Fatal Strike: Paladins Mercenary Road

Chapter 757 Interweaving
North exit of Valley Ranch...

This forest, which once buried the Red Ant Mercenary Group, appears exceptionally quiet and solemn in winter.

Mountain Eagle and his team appeared at the exit on snowmobiles, and then, guided by the air, they struggled westward through the forest to the place where the western side of the mountains met the wetlands.

Continuing north from here, the terrain becomes quite complex. The sparse forest is covered with snow, but underneath the snow are miscellaneous trees and gravel, making the area unsuitable for snowmobile travel.

Mountain Eagle parked the motorcycle behind a sheltered rock, but instead of turning it off, he used the snowmobile's power supply to connect to two sets of spearhead missile launchers.

After taking care of that, Mountain Eagle said to Razer and Chakdi, "I'll head north with the sled, taking a detour to drive them away. You stay put and wait for my signal to intercept them laterally..."

As he spoke, Mountain Eagle looked at the vast expanse of wetlands to the west and said with a smile, "The bushes in the wetlands will obstruct your line of sight for shooting, but the areas without bushes are all icy waterways. You can use snowmobiles to quickly move through these icy waterways."

Once they enter the western wetlands, they won't be able to escape...

If possible, we could drive them a bit further south, which would save us a lot of trouble.

Razer glanced at the forest to the north, frowned, and said, "How are you going to get across that area? If you rush, you might run out of energy before you even make contact."

Upon hearing this, Mountain Eagle smiled and took out a pair of skis, then tied a tow rope to the anchor points on the two Mackenzie Wolf tactical vests...

The sled driver made the same choice. After controlling the two horses and resting wolves, he checked the insulated water bottle on his waist, made sure the hot cocoa inside was still warm, adjusted his lightweight tactical backpack, nodded with satisfaction, and said with a smile, "We can set off now. This time we don't need to carry too much luggage, so we should be able to go faster."

Upon hearing this, Mountain Eagle tapped the earpiece on his ear towards Razer and Chakdi, then whistled...

Balang, who had been clinging to the mountain eagle's thigh, suddenly let out a low growl and ran towards the sparse woods to the north.

Baron was like the lead dog in a sled dog pack, and as it ran, the two horses connected to the sled, the mountain eagle and the wolves, began to exert their strength.

Although they are not yet fully grown, their size is already close to that of an adult Magengshe wolf, and their strength far surpasses that of their kind.

After a few slow, stationary pushes, as the skis begin to slide forward, their speed gradually increases due to friction.

Razer watched as the seemingly psychic Balang, despite the complex ground conditions, used his sense of smell and intuition to find a relatively safe snow path, while Mountain Eagle skillfully used his ski poles to control his direction...

The legendary hunter shook his head with a sigh and said to the relatively unfamiliar Chakdi, "Let's take a snowmobile for a spin around the wetlands..."

If Mountain Eagles can really get those people moving, then the tracks we deliberately left behind will likely change their course.

Sometimes, hunting isn't just about following animal trails; occasionally, you can create your own trails, forcing the animals to run in the direction you intend.

Chakdy wasn't a hunter, and the two had huge differences in accent and customs...

Chakdy had a hard time fully understanding what Razer was saying, but one good thing about him was that he didn't offer too many opinions in areas he wasn't good at, and he didn't mind doing extra work...

In his mind, in this situation, any preparations made are better than none, because the bottom line has been set, and all they have to do is strive for the best outcome.

Watching Razer turn around and start untying the animal traps on the sled, Chuckdy stepped forward to help, saying earnestly, "You tell me, I'll do it..."

Razer, holding the bear trap, paused for a moment, then nodded in admiration and said, "How come all of Mountain Eagle's men are so stubborn?"

The butchers are pretty much the same; it seems like you can't do anything except obey orders..."

Chuckdy frowned and said, "Because the boss doesn't need our advice, especially not the advice of a bunch of losers!"

I don't know about the others, but the Butcher and his gang were planning to rob a bank, specifically a Russian bank, before they met their boss.

I've met some people from Fjällräven, and most of them are intelligent people. I guess most of the people at Fjällräven are intelligent people too. But they've sacrificed so many lives over the years, and they haven't earned as much as our boss earns in half a year.

A group of bright people got together to work, but they got stuck on the pension problem...

I don't know the specific reason, do you know?

Upon hearing this, Razer clutched his aching chest and sighed...

Although he was hurt, he suddenly realized that what this seemingly spitting Chuckdy said was actually true...

