The battle raged but it was an unbalanced battle. Bullets came constantly from the peak, killing the gunmen at the edge of the forest. Too bad those gunmen could not see who was shooting at them. They were sure that Xia Lei was using a sniper rifle but they were unable to fight back with the a.s.sault rifles they were equipped with. They had the numbers but they were at the disadvantage.
Another gunman who’d charged out of the forest was killed. The battle had raged for ten minutes and anyone who came out of the forest was killed. The border between forest and mountain peak became a sort of kill-zone. The realm of humans in the forest, and the realm of h.e.l.l on the peak, with Xia Lei as the judge of death and the XL2500 as his gavel.
The gunmen were scared by this. They knew Xia Lei was at the peak but they were afraid to charge at him. They hid behind tree trunks and shot blindly upwards. The sound of their gunshots were frightening but totally useless. This was not because they had poor combat skills but because no one could win in a shooting battle against an enemy you couldn’t see.
Fifteen corpses littered the edge of the forest. Men from every direction had been killed, and each man was killed the same way - a headshot. This gunmans.h.i.+p was terrifying!
Ahn Suhyeong grew discomfited upon receiving news over the walkie-talkie. He’d brought over thirty gunmen and Xia Lei had wiped out about half of them in one exchange. They’ve only been battling for ten minutes - what was going to happen if thing battle dragged on for longer?
“Retreat!” Ahn Suhyeong issued the command. “Get out of the forest. We attack again when it’s light.”
The gunmen hiding in the forest gave a collective sigh and retreated quickly after hearing Ahn Suhyeong’s command. However, Ahn Suhyeong did not let them retreat far; he gathered them all about 50 metres away. It was just 50 metres but the forest was thick and Xia Lei’s sniper rifle bullet was unable to penetrate this thick forest and kill people.
“Mr Hyena?” Ahn Suhyeong spoke into the walkie-talkie with a group of gunmen around him for protection. “What’s going on with you? You took my money so you should kill that punk. Over ten people are dead on my side and you haven’t moved a muscle on your end. Did I pay you to sight-see?”
There was no response from over the walkie-talkie.
“h.e.l.lo? Say something, Mr Hyena!” Ahn Suhyeong was mad.
There was still no response from over the walkie-talkie.
“f.u.c.k!” Ahn Suhyeong raised the walkie-talkie high, but did not dash it to the ground.
“Did that guy lie to us?” said a Korean gunman.
“Yeah, he’s probably a scammer,” agreed someone, “We’re in battle and he’s hidden himself somewhere. s.h.i.+t, where did Mr Hoffman get this guy? He’s an excellent killer? f.u.c.k, I don’t believe it!”
Clang! There was suddenly a sound of metal being cracked open.
The gunman who’d cursed paused, then subconsciously touched his head and felt a hole in his helmet.
The person who had fired was not aiming at life but to destroy his protective gear.
The person who’d fired didn’t want to kill him, just shatter his head gear.
The group of gunmen grew nervous. They looked about and the guns in their hands were ready; they would shoot at any time.
Hyena’s voice came from a corner of darkness. He said in English, “I’ll kill anyone who disrespects me.”
Hyena’s voice was ice-cold. This was his warning.
The Korean gunman who’d had his helmet ruined snapped back to his senses. He lowered his head to see that he had wet himself.
The temperature in this area of forest seemed have decreased by a few degrees at Hyena’s appearance. He walked leisurely over, ignoring the guns in the hands of Ahn Suhyeong’s men. This att.i.tude of his seemed to say that he could send these men to h.e.l.l at any moment he chose.
Ahn Suhyeong held his anger in check and said, “Mr Hyena, please forgive their rudeness. But you must know that we’ve already lost more than ten people on our side. That punk has us stopped at the peak. Why haven’t you made your move?”
Hyena spoke softly, “I’ve already gone up to that peak in the middle before you started exchanging fire with Xia Lei. He’s hiding behind rock. I have no chance at shooting at him so I came here. I told you that he is a very crafty, very powerful enemy. Starting a battle like this? You didn’t bring enough men for him to kill.”
“Why didn’t you answer me earlier?”
“He killed Hoffman, and the people you sent. He has a walkie-talkie with him so he can hear everything you say over it. Commanding your men to attack over the walkie-talkie is like telling him to get ready to shoot.”
“s.h.i.+t!” Ahn Suhyeong let out a shout of anger.
After a bit of silence, Hyena said, “Mr Ahn, after this exchange with Xia Lei, it seems like…”
“What are you trying to say?” asked Ahn Suhyeong.
“It seems like it’s not you who wants to kill him but he who wants to kill you.”
Ahn Suhyeong was rooted to the spot.
