No one is safe.

The woman in the black robe acted immediately, raising her rifle and aiming at the right side of the highway. Seeing that Hou Rui, seated nearby, showed no reaction, the man sitting on the other side of the woman sprang into action, quickly lifting his binoculars to take on the role of observer.

"East ahead, 630 meters, north wind at force three," he reported a series of sniper measurements, and the woman in black fired decisively. The distance was considerable; Hou Rui could only make out a flock of sheep and two indistinct figures. Yet, after the woman's two precise shots, only the clueless sheep remained.

"Target down, stay alert." The observer put down his binoculars and casually pulled away his face covering, revealing a Latin face. He glared at Hou Rui with an unfriendly expression and said bluntly, "Your reaction was too slow. Next time someone attempts a long-range sniper attack, you need to act as observer immediately if possible."

Hou Rui hadn't considered this, nor did he truly know how. Although he had studied sniping courses on Zero Island, playing the role of observer required extensive experience and close coordination with the shooter. At his current level, if Hou Rui were to step in as observer, he would only hinder the woman in black.

The two vehicles continued along the road. Regardless of whether they encountered shepherds, playing children, or women carrying goods, the bearded man ordered them all to be shot, which greatly disgusted Hou Rui.

After more than three hours of driving, the group gradually approached the town. By then, there were so many pedestrians and vehicles on the road that it was impossible to eliminate them all, so the bearded man ordered everyone to disguise themselves. They hid their weapons and gear beneath their robes.

"Checkpoint ahead, be alert." Hou Rui's radio at his neck suddenly crackled with the bearded man's warning. About a kilometer ahead, he saw a few dilapidated cars and a single barrier forming a makeshift roadblock, with several soldiers in standard military uniforms inspecting passing vehicles and pedestrians.

"It's a government checkpoint, nothing to worry about." The Latin companion glanced through his binoculars, quickly stowed them away, and shared the information with the group.

"Don't be careless, people die here every minute." The burly man sitting opposite pulled his face covering higher after speaking.

As they approached the checkpoint, their two vehicles stopped and queued for inspection. Suddenly, a convoy of six Humvees came from the city direction, each equipped with turret-mounted heavy machine guns. The convoy passed through the checkpoint without stopping, cruising right past Hou Rui and his group.

The Humvees sped by, raising clouds of dust that made it hard to see. The burly man opposite Hou Rui coughed violently from the dust, prompting Hou Rui to hand him his canteen without a second thought.

The big man eyed the canteen, then glanced at Hou Rui before finally accepting it and taking several large gulps. As he returned the canteen, he suddenly asked, "First time on a mission?"

"Yes."

"Remember, during missions, we are both teammates and competitors. Don't show kindness to strangers; it may backfire."

Hou Rui nodded, pondering the meaning behind the man's words.

"Such good equipment—either an American advisory unit or a private security contractor," another man in the truck muttered to himself.

"Shut up, keep quiet." The bearded man barked over the radio. Then, from afar, a sudden explosion erupted—a massive orange fireball rose from the ground, enveloping the nearby Humvee convoy. Following the blast came a series of screeching brakes and crashing vehicles.

The once orderly checkpoint descended instantly into chaos. People fleeing into the city scattered in panic, startled livestock and camels bounded wildly, many dragging their owners away. As Hou Rui's group tensed in readiness, local civilians began pulling rifles from among their belongings and vehicles, continuing the attack on the burning Humvee convoy.

Hou Rui grabbed the Latin man's binoculars and observed the situation at the convoy. The lead Humvee had been torn apart by the explosion, its skeleton burning fiercely. The second Humvee had been tossed by the blast, its body twisted and deformed like a crushed giant can, lying crookedly to the side. The third, fourth, and fifth Humvees were a tangled heap, some even throwing their turret gunners clear out of the vehicles.

Only the last Humvee had escaped unscathed. Through the binoculars, Hou Rui saw thirty-four armed personnel emerge from it, rescuing their comrades from the wreckage while using the Humvee for cover to fend off attacks from all sides.

