Animal Detective

Chapter 560: Chapter 462: Ambush

When the news arrived, Liu Baoquan was presiding over a provincial symposium for private enterprises, introducing the progress made in combating economic crime and promoting legal awareness.

"Apologies, something has come up. Please continue."

Liu Baoquan hastily left the conference hall and rushed straight to the command center.

Lu Chunze was already there when he arrived.

He looked elated.

"Chunze, did you find them?" Liu Baoquan asked, equally elated.

Lu Chunze nodded.

One of the feeds on the large screen showed a live camera.

After spotting the target, Plane began tailing them like a ghost under Shen Xin’s direction.

The trees in the primeval forest were towering, many dozens of meters high.

A bird flying silently overhead, tailing them from above the canopy, would be virtually impossible to detect.

Another feed displayed captured stills, which were being used to analyze the targets.

Lu Chunze briefly explained the situation, then pointed to the screen. "Liu Ting, take a look. Their firepower is nothing to scoff at."

Five mules and nine men.

Three were empty-handed, likely carrying concealed handguns.

The other six were all carrying automatic weapons.

They were trying to identify the weapons from the screenshots.

"Three carbines, one with an even shorter barrel."

"Over in Mianguang, they often shorten M16s and replace the handguards with railed ones to make it easier to mount accessories."

"This one has a grenade launcher mounted on it, plus a rather large sight. Looks like a cheap thermal scope."

"Two AR-15s—also a common weapon."

"You can tell the last one is a Type 56 from the stock. It’s also fitted with a grenade launcher."

"They’re all in camouflage and wearing tactical vests, which are probably stuffed with grenades."

Liu Baoquan nodded slightly, his gaze growing sharper.

Things were a mess over in Mianguang. Drugs were rampant, and so were guns.

These weapons were actually considered subpar. Those willing to invest used high-end gear.

His subordinates were experienced in combat operations, so Liu Baoquan didn’t need to worry too much. He sat down and asked how the targets were found.

Lu Chunze hadn’t actually been on-site monitoring things when the discovery was made.

After a full day and night of surveillance, it was impossible for him to be there the entire time.

He only reviewed the situation after he arrived.

"Director, I noticed something."

He had someone pull up the video and explained, "Initially, Plane was searching in a straight line, but it suddenly changed direction mid-search. When it turned, it was still six or seven hundred meters away from the target."

"In other words, it didn’t visually spot the target. It must have found the traffickers using its hearing and sense of smell, just as Shen Xin predicted."

"Smelling a human scent from hundreds of meters away... This bird is incredible. It’s better than a drone."

A drone only sees something when the operator visually identifies it.

Plus, drones have to get close, which makes them easy to spot.

Liu Baoquan nodded in agreement. "Indeed. I had my secretary find some relevant information yesterday. Apparently, some animals can detect water sources from over ten kilometers away. Their sense of smell is extraordinary."

After a moment of reflection, he pointed to a screenshot on the screen. "This must be Min Juekan, right?"

The screenshot wasn’t perfectly clear, but his features seemed to match.

He wasn’t carrying a weapon, suggesting he was the one giving orders.

Lu Chunze nodded. "Most likely."

"With a shipment this large, Min Juekan would have to be escorting it himself."

「Meanwhile, over with Shen Xin.」

"Shen Xin, you’re a goddamn genius!" Huang Delin exclaimed, pulling Shen Xin into an excited hug.

The moment he let go, the deputy captain of the accompanying Lianjiang SWAT team grabbed Shen Xin’s hand for a firm shake.

Deciding a handshake wasn’t enough, he pulled Shen Xin in for a hug as well.

Next was the leader of Li Niu’s team.

His name was Qian Feng.

He was a broad-shouldered man who rarely smiled, but now the corners of his eyes were crinkled with joy. After shaking Shen Xin’s hand, he snapped to a salute and offered a sincere word of thanks.

They had superior numbers and better equipment, but this was a real combat situation against fully armed drug traffickers.

It wasn’t like arresting a common murderer, where you could just storm in, point your guns, and expect an immediate surrender.

There were inherent risks.

But if they could get the drop on the enemy, lock onto the target in advance, know their numbers and armaments, and set an ambush, then not only would the mission’s success rate skyrocket, but the risk of casualties would also be minimized.

When you lead men into the field, you want to bring every single one of them back safely.

Shen Xin quickly returned the salute, sighing in relief internally.

’I talked a big game, came all this way, and took on the most critical task. What if I hadn’t found them?’

’It wasn’t a matter of life and death, but I really, really hoped I would succeed.’

After the brief celebration, several officers immediately gathered around, staring at the video feed from Plane to discuss their plan of action.

Meanwhile, Li Niu and his team were already prepping their gear.

One special police officer opened a large equipment case he’d been carrying and took out an enormous sniper rifle, beginning to make final adjustments.

Another officer from the armed police unit opened a crate and began taking out grenades and flashbangs, stuffing them into his tactical vest.

They methodically checked their machine guns and sorted their night-vision and communication equipment. A grim, deadly serious atmosphere settled over the woods.

Shen Xin’s gaze fell on Li Niu, who was holding a small mirror and applying camouflage paint to his face.

He was completely focused on the task.

Shen Xin was suddenly struck by a peculiar feeling.

This handsome kid, younger than himself, who was always boasting about how amazing he was, was about to head out and face vicious, heavily armed drug traffickers.

’Bullets don’t discriminate. A single bullet, costing less than a dollar, can snuff out a life.’

’This isn’t some FPS game where you can get shot, lie on the ground for a few seconds, and be back to full health.’

’Getting shot in the jungle, miles from a hospital... the risk is immense.’

For some reason, Shen Xin suddenly felt with stark clarity just how terrifying death was.