The entire Flying Fox team consists of highly skilled individuals, each with extensive combat experience, yet they are not exactly living a good life.

Thinking back to the years he spent in the hospital after retirement, having squandered most of his savings, and finally returning home with empty pockets and resentment towards the past, Razer sighed and said, "No one can guarantee they're always right, especially on the ever-changing battlefield. A good soldier, or a good subordinate, needs to constantly think and offer their opinions to prevent their superiors or bosses from overlooking anything."

This is what a real team should look like...

Chakdy mounted his snowmobile, looked at Razer with a serious expression, and shook his head, saying, "Unless the boss asks for my opinion, like at breakfast, the ever-changing battlefield doesn't need too much advice..."

The commander is responsible for making the choices; the soldiers are only responsible for executing orders. Right or wrong is a matter for discussion afterward.

As he spoke, Chakdy looked into Razer's eyes and said, "Sir, you are the head of our group, so I will not question your decision."

Razer was amused by Chakdi's attitude. He rode his snowmobile, towing a sled, to Chakdi's side and said with a smile, "If everyone has this kind of attitude, then you will never become true comrades-in-arms of the Mountain Eagles..."

Chakdy looked at Razer with a strange expression and said, "I've never felt qualified to be the boss's ally..."

The boss is the boss; he keeps emphasizing that he's not a mercenary. He's the one leading the charge on the front lines because the rest of us aren't capable enough!

Razer stared in astonishment at Chakdi, who seemed to have been brainwashed. He wanted to say something, but swallowed the words back, then started his snowmobile and sped into the wetlands…

…………

Codfish No. 1 led its crew, trudging laboriously through the sparse woods and snow-covered ground...

Each of them had a tow rope tied around their waist, pulling a plastic sled on which were placed the key weapons for their mission.

The Chimera squad that parachuted in to provide support last night had two members get caught in trees during their landing due to poor visibility and wind conditions at night. One of them got caught on a branch, causing his parachute to lose balance and fall from a height of over ten meters...

One member was seriously injured upon landing, which made matters worse for the Cod Squad, who were already suffering from the extreme environment.

They couldn't abandon the weapons that had been airdropped to the ground to lighten their load, so they could only free up one sled to drag the wounded and then distribute the extra weapons evenly among everyone's sleds.

Both the Cod Squad and the Chimera Squad are elite teams within the Demon Legion. Even when marching through desolate areas, they never gave up their vigilance, always maintaining a formation of four people leading the way and advancing in a rolling manner.

Although marching through the snow in the forest was extremely difficult, they still maintained a pace of about 3 kilometers per hour.

Codfish Number One's real name is Carl. He came from the S-series special forces, was recruited into Mossad and worked there for several years, and was eventually recruited by the Demon Legion to become a member of the Edward Foundation.

Chimera One is named Cohen. He is an English Jew who served in the Special Air Service (SAS) and is an extreme Zionist. After retiring from the SAS, he was recruited by the Devil's Group.

Both teams barely slept last night due to mistakes caused by the last-minute arrival of new members...

To cooperate with Commander Chuck's plan, they had to begin a forced march at dawn, hoping to reach the designated location within 72 hours.

During the operation, Carl clearly felt that the team was not moving as fast as it had in the previous two days. He looked back at his companions who were struggling to move forward, and said to Cohen beside him, "If we continue like this, it will be difficult to reach the designated location within 72 hours."

Cohen glanced at Carl, shook his head, and said, "What are you trying to say? Abandon my men?"
No, that's impossible. He wouldn't last a day if we left him here..."

Carl frowned and said, "What I mean is that we split up. I'll take the Cod Squad and speed things up, while you guys bring your men and the wounded and come back slowly."

"Blocking the brown bear camp's retreat doesn't require so many men. You can hold them back a bit; this will allow us to coordinate a staggered blockade, and you can use your switchblades to attack the Indians, reducing our risk of exposure. The commander won't blame you for this."

Carl looked Cohen in the eye and said seriously, "Buddy, if we fail to reach the designated target location on time, we will all have to bear the consequences."

Just as Cohen was hesitating about whether to agree, a whooshing sound swept past him, and then a bullet struck a large tree next to him...

"Snapped……"

The gunshots from afar only reached their ears after the bullets hit the tree...

Cohen almost instinctively dropped to the ground, rolling quickly behind a large tree as he shouted, "Nine o'clock, sniper! Everyone take cover..."

"Fire a switchblade to locate the enemy..."

Just as everyone was in a flurry of activity, a wolf howl came from the woods behind them...

"Ouch..."

(End of this chapter)