The Red Era: Living in Seclusion in a Siheyuan as a Boss

Chapter 731 Escaping the Encirclement!!!
Liu Xiaotao quickly checked the map, looking for a way to Python Gully.

The commando team's location, "Lao Miao Village," is about 100 kilometers away from Python Gully as the crow flies, which is too far to travel by mountain road.

Fortunately, the commando team now has better mountain transportation, which can traverse most terrains.

Liu Xiaotao summoned the Kokang soldiers who remained behind and asked them if there was a shortcut to reach Python Gully in the shortest amount of time.

These Kokang soldiers have been operating in this area for a long time and are quite familiar with the terrain.

One of the Kokang veterans, named Atai, who was in his forties, said that he knew of a valley that could be crossed to reach Python Gully in the shortest time. He added that it was currently the dry season and the water was shallow, making it a good time to cross.

Liu Xiaotao's eyes lit up, and he immediately spread out a map: "What's the specific route? Mark everything you know." Atai's rough fingers drew a winding curve on the map, passing through several rarely marked mountains and rivers.

Looking at the map, Liu Xiaotao didn't have time to think much and immediately decided to have Atai as their guide, and they set off immediately.

One of the commandos stayed behind to lead the remaining Kokang veterans in guarding the mountain stronghold. After this period of training, the combat effectiveness of these Kokang soldiers has improved rapidly. Although they can't be said to be able to take on ten men at once, they are close enough, and they are incomparable to what they used to be.

Liu Xiaotao led several assault team members, along with two Kokang soldiers including Atai, in four Mengshi all-terrain assault vehicles and quickly advanced towards "Python Gully".

The assault convoy sped along the valley indicated by Atai, the wheels making a dull thud as they rolled over the dry riverbed.

The cliffs on both sides rise sharply as if cut by a knife, scattering the midday sun like fine gold foil onto the car body.

Atai, sitting in the passenger seat, suddenly grabbed the handrail with his calloused hands: "Turn right into the tributary in 300 meters ahead. It's a waterfall here during the rainy season." As soon as he finished speaking, the convoy rushed into the narrow pass hidden by vines.

Suddenly, the view opened up before them: the dried-up waterfall formed a natural stepped platform, and four chariots, like steel behemoths, swooped down the rock face, their shock-absorbing systems emitting a sickening metallic scraping sound.

Liu Xiaotao gripped the steering wheel tightly, and amidst the violent jolts, he glimpsed the compass on the dashboard spinning wildly.

Atai suddenly pointed to the crevice on the right: "There!" A narrow, eroded crack appeared on the rock wall, just wide enough for a car to fit inside.

The convoy filed in, the sound of tires rolling over the gravel creating an eerie echo in the enclosed space.

After passing through a natural tunnel more than two hundred meters long, the assault vehicle suddenly plunged into the blinding sunlight...

After a long journey of more than four hours, they finally approached Python Gully before dark.

Liu Xiaotao could already hear intense gunfire coming from Python Gully, and four all-terrain vehicles rushed toward the source of the gunfire at top speed.

While advancing, Liu Xiaotao contacted Zhang Jincheng via radio. After entering the ravine for several kilometers, he finally heard Zhang Jincheng's excited reply. Hearing that all the team members were safe, Liu Xiaotao was equally overjoyed.

Liu Xiaotao and his men stopped one kilometer away from where the enemy was lying in ambush. He climbed onto a boulder next to him and used binoculars to observe the situation ahead.

He then hurriedly came down, called everyone together, and assigned them tasks.

Three mountain bikes were used to rescue people, while another mountain bike, loaded with fuel and ammunition, waited there.

Li Ming and Atai drove the all-terrain vehicle equipped with a sniper rifle. They were responsible for taking out the enemy machine gunners on the wheeled armored vehicle and providing long-range fire support.

Liu Xiaotao, Gao Shang, and others drove an all-terrain vehicle equipped with a rapid-fire machine gun to break through the enemy's encirclement and rescue people.

After making the arrangements, the group immediately began their operation.

Li Ming quickly checked the sniper rifle's scope, his finger lightly rubbing the trigger.

Another assault team member skillfully drove the all-terrain vehicle. The two exchanged a knowing glance, and the all-terrain vehicle moved silently towards the designated position like a cheetah.

At the same time, Liu Xiaotao's assault vehicle engine roared, and the tires kicked up clouds of dust.

