C13 Fatal Red Scorpion(2)

"Chen... Ye..." A faint call reached Chen Ye's ears. Startled, he turned to find the source, only to discover that it was Cheng Bin, a fellow soldier who had been silent until now.

Chen Ye rushed to Cheng Bin's side and lifted him, noticing a gunshot wound in his neck from which blood was profusely pouring, indicating a severed artery. Cheng Bin's eyes were dim as he clutched Chen Ye's hand and managed to utter, "Enemy... attack..."

Your favorability with the individual has reached its maximum value, granting you a special guidance session.

Cheng Bin's favorability: 150/150 (Bonded in Life and Death). Health Points: 5/100. Excessive bleeding (-2 Health Points/second): 100 points for "Reading Notes"; 50 points for a Parker Pen; 5 points per bullet; 15 points per serving of military rations; 20 points per book (temporary).

In a matter of two seconds, Chen Ye didn't overthink his choice. He selected the "Reading Notes" and the Parker Pen, clearing the favorability points. Cheng Bin's life signs had vanished completely. Chen Ye gently laid down his body and observed a minute of silence, his eyes brimming with sorrow.

With no time to tend to the body, Chen Ye grabbed two white chests and dashed towards the checkpoint. By pulling the alarm, he could easily warn of the enemy attack, making it challenging for Red Scorpion to continue their assault with Yunfei on alert. Yet, such an action might also scare them off, and Chen Ye was determined not to let any of them get away.

Upon opening the white treasure chest, you've obtained "Basic Skill Upgrade Potion x1."

Upon opening the white treasure chest, you've obtained "M1 Grenade x1."

The M1 grenade, a standard-issue white quality American military item, can inflict 300 points of fire damage and radiate 100 points of physical damage within a 10-meter radius if unobstructed.

It appeared that Chen Ye's luck with the treasure chests had run out, yielding only two white items. The "Basic Skill Upgrade Potion" seemed to be the guaranteed drop from the white chests. Chen Ye refrained from using it immediately, even though his "Basic Movement (E)" skill was fully proficient. Instead, he turned his attention to the two items he had redeemed.

Book of Recollections: This item is of silver grade, representing the lifelong research of a military strategist who excelled in both the literary and martial arts. With proper development, he is destined to become a distinguished general. To use this item, one must possess "beginner culture," and upon doing so, you will be granted the title "Military Strategist," which can be upgraded and taken beyond this world. Its value is an impressive 1,000 nucleus crystals.

Parker Pen: This was a gift from Cheng Bin's first love, symbolizing memories that are eternally preserved; it is of green quality. As a piece of equipment, it boosts the growth of non-consumable skill proficiency by 100% and increases comprehension by 1.

Chen Ye was astounded. He had not anticipated that a seemingly inconsequential document could be exchanged for such an astonishingly high-quality item. The attributes of the Parker Pen alone were remarkable; despite being a green accessory, both of its attributes were incredibly useful. This was his first encounter with an item of silver quality, and judging by its value of 1,000 nucleus crystals, it might just be the most significant find he had in this world.

Cheng Bin's character was indeed unique. His favorability needed to be cultivated over time, akin to nurturing real-life friendships. Chen Ye had nearly abandoned the pursuit of increasing favorability with others, focusing solely on Cheng Bin. Favorability from Wang Jianguo and Yunfei seemed to come as part of their missions. Among the forty-plus soldiers, Cheng Bin was the only one for whom Chen Ye dedicated a full fifty hours to boost favorability. Despite the lack of any remarkable skills to impart, making him easily overlooked, Cheng Bin's ordinary character should have triggered special guidance much earlier, given his favorability cap of just 150 points. Yet, it wasn't until his dying moment that his favorability maxed out, a clear indication of his significance. According to the notebook, he might have been an even more pivotal character than Yunfei, had fate been kinder.

Obtaining Cheng Bin's special guidance was a stroke of luck for Chen Ye. After some calculations, the odds were indeed slim. Equipped with the Parker Pen, Chen Ye headed towards the intersection of the east and south roads, a three-way junction. The broadest path led to the checkpoint. Chen Ye had meticulously planned his route, deducing that if only two mercenaries were stationed at the south gate, then the east gate would likely be guarded by the same number. Their task was to eliminate any stragglers to prevent an alarm or to serve as lookouts.

Regarding the Red Scorpion's main force, the personnel composition suggests that there are at least four members, all of whom are elite warriors skilled in covert operations and evasion.

Glancing at the countdown, there were six hours and 58 minutes remaining. By that estimate, the Red Scorpion's main force should have just reached the perimeter of the checkpoint.

Chen Ye sketched a rough map on the ground. The checkpoint had only one entrance, with impassable high mountains and steep cliffs surrounding it. Therefore, the enemy's strategy was likely to guard near the entrance and execute a "surround and support" tactic. For instance, they might trigger the alarm at the east gate to draw some of the checkpoint's personnel there, then after some time, sound the alarm at the south gate. The checkpoint would then have two possible reactions.

First, they might dispatch another group to provide support. However, with the main force already deployed, this group would be walking into a trap, easily ambushed and eliminated by the Red Scorpion. With the checkpoint nearly empty, the enemy could seize the opportunity to take control of the terrain and the remaining personnel, engaging in a stronghold battle while awaiting the arrival of the Moramatch forces.

Alternatively, the checkpoint might seal the gate and hold their position. In that case, the Red Scorpion's main force would turn back to pursue the first group of troops that had left, catching them in a pincer movement, annihilating them, and then regrouping to lay siege to the checkpoint. They might even manage to wipe out the checkpoint's forces without needing the Moramatch troops to reinforce them.

Whichever option was chosen, the Red Scorpion appeared to have an overwhelming advantage. Chen Ye was relieved he hadn't raised a false alarm and quietly waited on this inevitable path.

When the countdown reached five hours, a military transport truck sped towards him. Spotting the familiar license plate from a distance, his eyes brightened. He burst from the roadside bushes and waved his arms high.

The truck came to a screeching halt, and a squad of border guards quickly disembarked. Each soldier aimed their weapon at Chen Ye, ready to fire at the slightest misstep.

"Chen Ye! We thought you were gone for good. How on earth did you end up here?" Lee Yunfei leaned out from the passenger seat to ask.

I never expected that he would personally lead the reinforcements. This made things much easier. Although his favorability had diminished slightly, Lee Yunfei's rapport with me had reached "close friends." Clearly, he would be more inclined to trust what I said. I promptly briefed Lee Yunfei on the situation at the South Gate.

Upon hearing that his two entire squads had been decimated and that a trap had likely been set to completely obliterate his forces, Lee Yunfei's eyes blazed with fury. He clenched his teeth and vowed, "I'm going to flay them alive!" As a seasoned soldier who had weathered many years of warfare, he wasn't overwhelmed by grief; instead, his fighting spirit was ignited.

Chen Ye quickly offered a strategy, "Lee! If you follow this plan... you're sure to achieve your revenge!"