Special Assignment

At a barracks of the People's Liberation Army in the southwest, it was 3 a.m. 

"Wu Dongfang!" There was a knocking at the door.

"Here!" After a loud response, the door was pulled open from inside by a young man in boxer shorts.

"Did you forget to wash your feet again last night?" A captain outside stepped into the room, turned on the light, and then went to the window to open it.

"I don't have a girlfriend, so why bother?" Wu Dongfang walked up beside the captain and took the shorthand notebook that the captain held in his hand. Having graduated from military academy three years ago, he had encountered similar situations many times before. When the squad leader or instructor knocked on the door in the middle of the night holding a notebook, it meant there was a mission, and the general nature of the mission was usually written in the notebook.

"You're always so sloppy, you'll never find a girlfriend." The squad leader took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.

"This isn't being sloppy, it's having a manly aura." Wu Dongfang snatched the cigarette from the squad leader's hand and put it in his mouth. "The Cheetah Battalion strictly prohibits smoking. As a leader, you should lead by example."

The squad leader shrugged and lit another cigarette.

After quickly reading the shorthand notes, Wu Dongfang frowned. This was a mission to apprehend drug traffickers, a task usually handled by local drug enforcement and special police forces, not typically involving special forces.

"You're good in the jungle, so you'll lead the team. The plane will take off in twenty minutes, and more detailed information will be relayed to you later. You can review it on the plane," the squad leader said.

"Drug enforcement and special police are fully capable of handling this kind of thing. Why are they asking us?" Wu Dongfang asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The other side has over forty people, armed. It's more appropriate for us to take over," the squad leader replied.

"Are the special police only good against knife-wielding opponents?" Wu Dongfang crushed the cigarette and put on his vest.

"Their usual tactic is to scare people away and bring back the drugs. But this time, the higher-ups want not only to intercept the drugs but also to capture all the traffickers to have a deterrent effect," the squad leader explained.

"Got it." Wu Dongfang put on his pants and shouted as he left, "Third Squad, grab your weapons, depart in five minutes."

When the squad leader woke Wu Dongfang up, the three combat squads had already heard the noise and were getting up to stand by. After Wu Dongfang's shout, the corresponding combat squads immediately rushed out of the dormitory and ran towards the squad's weapons room.

"Zhang Zhi, you haven't been out of the academy for long and aren't familiar with the situation. This mission is very dangerous; you shouldn't go," Wu Dongfang stopped the last lieutenant running out.

Confused, the lieutenant looked at Wu Dongfang and then at the squad leader inside the room.

The squad leader stubbed out his cigarette and came out, reaching to remove the lieutenant's shoulder patch from his camouflage uniform. "Don't wear the shoulder patch during the mission. We can't let the enemy know who the commander is."

The lieutenant suddenly realized and nodded repeatedly.

"Go on." The squad leader encouraged him with a pat on the shoulder.

The lieutenant hurried away, and Wu Dongfang turned to the squad leader. "Training and combat are two different things. This guy has poor mental toughness."

"Everyone has a first time." The squad leader waved his hand. "Besides, you're now the deputy squad leader. He's the leader of the third squad. What's the problem with leaving him behind?"

Wu Dongfang shook his head helplessly. He had always led the third squad. Last month, after a job adjustment, he was promoted to deputy squad leader. Zhang Zhi, who took over the third squad after his promotion, was going on his first mission. Confronting over forty armed drug traffickers in the wilderness was not a good opportunity for him to gain experience.

"I'll go back and get the faxed information for you," the squad leader said, walking away quickly.

Wu Dongfang returned to his room, grabbed his cigarettes, took a recording device, and went to the weapons room on the second floor to get his weapons. By now, the soldiers had put on their bulletproof vests. The bulletproof vests of special forces were lighter than those of ordinary police, worn underneath the camouflage uniform.

The soldiers all had combat experience and knew exactly what equipment they needed. Wu Dongfang's job was to determine the types and quantities of weapons and ammunition to be carried and to inform everyone if they needed to bring any special equipment.

Fifteen minutes later, fully equipped and lined up, Wu Dongfang tossed a small tape recorder to Zhang Zhi. Going on a mission was like going into battle. According to regulations, everyone had to say a few words, just in case they didn't come back. It was their last words.

Zhang Zhi caught the recorder and pressed the record button. "Mom, Dad, I'm going on a mission today. Don't worry about me. No matter how dangerous the mission is, I'm confident I can complete it. Since ancient times, one cannot serve both loyalty and filial piety. If anything happens to me, please take care of yourselves."

Zhang Zhi paused briefly and then continued, "Xiao Lin, I'm facing an uncertain fate this time. No matter what happens, I will love you forever."

As soon as Zhang Zhi finished speaking, there was a burst of chuckles from the team. Zhang Zhi's face turned red, and he quickly passed the recorder on.

"Victory!" "Victory!" "Victory!" "Victory!" "Victory!" "Victory!" "Victory!" "Victory!" "Victory!"

Nine loud shouts expressed the team's determination to win, but also left Zhang Zhi feeling extremely embarrassed, with nowhere to hide.

Seeing Zhang Zhi's embarrassment, Wu Dongfang did not shout "victory" as usual. Instead, he took back the recorder and quickly said, "There's half a bottle of Maotai hidden on top of the cabinet for when you return. My salary card is under the mattress. If I win something, give the Maotai to the instructor and the money to Aunt San."

