Chapter Forty-Nine: The Eerie Warrior

After Mosika finished speaking, she laughed, the flickering flames casting strange shadows in the dim cave, the oppressive air making the smile on her flawless face appear particularly eerie.

Chen Cao lowered his head, lost in thought. They had already delayed for some days, and the war seemed to be drawing to a close. Yet Zhou Hongye, Yu Hongxiu, and that intelligence officer still had no news. Now, relying on Kokora’s intelligence network seemed the simplest and most effective way forward.

With this in mind, Chen Cao looked at Mosika and nodded. “I want to know what this mission is, and why only I can undertake it.”

Mosika continued to smile. “Because you are Matsumoto Shuren!”

Chen Cao didn’t respond further. He leaned against the cave wall, deep in contemplation. He knew in his heart that this wasn’t a mission to the Justice Alliance forces, but something far more difficult—even more than infiltrating the Justice Alliance headquarters itself.

…

Sunlight now streamed into the cave. Chen Cao traced Mosika’s delicate arm, feeling the rise and fall of her pulse, while his mind rapidly deciphered the codes he heard. This was the agreement between them: Mosika would help Chen Cao find the people he sought, and in return, Chen Cao would accompany her to Alfred’s headquarters, following her instructions to carry out a mission—though the details would only be revealed once they arrived.

For now, Chen Cao had no other choice. The intelligence network Mosika controlled was the fastest way to find his target; there was no alternative.

Mosika tapped lightly on her arm, and after several rhythmic beats, she addressed Chen Cao, who was still listening intently. “According to the intelligence, the important people you’re searching for aren’t in the hands of the Justice Alliance or the Holy War Organization. I’ve notified all network members to keep close watch for them.”

Yesterday, to show her sincerity, she had revealed all her secret contacts to Chen Cao.

“I need their exact coordinates,” Chen Cao said, releasing her arm.

“That goes without saying, but I hope you won’t break your promise. Otherwise, you’ll become your country’s representative in this war!” Mosika replied slyly. Her tone and voice revealed nothing of her youth.

“Don’t worry, it’s mutually beneficial. You wouldn’t want to be blamed for starting this war, would you? Kokora is no longer the former Federation, but the Mainz Democratic Federation still considers you their strongest rival. Their politicians are eager to find a scapegoat for this conflict, and Kokora fits the bill perfectly,” Chen Cao responded, equally unyielding.

Mosika neither confirmed nor denied. She suddenly felt her pulse quicken.

“There’s a signal!” Mosika said.

Chen Cao quickly took her arm again, listening to the rhythm.

“A suspected target combat group, four people, moving rapidly southeast at coordinates 11.8, withdrawing swiftly after engaging in battle, as if searching for something!”

Chen Cao translated the code while analyzing it: four people, one more than expected. Could the school have sent another operative, or was it for a different mission? But then, he reconsidered—Odderu was a place fraught with danger; the school wouldn’t send so many for another task. Was it the same mission? Who could it be?

He let go of Mosika’s pulse, his mind thrown into confusion. He sensed that the school had invested heavily, sending so many to find Zhou Hongye and the others. They must possess critical intelligence. Hopefully, they wouldn’t be captured before being found, or the consequences would be dire.

Time was of the essence; he needed to identify the combat group immediately. With this in mind, Chen Cao slipped the dagger gifted by Duan Tianya into his belt.

“Why not rest another day and recover? You’re still weak, not ready for battle,” Mosika exclaimed as she saw Chen Cao begin to prepare his supplies after hearing the intelligence.

“I can’t wait. I have to see who they are,” Chen Cao replied, laying out the gear he’d taken from the mercenaries killed yesterday—pistols, rifles, magazines, all loaded and packed onto his body.

“I’ll go with you!” Mosika said anxiously.

Chen Cao patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry, more people would just make things harder. I’m just going to check, not stupid enough to confront them head-on. You’re safest here in the cave.”

He teased, “I’ll keep my promise to you. With your skills, yesterday’s tragedy won’t happen again, will it?”

“Of course not!” Mosika blushed and turned away.

“Good. Wait for me,” Chen Cao said as he slowly stepped out of the cave.

“Wait, take this. If anything happens, contact me directly. I’ll send someone to help you,” Mosika said, removing her shoe and pulling out a small, button-shaped device, tossing it to Chen Cao with concern in her eyes.

Chen Cao caught it in his hand without another word. He recognized it as a signal transmitter and nodded to Mosika. Although they were from opposing camps and Mosika had played her own tricks, after several days of close cooperation, Chen Cao felt this girl wasn't truly malicious.

“Come back soon!” Mosika swallowed the words she wanted to say, her face tinged with red. In her eyes, it was as if she were waiting for a husband to return from work—the heart of the young girl slowly opening.

