Chapter 122: First-Class Medic's Pack

What those soldiers were thinking, Liu Xiaotian didn't know, and he didn't want to know.

In this situation, what he most wanted to do was to eliminate Hu Sha and all his men in the shortest time possible, completing this hostage-rescue mission.

Even when he first came to this sea area and, from afar, saw the lone 'Dream Vessel' stopped on the sea surface, his first reaction was that he had been 'tricked'.

With so many hostages, no air support, no naval support, not even a suitable breach point, how could he and his ten-man Action Team possibly rescue everyone? A detour would mean insufficient manpower; a frontal assault would leave the hostages exposed—it's like a dog biting a tortoise, nowhere to get a grip! Yet when he approached the ship's hull from underwater, he suddenly understood.

For him and these soldiers, this was both a challenge and a test.

If they couldn't even complete this mission satisfactorily, what right did they have to call themselves special forces kings? Hu Sha had only over forty men, while Liu Xiaotian's Action Team, including himself, totaled eleven—roughly a 1-to-4 ratio.

But each of them was the top elite of their respective national militaries; if one person couldn't handle four pirates, they might as well go home and wash their kids' diapers—what face would they have left in the special forces?

But their actual strength wasn't all that impressive.

Otherwise, why would they have ended up working for Hu Sha?

Pirates and mercenaries aren't even in the same league, are they?

How much does a mercenary get paid for a job? After taking the money, they can do whatever they want, go wherever they please, and swap women as they like.

But what about pirates?

Hu Sha's pirate gang has backing forces behind them, yet even as their boss, Hu Sha can only leave that small island a few times a year.

As for the conditions on that island, you can easily imagine them.

Although those few who once had some reputation receive far better treatment than ordinary pirate lackeys, surely they still can't enjoy the island's 'resources' more than Hu Sha himself?

So, after figuring this out, Liu Xiaotian unhesitatingly issued the order to split up and act.

As for the three snipers already in position, Liu Xiaotian's order was: change targets, lock onto the pirates posing the greatest threat to the hostages, and remain on standby.

According to Liu Xiaotian's plan, he wanted to lure as many of Hu Sha's men as possible into the ship's hold, so that when they finally had to storm the deck, the fewer pirates left, the better! That's why he hadn't intended to hold back from the start.

He had his rifle slung on his back and his saber sheathed at his waist.

He had abandoned both of these weapons.

What he now held in his hand was a fire axe he'd found in a fire cabinet! Speaking of which, this thing's lethality was actually more useful and handy than his sharper, tougher saber.

With one swing of the axe, given Liu Xiaotian's current strength plus the fire axe's sharpness, splitting an adult in two wasn't difficult.

Of course, that's a horizontal chop, not a vertical one.

If you wanted to split someone vertically into two halves, the fire axe wouldn't work; you'd need a chainsaw.

Because he was worried about Li Erniu's condition, Liu Xiaotian deliberately chose to team up with him.

Just as they turned a corner, Liu Xiaotian, who was in the lead, suddenly stepped back.

If Li Erniu's reactions hadn't been fairly quick, he would have crashed right into Liu Xiaotian's back.

"Someone's coming!" Liu Xiaotian whispered, gripping his fire axe tightly.

In the corridor, two pirates were walking and whispering: "I don't get it—why did the boss send us down to check? Wouldn't it be better to wait up on the deck for anyone coming up?"

"Yeah, I think so too—since we're holding a lot of hostages, they wouldn't dare mess with us!"

"Could it be… that the boss deliberately did this?"

"Don't talk nonsense! If the boss found out, he'd kill you without hesitation!"

……

Indeed, the speaker later wasn't wrong at all—if Hu Sha really overheard their conversation, the one who said Hu Sha had done this on purpose would be dead for sure.

Given Hu Sha's character, he would absolutely not let anyone who held a grudge against him continue living.

Hu Sha is indeed a ruthless pirate who kills without blinking, yet he also fears death more than anyone else.

Therefore, he must eliminate anyone who poses a threat to his life, even if it's just mere dissatisfaction.

Especially his own subordinates.

On that small island, he practically had to kill each of his men up close every day, just in case someone tried to stab him in the back—and speaking of which, Hu Sha really made good use of the saying of that ancient Eastern figure, 'Mengde'.

As for 'Mengde,' he simply followed the principle of 'rather I betray the world than let the world betray me,' whereas Hu Sha allows no hint of dissent—at the slightest sign, he throws the person straight into the sea to feed the fish.

Each of his subordinates fears him greatly.

Actually, if it weren't for that, Hu Sha's wish to live out his days in peace would be nothing but a fantasy.

Put another way, for those who become pirates, aside from possibly sitting in the boss's seat, their lives aren't any better than the simple agrarian routine of working at sunrise and resting at sunset.

However, this doesn't affect how ruthlessly Liu Xiaotian will strike.

As the footsteps drew nearer, Liu Xiaotian slowly raised his fire axe.

Just as one pirate's figure turned the corner, what greeted him was Liu Xiaotian's sharp fire axe in hand.

And it was aimed straight at his face!

"Pfft!"

With a somewhat dull thud, the fire axe seemed to be embedded in that poor fellow's forehead, blood spurting from the split in the axe head and splattering all over Liu Xiaotian.

Yet Liu Xiaotian never imagined that his own move already qualified as 'decisive and lethal,' but Li Erniu, who had always seemed honest and simple, turned out to be even more ruthless—rushing out right after Liu Xiaotian, his saber plunged straight into the other pirate's throat just 0.5 seconds later.

That wasn't the end—Li Erniu then lifted his foot and kicked that pirate in the gut, while the hand gripping his sword exerted a reverse horizontal force…

You've heard about those once-called 'devils' who sometimes take out a small knife and slit open bellies, right?

Now Li Erniu's method is no different—except they cut themselves, whereas he cuts others.

In an instant, a strong smell of blood quickly filled the ship's corridor…

(End of chapter)