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Gu Xiaoxi and her two companions were as thrilled as if they’d found heaven.

Without any hesitation, they stripped off their outer garments and shoes, then wearing shorts and tank tops, they jumped into the water. The cool river water instantly dispelled the heat enveloping them.

Zhu Yin sighed contentedly, "Swimming is indeed more comfortable than taking a bath. If possible, I’d like to place a bed here and sleep."

"Tell me about it! I don’t want to go back either," Yun Xiao felt that the air was much more comfortable here.

She could smell the scent of fresh grass.

Gu Xiaoxi floated on the surface of the water, closing her eyes to listen to the sounds around her.

Since they all said this place was very dangerous, she needed to be alert at all times.

Having brought everyone out, she naturally had to ensure everyone’s safe return.

The three frolicked happily in the water for a quarter of an hour before reluctantly getting out.

Although they wanted to stay a bit longer in this place, it was outside the base and not safe.

Just as they were putting on their clothes, preparing to head back,

Gu Xiaoxi became alert upon hearing some rustling sounds around her.

This wasn’t the sound of the wind, nor the sound of animals passing by. It was the sound of a group of people moving stealthily in the night.

In the middle of the night, who could be here?

After steadying herself, Gu Xiaoxi listened to the sounds again.

The exact location was in the woods, about five hundred meters from the base, and only about two hundred meters from them.

"Stop! There’s someone ahead!" Gu Xiaoxi suddenly grabbed Zhu Yin and Yun Xiao, quickly crouching on the ground and hiding in the bushes.

"Why would there be people here in the middle of the night? Could there be bad guys? I’ve heard that criminals might take advantage of the Qiwei Troops’ period of changing guards to provoke us! Could it be true?" Zhu Yin immediately became alert.

Gu Xiaoxi found it inconceivable, these people were too bold.

The Liuli Country soldiers they guarded were not the shoddy soldiers raised by Dongqi Country, who couldn’t shoot straight nine out of ten times.

"We’re still not sure, we need to get a closer look and see what they’re up to!" Yun Xiao whispered cautiously.

"Right, and the periphery is all mined. Unfamiliar people would step on a bomb," Zhu Yin said.

"I’ll sneak over and take a look. You two stay hidden here and wait for my command," Gu Xiaoxi said as she was about to stand up.

But Zhu Yin grabbed Gu Xiaoxi, voicing her displeasure, "Why should you go? Among the three of us, I’m the most experienced, so I should be the one to scout ahead."

"Is your qinggong better than mine? Can you escape faster than I can?" Gu Xiaoxi rolled her eyes. Zhu Yin was actually competing with her for this dangerous task.

Had Zhu Yin lost her mind?

"Oh!" Only then did she nod blankly, "Then hurry up and go! Be careful of the minefield!"

Zhu Yin had to admit, she could not escape as well as Gu Xiaoxi could.

The night was bright with moonlight, and the forest shimmered with specks of broken light.

Gu Xiaoxi had excellent night vision as well.

She stealthily skirted the minefield and approached the group of people, then swiftly leaped onto a large tree and watched the people ahead.

The group consisted of big and burly men; they had suntanned skin from constant exposure to the scorching sun.

They communicated in the dialect of the Qiwei Department, which Gu Xiaoxi completely could not understand nor did she know what they were talking about.

However, the fact that they carried weapons and were surrounding the base forced her to be vigilant.

Gu Xiaoxi touched her chin, thinking it best to observe them first before making any decisions.

After jabbering amongst themselves for a while, the leading man cautiously guided the group closer to the base.

When they reached the wire fence, one of them took out a laser cutter from a backpack and began cutting through the fence.

Seeing this, Gu Xiaoxi’s eyes narrowed; despite their apparent poverty, these people possessed advanced technology.

As the group gathered around the wire fence, Gu Xiaoxi could clearly see their numbers. There were about twenty of them, each carrying a backpack stuffed so full it was clear they all contained weapons.

Unable to take on so many alone, she sneaked away to the gate, quickly informing the highest-ranking officer there.

Immediately, the commanding officer devised a plan, waking up the soldiers in two dormitories.

Within three minutes they were fully dressed, with packs fastened and weapons in hand, swiftly descending the stairs. They positioned themselves in flower beds near the wire fence as fast as they could.

"Sir, I don’t understand what they’re saying. But they’re cutting through our wire fence. Please give your orders!" Gu Xiaoxi stood with Commander Cheng Guang in the shadows, watching the group that was infiltrating the base.

At that moment, Commander Cheng Guang’s expression was cold, his eyes lethal, "These people are indeed bold to actually come. Even the alarm system on the wire fence is removed. It seems they do have some skill."

Gu Xiaoxi was completely baffled. Who were these people?

