Chapter 147: Self-Interest

The Customs team received the order from Team Red’s commander and set out early in the morning.

An hour before noon, Hugh, as originally planned, was preparing to lead his men from Team Red Tower to the mountain road to meet the Customs team.

Patrols had always been circling the area around Team Red Tower, but strangely, since last night, Team Blue had made no moves at all.

Unlike before, when only Renee Morgan and a few others acted, this time it was Team Blue’s main force; for them to move without alerting the outer patrols was impossible—unless, of course, they hadn’t moved at all.

Why would that be?

Right before setting off, Hugh was summoned to the office of Team Red’s commander.

“Do you suspect their main force is waiting over by the mountain road?” Hugh frowned. Though the possibility was small, it couldn’t be ruled out.

The Team Red commander rubbed his fatigued brow and said, “Whether they’re lying in wait at the mountain road for you and Customs, or waiting for you to leave so they can attack the Tower, either way, we’re far too passive.”

Hugh didn’t respond at first; as the commander said, ever since Renee Morgan and Jay Monroe’s elite team crossed the line to raid Team Red Tower, Team Red had been on the back foot.

The Team Red commander looked at Hugh: “Hugh, I think we should take the initiative.”

Hugh waited for the commander to finish speaking.

The commander’s fingers traced the area around Team Red Tower on the map, and he said to Hugh, “They’re nearby. We sweep the surroundings, catch them off guard.”

Rather than sit and wait, it was better to shift from defense to offense—keep them from getting close to the Tower, and maybe shake Team Blue’s morale.

Hugh’s thoughts stirred, his brows slowly knitting. If Jay Monroe were here, he’d know Hugh was plotting something.

Back during the maritime campaign, Hugh had been ambitious, wanted the highest championship score, and was determined to lead Team Red to victory.

But during the border rescue operation, the Team Red commander denied him the chance to lead, costing him a great opportunity for headshot points; it was that match where Renee Morgan earned 101 points, leading by 21.

If he kept putting the team’s victory first, getting the highest individual score was impossible.

But if he focused solely on himself, the championship top score was still within reach.

When he’d doubled back yesterday, he’d been speculating: whom did Team Blue send to the mountain road, and who was sent to raid Team Red Tower?

Later, he found Jay Monroe, and didn’t need to guess—the sniper attacking Team Red Tower was Jay, and the only one left at the mountain road was the other sniper—Renee Morgan.

Jay wasn’t his match. With Renee not in the main force, getting headshot points would be a breeze.

As for the mountain road…

It wasn’t his concern anymore.

As long as he got the top championship score, even if Team Red lost, it meant no loss for him. In short, the team’s win or loss didn’t matter now; all that mattered was whether he could claim the highest score.

“Hugh, Hugh…” The Team Red commander called repeatedly, realizing Hugh was lost in thought.

Hugh snapped back, looked at the commander, and said, calm and composed: “I’ve just analyzed your plan carefully—the tactical approach not only secures the Tower but also serves as a deterrent. If we can locate their camp… we’ll have a way to break up their main force.”

The commander’s irritation vanished instantly; he grew excited: “So you agree this plan is feasible?”

“Yes, you’re right. Rather than being passive and anxious every day, it’s better to be proactive. Team Blue has roughly seventy people; after dispersing some to the mountain road, our strength isn’t less than theirs. If it really comes down to a head-on clash, a team of fifty or sixty isn’t our match.” Hugh nodded in agreement, determination blazing in his eyes.

The commander was encouraged to hear Hugh talk this much, confidence surging: “Well said. Our recent defeats all came from being too passive. If only we had struck first, like back on the sea, they’d never have gained the upper hand.”

Hugh had made up his mind and probed tentatively: “Who do you think should be sent to the mountain road for support?”

His tone was calm as he analyzed: “Based on last night’s intel from the outer patrols, Team Blue didn’t send many to the mountain road. They have about seventy people; last night more than sixty were here.”

With seventy people now, sixty-plus remaining here, the mountain road squad couldn’t be more than ten.

“Still as arrogant as ever—using less than ten men to intercept our thirty.” The commander scoffed.

Hugh knew he’d hit a nerve, so he waited patiently for the commander’s decision.

Sure enough, the commander, seemingly provoked, said coldly, “No need to send anyone to the mountain road. Tell them not to get bogged down—get back to the Tower, fast.”

After all this time in the competition, everyone knew: one hit to any of the three headgear points meant death. As long as they ran fast and avoided scuffles, it was hard for opponents to score headshots.

Unless the whole main force was trapped.

But the main force wasn’t at the mountain road; Team Blue sent fewer than ten to block the way.

How could just a few encircle thirty men?

Thirty people running back shouldn’t be difficult, right?

The commander grabbed the communicator to issue a strict order to the Customs team, hoping they’d return to the Tower at top speed by any means necessary.

After putting down the communicator, he told Hugh, “Take your men and deploy. With our Tower as the center, spread outward through the buildings—if any suspicious targets are found, lead the squad to round them up. Even if we can’t wipe them out, driving them far off will do.”

After receiving his orders, Hugh quickly assembled his team and started arranging the operation.

Most people given this task would organize their team for a scattered carpet search of Team Blue’s tracks, but Hugh was different.

Before entering the base, after all, he had been the crown prince of The Royal Guard, with plenty of experience in handling such matters.

To locate Team Blue’s main camp, he only had to question the outer patrols, determine which direction Team Blue’s main force retreated last night, then check those likely spots one by one. They must be camped somewhere in a corner.

After interrogating the patrolmen, Hugh took out a topographical map, pinpointed a few likely areas, and led his men straight there.

The direction was remote—few buildings in that zone, beyond it a vast forest.

Fortunately, the competition map was detailed, even showing remote mud huts, so they could search efficiently.