He confirmed the positions of each vehicle one last time via radio: "Begin the operation, watch for the movement of enemy armored vehicles."

The moment Li Ming saw the machine gunner firing from the armored vehicle through the scope, a crisp gunshot rang out, piercing the valley.

The 12.7mm caliber sniper rifle bullet completely eliminated the enemy soldier.

Almost at the same moment, Liu Xiaotao's tank burst out of the cover like a sword drawn from its sheath, and the vehicle-mounted rapid-fire machine gun spat out scorching flames.

While the enemy was still trying to figure things out, Liu Xiaotao and Gao Shang drove their all-terrain vehicles and charged forward.

A commando on the roof of an all-terrain vehicle operated a rapid-fire machine gun and opened fire on the enemy. The bullets, which were close to five or six thousand per minute, were denser than a rainstorm and poured down on the enemy, carving a bloody path through them in the blink of an eye.

Liu Xiaotao's tank sped through a hail of bullets, its windshield splattered with mud.

Gao Shang suddenly jerked the steering wheel, and the car almost flipped over to avoid the burning wreckage in front of it, the tires drawing charred arcs on the slippery rocky ground.

Suddenly, Zhang Jincheng's hoarse shout came through the car radio: "Three o'clock! RPG!"

Before the words were even finished, a plume of white smoke shot out from the bushes on the right.

Gao Shang instinctively swerved the steering wheel, narrowly avoiding the incoming rocket. The gray smoke that instantly exploded at the rear of the car caused the rocket to burst into a fireball in mid-air.

The heatwave caused the all-terrain vehicle to shake violently, and the ammunition boxes in the rear compartment made a heart-stopping clanging sound.

"Continue to suppress enemy fire!" Liu Xiaotao shouted into the throat microphone.

"Understood!" Li Ming was in the assault vehicle, using precise bursts of fire to clear out the enemy's firing positions.

Atai suddenly leaned out halfway and used a grenade launcher to send an incendiary grenade into the enemy's bunker. Amidst the towering flames, a shrill scream echoed.

When the convoy broke through the last line of defense, Liu Xiaotao finally saw the predicament of his trapped comrades—seven assault team members were using rocks to form a circular defensive line.

Zhang Jin was quickly changing the magazine on his Colt assault rifle with his right hand.

Around them, more than twenty enemy corpses in green uniforms lay in pools of blood, twisted in various ways.

"Cross cover!" Gao Shang slammed on the brakes, and the tank came to a stop sideways in front of the cover due to inertia.

Liu Xiaotao immediately switched the machine gun to the pursuing enemy group, and the 12.7 mm bullet cut the three enemies at the front in half.

"Quick, get in the car!" Taking advantage of the gap, Zhang Jincheng ordered the wounded team members to help each other jump into the car. He was the last to board and even threw two grenades in the direction of the pursuers.

As the engine roared again, Liu Xiaotao saw in the rearview mirror that the enemy armored vehicle was turning its machine gun around.

But Li Ming and his assault vehicle suddenly attacked from the flank, and the sniper rifle's armor-piercing rounds accurately hit the armored vehicle's sights, while the second bullet took out the machine gunner.

Taking advantage of the enemy armored vehicles being out of commission, Liu Xiaotao and his team seized the opportunity to help Zhang Jincheng and his men withdraw.

Li Ming and his team provided the final cover, while the two enemy armored vehicles, after a brief pause, attempted to give chase.

At this moment, Li Ming's large-caliber sniper rifle came into play, and he immediately shot and killed the drivers of the two vehicles inside, including the enemy commander who had just appeared.

Amidst the deafening explosions of grenades and the intense gunfire, the four all-terrain vehicles sped away along the valley they had come from.

The convoy sped along the rugged mountain road, sporadic gunshots rang out behind them, but they were quickly left behind.

Liu Xiaotao breathed a slight sigh of relief after confirming in the rearview mirror that there were no pursuers.

He turned to look inside the carriage, where Zhang Jin was bandaging an injured team member; the makeshift bandages were stained red with blood.

"How is the situation?" Liu Xiaotao asked with concern.

"Fortunately, they're all minor injuries." Zhang Jin raised his head, his face still showing signs of fatigue from the battle. "If you hadn't arrived in time, we might have been killed there."

Liu Xiaotao nodded, his gaze sweeping over each team member. Only after confirming everyone was safe did he pick up the radio: "Li Ming, how's the situation on your end?"