Hyena went on to say, “He’s clever. There’s no way he couldn’t see that this was a trap to kill him but he still came, and with a sniper rifle too. When he got to the island, he killed Hoffman and your men before you even turned up. Mr Ahn, I don’t know what grudge you have against him but what I’m trying to tell you is that you have made an enemy of a man like this. He will become your nightmare if you’re unable to kill him now.”
“Nonsense. I’m here to kill him,” said Ahn Suhyeong frostily. “Mr Hyena, you are the best killer in the world. You must have some way to kill him. Tell me what I should do.”
Hyena looked up at the cloud-filled sky. “It’ll rain soon. The spot Xia Lei picked is perfect but there are no trees there. He and that woman will be exposed to the wind and rain. His body will have to expend a lot of energy to maintain his body temperature. A tired and hungry man with a body half-frozen - his combat ability will decrease.”
Ahn Suhyeong thought for a bit and said, “You mean we should surround this peak and not attack... We wait till he’s dizzy with hunger and frozen with cold, then go up and kill him?”
Hyena nodded. “This is a deserted island and there is no phone signal here either. We don’t have to worry about him or that woman contacting the Chinese police. No water, no food, the wind and the rain. We just need to wait for 30 hours. In 30 hours, or the morning the day after, we attack again. We shall end his life then.”
A siege. This was a common tactic in ancient warfare. Xia Lei had taken the most perfect sniping spot on this island. His one-shot-one-kill made this peak an impenetrable fort but this fort had no water, no food, and no shelter from the elements. That was why there was no need to attack this fort. Surround it and wait, and it would collapse on its own!
Ahn Suhyeong laughed. He gave Hyena a thumbs-up. “Mr Hyena, I have to admit that you are fairly experienced.”
There was no change in Hyena"s expression at Ahn Suhyeong’s praise. He spoke softly, “Let your men get ready to do battle in this time.”
“What do you need me to do?” asked Ahn Suhyeong.
“Attack after 30 hours. Before that, your men need to gather large amounts of wood. Dry wood and wet wood. Light it before battle to obscure Xia Lei’s vision. Additionally, get two people to ride in the helicopter to do an aerial a.s.sault.”
The smile on Ahn Suhyeong’s face grew bigger. “As you say, Mr Hyena.”
“One more thing,” said Hyena. “Xia Lei and that woman came on two speedboats. You have to get your men to destroy them or someone will use the tracking devices on those speedboats to find this location when too much time pa.s.ses with no return.”
Ahn Suhyeong looked back at a Korean gunman and said, “What are you standing there for? Get going.”
The Korean gunman then ran down the mountain.
Rustle, rustle. The leaves of trees let out a soft whisper and drop after drop of rain fell through the gaps in the tree canopy and down to the ground. The rain was here.
The wind blew too, through the trees on the peak, swaying and wailing. The sea in the distance roiled in the darkness, tossing, turning, rumbling and restless.
On the huge rock at the peak, Xia Lei put down the walkie-talkie in his hand. He did not hear anything. Ahn Suhyeong had obviously changed frequencies.
The wind had only just blown past when rain came right after it, pattering on Xia Lei and Jiang Ruyi’s bodies. Their body temperature dropped rapidly.
“G, Guh…” Jiang Ruyi’s teeth were chattering and she could not talk straight. “L, Lei, so cold, hrm, why did those guys stop? How long more must we stay here?”
Xia Lei stopped surveying the area below and his face was sombre. “I’m guessing at least a day.”
“Huh?” Jiang Ruyi’s jaw dropped. “A day? Why so long? Rain’s coming down and it’s so cold. We’ll get sick. There’s nothing to eat either. We won’t be able to hold out for long.”
“Who says?” Xia Lei laughed. “You think I came unprepared?”
Jiang Ruyi looked at Xia Lei in confusion. She could not see how Xia Lei had prepared himself.
Xia Lei took out a vacuum-packed something from his jacket and ripped it open. He pulled out a rain-proof poncho from it. This was made of a new type of composite material and was very thin but blocked out wind nicely. There was even a thin layer of fleece under the poncho to keep a person warm.
Xia Lei opened up the poncho and covered himself and Jiang Ruyi with it. He used his body to cover up the gaps and prevent the wind and rain from getting in. The peak was cold with wind and rain but he and Jiang Ruyi felt like they were in a warm blanket. There was also a walls of rock around them which helped to block the wind, so it did not affect them as much.
Jiang Ruyi was heartened. “I didn’t expect that you’d have this prepared. You really think of everything. The problem of rain has been settled but… what about food and drink?”
Xia Lei took out some energy bars from his clothing, then took the helmet off Jiang Ruyi’s head and put it on the rock to collect rainwater.
The problem of food and drink was solved.
Would he not be prepared for a battle on a deserted island with his experience?
He was Bureau 101’s ace after all!