After Wu Dongfang finished speaking, he handed the recorder to the squad leader and took the faxed information from him. Then he waved to everyone, "Board the vehicle."

"Who is Aunt San that the deputy squad leader mentioned?" Zhang Zhi quietly asked a soldier next to him.

"The leader's foster mother, a kind widow," the soldier replied casually.

After boarding, the two military jeeps quickly headed towards the military airport.

"Why aren't you going back to the duty room?" Wu Dongfang shouted to the squad leader as he walked towards the dormitory.

"Searching for contraband," the squad leader laughed.

"I spat into the bottle mouth, too! Hey, did you hear me..." 

The military airport was not far from the barracks. A small plane had already completed its preparations for takeoff. They boarded the plane, and it took off immediately.

Wu Dongfang carefully examined the faxed information. Although there were three pages, most of it consisted of the drug traffickers' identities, criminal records, and physical descriptions. He ignored these details and focused on the information relevant to the operation. This time, there were a total of forty-four individuals on the opposing side, equipped with pistols, rifles, and a large number of hand grenades, carrying over two hundred kilograms of opium.

Among these forty-four individuals was an undercover informant from the drug enforcement agency. This information was sent out by the informant before they departed last night. During the drug transport process, apart from the leader, others were not allowed to carry communication devices. The only clue guiding them was the tracking device hidden on the informant's body.

Wu Dongfang handed the read information to Zhang Zhi and then worked with the team member carrying the imaging device to determine the current location of the informant. Based on the informant's current location, it appeared that the drug traffickers were currently within Chinese territory.

"Boss, something's wrong. Why did they suddenly turn back?" a team member said.

"Is the informant still alive?" Wu Dongfang frowned as he looked at the five-inch color screen.

"The tracker is still moving slowly, so he should be alive," the team member replied.

Upon hearing this, Wu Dongfang quickly pondered. Criminal organizations despise undercover informants. If they are discovered, they are immediately killed. Since the informant is still alive, it indicates that his identity has not been exposed. If the informant's identity hasn't been exposed, why did the drug traffickers suddenly turn back?

"Does our flight path conflict with the civilian flight to Myanmar?" Wu Dongfang shouted loudly to the cockpit. The area where the opponents are located is all rugged mountains and dense forests. It is difficult for our country to organize a large-scale siege. The only thing that can threaten them is an airborne ambush.

"Yes, we requested air traffic control before takeoff," the co-pilot replied, taking off his headphones and turning around.

"Air traffic control causing flight delays would be immediately reported by their informants at the airport, which is why they turned back," Wu Dongfang speculated.

"There are many reasons for flight delays. Isn't it a bit of an overreaction to turn back just because of a delay?" Zhang Zhi said.

"Drug trafficking is a capital offense, and those caught are executed by firing squad. They dare not be careless," Wu Dongfang replied, then turned to the team member in charge of the imaging. "How far are they from the border?"

"Not more than thirty kilometers," the team member replied.

"How long do we need to reach our destination?" Wu Dongfang asked, turning to the cockpit.

"The scheduled flight time is one hour," the co-pilot replied.

"How fast can we get there?" Wu Dongfang asked further.

"It'll take half an hour at the fastest, but the engine noise would be very loud, making it hard not to be noticed by them," the captain replied, turning his head.

Wu Dongfang looked around at his team. Compared to a silent ambush, intercepting openly carried much greater risks. Although he could give orders himself, he still sought the opinions of his team members.

As his gaze swept over them, everyone nodded.

"Shouldn't we seek approval from higher-ups?" Zhang Zhi had a different opinion.

"It's too late," Wu Dongfang waved his hand and then turned to the captain, "Try to get there within half an hour."

The plane accelerated, and the shaking of the fuselage intensified noticeably. Everyone applied colorful ink on their faces for camouflage. Twenty minutes later, as they neared the target, everyone began to put on their parachutes in preparation for the airdrop.

"Check the weapons and communication devices again," Wu Dongfang ordered.

"The informant's code phrase is 'Grandma's bear.' Don't injure him by mistake. Deal with the other traffickers..." Wu Dongfang made a decapitation gesture.

"Deputy squad leader, the superiors require us to arrest the criminals, not kill them all," Zhang Zhi said, taking out the document from his pocket.

Wu Dongfang glanced at Zhang Zhi and then signaled to the team member beside him. The team member understood and pressed Zhang Zhi's helmet, knocking his head against the bulkhead, knocking him out directly.

"We can't let this idiot go down, or he'll get us all killed," the team member tightened Zhang Zhi's seatbelt.

"The plane is shaking too much. Lieutenant Zhang accidentally knocked himself out," Wu Dongfang said, taking out a cigarette and lighting it, then offering it to others.

"Yes, we all saw it," everyone laughed heartily.

"Wu Captain, we've arrived. Descend to eight hundred meters?" the co-pilot asked.

"No need. Open the door at twelve hundred meters," Wu Dongfang said, making a circular gesture to the others. They nodded in understanding. By controlling the parachutes, they could land in different areas around the target. Wu Dongfang's plan was for everyone to land in different directions and encircle the enemy.

The door opened slowly, and the external airflow rushed in suddenly.

"For our country!" Wu Dongfang shouted loudly.

"Victory for the Cheetahs!" everyone responded in unison.

After chanting the slogan, everyone followed the steel cable to the door and, one by one, leaped out, opening their parachutes.

At that moment, a large number of flames appeared in the dense forest below, followed by the sound of intense gunfire...