"Idiotic rookies!" the Latin man cursed, snatching back the binoculars and hiding them beneath his robe.

Before Hou Rui could react, government soldiers from the checkpoint raced past their truck, firing heavy machine guns from their vehicles and mowing down the armed assailants, some of whom were caught off guard and shot down. In the chaos, several civilians, like headless chickens, were also struck, becoming corpses.

Just ten meters behind Hou Rui's group, a wooden handcart covered with a tattered rug suddenly had its cover flung aside as government vehicles approached. Two boys, surely no older than sixteen, hefted rocket launchers and fired almost point-blank at the vehicles.

One government vehicle was struck, leaping unnaturally against the laws of gravity before sliding forward in flames. The soldiers within were incinerated, and even the heavy machine gun spun into the air, finally landing fifty-six meters away.

Another rocket missed, nearly grazing Hou Rui's truck as it soared past and exploded in the distance, leaving everyone drenched in cold sweat.

"Drive! Accelerate! Bypass the checkpoint—we'll enter the city from elsewhere," the bearded man finally lost his composure. With his command, the vehicles sped off the road, circled widely around the checkpoint, and approached the city via a dirt road.

It seemed only a trivial interlude. Upon entering Azabad City, Hou Rui and his group found themselves in a city of yellow-earth buildings, where neither pedestrians nor armed soldiers paid any mind to the fierce gunfire at the checkpoint. After about twenty minutes, Hou Rui saw a helicopter heading toward the firefight, and half an hour later, two trucks loaded with government soldiers followed for reinforcements.

Though curious about the outcome at the checkpoint, Hou Rui knew he had to focus on the mission at hand.

Once inside Azabad, the bearded man directed the vehicles to stop on a dilapidated street. As Hou Rui's group disembarked, two locals drove the truck and jeep away, while the group slipped into a row of two-story yellow-earth buildings.

They quickly climbed to the second floor and, after a brief inspection of the five-room structure, the bearded man allowed everyone to rest.

Hou Rui sat on a low stool in the corner facing the door, listening to the quarrels of neighboring couples, the twang of Rababa strings, elderly singing, sporadic gunfire and explosions, and occasionally the whir of helicopters overhead. The whole environment was bizarre and surreal.

"Mission briefing now," the bearded man assigned sentries and personally inspected the window before sitting on the carpet.

"The objective is two transport vehicles belonging to the US Army, carrying a batch of art pieces originally from the Afghan National Museum. Our task is to intercept them and deliver the items to the designated location," he explained, showing photo after photo on his tablet.

"When exactly will the operation take place?"

"Around July 13th."

"What about their security?"

"Two US Army squads, one government platoon, and likely armored vehicles in the escort."

"Where is the extraction point?"

"One hundred kilometers south of Azabad, airlift evacuation."

After hearing the briefing, the group fell silent. Twelve of them had to contend with twenty US soldiers, thirty government troops, and confront armored vehicles with only infantry. The difficulty was staggering! Even if they managed to overcome those defenses, they'd still have to transport the seized items to the extraction point and ensure their safe removal. It seemed a truly impossible task.

"Can we request air support during the operation?" someone asked after a long silence.

"The ambush site is too close to the US Bagram Air Base, which hosts sixteen aircraft. The organization won't risk it."

"Are there any additional personnel to help?"

The bearded man glanced at his watch and shook his head. "There are fourteen participants in this operation. The last two haven't shown up; the organization has most likely activated their bio-chips." With this sobering news, Hou Rui and the others grew even more silent.

Seeing no further questions, the bearded man moved to the door. "Two days remain until the operation. Stay here on standby. I'll contact intermediaries and see if we can enlist the help of local tribal elders. If successful, we won't have to worry about manpower." With that, he and another man left the house.

Soon, the bearded man and his companion reached the street, strolling leisurely along the roadside stalls. Dressed in robes, they blended perfectly with the local crowd.