Chapter 116: The Raid
Chapter 116: The Raid
Upon entering the center of the camp, Chen Chuan learned from his guide that this was merely a logistics and reserve personnel station, and all the actual combat personnel were already on the mountain.
He glanced up at the yellowish-green mountain ahead, which was about four to five hundred meters tall. Despite it only being February, many weeds had already grown, and trees had sprouted new buds. From here, he could vaguely see figures moving on the mountain.
Just as he was observing, another employee of the commission company approached respectfully and said, "Are you Expert Chen? I'm Pan Zhong, assistant at Pinnacle Commission Company. All the team leaders are waiting for you up there. Would you be so kind as to join us, Expert Chen?"
Chen Chuan replied, "Then I'll have to trouble Assistant Pan to lead the way."
"Please follow me."
Chen Chuan asked his driver, Xiao Wei, to wait below while he followed Assistant Pan along a narrow path carved out by tools, leading up the mountain. After walking for a while along the slope and then circling around the mountain's waist, they reached a relatively spacious natural platform near the top of the mountain, where several tents were also set up.
"Expert Chen is here," someone greeted from a distance.
Chen Chuan recognized the person as someone from the commission company he had dealt with during the flying skull incident. He responded with a greeting.
In reality, the commission companies operated within a close-knit circle. After handling numerous commissions, one would inevitably encounter familiar faces. Moreover, the Government Hall tended to favor those with a more memorable impression.
Many people approached Chen Chuan to greet him. One of the clients smiled and said, "We've been waiting for Expert Chen. Without you, we wouldn't have been able to handle this matter."
Chen Chuan humbly replied, "You're too kind. The ones who did the heavy lifting are the people here. I'm just here to wrap things up."
"Expert Chen is just being modest," the clients in the room laughed.
A man with a hint of stubble on his chin stepped forward, extending his hand and introducing himself in a mature and steady voice, "I am Gu Mingde from Pinnacle Company. It's an honor to have you join us as the team leader for this operation, Expert Chen."
Most of the violent nature commission companies in Yangzhi City were established businesses. Everyone knew that without a unified command, they would only compete and hinder each other, resulting in nothing getting done. Therefore, when multiple commission companies collaborated on a commission, they would first divide the interests to ensure future cooperation.
It was common knowledge that a bad reputation among peers could ruin everything, as others would unite to boycott and refuse to work with you. After all, the commission companies had intricate connections with the Yangzhi City Government Hall and even the parliamentarians.
Chen Chuan shook Gu Mingde's hand and asked, "May I ask, Mr. Gu, what's the current situation?"
"Please come in, Mr. Chen," Gu Mingde invited him into a military tent large enough to accommodate a dozen people. Inside, a long table was set up with a map of the area, along with folding stools and various portable tools on both sides.
"Please take a look, Expert Chen."
After entering, Gu Mingde moved the folding stool aside and pointed to the lower part of the map, "This is the mountain we're currently on. And up here," he moved his finger to another mountain ahead, "is Savage Mountain, just seven or eight li away in a straight line. It's very close. The stronghold we've located is there.
We've already sent people to investigate. This village has only about a hundred people. The innermost part is an ancient temple from the old era. A few years ago, someone went inside to collect mountain goods, and everything seemed normal. But at some point, all the villagers became followers of the Flying Head Sect.
This place is well-hidden and relatively isolated from the outside world, which may be why the followers aren't very alert. This is advantageous for our operation.
Our plan is to launch a raid early tomorrow morning and aim to capture them in one go. We know how to deal with living people, but this is our first encounter with an urban legend like the flying skull. Although the advisor has provided us with some protective items, we still want to know if there's anything else we should be cautious about."
After some thought, Chen Chuan said, "The flying skull can affect one's mind and trigger desires, causing people to go crazy. So, it's best to control your emotions and have those at the front use people who have mastered force techniques, as they have slightly stronger resistance."
Gu Mingde nodded, as this information aligned with what the Government Hall advisor had told them. They had also made some preparations.
Chen Chuan continued, "If the flying skull appears, I'll handle it. Others should try to stay away to avoid being influenced." He thought for a moment, then asked, "You mentioned there's an old temple there?"
"Yes, we're not sure when it was built, but it's a stone structure, very ancient," Gu Mingde gestured, and his assistant searched before handing him an old photograph, explaining, "This one."
Chen Chuan took the photograph, which was old but clear. It showed a stone-built architecture distinct from the Da Shun style, possibly renovated later.
"Urban legends like the flying skull tend to dwell in older places of long-term worship. The altar should be inside the temple. If so, that's good news. Flying skulls usually don't stray far from the altar, and with sufficient offerings, they might not even leave."
He looked up and asked, "Have you noticed when the villagers make offerings?"
Perhaps there are some unusual sounds?"
Someone replied, "We only know a portion of the situation on the mountain, but every day, we can hear chanting and the sounds of drums being beaten, similar to the shamans dancing in the mountains back then. There's one session in the morning and another in the evening, and the duration is always fixed, around three quarters of an hour."
Chen Chuan nodded, "That's probably a sacrificial ritual." He turned to Gu Mingde, "My suggestion is that it's best to launch the attack when the villagers are in the midst of blood, after all."
Someone spoke up, "In that case, we might have to delay the original plan."
Gu Mingde was decisive, "Then let's postpone it. We'll follow Chen's expert advice!"
Everyone nodded in agreement. To be honest, even if the number of villagers doubled, they wouldn't be a match for them. What they feared most was the bizarre flying heads, and with a targeted approach, they wouldn't have to be so cautious.
"Does Chen have any other suggestions?"
Chen Chuan spoke solemnly, "Flying heads can easily cause emotional and rational confusion. So, when I deal with the flying heads, I hope everyone will stay as far away as possible. It would be best if we can keep them trapped inside the temple."
"But once they fly out of the temple, it'll be difficult to handle. So, we must act quickly and end the outer battle while they're still enjoying the sacrificial feast."
He continued, "And..."
Chen Chuan looked around, "The resistance from the flying heads might be intense, and there's a high chance that some of us will lose self-control. So, be mentally prepared."
Everyone's hearts were filled with determination.
Someone spoke up, "Last time, Chen managed to slash through a flying head with a single strike. This time, we've prepared nets, darts, and ropes. They should come in handy, right?"
Chen Chuan explained, "That was probably just a transformed human head, which can be dealt with using regular methods. But it's not comparable to a real flying head. That thing can't be defeated by ordinary attacks; only special techniques can handle it."
He looked at the map, "If we can confirm that the root cause is here, I'll go into the ancient temple alone, if possible. You all will seal off the entrance, leaving only a few outside. The rest should quickly retreat down the mountain, and only unseal it after I'm done."
Gu Mingde asked more details about the flying heads and then said, "I originally thought the situation was hard to predict, but with Chen's expert guidance, I feel more confident. I'll still rely on Chen's expertise."
Chen Chuan returned the gesture, "Definitely."
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(End of Chapter)
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