Courtyard House: Report enemy agents at the start, and you'll take off immediately.

Page 453

Zhao De immediately tensed up, "How many people? Have you seen their weapons?"

The patrolman shook his head and said, "The number is uncertain, probably around three or four. We didn't see any obvious weapons, but they lingered in the area for a long time."

Zhao De and Chen Ming quickly exchanged glances. "Immediately increase vigilance and notify everyone to enter combat readiness," Zhao De firmly ordered.

Chen Ming nodded in agreement and turned to relay the orders. Zhao De, on the other hand, strode to the edge of the camp to personally assess the situation. The shadows in the distance, appearing and disappearing in the firelight, sent a chill down his spine.

Just then, Old Wei ran over, asking, "How's the situation?"

“Someone is lurking at the eastern mountain pass. We need to determine their intentions as soon as possible,” Zhao De said succinctly.

Old Wei frowned, thought for a moment, and then said, "Perhaps these people are also after that ancient tomb. If so, we must be careful."

Zhao De agreed, saying, "Indeed. We must now guard against both external threats and the possibility of internal betrayal."

The two observed the situation while discussing countermeasures. Time passed quietly, and the night grew even quieter, broken only occasionally by the cries of wild animals.

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang in Zhao De's ears: "Captain, I've noticed something unusual. Come and take a look." The speaker was one of the sentries guarding the three treasure hunters.

Zhao De followed him to the makeshift tent. Peeking through the tent's cracks, he saw three people huddled together, whispering to each other. One of them held a blurry map, pointing repeatedly at a certain location on it.

Zhao De whispered to the sentry beside him, "Keep an eye on them, but don't alert them."

He then retreated to a corner not far away, used a walkie-talkie to notify the others to be on high alert, and had several experienced team members approach discreetly to monitor the situation inside the tent.

A few minutes later, the team members regrouped. Zhao De said briefly, "It looks like these three guys have accomplices waiting outside. What we need to do now is find more evidence before taking any action."

Chapter 1365 Things in the Ancient Tomb

Chapter 1365 Things in the Ancient Tomb

Chen Ming chimed in, "Understood, Captain. Should we arrest them and interrogate them now?"

“There’s no rush,” Zhao De said calmly. “If they were forced to come, we might be able to get some important clues from them. You guys stay here and keep watch for now, I’ll go and discuss it with Lao Wei.”

After saying that, Zhao De got up and left, then went to find Lao Wei again. After discussing for a while, the two decided to first send someone out to investigate the movements of those suspicious individuals, and then make further decisions based on the situation.

Just then, a team member ran back and reported that he had spotted the suspicious figures moving in their direction. "They look like they're going to attack us!" he added nervously.

Zhao De's eyes sharpened instantly. "Assemble everyone immediately and prepare for battle."

The entire camp instantly became busy and tense. Torches and flashlights mingled together as people took their positions, preparing for a possible impending conflict.

Zhao De quickly organized the team, and everyone prepared diligently. Chen Ming and Lao Wei each led several team members to set up ambushes around the camp, while the other team members guarded key positions, ready to act at any time. Zhao De stood in the center of the camp, scanning the surroundings to ensure that every step was foolproof.

Suddenly, the silence of the camp was broken by a series of hurried footsteps. A sentry rushed over, panting, and reported, "Captain, they're almost at the camp! They're probably only about two hundred meters away!"

Zhao De nodded and decisively ordered, "Everyone, remain silent, prepare your weapons, and await my command."

In the darkness, the torchlight flickered, and everyone held their breath, awaiting the decisive moment. A moment later, several dark figures appeared in the nearby bushes, slowly approaching the camp. The leader seemed to be directing the others; he raised his hand to signal them to stop, then quietly moved closer.

At this moment, Zhao De raised his hand and said in a low voice, "Stay calm, don't act rashly, wait a little longer."

Several enemies finally entered the ambush area. Zhao De suddenly waved his hand and shouted, "Attack!"

Gunfire erupted, and the ambushing team members charged at the enemy from all directions; battle was imminent. The enemy, clearly unprepared for this sudden attack, frantically sought cover but were quickly surrounded.

Seeing this, the enemy leader immediately drew a pistol and fired a shot at Zhao De. The bullet grazed his ear, but he did not flinch. Instead, he shouted, "You're surrounded! Give up!"

Some enemy soldiers tried to break through the encirclement, but fell to the precise fire of their comrades. Seeing this, Zhao De shouted again, "Surrender, or don't blame us for showing no mercy!"