"Everything is normal, the enemy hasn't caught up yet," Li Ming's voice came through the radio. "However, we need to leave this area as soon as possible, they might call for reinforcements."

"Understood." Liu Xiaotao glanced at the map and pointed to a fork in the road ahead. "We'll turn here and take a detour back to the mountain stronghold. Atai, is this road safe?"

Atai leaned closer, examined the map carefully, and nodded, saying, "This road is a bit longer, but it's very well hidden. Boss Lang's men probably wouldn't expect us to take this route."

"Okay, let's hurry up and get going." After leaving Python Gully, Liu Xiaotao and Zhang Jin said they decided to rush back to the mountain village overnight.

Zhang Jin explained that Kang Laoda must have something very important to tell him about his urgent trip to Mengla. Since this was their first collaboration, Zhang Jin didn't want to leave a bad impression on Kang Laoda, hence his desire to go to Mengla as soon as possible.

In the battle just now, everyone witnessed the mobility and agility of the all-terrain vehicle, and the weapons equipped on the vehicle made it even more irresistible.

Zhuang Yan and Wang Tao rushed to grab the first car, leaving the others to sit in the back.

The convoy traveled through the night, its tires making a soft, crunching sound as they rolled over gravel.

Ah Gui glanced at the fuel gauge in the dim light of the dashboard, then turned to Zhang Jincheng and said, "There's an abandoned logging camp five kilometers ahead. We can rest there for half an hour."

In the back of the truck, Wang Tao was wiping the barrel of a rapid-fire machine gun when he suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Something's up!" Everyone instantly tensed up.

On the mountain road ahead, several car headlights could be seen moving intermittently.

Liu Xiaotao immediately ordered the headlights to be turned off, and the convoy silently slid into the bushes by the roadside.

Zhang Jin observed for a moment through night vision binoculars and whispered, "It's the enemy forces that are trying to intercept us, two pickup trucks."

Liu Xiaotao made a gesture, and the team members tacitly set up their weapons.

As the pickup truck drove by, the conversation of enemy soldiers in the truck bed could be clearly heard, though they were speaking in dialect: "...Quickly, we must stop them! Two hundred thousand dollars each! Hahaha, we're going to be rich!"

As two enemy pickup trucks roared past, Zhang Jincheng lowered his voice and asked, "Brother Agui, what are they saying?"

Ah Gui frowned, carefully discerning the snippets of conversation carried on the wind: "They're discussing the bounty. It seems Boss Lang has offered an astronomical reward; capturing one of us alive would earn them two hundred thousand US dollars."

"Ha!" Liu Xiaotao sneered, a hint of contempt flashing in his eyes. "Boss Lang is certainly generous, thinking he can buy our brothers' lives with a mere 200,000? He's dreaming!"

Zhang Jincheng's expression was solemn as he said in a deep voice, "Instructor, it seems our identities have been exposed."

“Hmm, this guy is definitely not simple,” Liu Xiaotao nodded, his tone tinged with wariness. “To be able to dominate the ‘Golden Three Region’ for over twenty years, this old fox is indeed quite capable.”

After the convoy restarted, everyone remained highly vigilant.

Moonlight shone through the clouds onto the mountain path, casting a silvery-gray halo over the surrounding forest.

Liu Xiaotao noticed that the fuel warning light on the dashboard was flashing. He turned to Agui and said, "Let's go to that abandoned logging camp to rest. We need to refuel the vehicle and check our supplies."

A-Gui nodded, and under his guidance, Gao Shang skillfully steered the wheel and turned into a secluded forest path.

The tires rustled as they rolled over the thick layer of fallen leaves. The distant hooting of an owl added an eerie touch to the tranquil night.

The outline of the logging camp was faintly visible in the moonlight, with collapsed log sheds and rusty saws scattered on the open ground.

As soon as the convoy came to a stop, Zhuang Yan nimbly jumped out of the car, quickly surveyed the area with his gun at the ready. "Safe," he gestured, and only then did the others gradually get out of the cars to stretch their muscles.

Gao Shang took fuel cans from the assault vehicle that was loaded with weapons, ammunition, and fuel, and began to quickly refuel each assault vehicle.

Liu Xiaotao, along with two team members, set up a cordon around the area.

The others quickly ate and drank something, especially Zhang Jincheng and his group, who had been surrounded and intercepted by the enemy all day and were already exhausted.