He had a sudden impulse to go over and say a few words to Li Niu—to wish him a successful mission and tell him to be safe.

But he thought better of it.

’According to Ding Yuwei and the others, I’m a bit of a jinx—I’ve got the aura of the Grim Reaper about me.’

’And if this were a TV show, saying something like that would be a surefire way to make something bad happen.’

Li Niu, however, noticed Shen Xin looking at him and flashed a wide, toothy grin.

There wasn’t a trace of nervousness on his face.

Time was of the essence.

The targets had been spotted just after crossing the border, a straight-line distance of nine kilometers away.

They had to move out immediately.

As for the operational plan and the ambush location, they had comms devices with a live feed, so they could discuss those details en route.

The higher-ups also needed time to discuss and approve the plan.

Without any further ceremony or delay, the group of fifty-one men plunged headfirst into the primeval forest.

In an instant, they vanished as if swallowed by the jungle.

Huang Delin had gone with them.

That left Jiang Wengang and a colleague from Ningjiang behind.

Guo Zhao Yue and his men were also there.

Shen Xin’s mission wasn’t over yet. He immediately called for Dashun, who was nearby, to come provide support.

He also called for Yifan and the others, telling them all to gather at his position.

The helmet-camera needed to be swapped out; a single bird couldn’t maintain surveillance indefinitely.

Besides, they had found the group coming from across the border, but what about their local contacts?

They’d hooked the big fish, but they couldn’t let the small fry get away.

Dashun arrived a little before three o’clock.

The moment it arrived, it started complaining about being tired.

"I know, I know. It’ll be over soon," Shen Xin said, placating the bird with a mealworm.

For a magpie—the honey badger of the avian world—to be this obedient and not cause any trouble was more than Shen Xin could have hoped for.

The two groups were definitely connected. If one had appeared, the other must already be on the move.

Sure enough, at 3:40, the domestic party was spotted coming from the opposite direction.

It was a group of five men in civilian clothing.

Unlike Min Juekan’s crew, they weren’t brazenly carrying assault rifles; they likely all had concealed handguns.

With all targets now identified, all that was left was to spring the trap.

Deep in the forest, Qian Feng and his men moved at a full sprint.

Watching Plane search from the sky made it look easy. For a bird, a few kilometers was nothing; it could cover the distance in minutes.

Traversing the same distance on foot was a completely different story.

Huang Delin was in the prime of his life and physically fit, yet he was panting like a bull, struggling to keep up with Qian Feng and his team.

The team constantly adjusted its course based on the targets’ movements.

A little after five o’clock, the team reached the designated ambush point.

In the meantime, the command center had analyzed the targets’ route and speed and decided to proceed with the arrest immediately.

Any further delay and they would lose daylight.

At their current speeds, the two groups would likely rendezvous after nightfall.

Two things could happen after they met.

One, they could make camp on the spot and go their separate ways at dawn.

But that would consolidate their forces, making them a much larger group to handle.

Two, they could make the exchange and separate immediately.

This second possibility branched into two more scenarios.

They might camp separately to avoid being caught all at once.

The traffickers were cautious; they would want to put distance between themselves and the drugs.

The other possibility was that they would try to cross back over the border under the cover of darkness.

But that was unlikely. Traveling through a primeval forest at night was far too risky.

After a comprehensive assessment, the order was given for Qian Feng to pick up the pace and intercept Min Juekan’s group ahead of schedule.

After apprehending them, they would turn back and, with support, go after the other group.

Upon arrival, Qian Feng quickly gave a series of hand signals.

His men immediately dispersed, moving into their predetermined ambush positions.

The plan was to encircle them from all four sides.

A machine gun was set up in an advantageous position to cover the front.

Snipers were positioned in high points among the trees.

A detachment of the special police team would circle around to get behind Min Juekan’s group and cut off their escape route.

Meanwhile, Qian Feng would lead his men to post on the flanks, forming a pocket for a pincer attack.

Since there were no fixed paths in the mountains, the enemy’s route wasn’t certain. The best they could do was form a wide net, slowly tighten it, and then launch a sudden assault.

As for Huang Delin and his men, they could only provide support from the perimeter.

It was a little after five, and the sky had yet to darken.

But the light within the forest was already beginning to fade.

At that moment, Plane and Wufu were tailing the group, one on the left and one on the right.

Qian Feng took cover behind a large banyan tree, monitoring everyone’s position in real time on his device.

The video feed from Plane and the other birds allowed him to continuously update the traffickers’ position.

He used his radio to cautiously instruct everyone to close in, slowly tightening the net of the ambush.

On the video feed, the nine men walked on, completely oblivious.

The path was difficult in some places, and even the mules struggled, needing a push from the men.

Min Juekan, in the middle of the group, scanned his surroundings vigilantly.

His medium-length, choppy hair was unkempt. He wore a military-green jacket. As he walked, he suddenly turned to the man beside him. "Dan Wen, does something feel... off to you?"

The man beside him wore a baseball cap with the brim pulled down low, his narrow eyes sharp. He nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping the area.

"It’s too quiet," he said softly.

The forest was usually alive with the sound of birds and insects.

But now, there was nothing.

’And a situation like this could mean...’

The thought had barely formed in his mind when objects came flying in from both sides. WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

One of them landed right in front of him, rolling into a pile of dead leaves.

For an instant, his heart nearly stopped.

’A flashbang!’

A series of explosions erupted.

Blinding light flared as smoke billowed up. His head felt like it had been smashed a dozen times with a sledgehammer, and his ears were ringing violently.

At that moment, a bizarre thought inexplicably crossed his mind.

’Are these guys even human?’

’They threw a dozen flashbangs all at once.’

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