Soon after, the sky echoed with a roaring sound. A military transport helicopter flew overhead, dropping airborne supplies.
"Our support has arrived!" Flame shouted excitedly.
Everyone rushed forward and retrieved weapons, bullets, communication headsets, and other equipment from the airdrop package. This time, their bullets were not blanks for exercises but genuine live ammunition.
Shi Qingsong's voice came through the communication headset: "I am aware of your current situation. Lao Mao and Min Teng have already crossed the border, bringing with them a large number of mercenaries. You must be prepared for combat and await further instructions from us."
Upon hearing this news, everyone's face grew even more grave. The alliance of Lao Mao and Min Teng undoubtedly brought them immense pressure.
Lin Beichen asked coldly, "Is Min Teng going to such great lengths this time just to avenge his brother?"
Xia Luyao shook his head: "Things are probably not that simple. Min Teng is a profit-driven businessman; there must be greater interests driving his actions this time."
Shi Qingsong's voice came through the headset once again: "That's right, this is a premeditated armed invasion. You must be ready for combat, completely seal off the border to prevent their escape. We will dispatch troops to support you as soon as possible."
Shi Qingsong stared at the satellite images and deeply analyzed, "Their only escape route now is to traverse the dense forest to the southwest. But that's an area full of landmines from the war."
After listening to Shi Qingsong, everyone knew very well the task ahead. They quickly sorted out the equipment in the airdrop package, with a serious and orderly demeanor. Bullets were loaded into magazines one by one, grenades hung on their waists, and the special forces' insignias were replaced with the unified emblem of the Huaxia soldiers.
Observing all this through the screen, Shi Qingsong's heart was a mixture of anger and pain, and he solemnly declared: "Look at the sacrificed comrades, this is a challenge, a provocation to us Huaxia soldiers. In six hours, the enemy might escape the country. I order you to regain the lost dignity!"
His words were filled with power: "If the mission is not completed, I will order aerial bombings. This place may be desolate, lacking beauty and wealth, but in the eyes of us soldiers, it is sacred because this is the border of Huaxia, a place we vow to defend to the death."
The soldiers transported Yu Fei's body onto the helicopter, and then Shi Qingsong swore with the dignity of a soldier, "Those who offend Huaxia, though far will be punished! Salute!" Xia Luyao and Long Chuzhi responded in unison, with both special teams saluting as they watched the helicopter depart into the distance.
Immediately, they acted swiftly with the soldiers of the Southwest Garrison District, heading towards the jungle. At the entrance to the jungle, they found the tracks of the mercenaries and unhesitatingly pursued them into the forest.
Long Chuzhi quickly deployed, dividing the team into three groups to pursue in different directions. Lin Beichen led the Venomous Snake Special Team and some garrison soldiers to chase along the left side.
Soon, gunfire was heard ahead, but strangely, the bullets did not directly hit them. Both sides were far apart and not within range, which was baffling.
They saw figures flickering ahead and immediately gave chase. But at that moment, explosions and wails came through the headset.
"What happened?" Xia Luyao urgently asked.
"We encountered booby traps, multiple injuries!" The message came through, and Xia Luyao immediately ordered a halt.
Everyone cautiously observed their surroundings, and Lin Beichen noticed traces of soil disturbance ahead. He immediately shouted alertly, "There's a minefield, retreat quickly!"
Everyone quickly retreated to a safe area. Li Lianzhang from the Southwest Garrison District thankfully said to Lin Beichen, "Young brother, thanks to you!"
Lin Beichen replied calmly, "It's nothing. Now we have to find a way through the minefield."
Xia Luyao furrowed his brow, "The path ahead is a necessity; we can't bypass it. We must avoid the mines."
Li Lianzhang said worriedly, "From the soil traces, there are quite a few mines. It might be tough to avoid them."
Lin Beichen said with determination, "We can do it." Li Lianzhang looked at him in surprise, "You have a way?"
