They were enemies since they’d exchanged fire.
Xia Lei had never showed any mercy to his opponents.
The thought that he was going to get rid of one of the important figures of the Knights Hospitaller, possibly even the commander, fuelled Xia Lei’s determination to shoot to kill.
The elderly man put away his phone, looked up at the sky, and continued walking forward.
Xia Lei pulled his finger back slowly...
Whumpa whumpa whumpa...
The sound of a huge propeller cutting through the air, and the deafening sound of an engine rumbled from behind. Xia Lei quickly turned his body sideways and hid in the grass. This position would decrease the chances of him being discovered.
A helicopter appeared from the right side of the mountain peak and flew over Xia Lei’s head in the blink of an eye. It landed next to the old man.
Xia Lei saw the situation in the helicopter when it had flown over his head. Aside from the pilot, there were also four men. They weren’t old; all four men were very young. There were three white men and one black man — one of the white men carried a sniper rifle while the other two carried assault rifles. The black man was carrying a mini M134 machine gun.
This was Schwarzenegger and Dwayne Johnson’s favourite type of gun on screen.
Any sniper rifle would be powerless before this heavy-duty machine gun.
The old man held his waist as he got on the helicopter, bent under the strong wind created by the propeller.
Xia Lei could’ve gotten rid of him earlier, but he didn’t regret not shooting him. In fact, he was grateful that he didn’t shoot him, or else he would’ve been a dead man amidst this deserted land full of weeds when the helicopter came. The black man’s machine gun could probably turn him into minced meat in two minutes!
Using the sniper rifle to destroy the helicopter’s engine?
This kind of thing can probably only be seen in movies. The speed of the helicopter was so fast that it would be impossible to aim correctly. Even if he did, it would take two seconds for the bullet to fly across the distance of two kilometers. Would the helicopter stop moving to wait for the bullet to hit it? Even if the pilot was foolish enough to stop the helicopter in the sky, the mini M134 machine gunner would not be so courteous as to not shoot at him!
While Xia Lei was rejoicing at his decision in cold sweat, the helicopter rose up to the sky once again and flew over the left side of the mountain peak.
Xia Lei hurriedly took out his satellite phone and dialled Yelena’s number. “Where are you guys at right now?”
“We’re almost at the safe place,” said Yelena’s voice.
Xia Lei sighed in relief. “Our opponent’s reinforcement is on the way. They have a helicopter and a mini M134 machine gun. There may also be their allies on land, so don’t enter Bobbio. Abandon the safe place in town and tell Alessio to find a new safe place. He’s Italian, so he has his connections.”
“I got it. When will you join us again?”
“In the night. Keep communication lines open; after you guys settle down, tell me the location and I’ll come.”
“Who the hell are they?”
“They’re the Knights Hospitaller.” Xia Lei hung up.
He wouldn’t tell the Zodiac team the secrets of the ancient alloy box and of AE, but he had to tell them who their enemies were.
After finishing the call, Xia Lei got up quickly and sprinted towards the forest on the right side of the mountain as quickly as he could. He didn’t know if the helicopter would return, but he didn’t want to take the risk of passing through the valley from the wasteland.
Xia Lei ran on the deserted land with his body leaning forward. He was very fast, just like a cheetah running across the prairie.
Just as he ran into the mountain forest, the helicopter suddenly appeared from the left side of the peak. It then flew into the valley, going in the direction of the church.
Xia Lei hid behind a tree and let out a long sigh of relief. He discovered that his back was already drenched in cold sweat. Based on the situation just now, his opponent’s helicopter might’ve discovered him if he had been just a few seconds too slow.
The helicopter soon flew over to the church and landed.
Xia Lei did not hesitate. He moved deeper into the mountain forest, walking in the opposite direction of Bobbio.
Meanwhile, a small container truck was on the road out of Bobbio. The advertisement, “KFC’s new luxurious combo meal is on sale” was printed on the container truck. However, inside the truck were not KFC chicken parts but the six members of the Zodiac team.
“Fuck!” Alessio bared his teeth in a snarl. “I can’t believe I was shot by an old man! This is such a disgrace!”
“That’s enough.” Bagu’s expression was serious. “Those old men were not regular people. I was almost killed.”
“Who are they?” Amanda had asked this question earlier too.
All of them looked at Yelena.
Yelena shrugged. “I was ready to tell you guys before, but Alessio kept chattering on.”
“Was I chattering?” Alessio pointed at his still-bleeding thigh. “I was fucking shot! If you were shot, I’ll let you chatter all day.”
“Boss said they are from the Knights Hospitaller.” Yelena didn’t want to argue with Alessio.
“The Knights Hospitaller?” Amanda was bewildered.
It wasn’t just Amanda. Everyone else, including Yelena, looked confused.
“Could they be one of the gangs in Italy?” Bagu offered his opinion on the matter.