"All units pay attention, wait until they are all inside, and then quickly encircle them," Commander Cheng Guang ordered unmercifully. They would catch these intruders like fish in a barrel tonight; there would be no escaping.

Gu Xiaoxi understood Cheng Guang’s intentions and did not act rashly, waiting instead for the group to penetrate deeper into the camp.

By then, the rest of the barracks had awoken. Everyone grabbed their weapons, hiding behind windows, aiming at the intruders sneaking into the camp.

Meanwhile, the intruders were unaware that they had been surrounded.

"Move out!" Cheng Guang ordered.

The first squad of ten men quickly moved toward the breach in the barbed wire, cutting off their escape route.

On this side, thirty troops rapidly closed in the encirclement.

By the time those people realized what was happening, they found themselves silently surrounded.

"Da da da da!" A burst of intense gunfire ensued, and the scene instantly sparked with fire.

Anyone who resisted was shot dead.

Those who surrendered and laid down their arms were left alive.

To deal with the twenty infiltrators, it only took everyone five minutes.

When the base lights came on, more than ten bodies lay on the ground.

Six people had surrendered!

The air was filled with the scent of battle, the ground stained red with fresh blood.

Cheng Guang strode forward, looking at the six people who had surrendered, and in the dialect of Dongqi Country, he furiously asked, "Who sent you?"

Dongqi Country had two major villainous organizations that, through various suppressive measures, did not wish for the existence of the Qiwei Troops.

They often sent subordinates to carry out assassination attempts and disrupt the peace between the military forces of Dongqi and Liuli Countries.

"If you know what’s good for you, get the hell back to your own country and stop meddling in our affairs," one of the captives shouted, clearly without any hint of remorse.

Cheng Guang was sure that these men were from one of the two villainous organizations, he just didn’t know which one.

"Take them away! Hand them over to the military department of Dongqi Country for further interrogation!" Cheng Guang felt there was no need to waste more time on these people.

Gu Xiaoxi followed with the team, keeping an eye on those who had surrendered.

She felt there was something off about them, their surrender too casual.

When they were surrounded, they immediately raised their hands, but their attitude was extremely defiant, obviously not submissive!

Indistinctly, she heard a faint electronic alarm.

The "beeping" sound was not loud, yet clear and rhythmical in her ears.

Gu Xiaoxi suddenly noticed the bags on the backs of that group and was shocked, "Everyone back away! There are time bombs in their bags!"

Instantly, panic swept through the battlefield.

Everyone retreated and hit the deck.

Cheng Guang was closest to the criminals, and as he tried to turn and escape, he heard a massive explosion.

The range of the explosion was not large, but he was too late to get away.

He was surely doomed.

Just when he saw the flames rising to the sky and thought he was a goner,

he suddenly felt a hand grab him from behind and swiftly pull him away.

By the time he came to his senses, the explosion was already over.

The scene was immediately chaotic, the six who had pretended to surrender were blown to bits by the bomb.

Thankfully, thanks to Gu Xiaoxi’s warning,

the soldiers had all retreated to a safe distance, and so far, no one was injured. However, the explosion had taken out half a wall in two nearby houses.

How ruthless, it seemed they had not intended for those people to go back alive and wanted to drive away the peacekeeping soldiers stationed there.

Cheng Guang was so frightened that his heart jumped, and it took a good while for him to catch his breath, hand clutching his heart.

"Squad Leader Cheng, are you alright?" Gu Xiaoxi, beside him, asked with wide eyes. Evidently, she was the one who had saved him at the critical moment.

Cheng Guang’s calf trembled, not because he was afraid of death. Rather, the surprise of that moment had left his heart still pounding even now.

The others were similarly shocked.

"All good! All good! Lucky you were quick to react. Otherwise, we would have had casualties," Cheng Guang quickly looked at Gu Xiaoxi, his voice still trembling with praise.

"Now that these guys are dead, we don’t know who sent them. This is an outright confrontation with us. Squad Leader Cheng, what should we do next?" Gu Xiaoxi asked.

Cheng Guang took a breath to steady himself and then spoke seriously to everyone, "Do a headcount and see if anyone was injured."

At that time, squad leaders from different platoons and teams stepped forward.

They began to count the troops.

Yun Xiao and Zhu Yin had already slipped back into their teams amidst the chaos.

After the headcount was completed, everyone was accounted for, with only a few minor skin abrasions from the flying debris caused by the explosion.

The rest were unharmed.

The troops gathered next to the battlefield at the base.

Cheng Guang looked at everyone with a solemn expression, "You newcomers, over a hundred of you, did you get the message today? Look at these desperadoes, they trample over people’s lives for their own interest. Danger is always present around us.

Don’t think that just because this place has lax management, you can let your guard down.

On the contrary, the more lax it seems, the more careful you must be.

Any carelessness can cost you your life. "