Chapter 706 - 334: Poaching Gang, A Crime Made Worse! (Part 3)

Chapter 706: Chapter 334: Poaching Gang, A Crime Made Worse! (Part 3)

"Well said!" Yang Zhen nodded in agreement, his eyes filled with admiration for the man in front of him.

The atmosphere of the entire camp became incredibly solid and harmonious due to this successful heart-to-heart talk.

Yang Zhen stood up and glanced at his watch, "Alright! It’s getting late! Xiaoli, confirm the coordination plan with the command center one last time."

"The rest of you, prepare to take shifts and rest! Get plenty of energy; we have a tough battle ahead tomorrow."

"Yes!"

The soldiers began to take turns on night watch at the outer dark guard, following the established shifts.

Lin Yu’an lay on the makeshift bed he’d set up but felt no trace of sleepiness.

He could hear the soldiers outside suppressing their coughs in the cold wind and the subtle friction sound from their gear as they moved.

These young soldiers were using their own flesh and blood to protect him and the tranquility of this land.

At 4:30 AM, before dawn, the entire rock shelter camp quietly awoke under Yang Zhen’s silent gesture.

No one spoke. By the last spark of the campfire, they began the final preparations for departure, like precision gears operating efficiently.

Last night’s downpour had stopped, but a biting chill lingered in the air.

Outside the rock shelter, the fog was thicker than the night before, as dense as milk, enveloping the entire world in a thick, impenetrable chaos.

Water drops continuously dripped from the eaves of rocks and leaves, the sound of "drip, drip" being the only distinctly audible noise.

Everyone took out the high-calorie Energy Bar distributed by Yang Zhen the previous night. The noise of unwrapping them sounded especially jarring in the dead silence.

Lin Yu’an also took out his piece of anti-fatigue food and swallowed it in a few bites.

The high concentration of sugar and protein quickly turned into a searing energy in his stomach, dispelling the morning chill and storing fuel for the intense burst of activity to come.

"Teacher Lin, this is for you." Xiaowang handed over a military canteen with warm water heated by the residual warmth of the campfire.

"Thank you." Lin Yu’an accepted it and took a big gulp. The warm water eased his joints and made him feel completely relaxed.

Five minutes later, everyone was ready to set off.

They packed up all the trash, leaving not a trace of anything that didn’t belong to this forest at the camp.

Yang Zhen personally buried the fire embers with wet earth and sand, layer after layer, until there was no residual warmth detectable by touch, and then he finally stood down.

"Let’s go." Yang Zhen glanced at his watch. The hour hand pointed to exactly 5 AM.

"From now on, communicate with hand signals, turn off the throat mics. Our goal is to reach the high ground within a kilometer of those bastards before they wake up!"

Seven black figures melted silently into the predawn darkness and thick fog like Netherworld Ghosts.

This march was entirely different from the pursuit of the previous day.

The jungle after rain had become a perilous trap. The soggy earth was as muddy as a swamp, with each step making a squelching sound.

Invisible thin water films covered the slippery rocks and tree roots, risking a slip with the slightest carelessness.

The rain-soaked leaves could quietly pour cold dew down the necks of those who passed beneath.

But for this squad, it was also a godsend of disguise.

The dense fog obscured their figures, the wet ground absorbed most of their footfalls, and the gushing stream became the best cover for their movements.

Lin Yu’an again led the team in the forefront. But this time, he no longer needed to strain to find those minute traces.

The precise coordinates locked by the drone last night and the real-time Beidou positioning on Yang Zhen’s military tablet had already planned the most direct route for them.

He was like the most seasoned guide, always able to find the most effortless climbing paths on seemingly impassable slopes.

He could preemptively identify which moss-covered rocks were hollow underneath and which seemingly solid vines were actually rotten.

Under his guidance, the entire team’s pace exceeded Yang Zhen’s expectations.

The soldiers’ robust physical and tactical prowess, combined with Lin Yu’an’s exquisite understanding of the natural environment, created a perfect chemistry at that moment.

Time slipped away in the tense and urgent march. The sun should have risen, but the thick fog and overcast clouds still kept the entire forest as dim as dusk.

Around 8 AM, after marching continuously for three hours, Lin Yu’an finally signaled to stop.

He pointed ahead at a massive rock resembling a giant beast crouching on the ridge, shaped like an eagle’s beak.

"We’re here." He mouthed silently.

"Eagle’s Beak Cliff!" Their designated reconnaissance position! ℴ

Yang Zhen immediately ordered two soldiers to guard the perimeter, while the rest used rocks and foliage for cover to quickly establish a concealed observation post on the top of Eagle’s Beak Cliff.

Lin Yu’an lay prone behind a cold rock, cautiously setting up a military-grade high-powered binocular.

Yang Zhen lay beside him, firmly gripping a tactical tablet linked to the drone.

Below them lay an open riverbed carved by streams, still shrouded in a thin layer of morning mist.

The camp discovered by the drone last night was located at the center of this riverbed.