Lin Beichen nodded lightly and affirmed, "Yes, I do have a method."
"Oh? What method?" Li Lianzhang's curiosity was piqued.
Lin Beichen explained steadily, "We can use certain 'substitutes' to probe the minefield, allowing us to pass through safely."
"Substitutes? You mean sending someone to sacrifice?" Li Lianzhang's face turned grim, "I absolutely cannot accept such a thing! Every soldier is our brother; I can't send them to their deaths!"
Lin Beichen sighed gently, realizing Li Lianzhang misunderstood him. "Commander Li, you've misunderstood. The substitutes I'm talking about are not real people."
"Not real people? What does that mean?" Li Lianzhang frowned, evidently puzzled.
"Have you heard of the ancient tales of 'scattering beans to form an army' and 'cutting grass to make horses'?" Lin Beichen hinted.
Li Lianzhang was momentarily stunned, looking at him in confusion, "Are you referring to the story where Guiguzi taught Sun Bin and Pang Juan military strategy?"
"Exactly." Lin Beichen nodded, "Though we can't really scatter beans to form an army, we can use the wild grass here to create scarecrows to explore the minefield for us."
"Scarecrows?" Xia Luyao repeated, with a hint of astonishment in his gaze.
Lin Beichen had already started plucking the wild grass by the roadside, "Yes, scarecrows. Though it sounds a bit incredible, please trust me, this method might work."
Li Lianzhang watched Lin Beichen busy at work and turned to Xia Luyao, "Do you guys in the Venomous Snake Special Team really believe in such absurd methods? Is this kid reading too many fantasy novels?"
Xia Luyao firmly sided with Lin Beichen, "I believe in him. Since he proposed this method, he must have his reasons." After saying this, she joined in plucking grass herself.
The Flying Eagle and others also expressed their support for Lin Beichen's idea and began helping to make scarecrows. Li Lianzhang watched this scene and couldn't help but shake his head, sighing, "Crazy, truly crazy!"
Soon, Long Chuzhi led another group of soldiers to regroup. After understanding the situation, Long Chuzhi also chose to trust Lin Beichen, "Let's see what kind of miracle he can create."
When the scarecrows were finished, Lin Beichen took out a few talisman papers, drew talismans on them, and then pasted them on the scarecrows' faces. Then, he bit his finger to drop a droplet of blood onto the forehead of a scarecrow.
What happened next left everyone astonished!
Lin Beichen's blood on the scarecrow's forehead slowly seeped in. Then, the scarecrow actually stood up by itself and started to walk forward slowly. This scene left the members of the Venomous Snake Special Team feeling bewildered, despite having seen many of Lin Beichen's magical techniques before. And the ordinary soldiers were utterly dumbfounded, as if they had seen a ghost, with Li Lianzhang's reaction being the most intense.
He stared at the walking scarecrow in shock, unable to speak, just pointing at it with a trembling finger. Lin Beichen glanced at his astonished face, sighed softly, snapped his fingers, and the scarecrow stopped, standing still. The soldiers burst into chatter again, never having witnessed such a bizarre scene.
"Lin Beichen, how did you do that?" Li Lianzhang finally found his voice and asked in surprise.
Lin Beichen looked at him casually, "Just using some Daoist magical techniques." He explained, "Scattering beans to form an army, cutting grass to make horses, it sounds mystical but it's indeed a Daoist art."
Then, he continued to focus on the task at hand, "The important thing now is to let these scarecrows help us cross the minefield." With that, he dripped blood on each scarecrow, seemingly imbuing them with life. He also attached stones to the scarecrows to simulate human weight, in order to trigger the mines.
Once everything was ready, Lin Beichen chanted softly, waved his hand, and the scarecrows lined up and began to march into the minefield. Shortly after entering, a mine was triggered, sending dirt and stones flying, but the scarecrows remained unaffected and continued forward, triggering more mines in succession.