In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 24 Ambush
11:00
The action begins.

Zhang Like and others disembarked in an orderly manner. He and six border guards quickly dispersed like arrows and set up defenses at various points along the main roads.

If the enemy tries to escape by vehicle, they can provide fire support. Conversely, if the enemy is trapped and needs to advance, they can respond quickly.

Zhang Like's position was directly facing the main entrance of the mahjong parlor, about 300 meters away. Next to him was an old newsstand, which barely provided some psychological cover.

The assault team's communication channel crackled to life.

"Team 1 prepared to breach the goal; breach successful..."

Almost simultaneously, a ray of light shone on Zhang Like's face, followed by flames shooting out from the dark second-floor window of the internet cafe.

Zhang Like felt a sharp pain in his eyes. His fighting instinct made him instinctively close his eyes tightly to avoid going blind.

Even before the shockwave arrived, he yelled, "Get down!"

Immediately afterwards, the sound of the explosion, like an invisible wall of air, carrying scorching wind pressure, slammed heavily onto Zhang Like and the soldiers around him.

The glass window frame was instantly torn into twisted metal fragments, which, along with burning wood chips, plastic debris, and even charred pieces resembling human tissue, flew everywhere.

Zhang Like felt a buzzing in his ears. He forced his eyes open and saw large black spots left on his retina by burns.

After a few seconds of disorientation, my vision finally returned.

The small building ahead had been reduced to a sea of ​​fire, the raging flames swaying in the air as if they were alive.

This is definitely not a simple flame; there is a fire-attribute supernatural being present!
The information is wrong.

Zhang Like wanted to curse, but the thick smoke choked him back down as soon as he opened his mouth.

Amidst the thick smoke, a burst of gunfire erupted instantly. Despite being ambushed, the commando team launched a counterattack, inflicting casualties.

"Bird's Nest, Bird's Nest, an unidentified explosion occurred on the first floor, a section of the floor collapsed, and three people are buried... Requesting backup, requesting backup!"

"The intelligence is wrong. There are fire-type supernatural beings engaged in combat."

Chaos erupted within the channel, but it was quickly quelled by Lin Zhiyan's cold voice, and a series of orders were swiftly issued.

"A set of reports detailing the losses allows for voluntary withdrawal."

"Group Two, abandon the original route and attempt a forced entry rescue from the breach point on the southwest side of the outer wall."

"Three teams, stand by in place to prevent the target from breaking out in the chaos! Anyone or any vehicle attempting to approach your perimeter, if warnings are ignored, open fire immediately."

"Activate Contingency Plan No. 1, call fire department to stand by, traffic police to block all outbound routes in the county. Notify the county-level command that the situation has escalated and the target is not just two people, but has heavy firepower and pre-set traps. We are encountering organized resistance."

After giving his orders, Lin Zhiyan stood up and said, "I need to be on the front lines myself. Since the enemy's superhumans haven't shown up, I'm afraid we need to make other preparations."

The deputy immediately stood up and stopped him, saying, "Team Leader Lin, you can't take this risk."

"You are disobeying orders."

"Your safety should be our top priority."

Lin Zhiyan stared coldly at his deputy, then glanced at the other members of the task force, who also stood in front of him.

These people were all sent in by their families, and they must all be kicked out afterwards.
-
Yulin County.

The Armed Police General Command is the highest-level commander of urban security and border defense armed police at the county level, collectively referred to as the Security Command.

The headquarters of the Armed Police Force was brightly lit, and the leaders of the Armed Police Force were gathered together. In front of them, red markings on the sand table resembled festering sores, densely covering the border and cities.

The room was filled with the sounds of telephones ringing, encrypted communications clicking, and staff officers giving urgent reports.

Liang Chengyun, the chief of the Public Security Bureau, stood with his burly body in front of the command platform. He was just over forty years old, with a sharp-featured face and a shallow old scar across his left forehead.

Two years ago, he was transferred from the army to Yulin County for his outstanding achievements and was parachuted into the position of chief of the Yulin Security Command, in charge of the security of the county.

He was a third-rank official in the Federation, only one level below a Marquis of Wu. "Report! The City Defense Task Force urgently requests assistance! The intelligence was incorrect; they have been attacked by Green Bandits. The enemy is numerous, armed with fully automatic firearms, and their firepower far exceeds expectations! There have already been heavy casualties."

This isn't the first piece of bad news tonight.

Fangcheng was not the only place to receive an urgent request for help; just minutes earlier, they had dispatched reinforcements to quell several bandit disturbances.

The police chief had long suspected the Green Bandits' treachery, but found it difficult to take targeted measures. Whenever the Green Bandits disrupted social order, the police had to cooperate by sending officers to deal with them.

Conversely, as long as the Chief of Police maintains order, the local victories of the Green Bandits cannot play a decisive role.

They are invincible, but they can't let the Green Bandits win too much.

Commander Liang Chengyun frowned and asked, "Something has happened in Fangcheng too. Are there any manpower available nearby?"

The chief of staff replied, "There have been many riots in the border areas today, and I'm afraid we don't have enough police support... Hmm? Commander, we might have another Tier 1 superhuman to dispatch."

"First-order doesn't change anything..."

Liang Chengyun shook his head, and then the chief of staff pushed the emergency dispatch order that he had included in the report in front of him.

[Lu Zhao, a first-tier mental-type extraordinary being, an outstanding graduate of the Imperial Capital...]

"Hmm?" Liang Chengyun looked puzzled. "What's going on with this person? Why is he in Fangcheng? And why didn't he participate in the mission?"

He failed the imperial examination for the capital city back then and had to settle for Chishui instead.

Although Chishui was not bad either, the capital city still had better development potential in the system outside of the military.

The chief of staff said, "He has offended people, but now we can only trust the education level in the capital."

Upon hearing this, Liang Chengyun was no longer surprised.

Excellence is relative; graduating from Imperial University is impressive, but it's not all that great.

He said, "Issuing a Level 1 emergency dispatch order means that no matter who is suppressing it, Lu Zhao must go to support this operation."
-
Ant Ridge Border Station
Lu Zhao waited in the room for half an hour, but still no one notified him.

"There's been a problem with Zhang Like."

He made this guess, and a series of people flashed through his mind.

It's possible that Lin Zhiyan and he didn't get along well, and she might create obstacles in the operation's scheduling, but as the commander of the task force, she would never joke about the success or failure of the entire operation.

Therefore, it can only be Lü Jinshan, who has both the reason and the authority.

Lu Zhao got up, intending to leave the room to find Lü Jinshan, but stopped at the door.

He could get to Ning County immediately, which is only forty kilometers from the border station. But how would he explain knowing the location?
How do we deal with accusations of obstructing operations and abandoning our posts?
Lu Zhao realized he was in a dead end.

Military discipline takes precedence over outcome justice.

Regardless of his reasons or the final outcome, he will be held strictly accountable.

Without authority, even moving an inch is wrong!

After pondering for a long time, Lu Zhao finally returned to his room and sat down, suppressing all his anxiety and resentment, leaving only a cold and stern expression.

He could only wait, wait for emergency dispatch, wait for his colleagues to be injured or killed, and wait for the task force to be powerless to reverse the situation.

If possible, Lu Zhao hoped this order would never come.

Hopefully, Lao Zhang is overthinking it.

Just then, clear footsteps came from the corridor outside the door and stopped outside.

　It's normal for chapters to be blocked, please understand.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)