Rebirth of a Mercenary: The Ace Mercenary Forced to Be the Beloved of the Group

The dormitory was silent for a second.

Then Shen Zhuo let out a long, loud whistle. Xie Ran's eyes widened, his mouth opened and closed, and finally he could only manage to utter, "Damn. So generous."

Lu Xiao crossed his arms, the corners of his mouth curving into a deeper smile: "Two million US dollars, three targets, an underground factory converted from an abandoned mine. The client even specifically requested to capture the person in charge alive—this client is either an enemy, a competitor, or a third-party force trying to extract more information from the person in charge. Whoever it is, they're certainly generous."

"Who cares who it is." Xie Huai'an finally spoke. He looked up from his communications log, twirled a pencil between his fingers, and then stopped on the paper. His tone remained calm and devoid of any extra emotion. "Two million. Acquiring the customer list, destroying the production line, and capturing the target alive—the three steps are interconnected. The difficulty isn't low, but it's within Group A's capabilities. I'll check the satellite images and weather data over there and provide a suggested route within half an hour."

"Okay." Li Mo nodded, then looked at Lu Xiao, "You're in charge of the equipment and explosives. The tropical rainforest environment is humid and the terrain is muddy, so conventional explosives need to be waterproofed. As for the weapons—"

"Equip everyone with silencers, and use short-barreled primary weapons for easier maneuvering in the forest. Bring a pistol for close combat, with two extra magazines. Combat distances are short in the jungle, so long guns would be a hindrance. Also, each person should carry a machete. I checked the satellite imagery of the rainforest's vegetation density; some areas are impassable without clearing paths." Lu Xiao counted on his fingers, his tone shifting from his usual playful demeanor to an efficient and precise professional one. "I'll bring C4 and timed detonators, plus two sets of remote-controlled detonators as backup. That should be enough."

"I'll take care of the medical arrangements." Wen Yan put down his goji berry tea, took out a small notebook from his pocket, flipped to a blank page, and began to make a list. The pen scratched on the paper. "Antimalarial drugs, broad-spectrum antibiotics, snake venom antivenom—there are many types of venomous snakes there, so we need to bring at least three different types of antivenom. One tube of mosquito repellent ointment for each person, and oral rehydration salts; dehydration is the biggest enemy in the rainforest. Also—" He looked up at Li Mo, "Your right arm was just stitched up again. Although the best suturing technique was used, strenuous exercise is still risky. I won't let you be at the forefront this time."

Li Mo looked at him without saying a word.

"Looking at me won't change anything." Wen Yan smiled and looked back at him, her tone as gentle as a spring breeze, but every word carried an unyielding certainty. "I'm the team's medic, and I'm responsible for the team members' physical condition during the mission. If you're not satisfied, you can go to the infirmary now for a right arm weight-bearing test. If you pass, I'll let you play as a striker."

Lu Xiao chuckled gloatingly from the side, but immediately suppressed his laughter after being glanced at by Li Mo, pretending to look at the ceiling.

"Then it's settled." Li Mo straightened up, his gaze sweeping over everyone present. "Xie Huai'an will be in charge of intelligence and route planning, Lu Xiao will be in charge of equipment and demolition, Wen Yan will be in charge of medical care and logistics, Xie Ran and Shen Zhuo will accompany the team on the assault, and I will be in command. The mission window is forty-eight hours, and the preparation time—" He glanced at the time on his phone, "...six hours. We'll depart this afternoon."

"Understood." Everyone answered almost simultaneously, as if they had rehearsed it.

Xuanxiao sat in the corner, watching the group of people in front of him switch from chatting to battle preparation at a dizzying speed.

Within minutes, the entire dormitory transformed into a high-speed combat machine, with everyone knowing what they were supposed to do and every action precise and efficient.

No one wasted words, no one hesitated, and no one asked unnecessary questions. This was the true nature of Team Breaking the Void A—the mercenary squad that struck fear into the hearts of the entire underworld.

Xuan Xiao sat in his chair, watching the group of people bustling around, his lips curling downwards in a deep smirk.

He turned to look at Bai Ye, hoping to find a fellow sufferer who had also been excluded. Then he noticed that Bai Ye had put down his book at some point and walked over to Xie Huai'an, looking down at the satellite image on his laptop screen.

"This area," Bai Ye pointed to a densely packed area of ​​contour lines covered in green vegetation on the screen, his tone flat, "the mine should be on the north side of the valley. The French used to locate their ore processing sites near water sources for easy washing and transportation. The north bank of the valley has a gentler slope, allowing heavy equipment to enter. If I were PMC, I would place the entrance beneath the natural rock face on the north slope, so it wouldn't be visible from the air."

Xie Huai'an stopped typing and turned to look at Bai Ye. His gaze held surprise, scrutiny, and then a faint sense of approval.

He zoomed in on the location indicated by Bai Ye's finger, compared it with historical terrain data, and the vertical lines between his brows relaxed slightly: "The judgment is reasonable. I will incorporate your analysis into the route planning."

Xuanxiao's mouth opened even wider.

Lu Xiao passed by and saw the "why is even he more useful than me?" look on Xuan Xiao's face. He resisted the urge to ruffle Xuan Xiao's hair, and instead patted him on the shoulder, his tone unusually serious: "Xiao Baicai said he'd read books on this topic before. Besides, he's more useful than you even if he doesn't go on missions—can you at least pass your tropical rainforest survival training first? I could laugh about that for a year when you mistook a venomous snake for a vine in the simulation training last time."

"That's a fake snake!"

"You're afraid of fake snakes? You'd die on the spot if you caught a real one!"

Xuanxiao buried his face in his hands and let out a muffled wail.

Bai Ye looked up from his laptop, glanced at him, then took out the packet of blueberry candy that Xuan Xiao had slipped under his pillow, opened it, took one, walked up to Xuan Xiao, and put the candy in his hand.

Xuanxiao peeked out from between his fingers, staring at the blueberry candy wrapped in purple paper in his palm, and froze.

"Stop howling." Bai Ye turned and walked back, his tone still indifferent and cold. "I'll train with you next time."

Xuan Xiao clutched the candy, watching Bai Ye walk back to Xie Huai'an and continue studying the satellite image, and a slow smile crept onto his lips.

Lu Xiao, who was standing next to him, took in all the changes in his expression. He silently took out his phone and typed a line in his notes: "Xiao Zai is completely finished. I suggest the whole team crowdfund to buy him a coffin."

Six hours later, the entire Group A assembled on the base's helipad.

Li Mo stood at the front of the group, the new bandage on his right arm covered by the sleeve of his combat uniform, but Wen Yan still wrapped an extra elastic wristband around his right wrist.

He glanced back at the six people behind him, then gestured with his chin toward the helicopter on the tarmac.

"Set off."