The leader hesitated for a moment, then finally lowered his gun and surrendered with his hands raised. The others followed suit, giving up resistance. The battle ended quickly. Zhao De walked over, looked down at the leader, and asked, "What are you doing here? Why did you attack our camp?"

The leader raised his head, a hint of resentment in his eyes, and said through gritted teeth, "We were forced into this situation. An organization called 'Black Hawk' has us under their control, and they want us to find something in that ancient tomb. We just want to save our lives..."

Chapter 1366 Ambush

Chapter 1366 Ambush

Zhao De frowned, wondering to himself whether this man's words were credible. He turned to his team members and ordered, "Take them all back for interrogation and see if we can get more information from them."

The team members escorted the prisoners back to camp one by one. Zhao De and Chen Ming returned to the command post and began to organize the intelligence they had just obtained. Just then, the sentry who had been guarding the tent ran over anxiously and said, "Captain, there's something wrong over there! Those three men have suddenly disappeared!"

Zhao De and Chen Ming exchanged a glance and immediately realized something was wrong. Zhao De quickly got up and led several team members to the tent. The tent was empty, with a few torn maps and some odds and ends scattered on the ground.

Chen Ming picked up a map, examined it carefully, and frowned, saying, "The location marked on this map is exactly the entrance to the ancient tomb we're looking for. These three people must have discovered some important clue before leaving."

Zhao De nodded and said in a deep voice, "We must find their whereabouts as soon as possible, otherwise the secrets of the ancient tomb may fall into the hands of others."

"Captain, what should we do?" Chen Ming asked.

Zhao De gazed at the mountains and forests in the night and said firmly, "Immediately organize a small team to follow the traces left by those people and bring them to justice!"

Zhao De quickly arranged for his team to prepare, while Chen Ming and Lao Wei led a few others to search for clues left by the three men. They checked all the footprints around the camp and finally found some faint trampling marks in a patch of grass. It was a path leading deep into the mountains, somewhat blurry, but still faintly visible in the darkness.

"Captain, there are footprints here!" Old Wei shouted excitedly. He pointed to a series of footprints and continued, "These people aren't walking slowly, so they shouldn't be carrying too much of a burden."

"Alright, keep tracking them. We must catch them," Zhao De ordered.

The team members followed the tracks relentlessly. After several hours of pursuit, they finally discovered a hidden cave behind a small hill. Near the cave entrance were some embers of a smoldering campfire, indicating that the people had stayed there for some time.

Zhao De cautiously approached the cave entrance and signaled Chen Ming to lead his men to keep watch. He gently pushed open the door and used the dim light of his flashlight to observe the situation inside. The cave was quite spacious, but it was now empty, with only some basic necessities left behind. On a simple table, there were several spread-out maps and some papers, seemingly things forgotten in the rush.

Zhao De stepped forward and picked up a map to examine it closely. It was a more detailed topographical map, marking the exact location of the ancient tomb and the method of entry. His expression grew more serious, and he whispered to Lao Wei beside him, "It seems our guess was right; they really do have important information about the ancient tomb."

At this moment, Chen Ming also picked up a piece of paper from the side. It was covered with notes, which seemed to record the specific steps and precautions for entering the ancient tomb. "We can't let these things go. We must take them back to the camp and study them carefully."

"Okay, let's first gather all the useful items here, then find a way to contact the base for backup." Zhao De nodded in agreement, then looked around at the surroundings. "At the same time, we need to be careful; the enemy may already be lying in ambush nearby."

Chapter 1367 A Special Jade Talisman

Chapter 1367 A Special Jade Talisman

Just then, a faint sound came from afar, as if someone was quietly approaching. Zhao De immediately waved for everyone to take cover and turned off their flashlights, plunging the entire cave into darkness.

"Everyone be careful, it might be their men returning," Zhao De warned in a low voice. Immediately afterward, several dark figures came into their view; they were the three who had escaped earlier, followed by several new faces carrying weapons.

The leader glanced around warily before stepping into the cave, unaware of Zhao De and his group hiding in the shadows. He took out a cigarette, lit it, took a puff, and asked, "Are you sure no one's following us?"

Another companion nodded and replied, "There shouldn't be any problem. Let's hurry and get out of here as soon as possible."

Seeing that the time was right, Zhao De quickly made a decision. He leaped out of his hiding place, his sharp shout echoing throughout the cave, "It's not too late to give up the struggle!"

The sudden noise startled everyone, and they all reached for their guns to fight back. However, when they saw a group of fully armed men already waiting around them, two of them immediately raised their hands in surrender.