Chen Cao, equipped and ready, left the cave. It was empty now—everyone else must have gone out for their tasks. At the entrance, a fresh breeze greeted him.

He couldn’t help but take several deep breaths, the wind carrying the scents of desert plants, invigorating his spirit. Sunlight stabbed at his eyes; he shielded them with his hand. Unconsciously, he realized he’d been in the cave for more than twenty days. Gazing at the dense jungle, endless mountains stretching to the horizon, and hearing sporadic gunfire, he recalled the coordinates from the transmitter, already memorized. He had no map, but with his compass, he should be able to find the target area without much deviation.

“The battlefield—I’ve returned!” Chen Cao murmured, shouldering his gear and quickly climbing down the cliff into the dense forest.

…

“Boss, we’ve been searching this jungle for ages, but there’s no sign of our target!” Bear, leaning against a tree and panting heavily, was clearly exhausted after days of marching.

Xiao Li didn’t reply. He took out his army-green detector, scanning the ground repeatedly.

Chen Diwen stood guard, his mind racing. “We’ve searched for days. With Xiao Li’s tracking skills, Huang Tianyu and the others should be here. But why have the clues vanished at this point? It’s impossible!”

“Boss, there’s something!” Xiao Li said, holding up the detector with excitement. “Target southeast at position 11. The trace matches with ninety-nine percent accuracy.”

Chen Diwen relaxed. No more wandering aimlessly—now they could pick up the pace before Huang Tianyu and his group moved again.

Just then, Baoli, acting as sniper, sent intelligence via special communication.

Chen Diwen instantly became alert. “Enemy presence—prepare for battle!” he whispered.

Bear rolled up from beside the trunk, hefting his heavy Flame King weapon, scanning the surroundings. If he spotted a hostile target, he’d surely sever them with a round as thick as his finger.

The woods rustled. While desert hills allowed some plant growth, they weren’t as lush as inland forests. Standing on higher ground, one could easily spot targets.

Chen Diwen raised his miniature binoculars, and the electronic device measured distance and coordinates as he moved.

A group of warriors advanced quickly toward them, clad in loose robes, with white flowers on their chests and skull masks covering their faces. They wielded well-maintained MTT2 rifles and MII7 sniper rifles, moving in tactical pairs, covering each other to avoid snipers as they approached.

“I’ve never seen anything like them!” Xiao Li stopped searching, binoculars in hand, watching the disciplined men in black uniforms with such advanced gear. They were neither Justice Alliance soldiers nor Holy War guerrillas.

“Boss, did you see the flower on their chests?” Xiao Li asked Chen Diwen.

“Yes, I saw it. I’ve never seen this kind of flower before—the petals are blood-red, almost as if it’s opening its mouth!” Chen Diwen put down his binoculars and instructed Xiao Li, “Tell Bear not to act rashly. Stick to our usual tactic—unless absolutely necessary, don’t fire back.”

At eleven o’clock, two hundred meters away! Chen Diwen whistled like a bird, signaling Baoli the sniper and Bear the heavy gunner not to make any sudden moves.

Chen Diwen continued to observe through the binoculars.

Suddenly, he saw a pair of strange eyes staring back at him, a black gun barrel aimed directly at him with a look of smug satisfaction.

“Damn!” Chen Diwen’s heart leapt. He ducked and rolled, just as a bullet struck his shoulder.

“Boss!” Xiao Li, hearing the commotion, quickly changed position and whispered.

“I’m fine, just a ‘mosquito bite’,” Chen Diwen said, pressing his wounded shoulder.

“Bang!” Another shot rang out. A shadow leaped from the branches, disappearing into the undergrowth. Chen Diwen quickly looked through his binoculars. Baoli was extremely agile—after sensing danger, he immediately changed sniper positions, but hadn’t grabbed his rifle in time. Clearly, Baoli was in a panic.

“Damn, what happened? Baoli’s usually great at camouflage!” Chen Diwen muttered to himself.

“Boss, our adversary seems very familiar with our tactics,” Xiao Li began, but before he could finish, Bear’s position erupted in intense gunfire.

“Not good! Bear’s hot temper must’ve exposed his position—he won’t back down easily!” Chen Diwen realized that as soon as they engaged, they’d lost the initiative to these strange black-uniformed figures. His temples throbbed.

“Bloodthirsty Flower!” Chen Diwen suddenly remembered—the flower pinned to the chest of the black-clad men was named after a plant.

…

Flame King 49_Flame King Full Free Reading_Chapter Forty-Nine: Strange Warriors Complete!

All content collected here comes from the internet. If infringement occurs, we will delete it promptly.