The four helicopters started to approach them. When they were about two kilometres away, Xia Lei caught sight of the logo displayed on the LCH military helicopter. It was India’s elite counter-terrorist sixty-two Air Force a.s.sault Team. It didn’t take long for him to be able to see the armed forces piloting the aircraft. The nearest military helicopter had two of the Special Forces from the elite team. The two behind were carrying armed personnel dressed in black. There was no indication of their ident.i.ty but from their face and physique, it wasn’t difficult to deduce that they were j.a.panese. With that being said, the pa.s.sengers on the two helicopters sandwiched between the more advanced aircraft were from the Hattori clan. The Chinook aircraft in the very back had its hatch tightly shut. Xia Lei could only catch glimpses of the pilot, who was dressed in the sixty-two Air Force a.s.sault Team’s uniform.

“It’s the Indian counter-terrorist troupe!” Xia Lei whispered harshly into the transmitter.

“f.u.c.king h.e.l.l!” Anjum Khan yelled. “They’re usually slow but today they’re exceptionally fast. They’ve been bribed to work as mercenaries now!”

“Chill out. This isn’t the time to rant about the Indian government.” Xia Lei’s tone was heavy. “Everyone, hide well. Do not fire recklessly. We need to focus on destroying the military helicopter in the front, it poses the biggest threat to us.”

“Got it!” responded five of the Chinese Zodiac Battle Team members.

As soon as Xia Lei had laid out the arrangements, the LCH military helicopter had entered their five hundred metre radius. The pilot was smart, choosing not to close in on the peak. They were obviously trying to use the first aircraft as bait. As soon as someone opens fire towards it, it would be akin to disturbing a beehive. The rocket launchers and cannons of the LCH aircraft would trigger the start of the intense bloodshed. With its firepower, not only was it possible to blast the mountain flat, it would definitely wipe out anyone hiding between the cracks of the rocks.

“Keep calm, keep calm…” Xia Lei instructed. “They’re trying to bait us. Do not fire your weapons!”

“But it’s just right there! It’s our best chance to fire, boss!” replied Alessio.

“I repeat, do not fire your weapons. The rotor blades will affect your aim. The gla.s.s surrounding the cabin is heavily reinforced. There’s no guarantee that we’d be able to take out the pilot in one shot and we’d only have one chance for that,” explained Xia Lei.

Though he was doing his best to calm his subordinates, he couldn’t help but get anxious too. His palms were starting to sweat from the tension. Their opponent was India’s best counter-terrorist team. They were elites of the Special Forces and the aircraft they controlled were equipped with great firepower. Great caution needed to be exercised.

The military helicopter paused in the air, prompting the three helicopters behind it to halt their approach.

This was a mind game strategy. The opponent was trying to pressure Xia Lei and the Chinese Zodiac Battle Team. There was so much one could tolerate. As soon as the stress became too much to handle, they would buckle and cave into it. This phenomenon was common in those fleeing the war, deserters would succ.u.mb to the mental stress and fall into the hands of their enemy.

Two minutes pa.s.sed.

Those two minutes felt like two days to Xia Lei. It was excruciatingly difficult to sit through it. They shouldered great threats to their life with each pa.s.sing second and every single second was torture.

But this was war, a gamble made on lives.

The Chinook aircraft approached them.

“What is that military helicopter in front waiting for?” Hattori Mei directed her question to a counterterrorist Special Force commander.

“Miss Beryl, please be patient. Can’t you see that everything is under control?” replied the commander. “What we’re trying to do here is pressure them. As soon as they reach their limits and fire their bullets at us, we’d be able to deduce their position and blast them to ashes. And if they plan to escape, that would make things simpler. ”

“But isn’t it obvious that the target hadn’t left the mountain? I’m just worried that they’d cross over into Pakistan before this. I think you should circle the peak to see what it’s like at the back,” said Hattori Mei.

“Give us another two minutes. If there’s no response after that, I’ll do as you say,” replied the commander.

“Are there no thermal detectors on the military helicopter?” asked Hattori Geppa, who was on the same Chinook aircraft.

“Of course, we do. Unfortunately, the detector is only useful within a certain proximity. The device is better used at night,” the commander answered.

Hattori Geppa said nothing else. It was evident from his expression that he wasn’t too pleased with the commander’s explanation and execution.

Hattori Mei anxiously glanced at her wrist.w.a.tch.

Soon enough, another two minutes had pa.s.sed.

“Alright, time’s up. Please have that helicopter cross over to check on the other side of the mountain,” urged Hattori Mei.

“Miss Beryl, what are you in a rush for?” The commander was reluctant to heed her request.

Hattori Mei answered, “Aren’t you aware of how cunning our opponent is? Did you know that he single-handedly took down fifty of your Mountain Division fighters?”