However, one particularly daring individual refused to surrender so easily and attempted to escape, only to be quickly and accurately shot down. The remaining leader, who had been smoking just moments before, sighed helplessly, threw his weapon on the ground, and disarmed himself.

Faced with Zhao De's stern questioning gaze, the ringleader finally chose to bow his head and admit his mistake, "Actually, we didn't want to be your enemies either, we were forced to do it..."

"Who is the real mastermind behind you? What exactly is the 'Black Hawk' organization plotting?" Zhao De bombarded him with questions without giving him any chance to catch up.

The leader lowered his head and remained silent for a moment, a complex look flashing in his eyes, before finally speaking: "We are being threatened by the 'Black Hawk' organization. They have leverage over us. If we don't obey orders, our families will be implicated."

Zhao De's eyes narrowed slightly, and he said coldly, "'Black Hawk'? How much do you know about them? What is their purpose?"

The leader sighed and said helplessly, "I don't know much either. 'Black Hawk' is a very mysterious organization that specializes in collecting all kinds of ancient treasures and documents. Their target this time is this ancient tomb. As for their specific purpose, I've only heard that they want to find some ancient weapons or secret techniques through this tomb."

Chen Ming, who was listening from the side, was dumbfounded. He couldn't help but interject and ask, "Are these ancient weapons or secret techniques really that important?"

The leader nodded, his tone grave: "Legend has it that these ancient powers are capable of changing the world order. 'Black Hawk' will stop at nothing to obtain them."

Zhao De's gaze hardened, and he said in a deep voice, "In any case, you are now in our hands, and you must tell us everything you know. If you conceal anything, you will have to consider the consequences yourselves."

The leader seemed to realize the seriousness of the situation and nodded, saying, "I understand. I will tell you everything I know. Actually, the key to entering the ancient tomb is a special jade talisman, which can activate the mechanisms within the tomb. The map and records we have are also related to this jade talisman."

Chapter 1368 Breaking Through the Ancient Tomb in One Fall

Chapter 1368 Breaking Through the Ancient Tomb in One Fall

Zhao De took the documents handed to him by the leader, flipped through them for a while, and then frowned, saying, "We need to further verify the authenticity of this information. Let's take these documents back for further study, and then report to our superiors."

"Captain, what should we do next?" Chen Ming asked.

Zhao De looked around, pondered for a moment, and then said, "First, clean up the scene and take away all valuable items. Then contact the base as soon as possible to request reinforcements. These people should also be brought back to the camp for interrogation."

"Understood!" Chen Ming nodded in response and immediately organized his team to get to work. They gathered up the documents, maps, and other materials inside the cave and packed them into their backpacks. At the same time, they tied up the few who had surrendered, preparing to take them back to camp.

During the retreat, the team remained highly vigilant, fearing any further unforeseen events. After several hours of trekking, they finally returned to camp.

Upon arriving at the camp, Zhao De immediately instructed the technicians to conduct a detailed analysis of the data, while arranging for several capable team members to take turns guarding the arrested individuals. He himself quickly drafted a detailed report to prepare for reporting this series of events to headquarters.

Meanwhile, in another inconspicuous little house, Zhao De, Lao Wei, Chen Ming, and others gathered together to discuss their next course of action.

Old Wei frowned and said, "If we attack the ancient tomb directly, the risk will be very high. The enemy is already on guard, and we don't know how many more people are lurking there."

Chen Ming added, "Moreover, that jade talisman is extremely important. If we act rashly, we might not only fail to obtain it, but also lose even more brothers."

Zhao De nodded, took a deep breath, and said, "We must proceed with caution. First, we need to ensure that those who have been arrested are not lying, and then we need to develop a detailed action plan based on the clues they provide."

"Then please ask the intelligence department to expedite the verification of those people's statements," Old Wei suggested.

"Okay, I'll arrange it right away." Zhao De agreed, got up and walked towards the communications room, leaving the others to continue discussing the follow-up plan.

Just then, a team member rushed into the cabin, panting, and said, "Captain, we have urgent news! We just spotted another group of suspicious individuals on the edge of the forest!"

Zhao De immediately became alert and asked, "What are the specific details?"

The team member replied, "Our initial assessment is that it's an enemy reconnaissance team. They're active in the area frequently, clearly monitoring our every move."

Zhao De's face darkened. He looked at Lao Wei and Chen Ming and said in a low voice, "It seems that 'Black Hawk' is not willing to give up easily. They will continue to stop us. We must hurry and take measures in advance."