with a smile, "I emptied five rounds before hitting my target earlier—I was so nervous my palms were sweaty."

He Yuan chimed in eagerly, "Hey, shouldn't there be a bonus for today's operation? Our team has completed three high-risk missions with zero injuries. What about that special leave Commander Shi promised?"

Only the dutiful Liu Fengsheng asked wistfully, "Are we still going ahead with tonight's scheduled training plan?"

At that, Dragon Flame spoke up, "Everyone did well today. Good work. Tonight is free time—you can all relax."

His voice was unusually mild.

He Lin felt a stir in his heart, thinking, *Since when was Dragon Flame this understanding?*

And for some reason, he felt those words were especially meant for him.

He instinctively looked up, his eyes meeting Dragon Flame's directly.

At that moment, he watched as the person before him slowly pulled down the black balaclava with a gloved hand, revealing a young and strikingly handsome face.

The man blinked, his gaze smiling as it settled on He Lin.

This was the first time He Lin had seen that face clearly in his dream.

He Lin felt his heart begin to race wildly, then contract sharply, as if a tidal wave of adrenaline surged and rushed through his entire body.

That face—it was actually Li Shang's!