ebookland Chapter 358: They've found their hideout!
Chapter 358: They've found their hideout!
Rainy night, torrential rain.
This became the best cover for their small team. The members, wearing their tattered enemy uniforms, supported each other and, in a manner reminiscent of routed soldiers, trudged towards Eagle's Beak Rock on the west side of the 142 main peak.
There was no need to act. Apart from him and Ning Wei, who were in relatively better condition, the rest of the team members were injured to varying degrees. Having traveled a long distance to get here, their bodies were already close to their limits.
Every few hundred meters they advanced, they might encounter a checkpoint, either visible or concealed. They didn't deliberately avoid it to avoid arousing enemy suspicion; instead, they marched openly and honestly.
"Stop! Who is it?!"
In the darkness, a low shout in Vietnamese suddenly rang out, accompanied by the crisp sound of a gun being cocked. Several beams of flashlight swept from the woods to their side, illuminating their mud-covered, exhausted faces.
Qin Guanshan immediately stepped forward, prepared beforehand, and responded in a tone that was both shaken and hoarse:
"Don't shoot! We're on the same side, the 1st Battalion, 2nd Regiment, 345th Division. We...we were scattered, and we barely made it this far."
The flashlight beam scrutinized them closely, focusing on their wounds and tattered equipment.
"Password!"
The sentry held a Russian AK-47, his index finger on the trigger, his voice still full of vigilance.
"rainy season!"
Qin Guanshan answered immediately, his voice carrying an eagerness as if he had found his organization.
The other party paused for a moment, seemingly to confirm, before responding:
"Let's get through this."
The lights were moved away, but the sentry's sharp eyes continued to follow them.
As they passed the checkpoint, the enemy soldier who appeared to be the squad leader glanced at them several more times, his gaze lingering for a moment on Ning Wei's overly calm eyes in the darkness.
Zhong Yuemin's heart was in his throat. He deliberately made his steps appear more unsteady, and at the same time, he subtly nudged Zhang Haiyang beside him with his elbow.
Zhang Haiyang understood and immediately let out a suppressed groan of pain caused by the aggravation of his wound.
"Ouch, ouch..."
Compared to Lao Qin's masterful and natural acting, Haiyang's performance was far too exaggerated. Fortunately, it didn't attract too much attention from the enemy.
The groan of pain seemed to dispel the sentry's last doubts; he waved his hand, indicating that they could pass.
"Hurry up and go inside! The division headquarters is just ahead, below Eagle's Beak Rock. Don't wander off!"
The sentry added.
"Thank you, thank you brother!"
Qin Guanshan quickly said in a grateful tone, leading his squad to pass through swiftly and disappear into the dark rain curtain beyond the sentry's sight.
Similar scenarios repeated themselves several times over the next hour or so.
Exposed sentries, hidden sentries, mobile sentries... the closer one gets to the enemy command post at Eagle's Beak Rock, the tighter the security becomes.
Every time they were stopped, it was a life-or-death test.
It was only thanks to Qin Guanshan's impeccable language and performance, as well as the team members' natural injuries and exhaustion that they were able to get through each challenge without any real danger.
Zhong Yuemin walked in the middle of the column, his mind racing, memorizing the location of every sentry post they passed, the number of troops stationed there, and the surrounding terrain.
They were already working on how to quickly and safely evacuate after capturing the enemy commander, Division Commander Mei.
The hands of the watch on his wrist silently moved toward the agreed-upon moment of artillery barrage.
at last!
After passing through a bamboo forest whose tops had been shaved off by artillery fire, the terrain ahead suddenly opened up, with a huge rock shaped like an eagle's beak protruding abruptly from the mountain, below which was a relatively gentle slope.
On the slope, a dozen or so military tents of varying sizes were set up, some of which were covered with camouflage netting.
Several makeshift telephone lines led in different directions, and antennas could be vaguely seen standing in the rain. People moved about between the tents in a slightly hurried manner, but the overall atmosphere maintained a sense of oppression after defeat.
This is Eagle Beak Rock.
The temporary headquarters of the Vietnamese 345th Division!