“Took down fifty of our Mountain Division fighters?” The Indian laughed. “Miss Beryl, you must be joking.”

“I am not! Let me remind you that we’re near the borders to Pakistan!” Hattori Mei fumed. “If the Pakistani radar notices four Indian aircraft, their Air Forces and infantries would spring into action. The Pakistanis will definitely protect that b.a.s.t.a.r.d from us. By then, we’ll lose our chance to capture him! Don’t you understand the situation? You better not forget how much we paid for this operation!”

“Alright.” The commander finally agreed. He picked up the transmitter. “Falcon, begin the operation.”

The suspended LCH military helicopter finally began to move towards the peak of Bone Mountain.

Meanwhile, hidden between the rocks, Tsukino Kyoko was starting to get nervous.

“It’s coming closer.”

“Yeah, I see it. Everyone, stay calm and do not open fire. We must wait for the best opportunity,” responded Xia Lei.

Abruptly, the military helicopter started to concentrate a few rocket bombs towards one spot.

Ka-boom! Ka-boom! Ka-boom!

Roaring explosion echoed through the air, reducing stones and rocks into debris. Thick smoke soon suffocated the air.

“Do not open fire! Do not open fire! This is their last probe!” Xia Lei continued to insist on staying calm. Despite that, his back was already drenched in a cold patch of sweat. The helicopter was just aimlessly launching bombs. If they somehow guessed the direction right, Xia Lei and his team would be in great danger.

Thankfully, the surface area of the peak was relatively large. It wouldn’t be easy to bomb the right spots. The statistics and their luck had to be in their favour to get through this safely. Fortunately, lady luck was still on their side for now.

After a few bombs, the military helicopter suddenly lowered its body. As it flew, it started to use its cannons on the two four-wheel drives parked at the foot of the mountain.

Whoos.h.!.+

A bomb zoomed across the air. In a blink of the eye, the two vehicles were sent flying by the impact.

“Bullseye!” The pilot in the LCH military helicopter cheered, overwhelmed with excitement. After destroying the two vehicles, he adjusted the head and flew in a straight path towards the peak.

What he hadn’t noticed was that the aircraft’s position was now on the same level as the peak.

“Fire! Now!” Xia Lei shouted through the transmitter.

As soon as his voice dropped, armour-piercing bullets were fired from seven gust a.s.sault rifles towards the pilot cabin. In that split second, it broke the bulletproof winds.h.i.+eld, killing the pilot on the spot. If things had happened in slow motion, one would be able to see that four bullets destroyed the fortified gla.s.s and the remaining three had taken the pilot’s life.

Due to the differences in their position, their bullets had hit their target at different intervals. It wasn’t mere coincidence that the first four broke the obstacle letting the following three bullets get rid of their opponent. It was just ingenious planning!

Having lost its pilot, the helicopter went out of control. It flew past the peak and started to fall towards the ground behind the mountain. The co-pilot frantically released himself from his seat belts. Before he could take control of the wild aircraft, it was already too late!

Boom!

Flames rushed towards the sky. The deafening explosion could probably be heard from ten miles away.

“Kill them!” The commander in the Chinook aircraft went berserk.

The back hatch of the Chinook opened to allow the team’s Special Forces to abseil down from it.

At the same time, Hattori Geppa picked up one of the transmitters and proceeded to roar into it.

“Fire! Shoot them all! Kill them all!”

The other two suspended helicopters soon began to move. It closed onto the peak from both sides in coordinated timing. Inclining its body to aim its machine guns towards the peak, they started to open fire. It began to rain bullets as if it was a storm that hit the rocks. However, machine guns were not as effective as cannons. They could tear apart trees and walls but they were ultimately ineffective towards boulders. s.h.i.+elded by the tough rocks, its opponents were hiding just like the army once did during World War II.

Bang! As one of the helicopters made its way around the peak, Xia Lei raised his gun. Within a second, its pilot was already slumped against its seat.

Ka-boom! Another aircraft carrying the armed Hattori men had also lost the battle.

The remaining men in the Chinook were terrified. The pilot quickly adjusted its height and retreated sideways. After pulling themselves away from the mountain at about a distance of four thousand metres, it started to unload all its firepower onto the mountain. Its heavy-duty machine guns had a bigger shooting range than the gust a.s.sault rifle did. Fortunately, the distance had made it difficult to aim precisely. The Chinook could only exercise this to pressure its enemies on the peak, buying time for themselves to land their men.

The aircraft flew rapidly towards a position beneath the peak. Ropes emerged from its hatches and sure enough, armoured counterterrorist elites came sliding down.

Holding a h.e.l.lbound One-soldier Cannon in his arms, Xia Lei called out to his team. “Hold it, hold it… Wait till they come closer.”