Marcus looked at Alessio. “Dragon, you’re Italian, so you should be familiar with the Italian gangs. Is this Knights Hospitaller Group a new, emerging Italian gang?”
“An emerging Italian gang?” Alessio laughed. “A gang consisting of only old men and women? I can bet my dick on it — if they are a gang, then I’ll cut it off!” He then screamed in pain because his laughter had made the wound on his thigh hurt very badly.
Yelena glared coldly at Alessio. “Animal.”
“I think we shouldn’t bother about the old men and women from the Knights Hospitaller.” Marcus continued, “We should think about how we should provide support to the boss. I wonder where he is right now.”
Amanda opened up her laptop to look at the screen.
A satellite GPS tracking dot appeared on the screen of the laptop, and the red dot was moving quickly in the mountain forest.
“Don’t worry, we just need to get in front of him and pick him up. With how things are right now, we should follow his command. Avoid fighting with the enemy’s reinforcement,” said Amanda.
The satellite phone that Xia Lei carried was the signal source of the GPS tracking.
The members of the Zodiac team sighed in relief when they saw Xia Lei’s signal source moving about. It showed that he was alive and kicking.
“The boss is the real Monkey of our team. He can run so fast in the forest,” exclaimed Bagu.
“The Monkey is carrying out his father’s command. We don’t know when he will be done,” said Yelena.
“Who do you guys think it is?” said Alessio.
“I don't know. Only his father knows. No one will know if he doesn’t say it.” Marcus continued speaking, “I’m too lazy to worry about this kind of stuff.”
Amanda handed her phone to Alessio as they talked.
The screen showed a Wikipedia page, and at the top of the page were the words: “The Knights Hospitaller.”
Alessio glanced at it and then yelled, “Fuck! Is this true? We were fighting a group of medieval knights?!”
“Is the world about to end? Are we facing a group of vampire zombies?” Marcus’s expression was very dramatic.
“How did the boss provoke this kind of organisation?” Bagu’s expression was also very strange.
“Who knows? Boss is the same as his father. They have no lack of enemies,” said Marcus with a smile. “But I like this kind of life! It’s so freaking thrilling!”
Just then, Park Taeyong’s voice came from the cab of the container truck. “All of you guys shut up! Something’s happening! Get ready to fight!”
Just as Park Taeyong finished talking, the rumbling sound of a helicopter could be heard overhead. Park Taeyong slowed the vehicle. Everyone else in the container truck held their breaths as they aimed their six assault rifles at the rear door.
However, the rumbling sound of the helicopter soon faded.
Park Taeyong accelerated and continued on the road.
This kind of life was thrilling, but not anyone can bear it.
Meanwhile, in the helicopter.
The old man who had been fortunate enough to not be killed by Xia Lei threw the half-finished cigarette in his hand out of the hatch. His anger flared at the same moment that the cigarette flew out of the helicopter. “Damn it! Do those guys know magic? How can they all just disappear into thin air?”
The four gunmen who were also in the helicopter remained silent. They didn’t even dare to look at the old man’s eyes.
“We lost eight people, but that kid and his people all escaped. This is the most shameful thing that has ever happened to us in centuries!” The old man was very angry.
“Earl Fernando, our people have already gained control of all of Bobbio. Our followers are also searching for traces of those people. I believe we will find them,” said one of the white gunmen cautiously.
“If we can’t find that kid, we won’t be able to face the commander.” The old man named Fernando was no longer angry, but he seemed a little tired. “We lost eight people, including the head of the Knights. We suffered such a big loss and we even let them get away with the sacred object. I thought this would be an easy battle, but… I don’t know how I’ll face the commander now.”
“Earl Fernando, does the kid really have the sacred object?” asked one of the white gunmen.
“His people were at the front of the mountain, but our people stationed at the back area of the mountain died. There’s only one possibility. He came out from the maze,” said Fernando. “Even though I didn't see the sacred object, I’m more than 80% certain that the kid has it.”
“What if…” The white gunman paused for a moment but still said it. “What if our search fails, and the kid’s escaped? Where should we go look for him?”
“Soren.” Fernando looked at the white gunman. “The Louvre Museum in Paris opened a special night viewing for a Chinese man two days ago. This is the first time that the French government had made an exception. That kid went to see the Mona Lisa. Then, some strangers appeared in Bobbio. What’s more important is that the kid is the owner of the Thunder Horse Military Factory in China. He’s also the designer of the XL2500 sniper rifle and the Gust assault rifle. The gunmen we encountered used those two types of guns. Soren, who do you think he is?”
“Could the guy be the one who designed the guns?” The white gunman named Soren came to this thought very quickly.
“The face was different, but his build was the same, so…” Fernando revealed his name. “The kid who escaped is Xia Lei. The French Weaponry Exhibition is about to start, and the Thunder Horse Military Factory is one of the exhibitors that was specially invited by the French government. You where to find him now, don’t you, Soren?”
A faint smirk appeared on Soren’s lips. “France.”