"This really isn’t hard to understand." Ling Chen said flatly, "Zhu Hong has the formula for the enhancement drug. If he gets out, he could partner with any military corporation, or just sell the formula. If the Yingtai Group wants to keep its top-dog status, there’s no way they can let Zhu Hong live."

"So by your logic, we’re just collateral?"

"Not exactly. Yingtai Group is the global leader in military industries. No one’s ever dared to challenge their authority. But this time we stormed their headquarters and killed a lot of their people. If Yingtai Group doesn’t act and lets us get away, they’ll be a laughingstock in the industry."

As he spoke, Zhang Zhongfeng’s tone suddenly sank. "Sixth Brother, there’s a convoy catching up behind us."

Hearing that, Ling Chen quickly shifted his gaze to the rearview mirror, only to see more than a dozen Land Rovers closing in fast. Their speed was very high; in no time, the dozen Land Rovers had closed to within a hundred meters.

At that moment, the sunroofs of the lead Land Rovers slid open. Several mercenaries leaned half their bodies out, bracing a heavy machine gun. Tongues of fire spat out in bursts, and Ling Chen’s off-road vehicle rang with sharp metallic "clang clang" impacts. The rear windshield shattered outright.

"Heads down, all of you!" Ling Chen shouted. Both hands on the wheel, he swerved left and right, driving in an S-pattern to the front, a tactic that could effectively throw off their aim. But the moment he did that, the speed dropped sharply. Very soon, several Land Rovers had run up onto their tail, less than twenty meters away.

The closer they got, the more vicious the heavy machine-gun fire became. In just a few seconds, the off-roader’s body was riddled with holes, bullet scars everywhere. Luckily, the rounds hadn’t hit the tires or the gas tank; otherwise this vehicle would already be scrap.

Watching the Land Rovers getting closer and closer behind, Ling Chen’s face turned grim. At a time like this, he absolutely couldn’t stop, and even more couldn’t get out to fight back. The enemy’s firepower was too fierce. The moment anyone got out, they’d be a live target. Even someone as skilled as Chen Junfeng couldn’t stand up to that many bullets.

"Zhu Qing, you drive!"

"Me?" Zhu Qing froze for a second, not reacting. "Don’t zone out, get over here." As she spoke, Ling Chen shifted aside, one foot still pressing the accelerator. Seeing this, Zhu Qing didn’t dare hesitate any longer. She quickly crawled from the back seat to the driver’s seat and took his place.

Once he was in the back, Ling Chen pulled out the large bag he’d prepped in advance from under the seat. He reached in and took out a Grenade Launcher, then fired a round straight through the rear window.

Bang!

With a thunderous boom, the lead Land Rover exploded on the spot, blooming into a ball of fire.

With one Land Rover gone, the rest immediately slowed down, opening the distance between the two sides. Seizing the chance, Ling Chen turned back and shouted, "Stop the car!"

Moments later, the off-roader screeched to a halt and stopped dead in the middle of the road. Ling Chen grabbed his big bag, pushed the door open and said as he got out, "You go on ahead. I’ll figure out how to hold them off."

Hearing this, Chen Junfeng and Zhang Zhongfeng spoke in unison, "I’ll help you."

Ling Chen shook his head, refusing their offer, his expression solemn. "Sir Chen, Fourth Brother, I’m the one who dragged everyone into this mess. This is on me. I want you both to make it home safe. If anything happens to you, I’ll never forgive myself." With that, before Chen Junfeng and Zhang Zhongfeng could say anything else, Ling Chen was already shouting at Zhu Qing in the driver’s seat, "What are you waiting for? Drive!"

"I..." Zhu Qing hesitated.

"That’s an order." Ling Chen said coldly. "Don’t forget what you promised me before. Move!"

Zhu Qing bit down hard, then stopped wavering. She stepped on the gas and drove the off-roader away. Watching the vehicle gradually disappear into the distance, Ling Chen walked alone to a large rock by the roadside, tossed his bag down, and set an assault rifle up on the stone.

Soon, the Land Rover convoy, their formation readjusted, appeared in Ling Chen’s line of sight again. When the vehicles were just about to pass by his position, Ling Chen suddenly rose, raised the Grenade Launcher in his hands, and fired all nine grenades in an instant.

For a moment, all that could be heard on the road were continuous "boom boom" explosions. Fire blossomed everywhere.

Ling Chen’s objective was clear. He didn’t expect to wipe out the convoy with just those grenades. As long as he destroyed the front few vehicles, he could effectively block the rest of the Land Rovers and stop them from advancing.

Bang! Bang!

Amid a series of loud detonations, the trailing Land Rovers had no time to evade and slammed one after another into the wrecked vehicles in front.

Seeing the mercenaries jumping off the vehicles one after another, Ling Chen didn’t waste a word. He grabbed the assault rifle and started spraying wildly. In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen mercenaries who couldn’t get to cover in time were cut down by the gunfire.

After a brief moment of chaos, the mercenaries quickly regrouped, turning their eyes to the large rock where Ling Chen was positioned. The remaining twenty-odd mercenaries split into two teams, flanking out to the left and right, intending to pincer him.

Watching the two squads slowly closing in, Ling Chen’s expression stayed calm, without a trace of panic.

After slapping in a fresh magazine, Ling Chen pulled two smoke grenades from the bag and tossed them to either side. Thick smoke billowed out, shrouding the large rock where he was. Visibility dropped to zero.

He drew a deep breath and closed his eyes, using his sharp hearing to pick up the footsteps around him and gauge the mercenaries’ positions. After a while, as the smoke began to thin, the flanking mercenaries discovered that there was no one behind the rock. But there was something sitting on top of it.

Is that... a bomb?

The mercenaries had just realized what it was and hadn’t yet had time to dive for cover when a gunshot cracked—"bang"—and a bullet slammed into the bomb, detonating it instantly. The blast wave swallowed the more than twenty mercenaries around the rock and hurled them flying.

Whoosh!

Ling Chen exhaled, climbed up from the grass a short distance away, and looked over the bodies scattered all around. The corner of his mouth lifted in a slight, satisfied grin. He might have lost all his internal skills, but that didn’t mean he was completely useless in a fight.

Now that he’d taken care of the threat behind him, he could finally hit the road without looking back.

However, just as Ling Chen was about to find a vehicle and leave, the clear blue sky suddenly filled with the thumping of rotor blades. He looked up and saw a helicopter rushing in from afar, rapidly closing the distance until it was circling right over his head.

Staring at the chopper, Ling Chen’s expression changed slightly, and he cursed to himself, Damn it, are they ever going to stop coming?