Zhang Jincheng leaned against the rusty saw, inspecting the magazines of his Colt rifle by the moonlight.

The cold light reflected from the metal surface shone on his bloodshot eyes, and his fingers unconsciously rubbed the fresh bullet hole on the gun.

Wang Tao handed him half a compressed biscuit, and only then did he realize that his stomach was already aching from hunger.

"Captain, have some water first!"

"Okay, everyone hurry up and check your supplies and replenish your ammunition. We don't know how many enemies we'll encounter on the road ahead," Zhang Jin said to his team in a deep voice.

Zhang Jin had just swallowed a bite of compressed biscuit when he suddenly heard the roar of an engine in the distance.

Everyone immediately put down their food and quickly entered combat mode.

Liu Xiaotao made a hand gesture, and the team members immediately dispersed and took cover, all pointing their guns in the direction from which the sound came.

"It's the sound of motorcycles, at least three," Zhuang Yan whispered, lying behind a tree trunk with his ear pressed against the ground. "They're less than two kilometers away from us."

Ah Gui quickly climbed up a large tree nearby, observed for a moment through night vision binoculars, then slid down to report: "It's Boss Lang's scouts; they're searching along the mountain path."

A ruthless glint flashed in Liu Xiaotao's eyes: "We can't let them discover our presence. Li Ming, you take the sniper team to the high ground on the east side;
Wang Tao, your machine gun team, lie in ambush at the intersection; the rest of you, prepare to ambush.

The team members quickly followed the instructions.

Zhang Jin said that he and two team members quietly sneaked into the bushes by the roadside and attached silencers to their rifles.

Under the moonlight, the silhouettes of the three motorcycles gradually became clear, their headlights casting blinding beams of light in the darkness.

"Get closer before you fire," Zhang Jincheng ordered in a low voice.

When the first motorcycle was less than 20 meters from the ambush point, he decisively pulled the trigger.

With several muffled thuds, the three riders fell to the ground as their motorcycles went out of control and crashed into a tree trunk by the roadside.

"Clean up the battlefield!" Zhang Jincheng strode over and inspected the fallen enemies.

A-Gui found a map on a scout, which clearly marked their route and several locations marked with red circles.

"It seems that Boss Lang has set up checkpoints at many intersections and major traffic routes. He won't give up until he catches us!" Zhang Jincheng sneered.

Liu Xiaotao took a look and said, "We must hurry up and leave. These are enemy scouts. They've run into trouble, and the enemy will track them down here soon."

"Okay, let's retreat!"

The convoy restarted and sped along a little-known path behind the logging camp.

The tires rolled over the damp moss, leaving deep ruts in the mud.

Fortunately, under the cover of night, Zhang Jin said they escaped Boss Lang's blockade without incident.

After a bumpy night, the commando team returned to "Old Miao Village" the next morning.

The gate tower of "Lao Miao Village" was faintly visible in the morning mist. When the two Kokang elders on guard duty in front of the gate saw the convoy, they immediately blew their horns.

The village immediately erupted in excitement as a dozen burly men carrying M16 rifles strode out to greet them, the weapons gleaming with a cold metallic sheen in the sunlight.

"Captain Zhang and the others are back!" The bearded man leading the group said in a loud voice, his dark face beaming with undisguised joy.

His rough, large hands waved in the air, as if to spread the good news throughout the entire valley.

"They're back! They're back!" The cheers of the mountain people rose and fell.

The elderly men hobbled out, leaning on their bamboo canes, while children skipped and hopped behind them. The women put down their work and peeked out from their bamboo houses.

The entire village was filled with a festive atmosphere.

The mountain people here are simple and kind. They have their own scale in their hearts, and they can weigh who is truly good to them.

Although the commando team had not been stationed there for long, the mountain people had already regarded these soldiers who had bled and sacrificed their lives to protect them as their own sons.

Whenever the team members return from a mission, the elderly in the village always hold their hands and ask them how they are doing, and the children also surround them affectionately, just like welcoming long-lost relatives home.

This time, Captain Zhang was surrounded during a mission, and Instructor Liu led all the team members to risk their lives to rescue him.

The villagers learned of this hour from the Kokang soldiers who stayed behind in the village. They were all very worried. Some of the Buddhist villagers even knelt in front of the Buddha and prayed for the Buddha's blessing for all the team members.

The villagers lived in fear all night, but thankfully the entire assault team returned safely, and the village was immediately filled with joy.

(End of this chapter)