My Nightclub Landlady

Qin Feng was done talking nonsense with Lei Ming. Now they needed to prepare to face the enemy. Although this land was not completely barren, it was foreign to them and the enemy had the upper hand. They couldn"t relax for a moment.

Qin Feng pointed to markings on the map, and said, "This is the previous action plan, right?"

A blue arrow marked a 100-meter-high hill. Five kilometers of mountain road separated the hill and a river. A half-hour"s walk up the riverbank would lead them to the enemy on the other side.

"Yes, after repet.i.tive checking, we"ve verified that this is the safest route. We can avoid another ambush and take a path that gives us room to attack and defend ourselves," said Lei Ming proudly. "Rest a.s.sured, our plan is professional. I"ve been a staff officer in the army."

"So, you"re destined to fight battles on paper," Qin Feng said disdainfully before looking back to the map. "You see this mound barrier? One hundred meters in height doesn"t seem accurate. The diameter itself is one hundred meters, but the stretch from the foot of the mountain to the peak is at least a thousand meters. How much s.p.a.ce does that leave the enemy to ambush us and at what incline? It would be easy to ambush dozens on a path going through a forest on the hill, right?"

Lei Ming realized that he had made a very simple mistake. To save face, he said, "This is the only way. There is a desert to the west and a cliff to the east. Our north side is too close to the enemy"s hideout. The south is where they lay in wait to ambush us. Unless we were to fly over them, what else can be done?"

Qin Feng listened, lit a cigarette and said, "The east side. The cliff is an opportunity."

Lei Ming sputtered, "What? Are you insane? It"s at least a thousand feet high. If anyone falls, they"ll certainly die." Even the other members of the team were now looking at Qin Feng in surprise.

"It"s because of how dangerous it is that the enemy will never suspect us coming from that side," Qin Feng said confidently. "You"re all so confident on ordinary days, but now that it"s time to get down to business, where"s that bravery?"

Green Dragon stepped forward and clapped Qin Feng on the back. "This is nothing. Let"s do it!" Green Dragon had experience with this level of danger. He knew that as long as he prepared well, nothing would go wrong. He had only ever been afraid after the missions were over.

Qin Feng knew this kind of surprise was necessary to gain the upper hand. Lei Ming"s plan was textbook. It avoided the danger and exposure zones, which meant that they"d be walking right where the enemy would expect them to. This was the enemy"s turf, after all.

Lei Ming still had not replied. He and the others looked nervously at each other until Green Dragon roared, "Will you stop being such cowards? Lei Ming, Didn"t you say that the Eagle SWAT is the number one team in China? But you can"t even handle a cliff?"

"Let"s do this. There"s nothing to be afraid of," said Zhang Shan as he stepped forward. He looked Green Dragon in the eyes as he said, "Anyone who does not go is a coward."

When he heard this, Lei Ming shouted, "Are you crazy? Is it your place to speak?"

Zhang Shan shut his mouth. He certainly looked down on Lei Ming for his cowardice, but he realized he still needed to respect his rank.

Qin Feng sighed and looked at Lei Ming with a pained expression. "How did you become a commander? How did you convince the public? If you really don"t want to join me, I won"t force you. The three of us will go and you can wait here." Qin Feng then reached out and clasped hands with Zhang Shan.

Zhang Shan beamed. Joining the Golden Special Forces was Zhang Shan"s lifelong dream. It was the top stage of the Chinese military. However, he had made a small mistake on the final exam two years ago, and instead of being a.s.signed to the Golden Special Forces as expected, he was a.s.signed to the Eagle Team. This was his chance to fight alongside men like Qin Feng and Green Dragon, and he greatly appreciated the opportunity. If he had to die during this mission, he would rather do it while being bold.

Lei Ming realized he could not stay back. As Qin Feng had implied, when the news spread, how would anyone take him seriously? If he stayed back while others risked death to defeat the enemy, he would become a joke and his reputation would never recover.

"I didn"t say I won"t go! I just thought it was a risky maneuver. After all, from the commander"s point of view, the lives of my soldiers are important. I hope to be able to bring back lessons from the battlefield to inspire the motherland and teach the people," Lei Ming said. "However, since this is the best course of action, I reserve my opinion and I am willing to accept your plan of action."

"Wow. How gracious." Qin Feng rolled his eyes, then laughed at Lei Ming and slapped him on the chest. "Let"s go. Remember to bring your parachute, stupid."

Lei Ming stopped in surprise and said, "Oh, I thought we were going down the cliff with a rope." Lei Ming thought to himself. "So we"ll go down the cliff first with our parachutes, then find a place below the enemy"s hideout where we can land. Then we"ll slowly climb up and strike them off guard. Is that it?"

Qin Feng stared at him for a moment, then said dryly, "Well, look at that. You"re not as stupid as I thought."

Lei Ming embarra.s.sedly replied, "Well I didn"t know we were using parachutes! I only used them in training before, and of course when we have to jump out of aircraft. They didn"t come to mind for something like this."

"That"s a defect as an officer," Qin Feng said seriously. "Even if your theoretical knowledge is good, you don"t know how to apply it on the battlefield. There isn"t time to be stupid out here."

Lei Ming didn"t react. He knew that he had his shortcomings. Frankly, he"d had few opportunities for real combat and even fewer with strong enemies. This mission was unlike any he"d ever experienced, and both he and his team were out of their element. Qin Feng and Green Dragon, on the other hand, were more than capable of jumping right into combat. Lei Ming realized this might mean the difference between life and death.

Lei Ming suddenly understood why Qin Feng was so liked by the leaders of the military headquarters. He really had a unique charm. He was brave, enthusiastic, selfless, and wise. He was a natural killer, with all the qualities that a special combat member needed. Lei Ming was glad he was on the Chinese side.

As they returned to the bush to pick up their parachutes, Qin Feng used a thermal telescope to observe a number of enemies hidden on the hillside two kilometers south. They seemed to be patiently waiting, not preparing to attack anytime soon.

As they approached the edge of the cliff, the Chinese team looked at the abyss. Birds were screaming as they flew through the canyon. A howling wind kicked up, and Lei Ming, who had become dizzy due to the height, almost fell off the cliff. If Qin Feng had not reached out and quickly grabbed him, he would have gone over the edge.

"Careful," Qin Feng said through gritted teeth.

Qin Feng then pointed to a slope under the cliff and said, "See that slope? There are a few hundred meters of flat ground there. That"s where we"ll land. Control your position, and don"t fall off. There"s no way to determine what"s below."